Resolute (Eternal Brethren Military Romantic Suspense Book 9) Read online

  Books by Shirleen Davies

  Romantic Suspense

  Eternal Brethren, Military Romantic Suspense

  Steadfast, Book One

  Shattered, Book Two

  Haunted, Book Three

  Untamed, Book Four

  Devoted, Book Five

  Faithful, Book Six

  Exposed, Book Seven

  Undaunted, Book Eight

  Resolute, Book Nine

  Unspoken, Book Ten, Coming Next in the Series!

  Peregrine Bay, Romantic Suspense

  Reclaiming Love, Book One

  Our Kind of Love, Book Two

  Edge of Love, Book Three, Coming Next in the Series!

  Contemporary Romance

  MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary

  Second Summer, Book One

  Hard Landing, Book Two

  One More Day, Book Three

  All Your Nights, Book Four

  Always Love You, Book Five

  Hearts Don’t Lie, Book Six

  No Getting Over You, Book Seven

  ‘Til the Sun Comes Up, Book Eight

  Foolish Heart, Book Nine

  Macklin’s of Burnt River

  Thorn’s Journey

  Del’s Choice

  Boone’s Surrender

  Historical Western Romance Series

  MacLarens of Fire Mountain

  Tougher than the Rest, Book One

  Faster than the Rest, Book Two

  Harder than the Rest, Book Three

  Stronger than the Rest, Book Four

  Deadlier than the Rest, Book Five

  Wilder than the Rest, Book Six

  Redemption Mountain

  Redemption’s Edge, Book One

  Wildfire Creek, Book Two

  Sunrise Ridge, Book Three

  Dixie Moon, Book Four

  Survivor Pass, Book Five

  Promise Trail, Book Six

  Deep River, Book Seven

  Courage Canyon, Book Eight

  Forsaken Falls, Book Nine

  Solitude Gorge, Book Ten

  Rogue Rapids, Book Eleven

  Angel Peak, Book Twelve

  Restless Wind, Book Thirteen

  Storm Summit, Book Fourteen

  Mystery Mesa, Book Fifteen

  Thunder Valley, Book Sixteen, Coming Next in the Series!

  MacLarens of Boundary Mountain

  Colin’s Quest, Book One,

  Brodie’s Gamble, Book Two

  Quinn’s Honor, Book Three

  Sam’s Legacy, Book Four

  Heather’s Choice, Book Five

  Nate’s Destiny, Book Six

  Blaine’s Wager, Book Seven

  Fletcher’s Pride, Book Eight

  Bay’s Desire, Book Nine

  Cam’s Hope, Book Ten

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  RESOLUTE

  Eternal Brethren, Book Nine

  Military Romantic Suspense

  SHIRLEEN DAVIES

  Copyright © 2020 by Shirleen Davies

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  For permission requests, contact the publisher.

  Avalanche Ranch Press, LLC

  PO Box 12618

  Prescott, AZ 86304

  Resolute is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is wholly coincidental.

  Book design and conversions by Joseph Murray at 3rdplanetpublishing.com

  Cover design by Sweet ‘n Sassy Designs

  10-Digit ISBN: 1-947680-27-7

  13-Digit ISBN: 978-1-947680-27-2

  Visit my website for a list of characters for each series.

  I care about quality, so if you find something in error, please contact me via email at [email protected]

  Description

  Two enemies. A woman with a guarded past.

  One man determined to protect her.

  Resolute, Book Nine, Eternal Brethren Military Romantic Suspense Series

  Lucas “Gunner” Henson is ready for a change. Not with his role as an undercover Navy SEAL. Eternal Brethren Motorcycle Club and his brothers are his extended family, men he’d give his life to protect. As part of the Posse, an original member of the Brethren, he’s watched as one after the other tied the knot. He’s ready for that life. One woman, children, a home. All that’s missing is the one person who wants nothing to do with a member of what most believe is an outlaw MC.

  Katrina Snowden is searching for peace. After six years of running, she, her mother, and brother have found their safe haven in Liberty Lake. Kat loves everything about her work at Maas Nursery, including her boss, Janie. And the scenery isn’t bad either, not with visits by one particular customer. Gunner ignites all her senses, but he also represents her past. As a member of a local MC, he’s way off limits.

  The problem is, she can’t stop thinking about him. To make it worse, he’s hired her to design the landscape for his home.

  As their friendship grows, so does the danger from not one foe, but two. The first they believe they know. The second is a mystery, until a man hooked on antacids provides a clue.

  Relying on each other, they fight not only the unknown threats, but their developing attraction.

  As the danger increases, can Gunner and the Brethren identify and eradicate the threats to Katrina and her family? And once accomplished, will she see past his MC cut and into the true heart of the man who’s come to love her?

