Chapter 1

ALEX

I wasn't sure when my life became so complicated. I've always been an overachiever, but even for me, this was ridiculous. I glanced at Sherlock, my friend's big, black German Shepherd. "What do you think, Sherlock?"

He let out a deep doggy sigh, echoing my frustration.

I tapped my fingers on the desk, staring at the lines of code on the screen. I'd triple-checked everything, and it all made sense. But my program still refused to work.

By six o'clock, I gave up. Eric should be arriving soon. He'd been in Broomfield sampling wedding cake flavors and looking at menu options. It wasn't my idea of fun, but that's what happens when you're getting married.

A beam of light swept across the office walls, and Sherlock perked up.

"Your dad's here. Let's go see him." I smiled as Sherlock bolted out of the office. If I ever got a dog, I'd want one just like him. Intelligent, happy, and loyal—everything I needed when living alone in the middle of a forest.

Sherlock pawed at the front door.

I peered through the glass side-panel and flicked open the lock. Eric climbed the veranda stairs, looking remarkably unbothered by the day's wedding planning.

"Hey, boy. Have you been good?" Eric asked, grinning as Sherlock bounded across the veranda, his tail swishing like a rotor blade.

"I guess that means you missed me." Eric rubbed Sherlock's back briskly and looked at me. "Was he okay?"

"Apart from chasing a squirrel, he was perfect. Did you organize the cake and food?"

"We've narrowed it down to either vanilla cream or chocolate fudge cake. Dinner's still a work in progress."

I held open the door. "Want some coffee?"

"I'd love some." Eric walked into the kitchen. "I thought deciding to get married was hard. Planning a wedding is worse."

It only felt like just yesterday that Eric and his fiancé, Riley, were hiding out here. With a stalker on the loose and Riley's cottage broken into, my home had been the perfect sanctuary.

"You could always elope," I suggested.

"Riley's mom would never forgive me." Eric grabbed two cups from the cupboard. "It's not so bad. We need to find a florist after we settle on a menu. Then it's just a matter of waiting for the big day. Did you fix your problem?"

I poured coffee into the cups. "Nope. But I took your advice and called Bryant Security. They have a guy on their team who has all the qualifications and experience I need."

"When does he arrive?"

"If he agrees to help, it'll be Monday."

Eric sipped his coffee. "Will you be able to finish the project on time?"

"The next phase of testing begins in eight weeks. Once I get past this glitch, I'll have to work fast to get everything ready." The thought of the million things I needed to do kept me up at night.

"What if you can't make the deadline?" Eric asked, his voice laced with concern.

The weight of the entire project was sitting on my shoulders. "Then it's put on hold," I admitted. "If that happens, we'll miss our window in the testing facility. The next available slot is six months away."

"Whatever you're doing must be important."

"It is." I couldn't tell Eric too much about the project, but he'd seen the long hours I put in. What he didn't know was that the project was part of a much larger Department of Defense program.

"Is there anything I can do?" he offered.

"Not unless you can change the weather. I'm hoping we don't get the storm that's supposed to hit. I need Dylan's help. If the main road closes, he won't get through."

Eric grabbed a cookie from the container on the table. "Fall in Colorado can be unpredictable. If it does snow, you might have to use your snowplow again."

Despite how stressed I was, I smiled. "Don't remind me. I must be the only person who's had their plow towed out of a ditch."

"You were lucky you didn't go over the bank."

Every time I drove on the narrow, winding road, I thought the same thing. Living miles from the nearest town had its benefits, but it also meant I had to be more self-sufficient—and avoid stupid mistakes like driving off the road.

"I learned my lesson," I assured him.

"I hope so. If it does snow, you'll be on your own for a few days."

"Not if I can help it." I was determined to get Dylan here to fix the bug in my program. If that meant booking a helicopter to fly him here, then that's what I'd do. The security of the country could depend on it.