The Secret Heiress

by Terri Reed

  Driving through the town of Wilton brought back memories of her childhood and teenage years. The ice cream shop on the corner, once her favorite hangout. Ms. Vandervelde’s music’s school where she’d taken piano lessons that hadn’t stuck. The grade school looked tired and old.

  When she pulled in to her parents’ driveway, her heart skipped a beat.

  Parked next to her father’s pickup truck was a silver Porsche. Don’s car.

  What was he doing here?

  Giddy anticipation gushed through her and she quickly tempered it down. She couldn’t let her hopes soar. There had to be a logical, explainable reason he’d tracked her to her parents’ home, something related to her case. She stepped on to the porch and her dad whipped open the door. The excited look on his face gave her pause.

  “You have a visitor,” he stated.

  “I see that,” she replied, giving him a curious once-over. “You okay, Dad?”

  He grinned. “Never better.”

  She entered the living room to find her mother and Don in quiet conversation. Don lifted his gaze, his eyes caressed her and a smile teased the corners of his mouth. Her heart throbbed in her chest.

  Her mother rose and hurried to her father’s side. “We’ll leave you two alone.”

  Bemused, Caroline watched her parents disappear into the kitchen.

  Slowly she faced Don, the sight of him sweet torture. “Why are you here?”

  He stood and walked to her. Taking her hand in his, he said, “To ask for your forgiveness.”

  She frowned. “You haven’t done anything that needs forgiving.”

  The tender look in his eyes made her pulse pound. “I acted like a pigheaded chump.”

  A laugh relieved some tension. “Pigheaded, maybe. But never a chump.”

  “You’re too generous.” He drew her to the couch. “I was an idiot, too full of fear to see the gift right before me.”

  Her breath stalled. “Gift?”

  “You offered me your heart, and I pushed you away.” He brought her knuckles to his lips and gently kissed each one. “Can you forgive me?”

  Despite her best effort, hope blossomed. “Yes. I forgive you.” The forgiving wasn’t closure, she hoped, but an opening to a wonderful future. A quiver of anticipation struck her. “You drove all the way here to ask for my forgiveness?”

  “I also wanted to tell you, I love you.”

  Joy overflowed within her heart. “You don’t know how much I wanted to hear you say that.”

  He slipped to one knee on the floor beside her and took her hands in his. Her eyes widened in delighted surprise.

  “Will you marry me?”

  She could hardly breathe.

  Uncertainty flashed in his eyes. “Well, will you?”

  Unable to speak, she nodded.

  Pleasure lit up his face. “I’ll buy you any ring you want.”

  She slipped to her knees and stared into his gorgeous eyes. “I don’t need anything fancy as long as I have you.”

  He pulled her into a tight embrace. His lips captured hers, at once tender and searching, and oh, so welcome.

  When they drew apart, he said, “Oh, I almost forgot.” He picked up an airmail package sitting on the coffee table. “This is for you.”

  “A present?” She eagerly ripped into the envelope and slipped the contents out onto the table. She let out an elated cry. “Isabella’s diary and yearbook. How did you get these?”

  “The fire department managed to save them. Sheriff Gantz mailed them to me when he released all the evidence.”

  “I love you!” She threw her arms around Don’s neck. “I’m so happy. I can’t begin to tell you.”

  “You’ll have the rest of our lives to tell me.”

  Planting her lips over his, she murmured, “Happy New Year.”

  EPILOGUE

  Easter Sunday was a beautiful spring day in Mississippi. A day full of hope and peace. After the service, Caroline walked down the center aisle of the Fayette Community Church with Don by her side, their fingers interlaced, and her Mississippi family not far behind. She and Don had only arrived in town last night and were staying at a bed-and-breakfast near one of the properties Elijah owned, an apartment complex where the family was living.

  She exited the cool interior of the church and emerged into sunshine and fresh air. Rays of sunlight warmed her cheeks. A slight breeze kicked up the sweet scent of the gardenia corsage pinned to the lapel of her knee-length dress. A perfect day!

  Don reached out to tuck a flyaway wisp of hair behind her ear. “Glad we came?”

  She nodded, love for this man surging through her heart. “Definitely. Thank you.”

  He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. “Anything for you.”

  She knew he meant the words. The past three months had shown her that. This trip, too. He’d suggested they fly down to personally invite her Mississippi family to their wedding, scheduled for September in New Hampshire.

  She sighed with contentment and wished they were alone so she could wrap her arms around him and keep on kissing him. But they were in public, and they had their whole lives together to look forward to.

  “The service was lovely,” she commented to her grandfather as he and Samuel stopped beside her.

  “I’m so happy you two were here to enjoy this with us,” Elijah replied, his craggy face breaking into a grin. He looked amazingly well. His Addison’s was under control and his doctor said Elijah could easily live to see another decade.

  She sure hoped so.

  “Cousin Caroline,” Lilly called from the edge of the large manicured lawn adjacent to the white church building. She wore a sundress and had her dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail, making her look younger and so carefree. Much different from a few months before. “Come help us with the Easter egg hunt.”

  “Be right there,” Caroline called back, happy to be included.

