Catherine Lanigan - Katia's Promise

The past is a risky place to visit

As a top insurance agent in Chicago, Katia Stanislaus isn’t just used to pressure; she thrives on it. When she finds out her firm’s future is at stake, she’s the first to dream up a solution: relocate to Indian Lake and land the town’s reclusive millionaire as a client. Austin McCreary might be the sweetheart she left brokenhearted when they were teens, but she can’t let her feelings—or his—get in the way of her career. If she can just convince him to listen to her explanation, and her pitch, he’ll see this is the deal of a lifetime. But that would involve talking, and he won’t even take her calls! How ridiculous. Because this is strictly business...isn’t it?

The crowd dispersed slowly, like the shifting sand following a wave.

Mrs. Beabots was the last to leave the room, and then it was just Katia standing across from Austin in the front parlor of the house she grew up in.

“Hello, Austin.”

“Katia.”

She thought her heart would hammer a hole right through her chest, but she didn’t dare let him know how much he affected her. She couldn’t decide whether to rush to him and ask his forgiveness on the spot. She felt like she’d turned to stone. She couldn’t think or move.

She was filled with blistering guilt.

“Austin, I’m so—”

His hands shot up to silence her. “Katia, leave. Now.”

“But, Austin, I want to talk to you.”

He shook his head. “Leave. It’s what you do best.”

Dear Reader Dear Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication Acknowledgments 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 CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Copyright ,

For those of you who are just discovering the Shores of Indian Lake, Katia’s Promise is the fourth book in the series. Although Katia’s story was the fourth one to be written, it was the vision of beautiful, guilt-ridden Katia returning to Indian Lake after nearly twenty years of living in Chicago that sparked the entire series. I had a vision of Katia standing under a streetlight across from an elegant home, daring herself to go in and confront the man she’d left brokenhearted when she was sixteen. I wanted a heroine who knew she’d “done wrong by him.”

Austin McCreary has never forgiven Katia. When she seems to blow into Indian Lake like a gale-force wind and crashes a presentation he’s giving in his home, he’s not happy to see her.

I hope you enjoy Katia’s story as much as I did when I finally put her stormy romance with Austin on paper.

I would love to hear if there’s a character you’ve seen mentioned in Indian Lake whose story you’d like to read. You can contact me at cathlanigan1@gmail.com or my website at catherinelanigan.com. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn.

Catherine Lanigan

Katia’s Promise

Catherine Lanigan

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CATHERINE LANIGAN knew she was born to storytelling at a very young age when she told stories to her younger brothers and sister to entertain them. After years of encouragement from family and high school teachers, Catherine was shocked and brokenhearted when her freshman college creative-writing professor told her that she had “no writing talent whatsoever” and that she would never earn a dime as a writer. He promised her that he would get her through his demanding class with a B grade so as not to destroy her high grade point average, if Catherine would promise never to write again.

For fourteen years she did not write until she was encouraged by a television journalist to give her dream a shot. She wrote a 600-page historical romantic spy-thriller set against World War I. The journalist sent the manuscript to his agent who then garnered bids from two publishers. That was nearly forty published novels, nonfiction books and anthologies ago.

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

This book is dedicated to my husband, Jed Nolan, with all my love forever.

Acknowledgments Acknowledgments 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 CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Copyright

I don’t know how many times my editors have had to pull their hair out over my manuscripts until, together, we finally create a jewel, but I’m hoping no one runs to a wig store on my account. Each time I sit down to the computer I say a prayer of thanksgiving for everyone at Heartwarming.

To my editor, Claire Caldwell, believe me, there aren’t enough words in this clunky English language to express my sincere gratitude for your brilliant guidance and creativity.

Many thanks to Victoria Curran for expecting superior storytelling out of me and all the authors. I also appreciate all you do out there in the real world to promote the line and the authors, and the push to get our books into more retail venues.

To all the Heartwarming staff, you are extraordinarily talented individuals, and it shows. From our unique and compelling covers to the cover copy to the daunting hours of promotion on social media it takes to make our presence known, thank you.

To Dianne Moggy—as always, I send you my sincere gratitude and affection.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text The past is a risky place to visit As a top insurance agent in Chicago, Katia Stanislaus isn’t just used to pressure; she thrives on it. When she finds out her firm’s future is at stake, she’s the first to dream up a solution: relocate to Indian Lake and land the town’s reclusive millionaire as a client. Austin McCreary might be the sweetheart she left brokenhearted when they were teens, but she can’t let her feelings—or his—get in the way of her career. If she can just convince him to listen to her explanation, and her pitch, he’ll see this is the deal of a lifetime. But that would involve talking, and he won’t even take her calls! How ridiculous. Because this is strictly business...isn’t it?

Introduction The crowd dispersed slowly, like the shifting sand following a wave. Mrs. Beabots was the last to leave the room, and then it was just Katia standing across from Austin in the front parlor of the house she grew up in. “Hello, Austin.” “Katia.” She thought her heart would hammer a hole right through her chest, but she didn’t dare let him know how much he affected her. She couldn’t decide whether to rush to him and ask his forgiveness on the spot. She felt like she’d turned to stone. She couldn’t think or move. She was filled with blistering guilt. “Austin, I’m so—” His hands shot up to silence her. “Katia, leave. Now.” “But, Austin, I want to talk to you.” He shook his head. “Leave. It’s what you do best.”