Miss: Never Gonna Love Again PDF
Preview Miss: Never Gonna Love Again
The Miss: Series Miss: Never Gonna Love Again After Julianna McKay is scarred by a killer, her own fiancé and the loss of their unborn child, she swears to never love again. She needs a better life, not one living in fear and being controlled. Heading back home to Claire County Texas and her last chance of survival, she snags the attention of Sheriff Johnny Black, an ex Marine with his own scars and one dominant personality. Julianna is scared but just as intrigued by the Sheriff. The way he acts and the way people avoid him and fear his authoritative demeanor make her avoid him as well. The sheriff is immediately suspicious and intrigued by the new Claire County resident. She is quiet and stubborn but also fearful. Can two strong-minded people with scar-driven paths, broken hearts and nightmares from their past somehow find each other and fall in love? Or will both their pasts come looking for them, trying to destroy any chance at happiness? Note: This book contains some adult language. Genre: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense Length: 78,131 words MISS: NEVER GONNA LOVE AGAIN The Miss: Series Laura Marie ROMANCE www.BookStrand.com ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. If you find a SirenBookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected] A SIREN-BOOKSTRAND TITLE IMPRINT: Romance Miss: Never Gonna Love Again Copyright © 2011 by Laura Marie Henion E-book ISBN: 1-61034-204-6 First E-book Publication: February 2011 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. PUBLISHER www.BookStrand.com DEDICATION To my husband Tim. I love you darling. Miss: Never Gonna Love Again The Miss: Series LAURA MARIE Copyright © 2011 Chapter 1 “Are you shittin’ me, boy? A damn pedophile in our here Claire County? Whoosh!” “I ain’t shittin’ you, no, sir, I ain’t. You shoulda seen Sheriff Black. Madder than a bull in heat, he was. Downright grabbed that there pet’ifile by his throat and shu’ved him into the wall,” Connor stated. “Man, I woulda love ta seen that. Sheriff Black ain’t a man to reckon with, no he ain’t,” Travis replied, shaking his head side to side. The others by the feed supply store gathered around to hear about what happened. “I just can’t believe someone like that was here in Claire. My Lord, what is this world coming to?” Jenny Wilson asked, the concern apparent in her voice. Deputy Connor Pearl attempted to calm the town folk down. Sheriff Black had made an official statement late that afternoon, but the town was still upset over the events. It was damn upsetting that a grown man entered the local shopping mart and attempted to fondle a young, twelve-year-old boy. Things like that don’t happen in Claire County, Texas. “Like I said, Mrs. Wilson, the Sheriff’s Department has everything under control. Maybe it would be nice if you made some that homemade apple jam and sent some over for the Murphy boy. It might dun cheer him right up. I know he loves it,” Connor stated with a wink and a smile. That seemed to do the trick. “I will do just that. You all know my apple jam is the best in Texas, Deputy Pearl.” Jenny Wilson looked towards him confidently, but also as if she knew exactly what he was up to, before she walked out of the store. He watched the hem of her long beige skirt whipping against her stocking-covered calves and the door close behind her before he sighed in relief. Conner hid the smirk of success. Jenny Wilson was a busybody, always messing in everyone’s affairs and being so dramatic. Whenever there was a problem, she’d appoint herself representative of “all the citizens of Claire County.” With the increase of construction around the outskirts of town, Jenny Wilson was the first in line at the town board meetings to fight development. “I hope that’s the last kind we see around these parts,” Travis added. Connor eased their minds then headed back to the department. He wasn’t surprised to find that the sheriff had headed home for the night. He would never forget the look on the sheriff’s face when he heard what the man had attempted to do to poor Davie Murphy. He never saw the sheriff angrier in his life. It was a reminder, never mess with Sheriff Johnny Black…never. Johnny Black attempted to massage the tightness and kinks from his neck. Hanging his head down, staring at the maple hardwood floors of his bedroom, he focused on controlling his breathing. Forcing his mind to count, release the tension, and decipher that it was merely a nightmare. The nightmares were one of many less-frequent reminders of his time serving the government, his actions as a soldier, and his need to survive. Despite the fact that he only wore a pair of black boxer shorts, he was perspiring excessively, unable to calm his breathing. He didn’t want to panic. He hadn’t had a panic attack in more than two years. Thank god he came straight home after he released some of the tension at Susanne’s place. Casual sex should have done the trick. The sex only calmed him momentarily. Lately he’d needed more, and those feelings, combined with capturing the pedophile in Claire County, had him really pissed off. He forced himself to stand, and Johnny slowly walked toward the window, released the shades from confinement, and shoved the window wide open. Instantly, the cool night air caressed his chest, his breathing began to slow, his pulse returned to an even beat, and the threat of the panic attack disintegrated with each inhale of cool night air. The hint of manure should have brought him peace of mind that he was home in Texas and not in some damn jungle. The thoughts invaded his mind, coming out of nowhere like some wild mountain lion. It just seemed to wait and prey on him and, as Johnny became more comfortable in his new life, out of nowhere it would attack, leaving Johnny exhausted, sad, and spent. Beads of sweat rolled over the permanent scars, and each line pulsated as memory flashes threatened to invade again. He bowed his head and shook it side to side in an attempt to forbid those memories access. “No!” he shouted, pushing himself away from the window frame and toward the bathroom. A cold shower would help. Had to help. He moved quickly, fighting the urge to be drawn in by the pain, the pictures in his mind, and the events that took place. The feel of the cool tile floor sent chilling waves up his muscled legs then came to a halt at his thighs. He felt as if he were standing too close to a fire pit and the orange and red sparks penetrated his skin, bringing on waves of nausea as he pulled the shower curtain wide open. The pulsating water smacked against each muscle, bringing the scars to life and forcing the past to rear its face. He ran his hands through his ebony hair, and he felt the heat and sweat against his scalp despite the cold water. Tension froze facial veins in protruding positions against his neck and forehead. There didn’t appear to be an escape as the onset of his experience and that one particular mission evoked havoc on his mind and soul. He braced himself the best he could. Johnny laid the palms of his hands flat against the tiled wall, bowing his head, drowning in the flow of water and pain. The vision, a memory scarring his brain, unleashed havoc immediately as he thought about the five men he personally had handpicked for the mission. Johnny was commanding officer, and he had the authority and the power to basically do as he pleased. The major drawback of such power was that their unit might as well have been nonexistent, at least as far as if any of them were captured during a mission. That rule was easy to accept until that day. The day he lost the lot of men…the day his career as a soldier ended. Shaking his head, Johnny turned the knob to the right, forcing the liquid to increase to a frigid temperature. He hated these episodes and wondered what had
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