Searching for Heather (2024)

==Series==
Eagle Point Search & Rescue, Book 6
Publish Date: January 2, 2024
==Official Blurb==
She’d lost everything once, and now that she’s found herself, and a man she trusts to be by her side, she refuses to let it all be taken from her a second time.
Ever since hearing about the mysterious woman in the woods who’d rescued his friends, Talon Ross has been intrigued. Who is she? Why is she there? Is she cold? Hungry? Scared? He can’t rest until he’s found her, made sure she’s all right. But when he finally manages to track her down, that difficult task turns out to be the easy part—now he has to earn her trust. The more he gets to know her, the more he wants to know, and the more vital that trust becomes. And there’s an even bigger mystery surrounding the wary redhead, one he wants to solve so she can reclaim her life…possibly with Talon by her side.
Sunset Meadowblossom had known nothing but degradation and fear her entire life, until the fateful day she mustered the strength to escape the only family she’s ever known. Living on her own in the forest is a dream in comparison, until a man she’d previously spied in her woods finds her makeshift home. Talon treats her with care and kindness, which is surprising—and confusing. Sunset’s always been warned away from Fallport and its citizens, but this man is making her want things she never considered…and giving her the courage to claim them.
Sunset soon learns Fallport has secrets—including the fact her name isn’t Sunset at all. It’s Heather…and she’d been stolen from her real life years ago. As a whole new world opens up around her, as Talon and her new friends help her to learn and trust and grow, Heather has no idea someone from her past is lurking, outraged by her disobedience. Waiting to take back what he considers rightfully his. And when he strikes, it’s up to Heather to save herself yet again…and to fight not only for her life, but the love she’s found with Talon.
==Characters==
===Main Character(s)===
*Talon Ross
*Sunset Meadowblossom / Heather Brown
===All Characters (in order of appearance)===
* Ethan Watson
* Talon Ross
* Sunset Meadowblossom / Heather Brown
* Brock Mabrey
* Finley Mabrey
* Lilly Watson
* Elsie Calhoun
* Caryn Buckner
* (The officiant)
* Bristol Wingham
* Cohen "Rocky" Watson
* Drew Koopman
* Rory (truck driver)
* Zeke Calhoun
* Tony Calhoun
* Raiden Walker
* Khloe Moore
* Duke (Raid's dog)
* Silas
* Otto
* Art
* Sandra Hain
* Harvey (Tal's boss)
* Simon Hill
* Harry Grogan
* Cypress Goodson/Alfred Winterborne (Arrow's son/current leader of The Community)
* (Heather's former teacher)
* Boots (Heather's kitten)
* (Heather's therapist)
* Opal Williams
* Lilac Lee
* Whitney Crawford
* Marissa
* "Doc" Robert Snow
*
===Characters Mentioned (but not appearing)===
* Pete (not by name)
* Cory (not by name)
* Arrow Goodson (former leader of The Community; deceased)
* Hillary Kendall (not by name)
* Joey Richards (not by name)
* Trent Morrison (not by name)
* Doug Germain (not by name)
* Lance Zaun (not by name)
* Paul Downs (not by name)
* (Tal's father)
* (Tal's mother)
* Simon Hill
* Edna
* (Heather's father, deceased)
* (Heather's mother, deceased)
* Jonathan Coleman (the mayor; not by name)
* Whip Johansen (owner of The Cellar)
* Dr. Ziegler (the veterinarian)
* Mr. Smith (Tony's teacher)
* Davis Woolford
* Nissi O'Neill
* Clyde Thomas
* Alan Mather
*
==Synopsis==
Tal is intrigued by the mysterious woman in the woods who saved Brock and Finley from kidnappers. He is determined to meet her and make sure she has enough supplies to get through the cold winter. He talks with Ethan, his friend, about how he thinks she may be Heather Brown, a girl who went missing as a child, but may have been taken by the cult living in the woods known as The Community. Tal eventually tracks the woman to a cave, where he waits for her to emerge.
Sunset Meadowblossom is shocked to see Tal, the mysterious stranger who has left her gifts, sitting outside her cave. He tells her he wants to help her, that she can trust him, and that he won't hurt her. He goes to fetch her water, leaving his belongings as a sign of trust. They spend the day slowly getting to know each other. Tal realizes that Sunset has been through a traumatic life, and Sunset realizes that Tal has his own trauma he's working through. They work together to prepare for the incoming snowstorm. Sunset is surprised that Tal is helping with "women's chores" of gathering firewood and hunting for dinner. After hearing that Tal is a barber back in Fallport, Sunset asks if he will cut her hair. She has never been able to do so, and he offers to only cut the ends, to see if she likes it.
The next day, Sunset finally invites Tal into her cave, so he can be protected from the cold. Later, Tal calls his friends to hear Rocky and Bristol's wedding ceremony, which he missed to find Sunset. As Sunset hears the love between the two in their vows, she cries, fully realizing how wrong The Community was about the roles of men and women. As Tal hangs up, he gently brushes away her tears and announces that he wants her to return to Fallport with him, asking her to think about it. They continue the day with him reading, preparing food for her, and describing all about Fallport. Before she falls asleep, Sunset tells Tal she's glad he's there, and he returns the same.
Over the next week they continue the pattern, until one morning, Tal's phone rings. Drew informs him that Lilly has had a miscarriage. Tal immediately promises to come back to see them by that night. Tal again asks Sunset to come back to Fallport with him. She agrees, and he springs into action, packing up only the belongings they need to take with them, leaving the rest for Sunset in case she wants to come back in the future. They slowly make their way through the snow, with Sunset leading navigation and Tal trying to clear a path first. He mentions that Sunset would make a good addition to their team, with her intimate knowledge of the woods.
