Perilous Homecoming

by Sarah Varland

  “That sounds amazing. It’s just what you’ve always wanted to do, right? What you’ve really wanted?”

  Sawyer nodded. “It is. I tried living my life my dad’s way, and it didn’t work. I’m hoping he can come to appreciate the work I’ll be doing.”

  “I hope so.”

  “What about you?”

  Kelsey studied him, still seeming uncertain. “I...I don’t know.”

  “The queen of plans doesn’t know hers?” he teased. But Kelsey just shook her head, looking more unsure than he’d ever seen her.

  “Well,” Sawyer started as he reached for her hand, a motion that had become familiar for the purpose of keeping her close, keeping them both safe during this case, but that meant so much more now. “I think...you’ve put your dreams on hold long enough. And whatever pursuing those means... I think you should do it.”

  He couldn’t read her expression. He knew they’d come a long way from the way she’d viewed him when she’d first come back to town. Was she finally ready to take this a step further?

  Sawyer continued. “But if one of those dreams might happen to be staying here in Treasure Point, whether you continue in the antiques business or go back to law enforcement, I’d really like it if I could be part of it.”

  This was the part that terrified him.

  Sawyer knelt on one knee. “I don’t have a ring yet, Kelsey. I have one that’s been in my family for years, but I thought maybe, instead of continuing with past traditions, we could take those stones, combine them with others that you’ll pick out and create a new setting. Something old, mixed with something new to remind us of the future. If you say yes, I mean.”

  She laughed a little. “You haven’t asked me anything yet.”

  A grin spread across his face. She was enjoying this. “Kelsey Jackson, I’ve never met anyone who I felt was such a good match for me, or that I was for them. I love being on a team with you, competing with you, taking care of you and watching you take care of everyone around you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife, of marrying me?”

  Kelsey laughed again, but this time she also nodded. “Yes, Sawyer, I’d love to be your wife.” Another laugh. “Who would have thought I’d fall in love with a Hamilton?”

  Sawyer stood and wrapped her in his arms. “And become a Hamilton yourself. When can we get married, Kelsey?”

  “As soon as possible,” she whispered, and lifted her face to accept his kiss.

  EPILOGUE

  Kelsey and Sawyer had set a date in September. It wasn’t far, just a few months out, but it was more than enough time to plan the low-key wedding the two of them wanted. They were going to hold their reception at the Treasure Point History Museum, which had officially opened without incident only a week before. The wedding ceremony itself would be on the beach.

  Sawyer’s parents had almost lost it over the beach aspect—Kelsey could still hear his mother’s protests about how she was supposed to wear high heels in the sand—but in the end, they’d admitted that it did sound like the sort of thing that would make Sawyer happy and said that that was all they really wanted. Go figure.

  Kelsey had accepted a job with the museum as a private security guard—that is, when she wasn’t working shifts with the police department. After a lot of thinking and praying, she’d decided that she wasn’t ready to give up the antiques world and her degree altogether, but that she loved law enforcement and didn’t want to walk away from that, either.

  Sawyer was still working on the logistics for his marine wildlife center, but that was keeping him plenty busy.

  Their wedding day was cloudless—a huge blessing in the middle of what was shaping up to be an unusually active hurricane season.

  “Almost ready?” Kelsey’s mom asked her as the woman doing her makeup applied the finishing touches.

  “I think so. Right?”

  The other woman nodded. “You’re all set.” Then she moved aside and Kelsey could see her reflection in the mirror.

  “I look...”

  “You look beautiful,” her mom told her. She pulled her into a hug. “You’ve always been beautiful. And so strong and independent.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Kelsey smiled.

  “We probably let you be too independent.” Her mom hesitated. “Thank you for your willingness to handle the repairs on the house. We never should have left you with such a huge project, but we appreciate the work you did.”

  Kelsey hugged her mom, feeling tears well up. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Careful, don’t mess up your makeup,” her mom cautioned, but she smiled.

  “It’s time!” Someone called from the hallway, and Kelsey eased the door open of the portable dressing room that they’d had brought to the beach. She made her way to the back of the aisle.

  Sawyer’s eyes met hers.

  A slow smile spread across her face. It was funny how thoroughly she’d fallen head over heels for a man she’d once thought she had so little in common with.

  The music started, but Kelsey barely heard it. She was so lost in her own memories, in the feelings of right now, in the crazy truth that she was about to get married to Sawyer Hamilton.

