You Belong to Me Read online

  Brook Hollow

  You Belong to Me

  Jessy Simmons and her younger sister wanted to get away from a dangerous criminal and bad memories in New York. All they wanted was a fresh start. Brook Hollow, Missouri represented that chance for new beginnings. If only Deputy Lincoln Ramirez would quit making it hard for Jessy to enjoy her new life in the small, beautiful town she was growing to love.

  Jessy Simmons was a sexy woman with a sassy mouth that threatened Lincoln Ramirez’s peace of mind. She was also a mystery, and Lincoln got the sense she was hiding something. He didn’t like mysteries he couldn’t solve. Lincoln fought the desire he felt for Jessy. He was sure it was a passing fancy, and romantic entanglements just weren’t his style.

  With a stalker and a dangerous criminal from her past, Jessy was trouble for sure. Yet Lincoln was intrigued and couldn’t help but feel protective over her.

  Will Lincoln be able to admit that his feelings are much more serious than he thought and protect Jessy before danger takes her away from him for good?

  Genre: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

  Length: 37,360 words

  YOU BELONG TO ME

  Brook Hollow

  Lee Rose

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  YOU BELONG TO ME

  Copyright © 2017 by Lee Rose

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-648-2

  First Publication: October 2017

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I have always loved reading, especially romances. I believe in a happy ending and that love does indeed conquer all. Now I love writing romance stories just as much. When not writing I spend my time with family and friends. I enjoy hearing from my fans and can look me up on Facebook.

  For all titles by Lee Rose, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/lee-rose

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Author

  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

  Epilogue

  Landmarks

  Cover

  YOU BELONG TO ME

  Brook Hollow

  LEE ROSE

  Copyright © 2017

  Chapter One

  A loud boom of thunder startled Jessy Simmons as she drove down the dark, quiet streets of Brook Hollow Missouri. The hour was late. The flash of bright, but scary, lightning illuminated the black sky every few minutes. The stars and the moon were absent, making the night darker than usual. The small town was shrouded in darkness since all the businesses were closed by this hour. The wind howled through the night, making it feel eerie and just a little spooky. Didn’t all scary movies start off this way? She needed to stop watching all those horror movies with Lily.

  “It’s just a summer storm. Get a grip, Jessy.” She spoke out loud even though she was alone in the car. Even a simple drive down an empty road seemed unnerving now. She was getting close to the small rental house she shared with her sister. Less than a mile and she would be inside, away from the storm and her overactive imagination.

  She and her sister were new residents to this small town nestled in the Ozark Hills, but Jessy loved this quaint rural town despite all the differences from the bigger cities. She was enjoying the slower pace of life and the beautiful green hillsides. Both sisters were hoping for a fresh start away from New York City where they grew up, and away from the drama their dad caused with his deceiving ways. He had never been the typical father who took an interest in his daughters. He made it clear he wanted sons, but after the death of their mom he had completely given up on life. He had drunk away any money he made and often got fired from his jobs. What Jessy had not known was that he also started gambling and owed some bad people lots of money. One day he was found lying in an alley dead. The police told her they had no clues. Soon Jessy learned he owed money to a very bad man who called himself Jagger. Jagger expected her and her sister to pay the debt her dad owed. Men like that did not just forget a debt. When Jessy realized just how dangerous Jagger was, they hightailed it out of town.

  Her small compact car suddenly swerved to the right after going over a bump in the road. She heard a loud pop and knew instantly she had a flat tire.

  “Oh God,” she prayed. “Please don’t let it be an animal.”

  Thinking quickly, she tightened her hands on the steering wheel and pulled over to the side of the road. Jessy looked around and realized she was in the business area of the town, so she couldn’t knock on someone’s door for help. She didn’t even know the number for a tow truck.

  Having no choice but to try to change her own tire, she set the hazard lights on and got out of the car to look around. Normally she enjoyed silent moments, but right now it felt too unsettling. She was in front of the one and only local movie theater but it was closed and empty. No late-night midnight showings like in New York. She sighed, getting out of her car.

  She looked down at her skimpy uniform. Jessy worked as a bartender at Kramer’s Sports Bar. Her white tank top was short and tight and her black ruffled skirt left a lot of her ass feeling the strong blowing wind. At least she had changed out of her heels and into flat shoes for the drive home.

  Brook Hollow was a safe place she reminded herself as she opened the trunk. She heard that statement many times since moving here two months ago. She hoped it was true.

  Jessy lifted the heavy spare tire and let it fall to the paved street. Next, she got the jack out and an old rug that her sister must have thrown in there. Jessy did her own basic maintenance on her car thanks to her dad’s teachings. She had once feigned an interest in auto mechanics in the hopes he would want to be around her. She had just knelt on the old rug and began to turn the bolts of the rim of the flat tire when she heard a loud roaring engine coming closer.

