Sara K. Parker - Shattered Trust

Protecting her was his job

Failure wasn’t an option

After Natalie Harper was left at the altar, enjoying her honeymoon alone is the best way to cope—until she’s attacked on the beach. Luke Everett, the bodyguard secretly hired by her federal judge father, arrives just in time to rescue her. It’ll take all his professional skills to keep Natalie safe. One wrong move and they could fall prey to the enemy’s deadly scheme.

SARA K. PARKER has been a writer ever since she was gifted a 4x6 pin-striped journal for her tenth birthday. Her writing hobby has since grown into her dream career—writing for Love Inspired, freelancing for magazines and teaching English at a community college. She and her husband live in northwest Houston with their four children, two (soon to be three!) mischievous dogs and an extremely vocal senior cat.

Also by Sara K. Parker

Undercurrent

Dying to Remember

Shattered Trust

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Shattered Trust

Sara K. Parker

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09498-6

SHATTERED TRUST

© 2019 Sara K. Parker

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.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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.

Natalie bit back a scream as the door pressed solidly, inch by inch, against the pile of furniture. A hand snaked into the room, connecting with the top of a chair and shoving it off the pile.

Then a loud shout came from down the hall and the gloved hand retreated.

She stood rooted to her spot, her imagination running wild. What if Luke needed help? What if an accomplice was heading toward the room right now?

She jumped back when a rap sounded at the door.

“It’s me.”

Luke!

He peered into the gap between the door and the wall, eyeing the furniture.

“I’ll come through my room,” he said, and disappeared from view. Mere seconds passed before he unlocked his side and rushed into her room.

“Are you okay?” He stepped close to her, his gaze assessing.

She nodded, because she couldn’t find her voice.

“I’m sorry. I thought it was a trap. I shouldn’t have left you here. We need to get moving.” Luke was already packing his belongings into his backpack. “We’ll find somewhere else to stay tonight. It’s not safe here.”

Dear Reader,

Trauma leaves an imprint on the soul. We are told in the Book of John that we’ll face trouble as we pass through this life, but that knowledge doesn’t protect us from the pain. Some days, it simply hurts to take each breath. Some weeks, we lose the ability to smile and truly laugh. Some painful seasons, it’s almost impossible to believe that God is near. Natalie and Luke both faced seasons of despair in their lives, but opened their hearts to the way God was working to make all things new. While the blessings that come in the wake of trauma will never erase the grief of a heart torn to shreds, each new sunrise is a reminder that we’re not alone—every blessing a promise that the Lord still has good in store.

Love,

Sara K. Parker

P.S. I love to hear from readers—find me at www.sarakparker.com.

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

—Isaiah 43:2

To my siblings: Mary Ellen, Shirlee, Beth and Jonathan.

For showing up on my doorstep when I needed you most.

I love you.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

It wasn’t the first time anyone had been stood up at the altar, but it would be the only time Natalie Harper was.

She was perfectly capable of being happy alone, and she would be.

Inhaling the briny sea air, she stared hard into the darkening sunset along the horizon, willing herself not to give in to the flood of humiliation that kept pressing in on her. Plenty of women had walked this same path before her. Thousands of dollars and months of planning wasted on a romantic waterside ceremony and festive reception—and no groom in attendance. But she was probably one of only a renegade few who dared to flee the aftermath and embark on a solo honeymoon. It felt just a little bit selfish now that she was lying on a pristine beach, the sky painted vibrant colors as the sun set along the Riviera Maya.

Night was falling quickly, and up and down the beach, most people had already deserted their loungers and cabanas and headed back to their hotels. Natalie knew she should, too. She twisted around to scan her surroundings, to assure herself she was truly alone. The nearby loungers sat empty, dilapidated sand castles the only sign that anyone had been there at all. The scene should have been peaceful, but the darkness beyond made her uneasy. Staring hard into the shadows, Natalie saw no signs of movement, nothing to account for the goose bumps rising on her arms.