  Resolute is book nine in the Eternal Brethren Military Romantic Suspense Series by best seller Shirleen Davies. It is a stand-alone, full-length novel with no cliffhanger and a guaranteed HEA.

  Book 1: Steadfast

  Book 2: Shattered

  Book 3: Haunted

  Book 4: Untamed

  Book 5: Devoted

  Book 6: Faithful

  Book 7: Exposed

  Book 8: Undaunted

  Book 9: Resolute

  Book 10: Unspoken, Coming Next in the Series

  https://www.shirleendavies.com/books/character-lists/

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter T
wenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Books by Shirleen Davies

  RESOLUTE

  Prologue

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  Katrina hurriedly packed the last few clothes into a backpack, her hand hovering over a small journal. It represented all that had happened since she was old enough to write. Reaching inside, she unzipped a pocket the perfect size to hold the leather-bound book that embodied her past.

  Casting a nervous glance at the door, tentacles of fear clinging to her, she prayed her mother and younger brother were waiting downstairs. Their escape depended on the next couple hours.

  Secure in another zippered pocket were three sets of fake IDs. It had taken over two months to obtain them through a friend of Kat’s. A friend with an uncle who lived a life decidedly outside the law. She prayed they were good enough to pass the scrutiny of airport security.

  Kat’s father would never allow them to go, even though he’d taken up with another woman and no longer spared time for his daughter or son. Younger and already well-used, no one understood him giving up his still beautiful wife, a bright woman everyone loved, for a person nobody respected.

  Quick to laugh and slow to judge, Teri had been the light of their father’s life since meeting her twenty-eight years earlier. Six months ago, and without explanation, he’d thrown clothes into a duffel and walked out, refusing to defend his actions or discuss a divorce.

  In fact, he hadn’t spoken to his family at all since leaving. Phone, email, text, letters. His lack of communication shattered her mother’s heart. If it hadn’t been for friends, Teri wouldn’t have learned of his infidelity.

  His behavior would’ve broken a lesser woman, but not her mother. Teri had cried the first three days before embracing the anger blooming within her. She’d loved her husband, been a devoted wife, taking care of all the details, which made his work easier. Teri trusted him implicitly, not once worrying about him coming home to her.

  His answer to her devotion had been to take up with another woman. After two months, Teri’s anger had changed to rigid determination. Not to reconcile, but to leave. Over the last four months, she and Katrina had planned their escape.

  Even though they hadn’t heard from her husband, it didn’t mean there weren’t men watching them. In fact, all three had seen the guards patrolling the property, making certain they couldn’t leave except for school, medical, and occasional shopping. They’d become prisoners in what had once been a wonderful, loving home on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Today, the prisoners were going to revolt.

  Slinging the backpack over a shoulder, Katrina took one more look around her bedroom. The only pictures remaining included her father, a man she planned to forget and never speak to or see again.

  Hurrying down the stairs, she let out a relieved sigh seeing her mother and brother, Brady, waiting in the kitchen. In five minutes, the van would arrive to unload the groceries they’d ordered the day before. This time, the van would be driven by Teri’s closest friend, with another friend riding shotgun.

  Hearing the telltale sound of an approaching vehicle, the three waited, Katrina bouncing on the balls of her feet as the van backed up to the kitchen door. Tugging down caps to conceal their faces, the friends jumped out, opening the doors to retrieve several bags. While they set the groceries inside, Kat, Teri, and Brady slid into the van, hunkering down behind the front seats.

  Kat’s heart thundered in her chest, breath coming in rapid gasps. Next to her, Teri appeared calm, showing no concern over what they were about to do. Brady glanced around, rocking back and forth in anticipation. To his eight-year-old mind, this was an adventure, not an escape from a life without freedom or a future.

  Katrina jumped at the sound of the doors slamming shut, wrapping her arms about her. This was it.

  In two hours, they’d board a plane taking them far away from Vegas. There’d be people waiting for them. Relatives Kat’s father knew nothing about.

  The driver glanced over her shoulder, features tense. “Everyone ready?”

  “More than ready,” Teri replied, reaching out to hold her children’s hands, and squeezing. “It’s all going to be all right. We’re going to be all right.”

  Katrina leaned her head back, eyes closed as the van rolled along. Not until they boarded the plane would she relax. Once the seat belt clicked, she’d pulled out the new journal and started chronicling their future.

  Chapter One

  Liberty Lake, Arizona

  Six years later…

  “Janie!” Katrina waved a hand in the air, getting her employer’s attention. “Where do you want the latest delivery?”

