Logic agreed. Faith had different ideas. Selena Smith was not finished on this earth. She had work to do, wrongs to right, perhaps even a personal life to live, if not with Finn, then with someone else.

  Only she didn’t want any other man for a husband, did she? Perhaps that was what had been holding her back, and she had to come to Idaho and see Finn again in order to realize the depth of her feelings for him. Something inside her kept insisting that he felt the same. He loved her. He had to. Any other outcome was so unacceptable it made her stomach knot.

  A floorboard creaked. Selena held her breath, hoping and praying that the sheriff and some of his men had entered the house and were sneaking up on Edward. She strained to listen for footsteps. There were none.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she cast a fleeting glance at her captor. His mumbling had ceased. He raised the pistol and pointed it toward the main part of the ground floor. When there were no more strange sounds, he frowned, then resumed pacing.

  Selena was not convinced. Faint, rapid taps, like rain on a tin roof, caught her attention. She knew that sound. It was made by the hard toenails of a dog striking a hardwood floor. Scout? It had to be. Other handlers from her team would have either carried their K-9 partners or put foul-weather boots on their feet to muffle the sound. The only one unaware of that stealth tactic was Finn Donovan. And Sheriff Unger.

  She froze. Waited. Watched the interior doorway. Shadows. Panting. Whispering? Yes!

  Atmosphere in the kitchen crackled with excitement and fear. Selena took a deep breath, ready for action.

  As Edward turned to start back toward her, she sensed a presence close by. “Please listen to me,” Selena began quietly. “You don’t have to die here today.”

  “Why shouldn’t I? I killed my only brother.” Temporarily standing still, Edward stared as if Zeb might be present, then blinked back unshed tears. “It was supposed to be painless, you know. He was just supposed to go to sleep.” He swiped at the tears beginning to wet his cheeks. “I only shot him to put him out of his misery. It was awful.”

  Distracted, Edward was half turned away. Selena stiffened. Toenails started scratching for traction like the spinning, slipping tires of a race car leaving the starting line.

  She braced to counterattack if she got the chance. A brown blur rushed in through the doorway. All she had time for was a guttural shout: “Gun.”

  Teeth bared, Scout came off the floor in one long leap and clamped his muscular jaws around both the man’s hand and the handgun. Momentum carried them halfway across the farm kitchen, and they landed almost at Selena’s feet with Edward on the bottom, screeching, and Scout worrying his hand as if he was shaking a toy in play.

  Edward was definitely not playing. Matter of fact, he was bleeding. Selena wasted no time ordering Scout, “Out,” and retrieving her gun while Sheriff Unger and two of his deputies cuffed the suspect.

  It didn’t matter who else was in the room. Selena had eyes for only one man, and she didn’t care who knew it. Holstering her weapon she dusted off her hands and crooked a finger at Finn. “Donovan. Over here.”

  “I can explain,” Finn began. “I saw that you were in trouble and I figured letting Scout out was the smart thing to do.”

  “Hush. Not another word.”

  “But, I—” The press of her fingers on his lips silenced his voice while his eyes kept asking questions.

  “I have something important to say, and I want to get it out before I lose my nerve,” Selena said softly. She briefly eyed the chair where she’d been sitting while captive. “I thought I might die before I had a chance to tell you, and I made up my mind that if I lived I’d say it.”

  It helped to see tenderness in his expression and the glint of unshed tears sparkling in the blue of his eyes like moonlight on the surface of a rippling lake.

  Struggling to control her roiling emotions Selena said, “I love you.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  That may not have been the mutual confession of undying love she’d hoped for, but she wasn’t about to give up. “Yes, I do. I don’t care whether you like it or not, it’s true. You know it and I know it.” Casting a lopsided smile at Scout, she added, “Even that dog knows it, or he’d never have let you touch him the way you did.”

  To her relief, the corners of Finn’s mouth began to twitch. “I figured there was a good chance he’d take my arm off, but I had to try to use him.”

  “I’m glad you did,” Selena said, giving a nod to the deputies who were bagging the murder weapon, then smiling at Sheriff Unger. “I take it you heard Edward’s confession.”

  Unger nodded. “Loud and clear.”

  “Good.” Selena knew her grin was so broad it probably looked silly, but she couldn’t help it. The joy was nearly uncontainable, particularly coming so soon after her encounter with the very real threat of death.

  Directing her focus back to Finn, she put her hands on her hips. “Okay. You’re going to be exonerated. That means you’re out of excuses why we can’t be a couple.”

  “There are plenty of other reasons.” Standing firm, he folded his arms across his chest.

  “Name one. And it had better be a doozy.”

  “Don’t be silly. We decided all this a long time ago.”

  “No, you decided.” She poked his chest with her index finger. “You did that all by yourself. Why didn’t you consult me?” She stepped back, shaking her head. “I would have followed you to the ends of the earth.”

  “Which would have been a terrible mistake.”

