Small Town Start: A Sweet K9 Handler RomCom (Hero Search and Rescue Book 1)

SMALL TOWN START A Sweet K9 Handler RomCom Hero Search and Rescue Series Book 1 JENNA BRANDT Small Town Start © copyright 2023 Jenna Brandt All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission from the publisher. This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Locale and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual events, or actual locations is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. 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 prison and a fine of $250,000. Contents Book Blurb 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 Epilogue Sneak Peek of The Girlfriend Rescue Sneak Peek of Arresting Her Heart Sneak Peek of Lawfully Adored A Note from the Author Also by Jenna Brandt Join My Mailing List and Reader’s Groups Acknowledgments About the Author Praise for Jenna Brandt I am always excited when I see a new book by Jenna Brandt. Lori Dykes, Amazon Customer Jenna Brandt is, in my estimation, the most gifted author of Christian fiction in this generation! Paula Rose Michelson, Fellow Author Ms. Brandt writes from the heart and you can feel it in every page turned. Sandra Sewell White, Longtime Reader For more information about Jenna Brandt visit her on any of her websites. Signup for Jenna Brandt’s Newsletter Visit her on Social Media: www.JennaBrandt.com www.tiktok.com/@JennaBrandtAuthor www.facebook.com/JennaBrandtAuthor Jenna Brandt’s Reader Group hwww.twitter.com/JennaDBrandt http://www.instagram.com/Jennnathewriter Dedicated to my husband, Dustin, Badge #5654, who inspired me to create all my law enforcement books. You’re not only my heart and soul, but my own personal lawkeeper. Book Blurb SMALL TOWN START Come visit the small town of Hero, Texas where the neighbors are nosy, the B & B is supposedly haunted, and the new search and rescue academy's the talk of the town. Danny Bowman just graduated from the elite Disaster City Search and Rescue Academy. The dog handler has a pretty good gig, but he wants something different. He returns home to Hero, Texas to start his own small-town K9 handler school with his childhood best friend, yet he can't stop thinking about the slightly-crazy city girl who crashed her car into his truck on his first day home. He wants to kiss that pouty little mouth, but he knows he can't get distracted by a pretty face. Jenesa Olson left her high-paying job as a corporate lawyer to follow her dream of opening her own B&B. The old Victorian house she purchased is the perfect setting, until she finds more skeletons in the closets than ten CSI shows put together. Worried something isn’t quite right, she calls the police. But when a K9 handling cop arrives, he makes a surprising discovery that puts her dream on a collision course with his duty. Add to that, tons of nosy neighbors constantly complaining about the construction noise, and she wonders if she made the wrong choice moving to Hero, Texas, especially when she finds herself falling for the handsome cop. Chapter One She was late. She, Jenesa Olson, the most reliable woman in the world and the veritable embodiment of punctuality, was actually late. She had never been late in her life. Well, almost never. Once, when she snuck in five minutes late when she was twelve years old, her father had gotten so mad at her she'd made an oath: never be late again. It had become ingrained in her DNA to always be on time. Yet...here she was, sprinting to her car like a mad woman. As the seconds ticked by, Jenesa's frustration skyrocketed. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she reprimanded herself under her breath as she tried to juggle the awkwardly large cage in her hands. She nearly tripped four times from that cursed clicking noise of her stiletto heels, a situation that would have been comical if she hadn't been so livid. A terrifying screech bellowed from the tiny prison, and she almost dropped it in shock. She rolled her eyes and gently rocked the cage to try and mollify the occupant. When the animal inside only wailed louder, she shifted the cage to her left hip and quickly reached her panic-stricken fingers into her handbag, fumbling to find her keys, only to be greeted by pockets full of lint and forgotten lip balm. "Really? Missing? Now of all times. Terrific," she mumbled in frustration. Where did she put them this time? She clumsily dropped the cage onto the ground, its contents clanging and rattling against the sides. As she chucked her purse on the hood of her white Mercedes, the contents strewn out in a disorganized heap. This was wildly out of her comfort zone; how could she let this happen when her whole life was at stake? “You know better than to be late for the most important meeting of your lifetime. Your dad would be ashamed,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head in disbelief as she rummaged through the contents in an anxious frenzy. From behind her, she heard some wildly-enthusiastic cat-calls and whistles, followed closely by a deep, male voice with a Southern drawl, "Lookin' mighty fine today, ain't ya, darlin'." Another man called out, "You might be able to get a ride with him." She felt her blood turn to ice and a