Lynette Eason - Holiday Homecoming Secrets

A man from her past is back—

to help her solve a holiday murder case.

A friend is missing and presumed dead, and detective Jade Hollis is determined to track down the killer. To do that she must team up with private investigator Bryce Kingsley—who doesn’t know he is the father of her child. But she’ll have to put personal secrets aside because the killer will strike again to keep the truth from being exposed.

LYNETTE EASONis a bestselling, award-winning author who makes her home in South Carolina with her husband and two teenage children. She enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and teaching at various writing conferences around the country. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. Lynette can often be found online interacting with her readers. You can find her at Facebook.com/lynette.easonand on Twitter, @lynetteeason.

Also By Lynette Eason

Holiday Homecoming Secrets

True Blue K-9 Unit

Justice Mission

Wrangler’s Corner

The Lawman Returns

Rodeo Rescuer

Protecting Her Daughter

Classified Christmas Mission

Christmas Ranch Rescue

Vanished in the Night

Holiday Amnesia

Military K-9 Unit

Explosive Force

Classified K-9 Unit

Bounty Hunter

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Holiday Homecoming Secrets

Lynette Eason

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90078-6

HOLIDAY HOMECOMING SECRETS

© 2019 Lynette Eason

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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The taillights in Jade’s rearview mirror were closing in fast.

She frowned, tension threading from one shoulder to the next. The driver was going way too quickly. She flipped on her blue lights and slowed. The taillights grew brighter and her stomach dipped as she realized the person was going to hit her. She jammed the gas pedal and shot forward. However, the car behind her stayed right on her tail.

And then the lights disappeared.

“What are you doing?” Jade whispered.

The slam into her rear bumper threw her forward against her seat belt and she hit the brakes out of reflex. The wheel spun under her grip and the SUV whipped sideways. She jerked against the seat belt and slammed her head on the window. Stars flashed, the vehicle tilted on two wheels then crashed onto the asphalt.

Stunned, Jade hung suspended by the seat belt, her only thought that she and Bryce somehow missed one. The most important one had gotten away. The one who wanted her dead...

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for going on this journey with Bryce, Jade and Mia. I hope you fell in love with them as deeply as I did. It’s always exhilarating and a bit sad to finish a story—exhilarating in the accomplishment, sad because I’m going to miss watching the characters grow. And Bryce and Jade had a lot of growing to do, didn’t they? They had a lot to overcome in their struggle to find both a killer and true love! But they persevered through tough odds and emerged victorious. So they got their happy ending, and that’s all that really matters, right?

Again, thank you for reading, and I pray that as you overcome the struggles of this world, you’ll keep your eye on the “happy ending” that awaits us as believers in eternity.

God bless,

Lynette Eason

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

—1 John 5:4

Dedicated to Emily Rodmell, my fabulous editor of over thirty books with Love Inspired Suspense. Thank you for pulling me out of the slush pile!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

Detective Jade Hollis pulled her unmarked SUV into the parking lot of the deserted textile mill and parked. Five minutes ago, a call had come in from someone seeing “strange lights” in the crumbling building. Even though she was off duty, she’d only been half a mile away from the address and had volunteered to stop by.

No doubt Wally Benjamin, one of the small town’s homeless, had decided to seek shelter in the place once again. It seemed to be a favorite of his, and she couldn’t say she blamed him.

December nights were cold—and tonight the forecast called for temperatures in the high twenties with snow. She’d pulled Wally—and a few of his homeless friends—out of the building more than once last winter and taken them to the shelter on the edge of town. Jade blew out a breath and turned off the car. The heater fell silent and she sat for a moment, dreading the idea of trading her warm spot for the frigid wind.