Kate James - A Priceless Find

Who says opposites can’t find love?

A robbery followed by the discovery of a forgery at a respected art gallery thrusts Chelsea Owens into the center of an investigation headed by Detective Sam Eldridge. The instant chemistry between the high-spirited aspiring curator and the tall, dark, brooding cop is a classic case of opposites attract.

Complications arise when Chelsea uncovers a connection to an unsolved art heist. Teaming up with Sam to find the stolen paintings ignites feelings that could lead to lasting love. But Sam isn’t ready to move beyond the tragedy in his past, no matter how promising his future with Chelsea could be...

Her emotions were in turmoil.

Chelsea was concerned about Sam’s injury. She was also excited about her feelings for him and that he’d been so open with her. Overwhelmed, she breathed deeply, fighting for control.

Sam nudged her. “Chelsea. Please don’t be upset. Whatever it is, it’s not a problem. Truth be told...” He took her hand and pulled her close to his chest, resting his head on top of hers once more. “I needed this more than I realized. I missed you and I want to start seeing you again. Are you okay with that?”

Her tears were blurring her vision and clogging her throat. Not ashamed to let him see how she was feeling, she drew back and looked at him and nodded.

“I’m glad,” he said softly, before lowering his head to brush his lips across hers.

That kiss was unlike any that Chelsea had shared with Sam before. It left her a little breathless...and more stirred by a kiss than she could remember.

Dear Reader,

The idea for A Priceless Find has been around for a while. Chelsea Owens, my heroine, first appeared in my November 2014 release, A Child’s Christmas, and she’s been clamoring for her own story ever since. Once you’ve read A Priceless Find, you’ll appreciate that if Chelsea sets her sights on a goal, she goes after it wholeheartedly! In the face of that sort of good-natured determination, I had to give in and write Chelsea’s story.

One aspect of writing A Priceless Find that I particularly enjoyed was having the famous Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist for inspiration. For those readers who are interested in learning about the actual heist, you can do so through the Gardner Museum’s website. The crime remains unsolved to date.

If you would like to use A Priceless Find for your book club, discussion questions are available on my website at kate-james.com/book-clubs.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading Chelsea and Sam’s story as much as I did writing it!

As always, I would love to hear from you. You can connect with me through my website ( kate-james.com), Facebook page ( Facebook.com/katejamesbooks), Twitter ( Twitter.com/katejamesbooks) or mail me at PO Box 446, Schomberg, ON, L0G 1T0, Canada.

Thank you for choosing to spend your valuable leisure time with one of my books.

Kate

A Priceless Find

Kate James

www.millsandboon.co.uk

KATE JAMES spent much of her childhood abroad before attending university in Canada. She built a successful business career, but her passion has always been literature. As a result, Kate turned her energy to her love of the written word. Kate’s goal is to entertain her readers with engaging stories featuring strong, likable characters. Kate has been honored with numerous awards for her writing. She and her husband, Ken, enjoy traveling and the outdoors with their beloved Labrador retrievers.

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To all the readers and book reviewers who support my work and make it possible for me to do what I love.

Once again, I would like to recognize the hard work, dedication, professionalism and sheer brilliance of the Harlequin team working behind the scenes to help make each of my books the very best it can be. I would especially like to thank Victoria Curran, Kathryn Lye and Paula Eykelhof for their support and invaluable contributions.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

CHELSEA’S HEART TRIPPED at the sight of the bright yellow Do Not Cross police barricade tape and blue-and-white flashing lights. Peering through her windshield, she couldn’t tell for certain this far down Willowbrook Avenue, but it looked as if all the activity was in front of the Sinclair Art Gallery.

It was too early for any of her colleagues to be at work. Whatever was going on, at least none of them would be hurt...or worse.

That was her overactive imagination again, she chastised herself. It was probably something as mundane as a malfunction in the gallery’s security system.

No. That would explain the police cars but not the barricade tape.

But what else could it be?

Then she thought of the gallery’s curator, her friend and mentor, Mr. Hadley, the only person who was occasionally at work before she was.

Chelsea’s heart rate kicked up another notch, and she had trouble breathing.

All she could think of was Mr. Hadley.

Pressing down on the accelerator, she sped toward the gallery. As she got closer, she realized the tape wasn’t in front of the gallery, after all. Her relief was short-lived, since whatever was going on involved the jewelry store next door. She was very fond of Mr. and Mrs. Rochester, the elderly couple who owned All That Glitters and Shines. She didn’t want any harm to befall them, either.

She slowed her ancient Honda Civic to a crawl near the storefront. Judging by the shards of glass strewn across the sidewalk, it had to be a break-in.

How many times had she urged Mr. Rochester to install an enclosed display cabinet on the outside wall—or, at a minimum, security bars—so something like this wouldn’t happen? Mr. Rochester always dismissed the idea good-naturedly, saying it wasn’t necessary in a friendly place like Camden Falls.

Craning her neck to see inside, she could make out shattered cases and toppled shelving before her view was obstructed by a tall man wearing a Camden Falls Police Department jacket. He was assisting someone across the room. As they turned toward a seating area, she glimpsed the other person.

“Oh, no!” Chelsea quickly pulled over to the curb behind a police cruiser. She slammed her vehicle into Park and jumped out. Ducking under the police tape, she rushed toward the entrance.

“Ma’am!” a police officer who’d been standing by the door called after her. “Ma’am, that’s a crime scene. You can’t go in there!”