The Love of a Stranger

The Callister Books, #2

Doug Hawkins, disgraced and jobless LAPD homicide detective, moves to Callister, Idaho, to find a peaceful existence and renew acquaintance with a best friend from childhood, Ted Benson. Almost immediately, he finds himself involved in a rendezvous at a remote mountain cabin with the barmaid from one of the town's two taverns. The last thing he expects is to be confronted by a good-looking blonde who attacks his truck with a tire iron and threatens him with arrest for trespassing. His relationship with the hot-blooded Alex McGregor goes downhill from there.
The wealthy and reclusive Alex lives with her two cats in a hundred-year-old mansion on the side of Wolf Mountain. She’s busy traveling between Callister and L.A., where she owns and maintains two businesses. She doesn’t want a man interfering with her life.
A midnight fire burns the mountain cabin, which was located on Alex's land, to the ground, killing her alcoholic ex-husband. Doug’s honed instincts lead him to suspect the worst, but he keeps quiet. He’s new in town.
The crisis escalates when a partying friend of Alex’s ex-husband decides to log trees from land she and her ex sold to him years back. To prevent pollution of a much-loved pond and stream on her property, the strong-willed Alex is determined to stop him. Bitterness and threats ensue.
Alex appears to be a magnet for trouble, yet Doug is drawn to her. He can’t get along with her, but he can’t leave her alone.
Meanwhile, Alex’s lawyer, with whom Doug is acquainted, is worried about her safety. He hires Doug to investigate the cabin fire and the suspicious death of her ex-husband. Doug reluctantly agrees and uncovers even more havoc than he first suspected. Saving her pond and stream and winning her affection forever becomes a tall order.