Shadow Hills: Fallen Hero

“You’re nothing special anymore.” Tanner Price heard her words in his head far too often. He had to leave the Marine Corps after an injury took him out of active duty. He moved to the Montana mountain town, Shadow Hills, population five hundred, because they needed a sheriff and they were willing to give him the job. Natalie hadn’t been enthused the first time he mentioned the job. She had told him she wouldn’t go. He had thought about turning down the job to stay in Seattle, where she wanted to be. Never mind the fact that he hadn’t been able to get a job there worth anything to him. Natalie didn’t want to leave even if this was the best move for his career. She wanted to stay in Seattle, close to the military men. She was always addicted to military life and maybe knowing that should have given him pause before marrying her.

He laughed to himself as he slid on his thick gray socks. Natalie hadn’t even waited for the ink on the divorce papers to dry before she shacked up with somebody else.

“She’s his headache now,” he pulled on his boots. It had been a year now and he needed to let it go. He needed to get past her words—but so far he couldn’t.

Every day he felt lacking. Being a Marine was all he knew, all he wanted to be. He had trained under his father since he could walk—trained to be the best of the best. He had enlisted right after high school, did his college studies online so that he didn’t have to miss even a heartbeat of military life. And now he was just getting by as a sheriff of a small town where the height of excitement was Deek Saunders stallion jumping the fence and going to graze in Lilly Jackson’s field.

“Tough job,” he mumbled as he pulled on the winter coat flagged with big yellow letters “Sheriff,” across the back. Until four months ago he thought he might die of boredom, but that was four months ago. That was before Anya McLane moved into town and opened her little boutique on Main Street. Now, boredom was the least of his worries. He was probably going to die of sexual frustration.