  It was hard to believe they’d been reunited, and had ended up falling in love. Then again, they weren’t the only ones. As Kelsey walked up the aisle slowly, trying to take everything in like her mom had told her to, Kelsey saw Shiloh and Adam Cole, who were expecting their first baby, she’d heard through the grapevine. They’d had a troubled history, back before Shiloh came to town, but they had found their way to love. There was Matt and Gemma O’Dell—a couple with their own high school backstory due to a crime Gemma had witnessed that Matt’s father had committed—and their new baby. Claire, Gemma’s sister and another friend of Kelsey’s from high school, was there with her new husband, Nate. Kelsey didn’t know that couple as well, but she’d heard that they’d known each other before, but fallen in love here in town, too.

  It was funny, but it made sense at the same time. God certainly worked in surprising ways.

  Maybe Treasure Point was just a special place, a place that lent itself to giving people second chances at relationships that they otherwise would have written off. And it had drawn most of those people back to the town, to put down roots where they’d been raised, here in this little corner of South Georgia.

  Treasure Point had a way of getting to a person’s heart.

  It certainly had a place in hers.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from PRESUMED DEAD by Angela Ruth Strong.

  Don’t miss Sarah Varland’s other exciting stories set in Treasure Point, Georgia:

  TREASURE POINT SECRETS

  COLD CASE WITNESS

  SILENT NIGHT SHADOWS

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.

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  Dear Reader,

  I can’t believe it’s time to leave Treasure Point! This fictional town will probably always be special to me, because it was the setting for my debut novel, and I have had a lot of fun with the characters there and the place itself. Thank you for reading my stories and being part of this fictional community with me.

  When I was writing Kelsey and Sawyer’s story, I realized their spiritual thread was a little less obvious than in some of my other books. It took a while (as it sometimes does in my writing process) to figure out exactly what they were learning and then I realized (as usual) that they were learning what I have been learning lately. Right now, that’s the fact that God is not a convenient addition to our day, or an item on a checklist. He is God and He wants to have a relationship
with us. That’s a huge truth that I don’t always live out the way I should, but I am glad I was reminded of it through this story.

  I hope that reading this book encouraged you, or entertained you, or both, and I want to thank you again for being a reader, for loving stories. I love doing this job and am grateful for the opportunity to do it—something that couldn’t happen without you.

  I love hearing from readers, and I’d love to hear from you! You can get in touch with me through email at sarahvarland@gmail.com, find me on Facebook at facebook.com/sarahvarlandauthor, or find me on my personal blog at espressoinalatteworld.blogspot.com.

  Sarah Varland

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

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  Presumed Dead

  by Angela Ruth Strong

  ONE

  Preston Tyler lowered his feet from the deck railing and leaned forward as his gaze followed the Jeep pulling up next to the Fontaines’ cabin across the lake. Though he’d been forced to hide out in his own family cabin for four years since being pronounced “dead” by the military, nobody had stayed at his childhood sweetheart’s cabin at all.

  Of course, he’d heard Holly had just canceled her wedding to Caleb Brooks. Maybe she needed a place to heal.

  Preston should have considered the possibility and gone camping at Yosemite or headed to San Francisco to catch a Giants game. Honestly, a vacation in the Tenderloin District would have been better than seeing the woman he’d once loved mourn the loss of another man.

  So, he wouldn’t look. Preston inhaled deeply as he stood. Well, maybe he’d take one peek to see if it was even her. And if it was, he’d head inside until she left.

  A lanky male frame climbed out of the driver’s seat of the Jeep. Holly’s dad? Brother?

  Preston ignored the traitorous twinge of disappointment. It was better this way. Unless her family was getting the cabin ready for her arrival...

  He squinted against the blinding sun for a better look at the figure pulling luggage out of the rear gate on the navy blue Jeep Cherokee. Only one duffel bag, but the man left the back gate of the Jeep open as he focused on carrying it to the house.

  A warning alarm rang in Preston’s head. He grabbed the binoculars he usually used when scouting for fish.

  The dark man with a goatee retrieved a key from the top of the doorframe and looked around before cracking the door open. Not right. He wasn’t a Fontaine.

  Preston tracked the man’s movement through the windows. There. In the bedroom. The stranger unzipped the duffel, looked at his watch and pressed a few buttons on a device that resembled an alarm clock.

  Preston’s guts churned. He’d seen bombs before, but only in the military, never in a vacation home. Why would anybody want to blow up an old cabin? Should he call the police with an anonymous tip? Or was he imagining things?

  The man ran back through the house, replaced the key, slammed the rear gate of his Jeep and jumped into the driver’s seat. Not good.

  Preston ran a hand through his hair. He shouldn’t have been involved at all. But just because he was supposed to be dead didn’t mean he didn’t care about Holly’s family anymore. It meant he had to be discreet.

