She spun to find Levi Harrison, her next-door neighbor, standing next to her car. Levi had autism—and a fascination with crime, which meant he had a fascination with her. In a totally non-creepy way. It was her job that was the draw.
“Hi, Levi. What are you doing out here?”
“Looking for you.” He ducked his head. “I have been waiting for you to get home. I was hoping you would tell me some more stories about the bad guys and the good guys. And how the good guys put the bad guys in prison because the bad guys always leave evidence behind. I want you to tell me about your new microscope again and maybe I can look at it?”
His stilted speech always made her smile. Whenever he actually used a contraction, it threw her. “The new microscope is at my office. And I can’t tell any stories tonight, but maybe tomorrow?”
“No. Tonight. Please. And the old microscope is fine. The one in your home office. It’s cool too.” His eyes focused somewhere in the vicinity of her left ear.
“Sorry, Levi.” She simply couldn’t talk about her job. Not after today. “But what if you come over tomorrow around lunchtime. I’ll take a break to tell you one story, let you look at a slide under the microscope, and might even have a dinosaur for you.” The twenty-year-old also had a fascination with all things dinosaur.
“Okay. That’s exciting. I can do that. Thank you.” He turned to go, and her gaze dropped to his feet. Hiking boots. Her pulse slowed. He’d probably climbed her porch steps to look in the window and see if she was home in spite of the fact that her car hadn’t been in the drive. Levi could be very persistent. Most of the time, she was okay with that. Tonight, she had no energy for the young man and was grateful that when she said no, he didn’t press.
“Levi, you gotta quit leaving the house without telling me.” The snapped words drew her gaze to the other man leaning against the wrought-iron fence that separated the two yards, his glare darting between her and Levi.
Bart Wells, Levi’s cousin and guardian. She liked Levi, actually enjoyed his company—and the innocence he brought to their conversations delighted and refreshed her. But his cousin creeped her out a bit. He hadn’t been inappropriate in any way, so she wasn’t sure why he put her off. She waved anyway, and Bart returned the gesture without smiling. “You shouldn’t encourage him,” Bart said.
Claire raised a brow. “I’m sorry?”
“Telling him stories, making him think he can one day do a job like yours. He’s a good construction worker and he’ll make a decent living under my supervision.” Bart’s construction van sat in the driveway, and she knew Levi helped him during the day. “But if you keep filling his head with things he’ll never be able to do—” He broke off and curled a strong hand into a fist. “Well, just stop. It’s cruel to encourage that, so just leave him alone.” He grabbed Levi’s hand and led him into the house while Claire gaped. Then sighed. Was it cruel?
“Absolutely not,” she muttered. Levi had a lot of potential and remembered every single detail she told him. She could only wish to have a memory like his. “He’ll probably surprise us all and be my boss one day.”
Once Levi and Bart were out of sight, Claire pulled the edges of her coat tighter against her throat and hurried up the front porch steps to unlock the door. When she stepped inside, warmth washed over her, soothing her ragged nerves and barely leashed emotions.
Shucking her heavy coat and hanging it on the rack by the door took the last of her energy. She stumbled to the couch and crashed, facedown, while she tried to re-center herself. But it had been a tough day. Tougher than most. Blips from the crime scene flashed in her memory, and no matter how hard she tried to keep them at bay, they pushed through her well-formed barriers. A child had been murdered by his father because the system had failed to protect him. Bile rose in the back of her throat and she bolted to her feet, the past rushing back to her.
She needed to go for a run and pray she could rest when she got back home. A low thump from the back of the house froze her, the memories scattering for now.
Claire put a hand on the weapon at her side and took a step toward the noise. Paused. Snagged her cell phone and dialed 911. She might wind up looking the fool if it was just a mouse. Or . . . something.
Floorboards creaked.
Her heart thudded faster.
Okay, that wasn’t a mouse.
“911. What’s your emergency?”
“Someone’s in my house,” she said, her voice low as she backed toward the front door. “I’m leaving, I’ll be in—”
A figure in a dark hoodie and a black ski mask stepped from her bedroom at the end of the hall. He darted toward her. She raised her weapon, fired. Missed.
