(The following are Works In Progress – not published books.)
Appalachian mountain rangers
tRAIL OF DANGER
Scott “Huck” Huxton, Jr. has returned to his hometown of Helen, Georgia, a place full of painful reminders of his troubled childhood. But an urgent plea from his sister spurs him to find the cause of the mysterious illness plaguing her and her infant son. Utilizing his skills as a specialist with the Army’s Environmental Command, Huck discovers contamination in the Chattahoochee River from illegally dumped toxic waste.
Park Ranger Jenna Davenport thought she would never see Huck again, but when he reappears asking for help, she can’t turn him down. She owes Huck for destroying his life when they were teenagers. Helping him could be the second chance she’s longed for all these years, as long as he doesn’t discover the terrible secret she has carried for over a decade.
They soon become targets for the criminals behind the contamination, and they must escape along the Appalachian Trail to evade their pursuers. But danger follows them, leading them on a perilous journey through the national forest. As Huck and Jenna fight for survival, they must also face their past and the secret that could destroy their future together.
river of secrets
Park Ranger Cole Douglas gets more than he bargained for when he rescues single mom Sara Ford and her foster child Tessa from an accident at the Tallulah Gorge. Sara is on the run from an evil man intent on exacting revenge for her testimony against his family. But Sara is hiding dangerous secrets, including her real identity and the truth about Tessa. Cole holds hurts from his own past even while trying to earn Sara’s trust. But will her secrets cost them their lives and a chance for a future?
mountain of shadows
Ranger Investigator Kate Young is on the trail of a serial arsonist setting fires in the Chattahoochee National Forest. To complicate matters, her ex, Logan McKenna, a smokejumper with the Forestry Service, arrives to assist. After a tragedy separated them years before, Kate never told him the truth about the fire that killed her partner, nor about the baby she lost. When Kate’s investigation makes her the arsonist’s target, Logan fights to keep her alive, despite her protests. Together, they must stop the arsonist before more lives are lost.
EAST RIDGE PROTECTORS SERIES
OUT OF SIGHT
Winner: 2020 ACFW Genesis Contest, Romantic Suspense
Second Place Winner: 2019 Foundations Award, Fiction: Romantic Suspense
Finalist: 2019 ACFW First Impressions Contest, Romantic Suspense
Daily News reporter Harper Callahan lands the biggest scoop of her career – an exclusive interview with East Ridge University’s star quarterback. But when Harper stumbles into a clandestine meeting that ends with the quarterback’s murder, she becomes the story instead of writing it.
With the entire campus on high alert, Campus Police Lieutenant Bryce Gerard searches for the killer while keeping Harper safe. He can’t believe she is back in his life – the woman he could never forget.
When another student is charged in the shooting, Harper believes they’ve got the wrong guy. And when her search for the real shooter puts her in harm’s way, she knows she’s on the right track. Together, Harper and Bryce expose an underground gambling ring on campus. But the corruption goes deeper than they ever imagined, and someone with a lot to lose will stop at nothing to keep them from uncovering the truth.
OUT OF REACH
Working undercover as a graduate student at East Ridge University is not DEA Agent Davis Trent’s ideal assignment, but he is determined to get through it and gain the promotion he’s been after. When another student dies of a drug overdose, Campus K-9 Officer Kylie Buchanan is called in to search the fraternity house for drugs. Nothing is found, but she’s convinced there is a connection to the other drug-related deaths on campus. Her bull-headed ways collide with Davis’ quieter investigation, and the two must learn to work together to stop the dealers who are targeting students before more lives are lost – including their own.
OUT OF TIME
Campus Security Officer Taylor Watts is on her nightly patrol of East Ridge University when she surprises an intruder in the chemistry lab. Taylor is knocked out and wakes up later, right next to the body of a dead student. She knew the victim, and the case is personal to her. East Ridge University Police Detective Lance Butler knows the risks of getting too close to a case, but he can’t say no when Taylor forces her way into his investigation – and his heart. Together, they search for the killer, and find themselves caught up in a tangled web of computer hackers and a campus-wide cheating organization – with deadly consequences.
SOUTHERN SECRETS SERIES
hidden
A Gadden Valley Christmas Novella
PURSUED
Finalist: ACFW 2016 Genesis Contest, Romantic Suspense
First Place Winner: 2017 Foundations Awards, Fiction: Romantic Suspense
When Chicago Police Officer Samantha Evans learns that her estranged father Gabriel has been murdered, she sets out to bring his killer to justice. Her search leads her to his hometown, Gadden Valley, Georgia, where she discovers shocking revelations about her father’s abandonment and her mother’s betrayal. As she is pulled deeper into the small town society, she forms an unexpected connection with the amiable and handsome Jake Stone. When feelings for him invade her heart, Sam must decide if she can open up to the risk of love.
EMT Jake Stone owes his life to Gabriel Evans. When Gabe’s daughter shows up at Jake’s doorstep, he seizes the opportunity to return the favor by helping Sam find the truth about Gabe’s death. He just never expected to fall for her at the same time. But keeping Sam alive will take all the faith he’s got. Sam’s world unravels as long-buried secrets bring danger to those around her and place her in the cross-hairs of a killer intent on keeping the truth hidden.
TAKEN
Young women are mysteriously vanishing from Gadden Valley, and Officer Samantha Evans is hot on the trail of the person behind the crimes. When evidence points to Mallory Stone’s new boyfriend, Jake’s younger sister lashes out at Sam, further alienating the troubled young woman from her family. But when Mallory goes missing, too, Sam will risk everything to find her before Mallory disappears forever.
KEPT
A winter storm, a missing child, and a routine call gone wrong. Very wrong.
Embroiled in a ten-year-old mystery, Gadden Valley Sheriff’s Deputy Samantha Stone must face not only the stranger intent on keeping her prisoner, but nature itself as an ice storm descends on Gadden Valley. But Sam’s plans of escape may cost her the very life she’s trying to save – her own.
Hope Welborn 