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  After a difficult tragedy, Liam Davis left his life in New York City three years ago. He ventured out west to find a new life in a new place, settling in Clear Mountain to start a horse-drawn sleigh company. He enjoys his remote home and job. The simplicity of taking guests on tours of Clear Mountain Resort is the only human contact Liam needs-that is until Brooke Patterson stumbles into his life.

  When a blizzard hits and everyone is trapped in the lobby of the resort, Brooke and Liam get to know each other. Their growing friendship is interrupted though when someone steals items from one of the guest's rooms. Brooke is asked by the resort manager to discreetly figure out who did it before everyone finds out and it causes panic that a thief is hiding amongst them.

  Through the investigation, the aftermath, and the Christmas holidays, Liam stays by Brooke's side, proving to her not all men find a female officer intimidating. Some men find her appealing.

  Can Liam help Brooke to trust again? Can Brooke heal Liam's broken heart? Find out in this epic Christmas romance filled with a mystery, faith, and laughs.

  Preview of Lawfully Dashing by Jenna Brandt

  Clear Mountain Resort was filled with tourists as Brooke Patterson and her two friends entered the lobby. Not surprising, considering the Colorado vacation spot was s popular destination for Christmas break.

  Brooke was still surprised her friends could talk her into coming over from Boulder, considering she had been looking forward to a weekend at home binge-watching Netflix and eating popcorn.

  The trio moved over to stand in the ten-deep check-in line, avoiding bumping into people as they passed through the packed lobby.

  “Can you believe all these people? I expected it to be busy, but not this much. This place must be booked out to capacity,” Kristen Tucker, a dispatcher for the Boulder County police department stated.

  Brooke and Kristen worked together and bonded over the fact they both grew up in Texas. When Brooke heard Kristen’s thick Texan accent over the dispatch radio, she knew she had found an ally on the department, an ally Brooke needed considering she was a female in a predominantly male occupation. Cops were hard on rookies, but even more so, when they were women.

  Not wanting to think about her job while on vacation, Brooke observed, “I hope we get to do everything we want. I know we booked our spa day and restaurant reservations ahead of time, but getting ski time in might be a different story.”

  “Don’t be such a pessimist,” Trina Vasquez, Brooke and Kristen’s friend from the gym, chastised playfully. “We’ll figure out a way to make it work. Between the three of us, we represent every man’s fantasy. A little flirting will go a long way.”

  Brooke shook her head. Trina was a natural-born flirt. It was as easy to her as breathing air, but Brooke couldn’t figure out how to do it without feeling awkward.

  Her friend was right about her statement about their appearances. With Trina’s long brown hair, hazel eyes and a killer smile, she was an exotic beauty. Kristen was a knock-out with red hair, green eyes and a voluptuous body. Men often commented when they were together she looked like a real-life Jessica Rabbit. Brooke rounded out the three women with her shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes and sporty physique.

  “You would think that,” Kristen stated with a roll of her eyes. “But I highly disagree. Flirting can’t get everything all the time.”

  “It can if you do it right,” Trina corrected. “And believe me, I do it right.”

  Kristen and Brooke both smirked at her, putting out their fingers in a shame-shame gesture and making a teasing “ew” sound.

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” Trina said with her face turning red. “I’m a good Christian girl, after all. I just mean being friendly helps.”

  “It does. But there’s friendly, and then there’s… friendly,” Kristen clarified with a wag of her eyebrows. “You definitely fall on the latter end of that spectrum.”

  “I should be mad, but when you’re right, you’re right,” Trina stated with a laugh, causing the other two friends to join in.

  “My, my, what’s so funny? I’m dying to know,” a deep male voice said from behind them.

  The trio turned to face the stranger who was watching them with deep interest. He was handsome with sandy blonde hair and a chiseled body. The problem was he knew it. Brooke’s radar went off. She got the sleaze vibe the moment she made eye contact with him. He carried himself in a way that made it obvious he wanted women to notice him.

  “Aren’t one of you going to tell me?” the stranger asked.

  Trina was a sucker for a guy in a tight t-shirt and replied without hesitation, “Oh, my friends were harassing me because I’m too friendly.”

  “No way,” he said, shaking his head, “there’s no such thing as too friendly.”

  “That’s what I said,” Trina said with a flirtatious smile. “See, great minds think alike.”

  “What are you doing later after you check-in?” he asked with a sleazy grin.

  “Oh, we’re just—”

  Brooke cut Trina off before she gave out too much information to a stranger. “We’ve got plans,” she stated assertively with her cop voice.

  Trina pressed her lips together and gripped her hands in front of her. She shrugged. “Brooke’s protective of our time, girls trip and all.”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean to cause I problem. I was here with friends and I figured it would be fun to hang out with you guys that is, if you’re interested.”

  Brooke shook her head and crossed her arms. “My friend said it best; girls trip. We’ve got the whole weekend full.”

