Moon Shadow

By Cia Leah

Romantic Suspense Short Story

Lindy Anders returns to Moon Shadow to help her step-father, Mack, run his bed and breakfast until his broken leg heals. Moon Shadow is the last place she wants to be. She left the night before her wedding to Joshua Lewis when she witnessed a brutal murder. The killer's ominous warnings still frighten her, for she knows he's still there. When she sees Joshua again, she realizes she still loves him, but being a man of the law now, she can't let him know the secret she's kept all these years.

Joshua is happy to see Lindy and lets her know he still loves her, but senses her fear. He's determined to find out why she ran away. When he does, he's out for justice against a killer bent on revenge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cia Leah
• Release date: Mar 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386623946

Cia Leah

Cia Leah is a multi-published author written in a variety of genres. Her favorite genre to read and write are westerns and historical romances. She successfully completed the Writer's Digest Short Story Course and a creative writing course. She is a member of Romance Divas and highly recommends it and the wealth of knowledge provided on the site for readers and writers. Semi-retired, she writes as time allows due to real life and thanks her readers for their support. At present time, she is writing western short stories, novelettes, and novellas.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Lindy Anders stared at her stepfather with wide eyes. I dread this place, Mack. You know I can’t stay here.

I need your help. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have to, but with my broken leg, I couldn’t keep up with all my duties.

Then sell out and get out of here!  Give it up and move into one of those retirement places.  You’ll have all the money you’ll ever need for the rest of your life. She stared into his dark blue eyes, wrinkled tanned face, and saw the stubborn lift of his square chin.  She was in for a fight and she knew it.  Mack loved Moon Shadow and she loved him.  Her heart warred with her mind.  Please don’t ask me to stay here, please?

Why do you hate this place so much? You grew up here, went to school here, and almost got married here.  What happened that night you packed up and left?  You wouldn’t tell me then and you aren’t telling me now.

Lindy rubbed her sweaty palms on her designer jeans, stood up, and went to the kitchen door and stepped out onto the enclosed porch.  There was no denying Moon Shadow was a beautiful place. The well-manicured green lawns stretched as far as the eye could see, lined on each side by gigantic weeping willow trees.  Their leaves swaying in the gentle breeze like a woman’s long tresses. It looked so peaceful, but as her eyes shifted to the lake to the right of the house, goosebumps pebbled her skin. She jumped when Mack came up behind her and laid his hand on her shoulder.

What makes you so scared to be here?  I see the fear in those green eyes of yours.  Tell me what’s wrong.

She inhaled a deep, shaky breath.  Nothing, Mack, she whispered, watching as a Sheriff’s car pulled up in the drive behind the house.  She glanced at Mack.  What’s the Sheriff doing here?

Well, when I broke my leg, Sheriff Lewis was kind enough to help me out.  He’s just coming to check on me.  If it weren’t for this dang crutch I have to use to steady myself, I could do a lot more things.

Joshua?  He’s a Sheriff now?

Yeah, and if you wouldn’t have run out on him like you did, you’d be his wife.

She held her breath as Josh walked to the screen door, opened it, and stepped up onto the porch.  God, he was so tall.  Taller than she remembered, his chest twice as wide, and his uniform fit him like a second skin.  His silver blue eyes latched onto hers and she couldn’t look away.  Even after all these years, she wanted to run into his arms, and make the pain of the past disappear.  She couldn’t though, because she’d kept the secret all these years and she couldn’t tell anyone, not even Joshua.  His voice startled her.

Welcome home, Lindy.

I’m not staying.

Oh?  I thought you were coming home to help Mack.

I’ve been trying to tell him to sell this place and move into a retirement home.  She saw the look of displeasure on Josh’s face and the clench of his jaw.

How can you ask him to give up the only home he’s known?

Lots of people do it.  It’s not the end of the world.

Has city life made you so cynical that you believe that crap?

She raised her chin in defiance.  Just because I moved to a big city, opened my own real estate office, doesn’t mean I turn my back on family.  I just think he ought to sell out, take the money he’d make for this place, and live comfortably for the rest of his life, she said, as Mack hobbled over to the old rocking chair, sat down heavily, and gazed outside.

She saw the tears in his eyes and hated herself for making him sad.  She knew he loved Moon Shadow and had made it a successful