  Lilly waved and ran to catch up to Landon, who led a group of kindergartners to the center of the lawn where Horace and Mary passed out small wicker baskets. Affection infused her, widening her smile. She and Mary had kept in touch over the past few months with weekly phone calls. Now that the family lived in town, they all had cell phones and computers and, much to the twins’ delight, a television. Elijah had relaxed his stance on “no electronics” along with other things.

  “Ah, to be that young again,” Elijah said with a bit of wistfulness in his tone as he watched the festivities.

  “I’m sure the kids would love your help, Dad,” Samuel said.

  Elijah chuckled. “I think you’re right.” He ambled away toward the revelry with a spring in his step.

  Caroline turned to Samuel. “The twins seem in good spirits.”

  From the moment Caroline and Don had arrived back in Fayette to visit for the special weekend, the twins had been warm and welcoming. They now treated her like family. She enjoyed feeling so accepted, a way she hadn’t felt at Christmastime.

  Samuel sighed. “Yes, they are. They’ve been seeing a psychologist twice a week since…well, since Abigail went to prison.”

  The sadness in his eyes hurt Caroline’s heart. She could only imagine how hard this situation must be for Samuel and the kids. Abigail would be in prison for at least three years before she’d be eligible for parole.

  Hoping to convey her sympathy, Caroline laid a hand on her uncle’s arm. “I’m sorry.”

  He patted her hand. “Not your fault, my dear. We’ll get through this.”

  Don slipped his arm around her waist. She leaned into him, grateful that he always seemed to know just when she needed his support and strength.

  “When we’re done here, I’ll take you out to see the
progress on the house,” Samuel said, clearly needing to change the subject.

  “I’d like that,” Caroline said. Elijah had explained that there’d been too much damage to the house’s structure—caused by the fire and the water from the fire hoses—to be repaired, so the building had been razed and they were rebuilding. Much as they were rebuilding their lives. She imagined great improvements for all of them come summertime. A fresh start. A new beginning. They all needed it.

  “Cousin Caroline!” Lilly called again. “Come on. You’re missing out!”

  “I guess that’s my cue,” Caroline said. “Don?”

  “Sure,” he replied with a grin. “Wouldn’t want to miss out on all the fun.”

  Slipping her hand into his, Caroline knew they’d never miss out on anything as long as they were together. She squeezed his hand. Together. She really liked the sound of that.

  * * * * *

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed the second installment of Protection Specialists. We first saw Donovan and Caroline as secondary characters in my November 2009 release Chasing Shadows. They’d had a spark then, so it seemed right to give them a story of their own. With Don’s military background, he made for a great protector. Pair that with Caroline’s gutsy spirit and need to know her past, and I had a two strong characters to work with.

  The idea for the suspense part of the story came out of a childhood love for Nancy Drew mysteries. As a preteen, I wanted to grow up to be Nancy. I had the red hair! Plus, she always had a hunky admirer following her and her best friends around. What could be better? My favorite books were The Hidden Staircase and The Secret in the Attic. I can vividly remember sitting in the summer sun devouring my collection of Nancy Drew mysteries. I saved them all. My daughter has enjoyed them, and hopefully one day I’ll have a granddaughter who will find herself swept away into many mysteries with Nancy and the gang.

  Keep an eye out for more Protection Specialists stories coming soon. Until then, may God shine upon you with love and joy,

  Terri Reid

  Questions for Discussion

  What made you pick up this book to read? In what ways did it live up to your expectations?

  In what ways were Don and Caroline realistic characters? How did their romance build believably? How did the suspense build?

  What about the setting was clear and appealing?

  As a bodyguard, Don felt that he had certain rules to follow so he wouldn’t fail or disappoint/hurt others. Are there rules in your life that you live by? What rules does God’s word provide for us? In what ways are these rules similar or different from the ones you have developed?

  Caroline felt betrayed by her deceased fiancé. She held on to her anger instead of forgiving him. What does God’s word say about forgiveness? What did forgiving him do for Caroline? Can you tell of a time when you had to forgive someone? How did forgiving impact your life?

  Don was afraid he’d end up hurting those he loved just as his father had done. Are the behaviors of our parents handed down to us? If so, how do we not repeat their mistakes? If not, can you discuss why?

  Discuss how the lies we tell ourselves can prevent us from our faith and from loving others. Where do these lies come from?

  Though Don had faith and knew God had intervened in his life on many occasions, he still couldn’t understand why God answered some prayers and not others. Caroline said the answer is sometimes just a no. Discuss how God answers our prayers. Can you tell of a time when you did receive an answer? Was it the one you’d hoped for?

  Though Caroline knew her adoptive parents loved her, she still longed to know the story of her biological parents. How can knowing someone else’s story help us or hinder us?

  The people in the Maddox family had a complicated and dysfunctional relationship. What are your family dynamics? Discuss how the relationships in a family strengthen or weaken us as individuals.

  Elijah blamed himself for not protecting his daughter. Though he had no culpability in Isabella’s murder, he felt that had he not let her go off to college, she’d be alive. In what way is this misguided? How can we protect those we love?

  Did you notice the scripture in the beginning of the book? What do you think God means by these words? What application does the scripture have in your life?

  How did the author’s use of language/writing style make this an enjoyable read? Discuss whether you would or would not read more from this author.

  What will be your most vivid memories of this book? What lessons about life, love and faith did you learn from this story?

  ISBN: 9781459219984

  Copyright © 2012 by Terri Reed

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  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.

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