  “I’ll give you that,” Selena replied. “We were too young and starting down different paths. That’s not true anymore. Neither of us will have to give up anything when your name is cleared and you go back to being a detective or tracking down missing people and adoptees. You can do that anywhere. Your mom and Sean aren’t tied to Sagebrush anymore, either. They can come with us, with me, wherever my assignments take me. You don’t hate Wyoming, do you? Our base is there for now, and—”

  Finn interrupted. “Whoa. Slow down. You haven’t even asked how I feel about you.”

  Her grin was almost as wide as her face. “You love me.”

  “I’ve never said that.”

  “Okay. Deny it.”

  A bright blush rose to color his cheeks. That was enough answer for her. She pointed a finger at him and laughed. “Gotcha.”

  “Okay, so maybe I do. It’s a big leap from admitting that to moving my whole family out of Idaho. How do you know they’d even want to leave?”

  “I’ll go,” Sean piped up from where he was standing with Scout. “It beats witness protection.”

  Selena laughed. “Wrong Donovan brother.” Looking into Finn’s eyes, she was certain she saw the lasting love she craved so desperately. “Well, Finn. What’ll it be? Wanna stick with me and the rest of your family or not?”

  A smile quirked at the corner of his mouth. His eyes sparkled. “Well, when you put it that way.”

  Sean made a fist and playfully slugged his big brother in the bicep. “Way to go, Bro. She’s pretty cool when you get to know her.”

  “So glad you approve.” By this time, Finn was smiling, too. “I suppose I’ll have to consider it since I’m crazy about her.”

  Selena could barely breathe. Finn opened his arms, inviting an embrace, and she stepped into it as if they had never parted. As she lay her cheek on his chest and listened to the pounding of his heart, she knew she was finally home, finally had the loving family that had been denied to her for most of her life.

  Only one thing was missing. The words. She murmured, “I love you,” against Finn’s chest and waited.

  His “I love you, too” was whispered in her ear and went straight to her heart. She didn’t need to have it shouted down from the top of a ski lift for the whole valley to hear. She just needed him to finally admit he shared the deep affection that was warming her heart as never before.

  They had survived multiple attempts on their lives, and there they stood—together. What the future brought could only improve on the blessings already received. Selena knew it. And now Finn did, too.

  “I don’t care how long it takes for your permanent release,” she said. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

  Finn lifted her chin with one finger and kissed her, gently at first and then with the promise of forever.

  In the background, Sean pumped his fist in the air and hollered. “All right!”

  Epilogue

  With no further sightings of the RMK suspect in Idaho and no more notes or pictures from him regarding Cowgirl, the stolen labradoodle, Chase Rawlston had recalled his team to Wyoming headquarters for a debriefing.

  Selena had hated to have to leave Finn behind, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he’d be free to join her, as promised. His mother, Mary, and brother, Sean, had already relocated near the MCK9 headquarters, and Mary had a job as relief dispatcher, much to Selena’s delight. Sean was Sean, of course, eager for everything and too immature to settle down. Every time she saw him, he reminded her more and more of Finn—the old Finn. If he turned out to be half the man his big brother had become, she knew he’d be fine.

  She sighed. Too bad it was easier to look back and see errors than it was to anticipate and avoid future mistakes. That was just life, she supposed. Everybody had lessons to learn no matter how old they were, and as long as forgiveness played a big part in relationships, she had no doubt things would all work out for the best. Her teammates, Ashley Hanson and Bennett Ford, had already proven that premise, and one of the team’s original suspects, widowed Naomi Carr-Cavanaugh had not only been cleared; she’d given birth to a beautiful baby that she and Bennett were planning to raise together as a married couple.

  The idea of a husband and children was a bit daunting to Selena, but every time she thought of Finn, starting a family with the man she loved sounded better and better. Just because she’d been born into a family that had fallen apart and Finn had lost two fathers didn’t mean that they couldn’t get past all that.

  Actually, they already had. They’d dealt with their unhappy history and were looking toward a bright future. The hardest part for Selena was waiting to be reunited with her first and only love. Video chats were just not as good as the real thing.

  Her mind was on Finn rather than on her surroundings when she rounded a corner and nearly crashed into teammate Kyle West. Apparently, he’d been standing in the middle of the doorway, staring at his cell phone.

  Flustered, Kyle apologized. “Sorry.”

  “Hey, it’s okay. I was daydreaming, too.” Selena eyed the phone. “New leads in our case?”

  Kyle shrugged. “No, no. I told you about Brady, didn’t I?”

  “Your nephew?” Selena smiled at the picture he was showing her on his phone and teased, “Yeah, a few times.” She leaned closer to see details. “Eighteen months, right? Cute kid. How’s he doing?”

  “Good. My mom takes great care of him.”

  The expression of yearning on Kyle’s face made Selena empathetic. “You miss him, huh?” She smiled slightly. “I can identify. How often do you see him?”