  He put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, no worries. Have a good weekend.”

  Brooke turned back around as the line moved forward.

  Kristen leaned over and inquired in a whisper, “What was that all about?”

  “My cop senses were triggered by that guy,” Brooke stated with a frown. “He said he was here with friends, but where were they? I didn’t see anyone with him. Besides, he was way too pushy for my liking.”

  “Ever since Brad, even if a guy looks your way, they are way too pushy,” Kristen countered. “You need to move on and not let that jerk ruin the rest of your life. Stop turning away every opportunity to find someone new.”

  Trina leaned in towards her friends and whispered, “I agree. I’m not sure what your problem was with the guy behind us. He seems super nice.”

  “Ugh, you would think that,” Brooke stated with irritation. “You have the worst taste in guys.”

  “Hey, now, no reason to be mean. I know I’m lousy when it comes to weeding out the bad ones, but that’s why I have you, Brooke.”

  The older female desk clerk smiled at them. “Good afternoon. Welcome to Clear Mountain Resort. My name is Cindy. How can I help you?”

  “We’re here to check in,” Trina stated with a smile. “The reservation is under Vasquez.”

  The woman clicked away on the computer in front of her, then looked up. “It seems your suite isn’t ready, Ms. Vasquez.”

  Trina’s face scrunched up in confusion before she looked down at her phone in her hand. “It says check-in is at three p.m. It’s 3:30,” Trina complained.

  “One of our maids called in sick today, delaying the cleaning of some rooms. We apologize.”

  “Our spa reservation isn’t until five. We were going before our dinner reservation at eight-thirty. What are we supposed to do in the meantime?”

  It figures we can’t get into our room. And I was looking forward to relaxing before all the activities Trina had planned, Brooke fumed internally.

  “You could go skiing? Or have a bite in the cafe?”

  “No, my friend said we have dinner reservations,” Trina interjected. “We don’t want to ruin our appetites for dinner. We heard the chef here is amazing. And there’s nowhere to change into our snow gear or even enough time to go skiing.”

  The woman contemplated the situation for a moment, then suggested, “We have a new attract
ion this year. We offer a horse-drawn sleigh ride. If you like, I can check and see if anyone has it booked right now?”

  Trina turned to her friends and asked, “What do you guys think?”

  Both women shrugged as Kristen stated, “What can it hurt? At least it could kill time until we can go to the spa.”

  “Fine, check to see if there is an opening,” Trina said in a disappointed tone. “I didn’t imagine going on a sleigh-ride for our first part of the trip.”

  “Who knows, it could be fun,” Kristen said in her normal upbeat personality. “I’m always up for a new adventure.”

  The clerk clicked away on the computer again and a few seconds later looked up with a huge smile. “You guys are in luck. It seems there was a cancellation this afternoon. One of our guests didn’t show up today. And for the inconvenience regarding your suite, we will take care of the cost.”

  Trina nodded, and the clerk gave them directions how to get to the back part of the resort where the sleigh depot was located.

  * * *

  Liam Davis watched as a group of three women approached his wooden sleigh. He let a heavy sigh, realizing they looked like another bunch of self-centered city girls coming into town to get away from it. Not that he resented the need for a break, he didn’t like the snobby attitude that often accompanied the people who came from the city. He had left that life behind three years ago when an airplane took him away from New York and deposited him in Colorado.

  Two years after learning to work with horses on a ranch, Liam took his savings and started his own sleigh ride company. Four horses, two sleighs, and a year later, he was in business.

  “Good afternoon, ladies. My name is Liam and I will be your sleigh driver today. I will take you on a horse-drawn tour of the property and along the mountainside.”

  Trina giggled as she leaned to her friends and said, “The hotel clerk didn’t mention the sleigh driver was a hunk.”

  “Right, maybe we wouldn’t have been so upset if we had known he would look like that,” Kristen agreed.

  Ugh. It will be a long ride with these women,Liam thought with irritation.I didn’t plan on being a piece of eye-candy for the rest of the day.

  It wasn’t the first time women had fawned all over him. With his tall frame, hazel eyes, thick brown hair and stubbled beard to match, he often got admiring looks. The problem was that he wasn’t interested.

  He needed to focus on doing his job. The tips were always better if he was polite with the guests. He reached out and helped first the redhead, then the brown-haired woman, and the blonde last. Liam took her hand and felt a tingling sensation.

  Before he could analyze what was happening, she slipped on the ice and stumbled forward. Unable to catch her balance, she tumbled towards the ground. Liam swiftly moved to grab her, keeping her from hitting the ice below.

  As she lay cradled in his arms, Liam stared into her beautiful blue eyes. She looked shocked and slightly uncomfortable, possibly from his proximity, but he couldn’t bring himself to let her go. She felt like she belonged in them.

  The woman put her hands up and pushed back on his chest, righting herself. She averted her eyes and said, “Thank you for catching me. I’m sure I would have broken something if I hit that ice.”