He tackled her and she hit the floor with breath-stealing impact.
“Derek St. John. As I live and breathe, I can’t believe you came to visit,” Sheriff Nolan Tanner said from the driver’s seat of the squad car.
“Yep. You’ve got me for two whole weeks.” Derek grinned at him and shrugged. “Why not? You invited me and I needed some time away. Hopefully, you won’t feel the need to renege on the invite.” The grin faded quickly.
“Not a chance. So, who broke it off? All you said was that you and Elaine had decided to go your separate ways.”
“It was mutual. I could tell she knew something was wrong, but she didn’t want to address it. I finally brought it up in the form of a question.”
“What kind of question?”
“I asked her if she was happy. She said no. We talked and decided it was best for both of us if we just made a clean break.”
“Sorry, man. That had to sting.”
It had. “It’s been seven months, so the sting is gone. Now, I just mostly have regrets that we didn’t do it sooner.” He paused. “She called me last week to tell me she’s engaged to her brother’s best friend.”
Nolan let out a low whistle. “Ouch. Double sting.”
“A little. The funny thing is, I’m actually happy for her.”
“You’re a better man than I.”
“I’m not sure that’s possible.”
Nolan laughed. “How’s that crazy family of yours?”
“Still crazy, loud—and wonderful. They’ve been incredibly supportive even though I haven’t asked for it. The truth is, I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
“I know what you m—”
The radio cut him off. While Nolan answered the call, Derek shook his head. While he’d been honest about his feelings where Elaine was concerned, he hadn’t admitted what really bothered him. The truth was, he felt like the odd man out in his family. Every one of his five siblings had found their soul mate and were starting families.
Over the last few years, he’d watched his siblings fall in love and marry—and knew his relationship with Elaine was just settling. It was comfortable. And while he wanted to marry and have a family, too, he wouldn’t do it just because he wanted to fill a void. The breakup had hurt, but it had also been a relief. He’d meet someone eventually. Until then, he’d spend his days enforcing the law and helping those who couldn’t help themselves.
After he spent his two weeks of vacation relaxing in the quiet town of Tanner Hollow, North Carolina.
The squad car lurched forward and Nolan hit the lights. “What’s up, man?” Derek asked, his pulse picking up speed.
“Someone broke into Claire Montgomery’s home and is attacking her. Glad you’re a cop because you’re going on this call with me. You have your piece?”
“Always.”
“Consider yourself Tanner Hollow’s newest deputy.”
Acknowledgments
Thank you as always to Wayne Smith and Drucilla (Dru) Wells, retired FBI agents. I couldn’t do this without your invaluable input. Thank you for fixing all my mistakes!
Thank you to the fans for buying my books, which allows me to keep doing what I’m doing.
Thank you to my family for your unwavering support!
Thank you to all my fabulous people at Revell. This woul
dn’t happen without you, and I thank you, thank you, thank you for all your hard work at getting my books out there.
Thank you to my agent, Tamela, who always has my back! I love you, my friend. You’re the best!
Thank you to my critique buddies who helped me plot out this story: Lynn H. Blackburn, Edie Melson, Linda Gilden, Emme Gannon, Erynn Newman, and Alycia Morales.
To more brainstorming buddies who helped me come up with the opening scene: Colleen Coble, Robin Miller, and Carrie Stuart Parks.
And last but not least, my “sister twin” who gave me even more ideas for this story and never fails to answer my “help me!” emails—DiAnn Mills. I love you, my friend, and I’m honored to share a birthday with you!
If I forgot anyone, please blame it on my poor, overworked brain. It wasn’t intentional!
Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of Oath of Honor, Called to Protect, and Code of Valor, as well as the Women of Justice, Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of three ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, among others. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and has a master’s degree in education from Converse College. Eason lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Endorsements
Half Title Page
Books by Lynette Eason
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Law Enforcement Oath of Honor
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Epilogue
An Excerpt from Protecting Tanner Hollow
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
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