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When her daughter’s threatened…
she fights back.


When police deputy Ronin Doyle happens upon stunning Courtney Baker, he can’t shake the feeling that something’s not right. And as the lawman’s engulfed by an investigation that rocks their serene community, more and more he’s convinced that Courtney’s boyfriend has swept her—and her beloved daughter—into something sinister. If Ronin’s hunch is right, he must help Courtney before it’s too late for them all…

219 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 3, 2022

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About the author

Cindi Myers

403 books113 followers
Pseudonym: Cynthia Sterling

Cindi Myers worked as a newspaper reporter, travel agent and medical clinic manager before turning to writing full time. She's written both historical and contemporary romance, as well as dozens of short stories and nonfiction articles. Cindi thinks writers have the best job in the world.

Former president of San Antonio Romance Authors, Cindi is a member of Romance Writers of America, Novelists Inc., and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.

She and her husband and their two dogs live in the mountains Southwest of Denver. When she's not caught up in creating new characters and stories, Cindi enjoys reading, quilting, gardening, skiing and hiking. She's also in demand as a speaker, teaching workshops and making presentations to both local and national writing groups.

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5 stars
110 (56%)
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62 (32%)
3 stars
14 (7%)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Susan.
4,697 reviews117 followers
March 27, 2022
Terrific conclusion to the series. This is the story of Courtney Baker, Lauren Baker's sister-in-law, and the subject of a missing person search in the first book of the series (Disappearance at Dakota Ridge). She ran off with Trey Allerton, a man who claimed to be friends with her late husband, and talked about building a ranch to help disadvantaged kids. Over the first three books of the series, we saw increasingly suspicious activity from Trey and worrisome events involving Courtney.

As this book starts, Courtney realizes that Trey is not the man she thinks he is. She attempts an escape but is caught by Trey. He threatens to harm her daughter Ashlyn if she tries to leave him again. Right after he makes these threats, Deputy Ronin Doyle stops to check on her because the situation looks suspicious. With Trey's threats fresh in her mind, Courtney tells him everything is fine. Ronin doesn't buy it, but there's nothing he can do right now.

I ached for Courtney, who came so close to breaking free from Trey, only to find her life become even more difficult. But she now desires to try again, and when Trey slaps Ashlyn, she has the motivation to do so. Her desire to learn some of the things he's kept hidden from her leads her to discover some gold bars he's hidden away, and she takes a few for later use. When he finds the hidden bars and the papers she concealed, Trey drags them off and locks them in an abandoned mine. She's terrified they'll die there until help comes from an unexpected source.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Courtney and Ronin. Ronin couldn't forget Courtney even though she was "taken." His instinct that something was off also kept her on his mind and caused him to stop by her trailer several times. Courtney was drawn by his kindness and the compassion she saw in his eyes. She kicked herself after each visit for not having the courage to ask for help, but her fear was too great. I loved when Ronin took her the photography book and its effect on her. Their feelings had a greater chance to grow after the rescue at the mine allowed them to spend more time together. I loved the realism at the end, where Courtney and Ronin make an intelligent decision about their relationship.

The suspense of the story was complex, with several layers. First was the situation with Courtney and the increasingly abusive Trey. I was invested in seeing how she was going to escape. The second was the ongoing question of the youth ranch and whether it was real or a scam. All indications during the series said "scam," but there were a few instances where it seemed legit. Then there was the addition of a detective from a nearby town who is looking for youth-related drug activity. The elusive Bart Smith remains a person of interest in that search. Detective Fletcher also seems inordinately interested in Trey. The storylines come together in an intense confrontation that had me glued to the pages until it was all over.
Profile Image for Anne.
198 reviews12 followers
March 9, 2022
Trey gets what he deserves. .
566 reviews13 followers
April 11, 2022
Will be reading more by this author.
This was #4 in the series and I had no trouble with the storyline.
I will go back and read the other three. Really enjoyed.
231 reviews1 follower
April 13, 2022
Excellent conclusion to the series. I enjoyed the buildup throughout the whole series getting to the point that we find out the man behind all the troubles.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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