Love Inspired Suspense October 2015 #1 (19 page)

Rikki looked over to where Marla and Alec were dancing on the makeshift floor that had been set up underneath twinkling lights in the big garden of Caldwell House. The white Victorian mansion had been decorated to the hilt with red and white bows, white and red flowers of all kinds, several different decorated Christmas trees, and more white lights. “This place looks like a big wedding cake.”

“Yes, and I hear Marla baked her own cake,” Blain said. “Let's go try a piece.”

“It does look good.” Five white tiers covered with creamy eatable magnolias and bright red ganache poinsettias. “And they look happy.”

“I'm happy myself.” She loved Blain in a tuxedo, loved watching him stand as Alec's best man.

He smiled over at her and took her hand. “Before we have cake, let's dance. You know, we've never danced together.”

“We have a lot of firsts to get through,” Rikki said.

“And a lifetime to try them all over and over again.”

Rikki looked into his eyes. “So do you want that?”

He pulled her into his arms and they started waltzing to the soft music. “A lifetime with you? Yes, I do. I love you in this amazing green dress and I love that little black furry muff around your shoulders and...I love your eyes, your pretty lips.” He stopped. “I love you, Rikki.”

“I love you, too,” she said. “But my family—”

“Will now have a police officer hanging around.”

“I think we can all live with that,” she said. “I know we still have a lot to work through but I think we're on the right path now.”

Then she kissed him and smiled up at him. “I'm coming home, Blain. To you.”

* * * * *

Dear Reader,

How far would you go to protect someone in your family?

That was the question when I came up with the idea for this book. Rikki Alvanetti left her home because she believed her family was involved in criminal activity. She thought they'd had her young husband killed. But when she comes home due to her mother's illness and other issues, she begins to see her powerful family in a new light.

Blain Kent doesn't trust anyone in the Alvanetti family, but as a detective, he has to keep an eye on them. When Rikki is forced to turn to him for help after her best friend is murdered in Rikki's town house, he doesn't know who she really is. When he discovers her true identity, he certainly can't trust her.

But these two adversaries are drawn together in spite of their difference. Blain and Rikki realize that sometimes things aren't as they seem and that the worst of enemies can turn out to be the closest of allies.

I hope this story entertained you and that it made you stop and think about people in your life who might seem untrustworthy or questionable. Mother Teresa said if we are busy loving people we don't have time to judge them. I paraphrased her words, but the meaning is clear. We have to peel back the layers and find the truth, good or bad.

I invite you to watch for Preacher Rory's story. He is the next hero of the Men of Millbrook Lake.

Until next time—

May the angels watch over you. Always.

http://www.harlequin.com/harlequinexperience

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

You enjoy a dash of danger.
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stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.

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ISBN-13: 9781460389171

Her Holiday Protector

Copyright © 2015 by Lenora H. Nazworth

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,
now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

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FATAL CHRISTMAS

FBI agent Sara Vaughn believes a group of pharmaceutical businessmen are engineering drugs with deadly results. Her boss won't approve a sting operation, so she goes rogue—following the suspects on a hike in the Cascade Mountains to record evidence. But when Sara witnesses them murder one of their own, they target her. Saved by a handsome volunteer mountain rescue worker, Sara at first suspects Will Rankin is another bad guy hunting her. But when the widowed father of two risks everything to save her, she knows that Will is all that's standing between her and seeing Christmas morning.

Echo Mountain: Saving lives and finding love in the mountains of Washington State

“Why do you think someone wants to harm you?” he asked.

“I witnessed a crime.”

They turned a corner and he stopped short.

“What?” She looked around him.

A stranger was coming out of Will's cabin.

“Do you recognize him?” she said.

“No.” He motioned to a nearby tree. “Hide back there. I'll check it out.”

“It could be dangerous.”

“Or simply a hiker lost in the mountains. Kinda like you.” Will smiled and nodded toward the tree. “Go on.”

“Maybe you should take this.” She offered him the gun.

An odd smile creased his lips. “Thanks, but you keep it.”

She nodded and watched him walk away, shielding herself behind the tree. From this vantage point she could watch the scene unfold, not that she had a great escape plan.

Suddenly, a gunshot echoed across the property.

An eternal optimist,
Hope White
was born and raised in the Midwest. She and her college sweetheart have been married for thirty years and are blessed with two wonderful sons, two feisty cats and a bossy border collie. When not dreaming up inspirational tales, Hope enjoys hiking, sipping tea with friends and going to the movies. She loves to hear from readers, who can contact her at
[email protected]
.

Books by Hope White

Love Inspired Suspense

Echo Mountain

Mountain Rescue
Covert Christmas
Payback
Christmas Undercover

Hidden in Shadows
Witness on the Run
Christmas Haven
Small Town Protector
Safe Harbor

Visit the Author Profile page at
Harlequin.com
.

CHRISTMAS
UNDERCOVER

Hope White