Twin Bridges

By Tina Kunkle

Hadley Jameson had it all in New York City, top detective in her precinct, someone to love, and a beautiful brownstone on the East side. Life as she knew it was good, but then, in a matter of seconds, it all changed and the Big Apple she once loved, became the place she could no longer stand to be in.
Landing a job as Sheriff in Twin Bridges, a place with no crime, was exactly what she needed. The fresh air and beautiful white capped mountains made leaving her beloved New York a bit more bearable. All but one of her demons was left there, that one followed her all the way to Montana.
When steer start turning up mutilated, the investigation leads her to Dakota, the beautiful and spirited veterinarian and the careful wall that Hadley had built around her heart was in jeopardy of being taken down, one brick at a time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Triplicity Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Jan 15, 2015

Book preview

Twin Bridges

By

Tina Kunkle

Twin Bridges © 2015 Tina Kunkle

Triplicity Publishing, LLC

Smashwords

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without permission.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events of any kind, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition – 2015

Cover Design: Triplicity Publishing, LLC

Interior Design: Triplicity Publishing, LLC

Editing: Melissa Scott- Triplicity Publishing, LLC

Dedication

To all my friends and family who support my writing. Much love to you all!

Also by Tina Kunkle

The Half-breed & Soiled Dove

Chapter One

Hadley Jameson came to this small town five years ago. They were in need of a sheriff, and she was in need of a brand new life. The small town atmosphere and slower pace of living was what she was looking for. The fact that crime was practically non-existent was an added bonus.

Twin Bridges was nothing like the Big Apple, and she was glad of it. She left all but one of her demons behind in New York City. That one followed her here to Montana.

She had the same nightmare damn near every night; and tonight was no exception. It started and ended the same way every time: Hadley entering a warehouse with her Glock drawn. The steel felt heavy in her small hands. Sitting in the middle of the huge, cold room was a woman with shoulder length blonde hair, tied to a chair with her mouth gagged. The woman’s blue eyes grew big when she saw her.

With her heart pounding, she carefully inched her way closer to the woman, scanning the room in all directions for the suspect. When she was closer, the woman started shaking her head radically back and forth. Hadley could see her tears running down her face and heard her soft, muffled voice crying, No, No!

When she took another step closer, she tripped a thin wire on the floor that triggered the dynamite under the woman’s chair. There was a loud explosion, and Hadley was violently thrown back. That was the part that woke her from her sleep, soaked with sweat, and trembling.

Sometimes she could just close her eyes and drift back to sleep, but not tonight. Tonight she sat up on the edge of the bed and brushed her long, sweat-soaked brown hair from her face, and stood up and walked into the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, staring at her bloodshot brown eyes, she wondered if the nightmares would ever end. She glanced at her watch; it was two-thirty in the morning.

She opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of tiny, white sleeping pills and popped two in her mouth, then turned the cold water on in the sink to drink directly from the faucet to wash them down.

When she was back in bed waiting for them to kick in, she pulled her light blue nightshirt up and ran her hand over the hideous pink scar that ran down the whole length of her left leg and said, Happy Anniversary.

Ten minutes later the pills kicked in, and she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

The alarm sounded at five-thirty, but Hadley didn’t wake till six-thirty. She rolled over and glanced at the clock sitting on the wooden nightstand next to her badge and gun and said, Shit!

She jumped out of bed and threw on her Levis and tan Sheriff shirt; slipped into her brown cowboy boots and hooked her star-shaped badge to the front of her jeans. She grabbed her holster and hurriedly ran out the door to her black and white SUV that had Twin Bridges Sheriff’s Department written on the side. When she got in, she threw on her tan cowboy hat and dark sunglasses.

By the time she reached The Blue Anchor Café on Main Street for her normal morning cup of coffee she was an hour late, in her own mind.

The café was quaint and the walls were covered with old black and white photos of families that had lived and worked in the small town years past. When you entered, it was like taking a step back in time. There was even a hitching post to tie horses still in the front of the building.

When Hadley walked in, she took her usual seat at the wooden counter. The waitress walked over and sat a white cup and saucer in front of her, and poured some hot coffee into it. She said, Running a little late today, Sheriff?

Yeah, overslept damn it.

Don’t beat yourself up over it. It happens. No biggie.

It was to Hadley. She was strict with herself, and liked the routine. She had a certain way she liked things handled, and after five years, everyone in town knew it. She was no slacker. She was tough but fair, but no pushover neither. As far as a sheriff was concerned, she was a damn good one.

Hey, Maggie, did you happen to see my deputy this morning?

Maggie was an older woman in her late fifties, and had been a waitress at the Blue Anchor for over twenty years. She carried a few extra pounds, and her once auburn hair now had streaks of gray throughout it. She was very social and loved gossip. Telling and hearing it. If you wanted to know anything about anybody in town, she was the one to go to.

I did, he was here about thirty minutes ago, but got a call about some dead cattle out at the Peterson’s.

Thanks, Maggie.

Sheriff, did you hear Dakota Reynolds is back in town?

I didn’t, but I don’t think I know who Dakota is, Maggie.

That’s right, when you got here five years ago she was in school already. She’s taking over the veterinarian practice for old man Jacob. She’s his granddaughter.

That’s nice, I’m sure she will be a wonderful vet. I’m off to the Peterson’s. See you at lunch.

Hadley took another sip of coffee and headed out the door. She’s not much into the whole gossip thing, but did get amused when she first came here, when a rumor circulated the town about her having to leave New York because the mob was looking for her. The townsfolk have now added to it; and the new scuttlebutt is she left because she had to be in witness protection for being undercover on a big case with the mob, and they now have a hit out on her.

She’s not big on telling people personal things about herself, so she lets them think what they want to. They give her space and she likes that. Nobody pried into her life before Twin Bridges, and that was fine by her.

When she gets in her truck she radios Deputy Simms. Jonathan is the only officer she has. He is young at age twenty four and a little slow at times, but learning. He’s been with the sheriff’s department for three years now.

He’s not very tall, but fills out his uniform nicely, and always smells good. He has jet black short hair and a clean complexion. The girls in town love him as he tends to be very charming towards them, but he only has eyes for his Julie. They are engaged to be married next year. They were high school sweethearts, and have known each other their entire life.

Hadley took the black mic out of its cradle and pushed the button on the side, Deputy Simms, you there?

Here, Sheriff. I’m at the Peterson’s, you better get here. There’s something really weird you need to see. Over.

On my way and, Simms, what did I tell you about saying over? You don’t have to. Remember? There’s just two of us.

Sorry, Sheriff. See you in a bit. Over…I mean…damn it, bye!

Hadley smiled and started her truck. She liked the kid and took him under her wings. He does have all the right stuff to be a great sheriff someday…with the proper training.

* * *

When she pulled into the Peterson’s farm, she was greeted by the manager, Bob; he was there waiting for her on a green four-wheeler. He shouted, Follow me! He took off through a rusty, red gate and across a green pasture to the other side of the farm.

Bob had been the farm manager for the past ten years. He was tall and skinny, and always wore a dirty green and yellow John Deere hat. His jeans were stained,