Emma
had the perfect childhood, until her father left her mother for another woman.
She’s carried bitterness toward her father ever since and had little to do with
his new family. But when a tragic accident takes the life of her father and
stepmother, Emma’s foundation is rocked…and that’s just the first volley. Returning
to Shellwater Key for the funeral, Emma receives the shock of her life….
Excerpt…
“Why don’t you tell me
what’s so important that it can’t wait until later?” Emma asked.
“Because later you might
escape again,” Reece said dryly. “Judging by your past behavior, I wouldn’t be
surprised if you took flight in the dead of night.”
She wouldn’t run like an
escaped convict. Most likely. Her mother did have a room at the inn after all.
“I already told you I’m
not going anywhere,” Emma said, fighting to hide any reaction. Fighting not to
care that Reece Casings seemed to hate her. “At least not tonight.”
He glared down at her. “If
I have my way, you won’t be going anywhere.”
“What does that mean?”
Emma asked. “Are you going to lock me up or something? I’m not a prisoner, you
know. My father and I didn’t get along, but that’s not a crime, and really it’s
none of your business.”
“Everything having to do
with you is now my business, Miss Bertram,” he said. “As executor of his
estate, everything left behind after your father’s death is my business.
Including your sisters.”
“Are you their guardian
or something now?” Emma asked in confusion. “I thought Mona’s mother would have
been named. Where is she, by the way? Why isn’t she here?”
He froze for a moment.
“You don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“Mona’s mother had a
severe stroke about a month ago,” he said. “It was quite debilitating. She’s in
a rehab facility right now, and it will be some time before they know how much
function she might regain. She’ll probably never be able to live on her own
again.”
“No, my father didn’t
tell me.” Calls to her father had happened sporadically, especially once she’d
started working on the Queen’s Ransom.
Her sisters must have been devastated. Mona’s mother was practically the only
relative they had. Her father had been an only child, and his parents had died
when Emma was a little girl…
“Wait…” Emma said, a new
kind of tension gripping her. “If she can’t take the girls, who will?”
Reece Casings simply
looked down at her, his expression pointed, as if he were waiting for her to
connect the dots.
When she did, a whole
new level of panic swept over her. “No…” She shook her head. He couldn’t be
saying… She couldn’t.
“Emma, there’s no one
else,” he said, his tone gentler now, as if he didn’t want to spook her.
The book is up for
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just click on the link inside to enter!
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links visit my website: Kristin Wallace Author
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Author of inspirational and contemporary romance, and women’s fiction filled with
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Gorgeous cover, Kristin, and sounds like an intriguing read.
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