When they arrive at Ethan and Lilly's, Tal comforts his friends. He speaks privately with Ethan about some of what Sunset has described. In the kitchen, Sunset bonds with Lilly, offering her comfort as well. Tal and Sunset return to his apartment, where they get clean, watch TV, and make plans for her introduction to Fallport. Over the next several days, Tal introduces Sunset to his friends, their businesses, and the town. When Simon Hill comes to Tal's apartment one morning to speak with Sunset, Tal leads her to the bedroom and informs her that she may really be Heather Brown. She takes the news well, claiming to have always felt as though she didn't belong in The Community, and demanding that he call her Heather.
Days later, a DNA test confirms Heather's identity, and reports descend upon the sleepy town. Tal warns Heather that the media attention may get to Cypress, but that he will protect her. Simon suggests that Heather be interviewed by Opal Williams, and Heather, wanting to help others who may have been kidnapped, agrees. After a few weeks, Opal arrives in Fallport for the interview. Heather is nervous, but the presence of Lilac Lee, a woman who was kidnapped and held for ten years, gives her comfort. She and Lilac promise to stay in touch.
Heather continues coming into her own. Whitney begins tutoring her, and she spends her mornings learning about history and math, and her afternoons spending time with her new friends. Meanwhile, Tal reveals his feelings to Heather, and they decide to explore a relationship together. They slowly work their way up toward more intimacy, with Tal again promising to never hurt Heather.
One day Heather leaves Whitney's and heads toward Sunny Side Up to have lunch with Tal, when she's stopped by Cypress. She initially wants to run away, but Cypress shows her his newest kidnapping victim, a small girl with red hair, and threatens to hurt her if Heather doesn't come with them. Knowing that Tal will find her, Heather gets in the car and waits for her chance to overpower Cypress.
When Heather doesn't show up for lunch, Tal is immediately on alert. He calls in Simon and his friends to begin the search. Tal realizes that the only way Cypress could have gotten Heather to willingly enter his car is if he kidnapped a child. They surmise that Cypress took Heather and his newest victim back to where The Community was stationed.
Cypress chastises Heather for the way she looks and how she dresses, and threatens to punish her. Instead of cowering in fear, Heather thinks of Tal and how he makes her feel, and complies with Cypress's commands. He forces her to remove her shoes and get out of the car, leading her toward a tent. She lies down on the blanket, but refuses to take off her pants when he demands, leading Cypress to do it for her. As he puts down his knife, Heather grabs it and stabs him before leaving the tent. When he tries to attack her, she continues to slash at him, intentionally creating cuts that will ultimately kill him. Lying on the ground, bleeding profusely, he quickly abandons his threats and begs Heather to help him. She denies his requests, telling him that he will never hurt someone else before slicing through the punishment tent. Heather returns to the car, gently talking to the small girl and promising to get her somewhere safe where Tal can find them. She repeats Tal's words to the girl, promising her that she can trust her, and that she won't hurt her, as she carries the precious bundle out of the camp.
Tal, Simon, and the others arrive at the abandoned camp to find a dying Cypress. They look around for Heather, but Tal realizes that Heather and the child went to the cave. They split up, with Rocky and Ethan following Tal, Zeke and Drew heading for the trailhead where they'll leave, and Brock and Simon staying at the camp to call in Cypress's dead body.
Heather continues to talk to the young girl as they walk toward the cave. The girl eventually starts responding, giving her name as Marissa and noting that they both have red hair. Heather is thrilled to have made a connection with the girl, is sure that Tal will soon find them, and is pleased that while she enjoys seeing her cave again, she no longer has to live there. She cooks an MRE for Marissa using the supplies she and Tal left in the cave, and Marissa soon falls asleep. Heather holds her as the day wanes, and smiles when she hears Tal approaching. He quickly comes to Heather's side. Marissa wakes up, and, upon learning that Tal is in front of her, recites that she can trust him and he won't hurt her. He agrees, and the small group heads out for the trailhead.
Back at Tal's apartment, Simon informs the couple that they can't find where Marissa belongs, and makes sure they're fine watching over her. He asks Heather to recount the events of the day. Simon reassures her that she killed Cypress in self-defense, and that she isn't in trouble for his death. He reveals that Cypress's real name was Alfred Winterborne, who had legal issues before joining The Community. Simon leaves, and Heather and Tal settle in next to Marissa to watch over her.
In the epilogue, it's revealed that Marissa was in foster care, and her guardians were unfit and didn't even realize she was missing for 24 hours. Heather asks Tal to marry her, so he can have more legal standing in the U.S., and so they can hopefully adopt Marissa. Elsie reluctantly admits she's pregnant, as she didn't want to make Lilly sad. Lilly waves the thought away, promising that while she went through a rough situation, she's no less happy for Finley and Elsie.
A few days later at the library, Khloe is lost in thought, thinking of her past, when she realizes that Duke is behaving strangely. She suddenly realizes what's going on and yells for Raiden to call for help--Simon, so he can break them into Dr. Ziegler's vet clinic, and Doc Snow so he can help her perform emergency surgery on Duke.
== References ==
* Tal references Emily Fletcher's quote, saying, "...being scared means you're about to do something really brave." Searching for Heather (2024), chapter 8.
* When discussing missing children who were found years later, Simon mentions Elizabeth Smart, Jaycee Dugard, Shawn Hornbeck, Katie Beers, Carlina White, Elisabeth Fritzl, Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus. He suggests that Heather be interviewed by Opal Williams, a clear reference to Oprah Winfrey. Later they watch an interview Opal did with "a prince from Talon's country, and his relatively new wife." Searching for Heather (2024), chapter 16
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