  Waving back, Janie jogged toward her, stopping to speak with a customer before closing the distance between them. At fifty, the always upbeat owner of Maas Nursery looked and acted as if she were twenty.

  “What do we have?” Janie took the packing slip from Kat’s outstretched hand, scanning the list of perennial flowers in the current shipment. “Are we missing anything ordered?” She handed the list back to Kat, bending to scrutinize the plants.

  “One flat of Echinacea and two flats of Campanula.” Coneflowers and Bellflowers were two of their most popular plants. “They’ll get them to us in the next delivery.”

  Straightening, Janie glanced at the dozens of new flats. “Did you have the cost deleted from today’s shipment?”

  “Always,” Katrina smirked. “They burned me once. It won’t happen again.” The phone in her pocket vibrated, signaling a customer had been sent to her. Shielding her eyes from the afternoon sun, Katrina tensed, spotting a man walking toward them.

  Following her gaze, Janie put a hand on her shoulder. “Relax. It’s that nice boy you introduced me to at Robbie’s.” She mentioned the bar and restaurant owned by the Eternal Brethren.

  At least once a month, Janie, her niece, Val, plus Teri, Kat, and other friends met there for dinner…and to enjoy the male eye candy. The men showed up around six, not long after the group of women arrived.

  Katrina knew the nice boy she referred to was Gunner, a member of Eternal Brethren. A virile, sexy man she’d crushed on since meeting him not long after arriving in town with her mother and brother.

  They’d thought living with family in Omaha would keep them safe from her father. After almost four years, they’d begun to relax. The letter arrived on the fifth anniversary of escaping Vegas.

  Teri knew right away it wasn’t from her ex-husband. Other than allowing the divorce to go through less than a year before, Steve had never corresponded with the family he’d left behind.

  She didn’t know who had sent it. No return address and a cancellation stamp from Chicago. Teri guessed it was from one of his associates wanting them to believe they’d been found. The letter had triggered their search for a new place.

  A great deal of discussion ensued, this time including Brady, who’d celebrated his twelfth birthday the day the letter arrived. They’d narrowed their choices down to three possible locations, settling on Liberty Lake, where Teri had a friend from high school. A woman who knew what Kat, Brady, and Teri had been through.

  Janie walked to meet him. “Hi, Gunner. What brings you in here today?”

  His gaze landed on Kat. “Time to do a little outdoor work around my place.” He flashed a smile guaranteed to get anything he wanted. “I’m thinking bushes that bloom and lots of flowers.” Gunner used his hands to illustrate as he spoke, causing Katrina to hide a grin. “I don’t know what colors, but bold enough I can see them from the porch.”

  Katrina had heard he’d built a beautiful home not far from Ghost and Rock, movin
g in a year ago.

  “You’ve come to the right place.” Janie motioned toward Kat. “She’s great with preparing layouts and selecting the perfect plants for our customers. If you’d like to get started, I believe she has some time right now.” She raised a brow at Kat.

  “Uh…yes. If this works for you, Gunner.”

  “Now would be great.” He looked around. “Where should we go?”

  “There’s a small office on the other side of this greenhouse.” Katrina began walking, nervous energy eating up the distance between the unloading area and what she and Janie generously called their working office.

  Opening the door, she stepped in ahead of him, feeling the space shrink when Gunner joined her. “I usually start by visiting your property and taking pictures.”

  A slow smile curved his mouth. “That can be arranged.”

  “Whenever it’s convenient for you. Daylight is the best. I mean, well…of course daylight is best.” She winced, feeling her face flush. Gunner chuckled, eyes glistening with humor.

  “How about late afternoon? I’ll show you around, let you take all the pictures you want, then you can stay for dinner. Nothing fancy, but I can grill up something.”

  “Dinner isn’t necessary.”

  Reaching out his hand, he tucked a strand of wavy auburn hair behind her ear. Something he’d wanted to do for a long time. “Maybe not necessary.” He shrugged, his grin widening. “I’d like time to get to know you, Kat. Unless you’re seeing someone.” Tilting his head to the side, he lifted her chin with a finger. “Pictures and dinner. Nothing nefarious. What do you say?”

  Biting her lower lip, she gave a slow nod. “Only if I can bring dessert.”

  “Great. How about Saturday?”

  She bent down, lifting a thick book onto the desk and opening it. “I can be there about three o’clock.”

  Crossing his arms, Gunner’s face sobered, brows drawing together. “With dessert? Not just those store bought cookies or cakes, right?”

  Her gaze shot to his. Seeing the mischief in his eyes, she laughed. “If that’s the ticket to dinner, then absolutely. I’ll bring a fruit pie.”

  “Glad we’re on the same page.” Dropping his arms, he looked down at the open pages.