Deep Night
Denver Heroes # 3
Denver Heroes # 3
By: Kathy Clark
Releasing August 18, 2015
Loveswept
Sure to thrill
readers of Nora Roberts and Karen Robards, the breathtaking Denver Heroes
series from New York Times bestselling author Kathy Clark
continues as two adrenaline junkies find themselves fighting unexpected
passion—and unspeakable terror.
Ex-soldier Chris
Wilson lost too many friends to war. Back home in Denver, he’s trying to make a
difference as a paramedic, treating victims of crisis situations. Not even
active combat could prepare Chris for the rush he gets when violence and
tragedy collide, but the job isn’t the only thing making his heart race. His
partner is his closest confidant from childhood, and the girl he remembers is
now a strong, sensual woman . . . who needs him more than ever.
Sara Richards is
more comfortable risking her life than asking for help. The petite blonde medic
put a wall around her heart long ago, vowing to never let anyone hurt her
again. Only now her long-buried secrets threaten to destroy everything she’s
built. And though she should be able to trust Chris, his smoldering blue-gray
eyes ignite desires that feel more dangerous than whatever’s lurking in the
shadows. For once, Sara can’t go it alone. But Chris might just be stubborn
enough to stand by her side as she faces down her worst nightmare.
“Is
that all the stuff you have?” Sara asked incredulously as she surveyed the
pickup truck that had just parked at the curb.
Chris
climbed out of the passenger’s side and nodded. “I’ve learned to travel light.”
Rusty,
Chris’s older brother, got out of the driver’s side, walked around and opened
the tailgate. “It would have been just three boxes, but Mom added some things.”
Sara
peeked in one of the boxes. “Mac and cheese, chili, cereal . . .”
“There’re
two boxes of food and another box full of soap, shampoo and towels,” Chris told
her.
“Ahh
. . . so, Mama Bird was okay with her baby leaving the nest?” Sara asked.
“Ha!”
Rusty snorted. “Are you kidding? She had his stuff packed and sitting by the
front door.”
“I
heard a far different story this morning,” Sara teased.
“She’s
probably already turned his room into a craft cave or whatever the hell they
call it,” Rusty laughed. “When I moved out several years ago, I had barely
loaded the last box in my SUV when they made my room a home gym.”
Chris
smiled ruefully. “I thought she’d be upset, but apparently, she and Dad are enjoying
life without us around. When I left for boot camp, it was the only home I’d
ever known. But when I came home, it felt weird to sleep in my old bedroom.”
“Get
over it, baby brother. It’s the circle of life . . . you know, matumba matada.”
“It’s
hakuna matata, and that doesn’t
relate at all,” Chris corrected.
Rusty
just waved it off. “You know what I mean. Grab a box and let’s get this shit
upstairs. Julie wants me to meet her at the bakery so we can pick out a wedding
cake, and I’ve got to drop my buddy’s truck off at the station on the way.”
Rusty stacked one box on top of another and easily lifted them.
Chris
did the same. Sara, not to be outdone, tried to take the last two boxes, but
couldn’t budge them. “Jeez, what’s in here, bricks?”
“Books,”
Chris replied. “Here, take these. They’re lighter.” He handed the two boxes he
was holding to her and picked up the two boxes of books without so much as a
grunt.
Even
though her boxes weren’t as heavy, Sara still had to struggle with them. But
she was determined to carry her share of the load. The two guys knew her well
enough not to suggest that she take them one at a time.
The
building had enough age and character to be registered as a historical
landmark. Originally built as the Bergstrom Hotel in 1891, it had been
converted to apartments and remodeled in the late 1990s. The investors had kept
the original name as well as the classic redbrick exterior with its tall,
arched windows, but inside, the apartments and lofts boasted twelve-foot-high
ceilings, exposed brick walls and great views of the city and the Rocky
Mountains.
There
was a small courtyard in the center and, thankfully, an elevator that made the
trip to Sara’s third-floor apartment easier than three flights of stairs. Two
more trips and they had the new double bed frame, mattress set, Chris’s old
chest of drawers and all the boxes stacked in the small bedroom.
“Go
taste your cake. I can take it from here,” Chris said.
Rusty
looked around the room. “There’s no window.”
“That’s
a good thing.” Chris shrugged it off. “It’ll make it easier to sleep during the
day.”
“Not
if there’s a fire.” Rusty’s point of view was always through a firefighter’s
eyes. “It’s against code.”
“I’m
sure this old place has some sort of exemption. Besides, I’m just steps away from
the front door and right across the living room from the big windows. I’ll be
fine.”
“I
just don’t want to have to rescue you.” Chris gave his brother a punch in the
shoulder.
“Hey,
I’ve got Sara. She can drag my body out to the ledge.”
Rusty’s
eyebrows arched skeptically. “Good luck with that.”
“I
can drag you across the floor,” Sara challenged. “Lie down and let me show
you.”
Rusty
laughed and backed toward the front door with his hands raised as if to defend
himself. “I take it back. When we were kids, you always beat me at leg
wrestling. You had an unfair advantage of being short.”
“Excuses,
excuses,” she teased.
“Hey,
tell Julie hi for us,” Chris said. “How’s she feeling?”
“She’s
doing great. She had her first sonogram, and we could see the baby’s tiny heart
beating. He even gave me a little thumbs-up.”
“So
it’s a boy?” Sara asked.
Rusty
shook his head. “We don’t know yet. But realistically, there aren’t many
females in my family, and the sperm determines the sex.”
“God
help us all. Another Wilson boy!” Sara pretended to be horrified at the
possibility.
“Julie
and I really don’t care. It’s a miracle she got pregnant, so we’re pretty happy
about it.”
Chris
rolled his eyes. “I still can’t believe you’re going to be a father. I would
have bet you’d be the last one of all of us.”
“Yeah,
well, no one’s more surprised than me,” Rusty admitted. His expression
softened. “But when it’s right, it’s right.”
“Well,
go take care of your manly duties.” Chris lifted one of the boxes of food onto
the counter.
“Yeah,
I get to decide between red velvet, chocolate or vanilla,” Rusty answered. “I
really don’t care. It’s free cake. Hey, you’re still coming to the wedding,
aren’t you? We scheduled it on a Sunday because we’re all off that day.”
“It’s
pretty tricky with all of our shifts,” Chris agreed. That was an
understatement. The middle brother, Sam, was a cop who worked the night shift
on patrol. Rusty’s firefighter schedule caused him to be on twenty-four hours
straight, then off for forty-eight, and Chris and Sam worked four ten-hour
night shifts and three days off. “Of course we’ll be there. I still can’t
believe you’re the first one of us to take the plunge.”
Rusty
smiled. “Me neither.” He opened the door.
“Hey,
man, thanks for your help.”
“You
can pay me back with some babysitting when the time comes.” He gave them a
jaunty wave and left.
“I’ll
help you put your bed together,” Sara offered. “Then I’m going to crash.”
Lots of sad, serious and tragic moments in this friends to lovers romance. I enjoyed it, but would have liked to have had more focus on the Chris and Sara as a couple. There was so much going on around them, that it felt like some of their issues weren't fully resolved. If you've read the first two books in the series, you're enjoy catching up with Chris' brothers and their significant others. Overall an okay read.
I received an ARC via NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
Kathy Clark is a New York Times bestselling author whose
novels have sold more than three million copies in eleven languages. Her plot
lines have always championed women’s empowerment, placing strong female
characters in real-life situations. Her stories will make you laugh and cry,
and her characters will live in your heart forever. She lives with her husband
and co-author, Bob Wernly.
Thank you for hosting DEEP NIGHT!
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