  “Not often enough,” Kyle said. He paged through a bevy of photos, pausing to show Selena each pose. “I took these the last time I was home.”

  “New Mexico, right?”

  “Right. I just got permission from Chase for another visit. I can hardly wait.”

  “I get that, too,” Selena said, laying a hand of friendship on his forearm as she dutifully scanned each photo. The little boy was darling. So was the coonhound puppy he was posed with in a few of the outdoor shots. “Good-looking pup. I take it you’re raising them together. That’s a wonderful idea. I always wanted a puppy when I was little.”

  Kyle was nodding. “Well, at least you got Scout. Better late than never, huh?”

  “Right. And no messy puppy training. The best of both worlds.”

  At the end of the picture file was one of Brady, laughing while the pup tried to lick his face. Kyle paused and stared at that image long enough to make Selena feel as if she might be intruding on a precious private moment.

  She patted his arm and turned to walk away. “I need to go get Scout. Have a safe trip.”

  A brief glance back showed that Kyle had not budged. His dark brown eyes were glistening as he stared with tenderness at the image of the happy toddler. That was the kind of look every parent should give his or her child, Selena mused.

  She thought of the family she planned to marry into and realized she loved each of them, even troublesome Sean. He did sort of remind her of a puppy, always curious, always testing, always underfoot. And endearing in his own way.

  Her entry into the kennel area set up a chorus of barking. Scout danced and wiggled at the gate to his run, urging her to hurry his release. As she leashed the eager K-9, she pictured Finn and recalled his courage when he’d tried to use Scout to rescue her. That was loyalty beyond measure. Only by the grace of God, literally, had he succeeded.

  The more she thought about being reunited with Finn, the more she realized that being near him again had reinforced a truth she’d struggled with. Love came first. It led to personal acceptance followed by a renewed expectation and understanding that could then release the kind of deep faith that endured no matter how trying circumstances became.

  Just when she had been convinced that loneliness would always be her companion, Finn Donovan had returned to heal her heart and offer her a bright, blessed future. How amazing was that?

  Aglow with thankfulness and yearning to hear his voice, she pulled out her phone and called him.

  The moment he said, “Hello,” Selena burst out with “I love you.”

  Finn’s laugh warmed her to the core, especially when he added, “I love you, too.”

  * * *

  If you enjoyed this story, don’t miss Crime Scene Secrets the next book in the Mountain Country K-9 Unit series!

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  Her Duty Bound Defender

  by Sharee Stover, May 2024

  Chasing Justice

  by Valerie Hansen, June 2024

  Crime Scene Secrets

  by Maggie K. Black, July 2024

  Montana Abduction Rescue

  by Jodie Bailey, August 2024

  Trail of Threats

  by Jessica R. Patch, September 2024

  Tracing a Killer

  by Sharon Dunn, October 2024

  Search and Detect

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  by Lenora Worth and Katy Lee, December 2024

  Available only from Love Inspired Suspense.

  Discover more at LoveInspired.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Amish Witness to Murder by Dana R Lynn.

  Dear Reader,

  This story line required that I take liberties with the letter of the law, and for that I apologize. I wish I had that much control over real life, don’t you? I think that’s one of the reasons why I love writing and reading Love Inspired books. They bring happy endings and inspiration as well as a captivating tale. If I was asked to go back and choose a different career, I’d be hard-pressed to come up with one that allows me to share good stories and my personal faith the way I can now.

  One of the things this type of fiction requires is that the hero and heroine spend a lot of time together. In order to accomplish that this time, I had to invent an unlikely scenario in which Selena is assigned to keep track of Finn no matter what. She resisted, of course, but as the author, I was able to override her wishes and throw them together. I could also cause her to make a few mistakes that would be very out of character for a seasoned deputy or federal agent. Please try to cut her some slack when you’re reading. She was at my mercy.

  Seriously, remember the truths that move this story. Keep looking up, keep the faith, trust God and thank Him for everything, even when you don’t understand why things happen or what to do about them when they do. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit care about you and so do I.

  Blessings,

  Valerie Hansen

  ValerieHansen.com

  Facebook @Valerie.Whisenand

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  Amish Witness to Murder

  by Dana R Lynn

  ONE

  She should have been home an hour ago.

  Grimacing, Beth Troyer flicked the reins to coax the elderly mare from a plodding walk to a trot. She was on the way home from town to fix lunch for her father when she heard the familiar sirens coming her way. Two minutes later, the first emergency response vehicle crested the hill behind her, blasting its horn in warning. Clicking her tongue, she gripped the reins tighter in her hands and slowed the buggy before she steered the faithful family mare to the side of the road. Obediently, the animal plodded to the shoulder. The wheels of the buggy sank into the wet ground. The official start of spring was still a week away and they’d already had a record amount of rain. The air was thick with the scent of sodden earth. Several of the storms had been so bad, there had been widespread power outages and some property damage, including uprooted trees. Not to mention the flooding of ponds and creeks.