  “Great.” She muttered. “With my luck, it’s a serial killer.”

  She tensed up when she saw the headlights pull up behind her on the shoulder of the road. She had a tight hold on the crowbar. She’d defend herself if she had to.

  “What’s going on here?” Jessy groaned when she recognized the deep masculine voice right away. Her stomach tightened and filled with heat. Lincoln Ramirez, one of Brook Hollow’s police officers. He was worse than a serial killer. He’d k
ill her with his snarly attitude and boring lectures. The man never smiled. Jessy was sure he didn’t know how to. Instead, he looked hard and cold no matter the occasion. He always had an intense look about him but it seemed deeper when she was around him. His face was unreadable.

  “Um. I had a flat tire and now I am changing it,” she answered with a bit of an attitude, not bothering to look up. She couldn’t help it. She might be attracted to Lincoln Ramirez physically, but he treated her like she was five and couldn’t put one foot in front of the other. She wanted to be done and home before the rain hit. Trying to have a logical conversation with Lincoln was impossible. He rubbed her the wrong way. She mentally counted to five and kept on taking the bolts off of the rim. Sure enough he sighed loudly and muttered under his breath.

  “Let me do that before you break a nail.” Impatience was heavy in his voice, but Jessy gladly handed him the tool and let him bend down on the rug. It was an uncomfortable position to be in with a short ruffled skirt on. She stood up and watched him work. He was wearing the standard black police uniform but he made it look so sexy. He was tall and fit. His dark brown hair was short and never out of place. It wouldn’t dare be messy, she thought irrationally to herself. He often had stubble on his jaw and chin, something she found incredibly sexy. His nose wasn’t perfect but it added character to his face. Not that she’d ever admit it out loud. The jerk stopped her in town in her first few days here and lectured her on the dangers of speeding. She hadn’t even been going fast in her opinion. All her drooling over his rugged sexiness had gone out the window once he opened his mouth.

  “For your information, I am not that delicate. I have no nails to break. You must be thinking of your fancy girlfriends who are afraid to sweat,” she replied sarcastically. She hated the jealous feeling she had gotten whenever she spotted him around town a few times with some fancy women dressed to the hilt. She knew she was out of his league, but she didn’t need the constant reminder.

  Lincoln ignored her snarly remark and continued to work on her tire. She could see his arm muscles flex as he worked and she felt antsy. She took a few deep breaths and prayed the cool wind did something to squash the flames inside of her, but it didn’t.

  When he was finished, he easily picked up the flat tire and put it in her trunk. He slammed the trunk shut and looked at her. His eyebrow arched as he noticed her uniform. She wanted to fold her arms across her chest self-consciously, but she stubbornly refused to let his disapproval affect her. All the girls at work wore this same uniform. She refused to feel ashamed just because he disapproved of what she was wearing.

  “Seriously, Jessy. You were changing your tire in that?” he scoffed with a deep frown as if she had planned this whole thing just to annoy him.

  “What choice did I have? I hit something in the road.” She felt like a little girl getting in trouble and it made her surly attitude kick up a notch. She was a twenty-six-year-old independent woman for God’s sake. She straightened up and stood tall, feeling her temper flare. He would not bully her.

  Lincoln looked around the street and found a large branch that had fallen from the tree. He threw it onto the grass, looking annoyed. He probably blamed her for the fallen branch, too.

  “Thank you for your help, Officer Ramirez. You should get an award or something,” she said sweetly. His eyes narrowed at her fake tone but he stayed silent. She could feel the tension in the air and she was sure he felt it, too. He was an intimidating man, but she could never keep her mouth shut around him.

  “And you should get a spanking or something. Why didn’t you call the station or a tow truck?”

  Jessy rolled her eyes as his lecture started about safety first. Here we go.

  “Any weirdo could have come upon you. You’re way too scrawny to defend yourself against an attacker,” he continued, ignoring the rolling of her eyes and her stubborn look.

  “Scrawny?” she yelled loudly, putting a hand on her hip. He always seemed to push that button. Not even ten hours in yoga would help her deal with him calmly. “I am not scrawny. Some men happen to like my body.”

  “Who?” He sounded angry now. At that same moment, it was as if the clouds decided to drown them both in cold water. The rain came fast and hard. The cold drops were a shock as it hit her skin. Jessy screamed and ran for her car, leaving him standing in the rain. Let him get wet she told herself angrily. She slammed her door extra hard, but she still felt aggravated. She started her car and turned the wipers on but didn’t drive off. She put the defrost on while sitting there, shivering and fuming over his rude remark.

  “Scrawny my ass,” she mumbled grouchily. “I am fit and healthy.”

