Finding Home
Authors: Irene Hannon
Tags: #Romance, #Starfish Bay, #Christian, #Love Inspired
Catch That Kid!
One stubborn boy is getting the better of Scott Walsh. The very busy project manager keeps finding the kid on his dangerous construction site. One warning to the boy’s parents should take care of it. But when Scott meets widowed mother Cindy Peterson, she’s already carrying so much on her narrow shoulders. He wants to help Cindy and her boy, but didn’t he vow never to get involved with a family again? Scott can’t bear to break a child’s heart. But this time it’s his own heart asking for a chance.
Enjoy a special 15th anniversary bonus story from Love Inspired Suspense,
Dangerous Secrets
by Shirlee McCoy
“You look like you had a close encounter with a hard object.”
Against the pallor of her skin, Cindy’s irises were an even more startling blue than Scott remembered. A sudden, unexpected urge to reach out and take her hand in a comforting clasp swept over him.
“I was cleaning out a clogged gutter and the ladder tilted. I fell, hit my head and blacked out. What are you doing here?”
Scott gave her a recap of Gram’s situation. “She’s had a rough year and a half. My grandfather died, she broke her hip and had to move into assisted living. I’m not sure how many more setbacks she can take.”
Cindy’s eyes softened in empathy. “That’s a lot of trouble to deal with all at once.”
“Yeah.” He raked his fingers through his hair, considering his next move. Might as well take the plunge. “Do you need a ride home?”
Cindy blinked. “Um...thank you, but that’s too much of an imposition. I can call a friend.”
No mention of a husband.
Don’t push, Walsh. It’s none of your business.
Books by Irene Hannon
Love Inspired
*
Home for the Holidays
*
A Groom of Her Own
*
A Family to Call Her Own
It Had to Be You
One Special Christmas
The Way Home
Never Say Goodbye
Crossroads
†
The Best Gift
†
Gift from the Heart
†
The Unexpected Gift
All Our Tomorrows
The Family Man
Rainbow’s End
**
From This Day Forward
**
A Dream to Share
**
Where Love Abides
Apprentice Father
††
Tides of Hope
††
The Hero Next Door
††
The Doctor’s Perfect Match
††
A Father for Zach
Child of Grace
§Seaside Reunion
§Finding Home
*Vows
†Sisters & Brides
**Heartland Homecoming
††Lighthouse Lane
§Starfish Bay
IRENE HANNON
is an author of more than thirty-five novels. Her books have been honored with two coveted RITA® Awards (the Oscar of romantic fiction), a HOLT Medallion, a Daphne du Maurier Award and two Reviewers’ Choice Awards from
RT Book Reviews
magazine.
Booklist
also named one of her novels a “Top 10 Inspirational Fiction” title for 2011. A former corporate communications executive with a Fortune 500 company, Irene now writes full-time from her home in Missouri. For more information,
visit
www.irenehannon.com
.
Irene Hannon
Finding Home
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Love Inspired! We’re celebrating our 15th anniversary this month, and you’re invited to the party!
Love Inspired Books began in September 1997, offering readers inspirational contemporary romances. Fifteen years later, Love Inspired has never wavered from our promise to our readers; we are proud to publish short contemporary romances that feature Christian men and women facing the challenges of life and love in today’s world.
In honor of our anniversary, we are showcasing some of our top authors in September. Irene Hannon, Arlene James and Lois Richer were part of the original lineup in 1997, and we’re supremely blessed that they are still writing for us in 2012. Jillian Hart and Margaret Daley have been part of the Love Inspired family since the early 2000s. And newcomer Mia Ross rounds out the month. We hope you enjoy these sweet stories full of home, family and love.
As a special thank-you to our readers, each book this month contains a bonus story. Give them a try, and we know you’ll find our authors the very best in Christian romance!
Thank you for reading Love Inspired.
Blessings,
Melissa Endlich
Senior Editor
To Tom—
As we celebrate 23 years of marriage.
May the magic continue!