  He lifted the binoculars again to get the license plate number of the SUV. Another vehicle crossed its path, blocking the license plate from view. Another vehicle? Headed toward the cabin? Preston raised the binoculars higher to get a look at the driver.

  Holly.

  She didn’t turn or respond as the other car passed. She must not have known the man or been expecting a package. Could the stranger have set a bomb for her?

  Preston’s mind whirled with possible scenarios. Some ridiculous. Some disastrous. But the worst scenario would be the one where he stood by and watched while someone else got hurt. He’d made that mistake before.

  No matter how badly he wanted to shake the dread that gripped his heart, he couldn’t deny the fact Holly’s life might be in danger. He’d have to jump onto his parents’ old Jet Ski and race what he suspected was a bomb. Keeping his life a secret wasn’t worth risking hers.

  Preston dropped the binoculars and grabbed his keys. Adrenaline surged.

  Maybe she wouldn’t recognize him after four years. Maybe she wouldn’t believe it was even him. Or maybe she’d be too traumatized by the coming explosion to get a good look at his face.

  If he reached the cabin in time to save her.

  * * *

  Holly Fontaine kicked her shoes off and padded barefoot down the warm, smooth dock. As a child, she’d always dived right into the lake, but as a woman—specifically, a woman scorned—she had other plans.

  She pulled the sparkling engagement ring from her pocket. What had she been thinking, accepting the gaudy thing in the first place? It wasn’t even her style. Caleb had insisted he’d paid a fortune for it and she deserved it. She’d made the mistake of listening to all her friends, who were so easily charmed by his expensive taste in jewelry, perfect smile and quick wink. They’d told her she wouldn’t ever heal from a past heartbreak if she didn’t move on. Now she had a second scar. Only this one wasn’t in her heart. It was from the knife in her back.

  At least she’d come to a good place to heal. Though coming alone felt more like punishment than anything else. But how else was she going to learn to reconnect with God? He was the One she should have asked about Caleb in the first place rather than just assuming she was being given a second chance at love.

  “You’re enough for me, Lord,” she said aloud. But did she believe it?

  The smooth metal circle pinched between thumb and forefinger had offered promise. The promise of strong arms to hold her, as well as the promise of babies she could hold in her arms. A family. A place to belong. Now she was alone again.

  She looked past the glittering diamond to the reflection of the sun off the water. Lake Tahoe brought back so many memories. Cliff diving. Capture the flag on Fannette Island. Fishing from Preston’s canoe.

  Holly ran a hand through her new pixie haircut and sighed. Reminiscence was supposed to get her thoughts off the current pain, but instead it intensified the ache. Why was it that the good guys like Preston Tyler died serving their country while jerks like Caleb Brooks got to live it up?

  She was done thinking about Caleb. She had to move on with her life. Again. And that meant getting rid of the ring.

  Caleb had said he didn’t want it back, and she certainly didn’t want anything to do with it. Maybe in the future it would wash up onshore and become someone else’s symbol of commitment. Until then, it was her reminder of rejection.

  Taking a deep breath of fresh mountain air, Holly cocked her arm and hurled the offensive piece
of jewelry as far away as she could. It disappeared in the distance, and she didn’t even get the satisfaction of hearing it plink into the water over the roar of a Jet Ski.

  Oh well. She’d done what she should have a long time ago. It was better to be alone than to be with someone who didn’t really love her. Even if it didn’t feel better.

  The dock rocked beneath her feet from the WaveRunner heading her direction. Time to get back to solid ground. Though she couldn’t help being a little envious of the driver on the watercraft. So carefree. Able to enjoy the beauty of nature without worry. Escaping the pressures of reality.

  She cast a longing gaze toward the person serving as a reminder of the kind of life she used to live. Another sad memory. Except...

  She narrowed her eyes. Tilted her head.

  Her crazy state of mind played tricks on her emotions. As if the memories weren’t bad enough. But she couldn’t look away. Couldn’t stop studying the man who reminded her a bit of someone from her past. Take off those honey-colored sideburns and the stubble... Shrink the muscles a bit... Erase the frown lines in his forehead...

  She had to stop staring. Because now the man was staring straight back. Intensity flashed in his familiar blue eyes. His lips parted. He called her name.

  He called her name?

  Holly shook her head. She had to be imagining things.

  She willed the watercraft to rocket past. To prove her hallucination wrong. To leave her alone with her irrational daydream.

  The Jet Ski slowed, sputtered, splashed cold water over her toes. The man on it extended his hand.

  The last time this had happened, she’d been twenty-four. Headed back to law school for one more year while a younger version of the man in front of her prepared for his fateful promotion as a helicopter pilot in SOAR—Special Operations Aviation Regiment.