  She took a deep breath and put her car into drive. As she headed for her house, she noticed his headlights following behind her. What an asshole, she complained silently. She felt like calling him a few bad names, but with her luck, he’d arrest her for it. She heard the sheriff was his older brother so he would side with Lincoln over some stranger who was new in town. She hated that she felt so many mixed emotions around Lincoln. She felt desire, but it was mixed with anger, and a little bit of intimidation. Why couldn’t he just chill out a bit? She just didn’t understand his bad attitude. Was he mad at the world or just her? He knew nothing about her or her difficult life.

  After a few minutes, she pulled into her driveway. Since her clothes were already wet, she decided to make a run for the porch. The small yellow house was cozy and represented a fresh start on a drama free life. Brook Hollow was a safe place for them to start over. Lincoln would not ruin that for her or her sister. Lily needed the peace this town made her feel.

  Since it was dark, Jessy was fumbling with her keys, looking for the one that would open the front wooden door. The house was dark and quiet. Hopefully her sister did not hear her over the loud thunder. She did not want to upset Lily. She already worried over Jessy’s late hours. Jessy could imagine Lincoln and her sister teaming up on the lectures.

  “Need more help?” The deep voice startled her.

  Jessy shrieked and turned behind her to see Lincoln standing behind her with his arms folded across his chest. She put a hand on her racing heart and glared at him. What was his problem sneaking up behind her like that? She expected him to drive off once he saw her run up to the porch. “Jesus, Lincoln. Why are you here? You almost gave me a heart attack.”

  She saw his lips slightly curl upward as if he wanted to smile but didn’t know how. Did he enjoy making her angry?

  “I wanted to make sure you got home safe. It’s my job.” His deep voice was filled with amusement, so why didn’t she feel any amusement?

  She put the key in the lock and turned it until it opened. She looked up at him, not going in. He stood a head taller than her but then again, she was of average height. “Thank you for doing your job, Officer Ramirez. I bet you do your part to make the women of Brook Hollow feel safe,” she retorted sarcastically, ignoring her racing pulse at being so close to him.

  “I try.” She could feel his eyes roaming up and down her body. Her traitorous body, of course, reacted with tingly sensations running rampantly inside of her. She cracked the front door open but didn’t go inside. Thank goodness the porch light was off, or he might see how her nipples hardened at him being so close. Usually it was as if he couldn’t stand being too close to her so he left right away. Right now he was crowding her space and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it, besides turned on. The rain continued to pour down and loud booming thunder was coming closer. Jessy loved a good summer storm, but tonight she wanted to put the pillow over her head and fall asleep quickly. Her feet ached from spending hours on her feet. Being a bartender wasn’t her dream job, but it paid the bills.

  “Is that all officer or are you going to give me another ticket?” she snapped wanting him to leave.

  It was his turn to roll his eyes. “Still angry about that, Jessy? It was for your own good.”

  He took a step closer to her and she was sure her heart stoppe
d beating. She stood still, frozen to the spot. He ran his thumb across her lips and she wondered how his lips would feel on hers. He quickly took away his thumb as if regretting touching her.

  “Take better care of your car, Jessy,” he told her seriously, but softly. “Coming home so late at night on that long stretch of road is dangerous.”

  “Then maybe you should ask the big bosses of the city to put street lights out on that section of the road. Ever heard of those?” she replied, feeling aggravated. Like she had a choice driving down that road. She had bills to pay and that was the first job she found. Later, she wanted to look for something else, but when they arrived in town they were low on money and Jessy had taken the first job offer she found.

  “Come to the next city council meeting then. They welcome suggestions. Take care.” He turned and walked down the porch steps and into the pouring rain. Jessy watched him get into his police vehicle. The man was way too confusing. She went into her warm house and closed the door locking it back up. Hopefully the sound of the storm would lull her to sleep right away. The last thing she needed was to try and figure out Lincoln Ramirez. He was out of her league and that was that.

  * * * *

  Lincoln Ramirez sat in his car with the windshield wipers and the rain hitting the metal roof of his police cruiser making the only noise. He was off duty so he had turned the radio off. He watched the heavy oak front door close. He should drive off and forget all about the infuriating, but sexy, brunette. From the moment he leaned down to hand Jessy Simmons a speeding ticket a few weeks back he had been drawn to her. He looked into her pretty green eyes and had been rendered speechless. Jessy was a sexy package with a sassy mouth that he itched to tame. Her sable brown hair was long and hung down her back in waves. She had curves in all the right places, making his body stand at attention whenever she was near him. He wasn’t happy about those feelings. Jessy was too much of a temptation. Seeing her in her uniform tonight had blown him away. Her full, round breasts had been on display in the tight white tank top had made it hard not to stare. Her black skirt had been so short he had wanted to pull it down to cover those toned thighs and long legs of hers. He briefly thought about grabbing her and kissing her, but forced himself to resist. She was in her mid-twenties, but she had an aura of innocence still surrounding her. He was thirty, but most of the times he felt older. His mother told him he had the ability to act like an old man. Lincoln was cranky most of the time and set in his ways just like his dad.