Hart’s Ridge

HART’S RIDGE BOOK 1 KAY BRATT Copyright © 2023 by Kay Bratt All rights reserved. This book or any portion therefore may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Printed in the United States of America. First Printing, 2023. ISBN 978-1-7363514-8-2. Red Thread Publishing Group. Hartwell, GA 30643 www.kaybratt.com This book is a fictional dramatization that includes one incident inspired by a real event. Facts to support that incident were drawn from a variety of sources, including published materials and interviews, then altered to fit into the fictional story. Otherwise, this the book contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, and time compression, all modified for dramatic and narrative purposes. The views and opinions expressed in the book are those of the fictional characters only and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions held by individuals on which any of the characters are based. CONTENTS Also by Kay Bratt Hart’s Ridge Description Hart’s Ridge Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 From The Author About the Author ALSO BY KAY BRATT Dancing with the Sun True to Me No Place Too Far Into the Blue Wish Me Home All My Dogs Go to Heaven Silent Tears; A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage Chasing China; A Daughter’s Quest for Truth A Thread Unbroken The Palest Ink The Scavenger’s Daughters Wish You Were Here Wishful Thinking Caroline, Adrift Somewhere Beautiful Where I Belong A Welcome Misfortune To Move the World HART’S RIDGE DESCRIPTION If Robyn Carr and Melinda Leigh had a book baby, Hart’s Ridge would be it. Join Kay Bratt in her new mystery series that is packed with cases, and a small-town deputy determined to solve them. When five-year-old Molly walks into a gas station on the outskirts of town, alone and barely speaking, one sheriff’s deputy is determined to reunite her with her missing mother. Nestled gently in the Blue Ridge mountains, Hart’s Ridge is a small and yet undiscovered quaint town. That is until you dig a little deeper and learn that no matter how perfect things look, every town has its secrets. Taylor Gray has lived in Hart’s Ridge since she was a preteen and has clawed her way out of poverty, foster care, and then the police academy to reach her dream of being in law enforcement. However, the townspeople aren’t the only ones that she is committed to serve and protect. She’s also the unofficial caretaker of her father and adult sisters, a family fractured by tragedy. Her role is heavy and rarely appreciated, but she’ll stop at nothing to try to piece them back together one day. Joni Stott is the mother of young Molly and is missing. Time is of the essence, and Taylor plunges into the investigation, determined to find her and reunite mother and child. When the sheriff brings a familiar face in to take charge, things begin to unravel at a pace hard to keep up with, and what they find is every law enforcement officer’s worst nightmare. Hart’s Ridge can be read as a standalone novel and is book one of the new Hart’s Ridge mystery series, written by Kay Bratt, Million Copy Best-Selling Author of Wish Me Home and the By the Sea series. HART’S RIDGE * * * A Small-Town Mystery By KAY BRATT CHAPTER 1 Minor female, approximately four years old. Wandered unaccompanied into Leonard’s Quick Stop out on Boleman Hill Road. No name given. That’s all dispatch had so far. Deputy Taylor Gray sat behind the wheel of her cruiser, enjoying the warm summer breeze through her window as she headed to the call to see why or how a small child had ambled into a gas station alone way out in the country. Lusciously tall trees loomed over each side of the highway, and the sky turned soft shades of pinks and golds, preparing to close the curtain for the night. But the gorgeous scenery could be deceiving. No one knew more than Deputy Taylor Gray how suddenly their peaceful little town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains could be unsettled, sending their small force scrambling. Bernard whined, and Taylor put his window down a bit farther, letting more air pour in. She wasn’t supposed to have her dog with her, but she also wasn’t even supposed to be on shift, so beggars couldn’t be choosers. “We need to check this out, and I don’t have time to take you home first,” Taylor muttered to the dog. He didn’t meet her gaze. The child was said to be barely dressed and hungry. The most alarming part was the store was at least ten miles out in the country, away from everything. Taylor thought of the wolves she’d heard howling a few miles from her house only the week before. Bear sightings were common, too. Taylor couldn’t count the times she’d been called to the scene of a local homeowner dealing with a stubborn bear. She’d gotten quite good at scaring them away, but not all of them were as obliging. Only a few years ago, an elderly man was attacked when he found one rummaging through the trash outside his back door. If not for his tiny eight-pound dog intervening and getting the attention of the bear, the man wouldn’t have made it. Thankfully, the dog was too swift and cunning to be caught, and the bear finally took off. Taylor cringed, thinking of a tiny girl out walking alone and all the things that could’ve happened. Where had she come