  “Good thing that didn’t happen,” Kristen said with a smirk. “The other cops would never let you live that down.”

  “No kidding,” she said as she put her hand on the edge of the sleigh and pulled herself up inside. “I don’t need one more thing for them to make fun of when I’m working a call.”

  “You’re a cop?” Liam inquired with surprise. The blonde woman was getting more intriguing every moment he was around her.

  She nodded her head. “Yes, have been for the past three years.”

  “That’s impressive,” he stated with admiration. “You don’t meet a lot of female cops.”

  “Yes, it’s a tough gig, but I love it.” She gave him a tentative smile and added, “I’m Brooke, by the way.”

  He reached out and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Brooke.”

  She gestured to the other women. “These are my friends, Trina and Kristen.”

  “Nice to meet both of you,” he said, taking each of their hands and shaking them. He then handed them several blankets which they arranged on their laps.

  He hoped up into the front seat of the sleigh and prompted his horse, Tinker, to trot. The sleigh took off down the path, ushering in the jingle of the bells.

  “The lodge was built fifty-five years ago by a family from Clear Mountain. They wanted it to be a destination that brought tourists from all over the world. The building you first entered was originally a single story, but the family added the second level in the seventies and the additional two wings on either side a decade ago. The main lodge is compromised of the lobby, the grand ballroom, two conference rooms, two wings of suites and the fine-dining restaurant.”

  “That’s impressive that one family could do all of that,” Kristen said with awe.

  “Yes, the Wellingtons are a wonderful family. Everyone here loves them. The staff has been lucky they’ve been able to keep it in the family all these years. Often, big corporations come in and buy them up.”

  “That’s sad,” Brooke stated.

  “It is, but the locals and tourist both like how the Wellingtons keep this place authentic. We get many people who book it for weddings, especially during the spring and summer.”

  “Oh, how romantic,” Trina said with a sigh. “This would be a beautiful place to get married.”

  He kept the reins for Tinker in one hand while pointing to another building as they passed it. “That’s where the heated indoor pool is located. It was the first of its kind in the region. There are also ten private cabins on the property along with a two tennis courts and the lifts to six ski slopes of various difficulties.”

  The sleigh continued to move and soon the buildings became dots behind them. They were gliding along the path on the edge of Clear Mountain. As the sleigh headed into the mountain pass, the trees grew thicker and the snow higher on the sides of the cleared road.

  “Where do you keep the horses?” Brooke asked with curiosity. “I didn’t see a stable anywhere on the tour.”

  Not surprising she realized the lack of stables. She was a cop after all and it was their job to notice all the details.

  “I have a property right up the road. I keep my horses and sleighs there,” he said over his shoulder.

  “Ah, that makes sense,” Brooke stated. “I don’t know why I thought you would stay on the property.”

  “Wishful dreaming?” Trina teased. “It would make it easier to find him if you were looking.”

  “Well, I’m not. I was just curious. Call it my natural cop mind.”

  “It’s true. You’re always the one to catch all the mistakes in movies,” Kristen stated. “You notice everything.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a compliment,” Brooke said defensively. “Geez, is it gang up on Brooke day?”

  Trying to keep a fight from happening, Liam asked, “Where are you all from?”

  “We’re from Boulder,” Kristen informed him. “We’re here for the weekend before it gets crazy with Christmas Eve on Wednesday.”

  “Well, it’s good you made reservations. This is a busy time of year for the resort,” Liam explained.

  There was a turnout Liam used to loop around and head back towards the resort. The clouds above were grey and getting darker by the moment. The news had said snow was in the forecast so he needed to get Tinker home and in her stall before it got too dangerous to be out. Snow drifts could get to several feet tall within a couple of hours.

  They reached the back of the resort and Liam hopped down from the sleigh. He helped the women out of the back.

  “I hope you enjoyed your tour,” he said with a grin, hoping it presented as grateful.

  “Oh, we did. We really enjoyed all the sights,” Trina said with a flirty smile. “It w
as well worth the delay of getting checked-in,” she added as she handed him some money.

  Under the circumstances, he didn’t want to take the tip, but figured it would be more awkward if he tried to hand the money back. Reluctantly, he placed it in the front pocket of his jeans.

  “All of you be safe. There’s supposed to be a lot of snow tonight. Don’t get caught in it.”

  The women nodded their heads as Liam climbed back into his sleigh and took off. He resisted the urge to turn around and take a final look at the pretty blonde he just left behind him.

  About the Author

  Ginny Sterling is a Texas transplant living in Kentucky. She spends her free time (Ha!) writing, quilting, and spending time with her husband and two children. Ginny can be reached on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or via email at [email protected]

  Lawfully Gifted, Copyright © 2018 by Ginny Sterling

  These books are works of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of these books may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without express written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Thank you for supporting the author’s rights.

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