The moment Lacy Devane steps off the bus and locks eyes with Jess McGregor, she has a rumbling in her stomach. There's a mutual attraction on both sides, but this cannot be. Jess's deceased wife, Sara, stands between them. Lacy and Sara had been best friend since diapers. Lacy only knew Jess through his marriage to Sara. He invited Lacy here to help her get over a traumatic experience. After all, she helped him through some very dark days after he returned from Afghanistan only partially the man he was when he deployed.

Jess lost his leg during an attack on an Afghani village. The past four years have been a rebuilding of his life in Conard County. Lacy was an accountant for a large firm in Dallas when she discovered her employer was laundering drug money through shell accounts. She was in federal protection until the trial was over and the bad guys put away. However, Lacy still feels someone is after her. After many telephone conversations with Jess about her fears, he invites her to come for a visit and let him help her heal.

Although a bad storm is coming through the area, the visit is going fairly well until a note is discovered on the front porch. It simply says: "the game is on." Has someone followed Lacy here? That seems very unlikely because they could have taken her anywhere along the bus route from Dallas. Or is this note actually meant for Jess, demons from his past in Afghanistan?

This is my third visit to Conard County and Rachel Lee's Conard County: The Next Generation series. Conard City is a charming little town, but they have a cadre of people who ban together when adversity strikes. Most of the story lays the groundwork for a relationship between Jess and Lacy. They discuss the fear and terror that each has faced, along with the loss and pain they've experienced. The action picks up when Jess realizes he is the target of this mad man, yet he doesn't understand why.

Both characters are well-developed and realistic with only a few supporting characters pulling the whole story together. CONARD COUNTY WITNESS is a story about unlocking secrets to find peace in your life. It's a quick romantic suspense read if this is your genre.

Book Summary

In New York Times bestselling author Rachel Lee's newest Conard County romance, a killer stalks a wounded warrior and the woman he's vowed to protect

I found you. The game begins. The note wasn't a threat exactly. But Jess McGregor senses danger. The wounded ex-soldier offers Lacy Devane a place to feel safe after her stint in witness protection. But someone is after her… Or is Jess the intended target?

Jess and Lacy are practically strangers. And the powerful attraction stirring between them may feel like a betrayal to Jess's late wife—Lacy's closest friend. But as a big freeze envelops Conard County, the warmth and healing they find in their growing friendship will be put to the ultimate test by a deranged killer.