Chapter 1

one

JACOB

I shot upright in bed, my ears straining to hear what had woken me. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as a scraping sound echoed through the house. Wiping my hand across my eyes, I forced my brain to focus.

I was home.

In Colorado. Not sweltering in a hot Afghanistan summer.

The noise could have been anything. Deer, elk, squirrels, or even wild cats could sound like humans. And then there were the bears…

I was sure I’d locked the front door before I’d gone to bed, but?—

There it was again, only this time it sounded like something heavy hitting the floor.

With my heart pounding, I pushed off my blankets and reached for the baseball bat beside my bed.

I’d arrived home late last night, exhausted after a thirty-hour flight from Kabul. It was ironic that after working in refugee camps around the world, it was here, in Sunrise Bay, where I felt unsafe.

Raising the bat to my shoulder, I moved into the hallway. Sunlight trickled through the gap in the curtains. I glanced at my watch, surprised to see it was already eight o’clock.

Silently, I moved down the stairs. My sweaty palms gripped the bat, holding it tightly as if waiting to hit a home run.

Was that running water?

Whoever was here had to be human—unless a thirsty bear had decided a kitchen faucet was better than drinking from a creek.

Eliminating the wildlife didn’t mean I was safe. I lived in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by pine and spruce trees. On any other day, if someone broke in, no one would stop them.

That wouldn’t be happening today.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed my back against the wall beside the living room doors. On the count of three, I spun around the edge of the doorframe. Apart from the furniture, the room was empty.

As quietly as possible, I crossed the room. When I stepped into the kitchen a flash of red turned me toward the butler’s pantry. Before I could move, a man stepped through the doorway. A very tall man with broad shoulders, dark hair, and stunning blue eyes.

The loaf of bread in his hands dropped to the floor. His wide-eyed gaze shot to the bat, then returned to my T-shirt and boxers. “Who are you?”

For a few seconds, all I could do was stare at him. When he took a step backward, I figured I’d better lower the bat before he panicked.

“I’m Jacob. I own the house you’ve broken into.”

The man’s shoulders sagged in relief. “I’m not a burglar. My name’s Andrew Clarke. I’m restocking your pantry and refrigerator with fresh food.”

I had no idea what was going on. I’d never heard of Andrew or met him before. “Jenny Cook looks after the house. She doesn’t know I’m here.”

Andrew picked up the loaf of bread. “Jenny wanted to make sure the house was ready for you, but she’s busy in the store for the next couple of days. I offered to help.” He sent me a confused frown. “I thought you weren’t arriving until tomorrow night.”

“I caught an earlier flight home.”

“I guess that’s a good thing.” Andrew left the bread on the counter and picked up his jacket. “I’d better leave. There’s fresh milk, butter, and yogurt in the refrigerator, and Jenny gave me half a dozen frozen meals for your freezer. If you need anything else, Jenny said to call her at the general store.” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry if I gave you a fright.”

I didn’t know what it was about him, but my brain was having trouble forming words. “I was asleep. I thought you were a burglar.”

“You don’t need to worry about that in Sunrise Bay. We must be one of the safest places in the world.” He handed me a set of keys. “I won’t need these anymore. Welcome home.” And with a quick smile, he walked out of the kitchen.

“Thanks for leaving me the food,” I yelled after him.

“That’s okay. Have a great day.”

As the front door closed, I shook my head. It wasn’t the start to the day I’d expected, but at least my house was safe.

My hand tightened around the keys. Now that I was out of bed, I might as well have breakfast and decide what I would do today.

At the top of my list was calling Jenny to let her know I was home. After that, I’d go for a run. If that didn’t blow the jet lag from my brain, nothing would.