* * *
Those whose steps are guided by the Lord,
whose way God approves, may stumble,
but they will never fall,
for the Lord holds their hand.
—Psalms 37:23–24
Finding Home
Irene Hannon
Contents
Chapter One
T
he kid was back.
Again.
Putting himself in danger.
Again.
Bracing against the gusty March wind on The Point, Scott Walsh squinted at the blond-haired boy. He was ten, maybe eleven. The perfect age to be tempted by all the heavy equipment on the Northern California headland. Twenty-five years ago, that could have been him. He, too, would have found the allure hard to resist.
But empathy didn’t equate to tolerance.
He flexed the fingers of his left hand and glanced down at the scars crisscrossing the back, the shiny white lines and limited mobility a constant reminder that when it came to safety, he couldn’t afford to be Mr. Nice Guy.
Lips clamped together, he switched his focus back to the boy. The kid had been smart, waiting until the crew called it quits for the weekend before venturing out here. He’d also managed to elude the off-hours security guard, though that wouldn’t have been difficult. The long-retired Humboldt County deputy was more show than substance, his presence intended to deter rather than enforce.
The boy’s back was to him as he examined the bucket on one of the giant excavators, then proceeded to check out the crawler treads that were as tall as he was. Last time he’d spotted the kid, Scott had yelled at him from across the construction site. The youngster had taken off before he got close.
He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Scott wove through the obstacle course of equipment, trenches and lumber, where all of the foundation work for the upscale inn had been completed on schedule—as promised. Meeting deadlines was a sticking point with him and a hallmark of Walsh Construction. It was also one of the reasons Mattson Properties had chosen his firm to tackle the high-profile project. Not a day passed that he didn’t give thanks for this opportunity—and the much-needed income it was providing.
The wind in the needled branches of the spruce and hemlock trees, along with the muted crash of surf on the rocks below the towering headland, masked his footsteps as he approached the excavator. He’d like nothing better than to grab the boy by the scruff of his neck and haul him back to his negligent parents. But touching him wouldn’t be smart. The parents could sue him for assault if they were ticked off. He’d have to settle for getting in the kid’s face and putting the fear of the Almighty into him.
Not until his shadow fell over him did the boy realize he had company. By the time he spun around, Scott was only two feet away.
The youngster’s panicked gaze darted left, then right. He whipped his head around to look behind him, but the excavator treads cut off that avenue of escape.
Scott invaded his space, placing his hands on the treads on either side of the boy’s head to pin him in. Long enough, he hoped, to get his message across.
“I thought I told you two days ago to stay out of here.”
The boy stared up at him in silence, eyes wide, face colorless.
“Construction sites are dangerous. And so is this stuff.” Scott banged a hand against the metal body of the excavator above the kid’s head.
The boy flinched and folded his body into a protective tuck.
Then he started to shake.
Scott frowned. He’d dealt with plenty of curious kids on job sites in Eureka, and most had been defiant. As a result, he’d ramped up his tough-guy stance over the past four years. But this wasn’t a big city like Eureka, where gangs and drugs caused problems. The only gang in tiny Starfish Bay was probably the group of seniors who met every Wednesday morning at the Mercantile’s coffee nook to OD on caffeine.
A twinge of remorse tugging at his conscience, he softened his tone a fraction, eased back a few inches and planted his fists on his hips. “What’s your name?”
The boy might be scared, but he was thinking clearly enough to see his opening. Instead of responding, he lunged past Scott and tore off for the woods, legs pumping, dirt flying.
Scott stayed where he was as he cupped his hands around his mouth. “If I see you around here again, I’m going to call the county sheriff!”
The boy cast a terrified look over his shoulder and kept running. Thirty seconds later, he disappeared behind the sheltering branches of the coniferous trees that separated the headland from the town.
Scott waited a full minute, then pulled his keys from his pocket and set off for his SUV. He’d flag Al down on his way out and alert the guard to be on the lookout for trespassers. But he had a feeling he’d seen the last of the blond-haired interloper.