Ginger Chambers - Courthouse Steps

WELCOME TO TYLER-JUDSON’S ON TRIAL!

Forty years after his wife’s disappearance, Tyler patriarch Judson Ingalls has been arrested and charged with her murder! All eyes are trained on the proud Ingalls family as the dramatic courtroom battle grips America’s favorite hometown.

SHE’S HER GRANDFATHER’S DEFENSE COUNSEL

Amanda Baron knows she’ll need all her courage and skill to defend her grandfather, Judson, against notorious state prosecutor Ethan Trask. She knows Judson is innocent, even though she only has to prove reasonable doubt.

AND THE PROSECUTOR IS DISTRACTED

Ethan Trask is convinced of Judson’s guilt. But Amanda’s shrewd courtroom strategy surprises him…and her quiet dedication charms him. He’s determined to convict her grandfather, but he knows that if he succeeds, Amanda will never forgive him…

Previously Published.

Amanda burned with embarrassment. How could she have let such a thing happen?

“You have my word,” Ethan said stiffly. “It won’t happen again.”

“Good,” Amanda returned. “Maybe then the judge won’t have to rule you out of order for leaping over the defense table to get at me.”

“Is this a new tactic?” he demanded. “Seduce the prosecutor if you think you have a weak case?”

“My case isn’t weak,” she exclaimed. “Not in the least.”

Amanda glared at him as she settled into her sports car. And as she did, she realized something: no matter how many dueling words might fill the air between them, the attraction still existed. And there was precious little either of them could do about it.

Welcome to Mills & Boon’s Tyler, a small Wisconsin town whose citizens we hope you’ll soon come to know and love. Like many of the innovative publishing concepts Mills & Boon has launched over the years, the idea for the Tyler series originated in response to our readers’ preferences. Your enthusiasm for sequels and continuing characters within many of the Mills & Boon lines has prompted us to create a twelve-book series of individual romances whose characters’ lives inevitably intertwine.

Tyler faces many challenges typical of small towns, but the fabric of this fictional community created by Mills & Boon has been torn by the revelation of a long-ago murder, the details of which are evolving right through the series. In Courthouse Steps, the intriguing mystery culminates in an emotional trial that profoundly affects the lives of everyone scarred by Margaret Lindstrom Ingalls’s life of careless desperation.

Phil Wocheck has already testified to the police and the grand jury about what really happened that fateful night, but he’s not about to share that information with anyone—not even his own son. What’s going to become of them? Edward and Alyssa, Jeff and Cece, Liza and Cliff and little Margaret Alyssa, Amanda and Judson? Their world seems to be hanging from a single thread, which could snap at any moment.

Join us in Tyler for a slice of small-town life that’s not as innocent or as quiet as you might expect, and for a sense of community that will capture your mind and your heart.

Marsha Zinberg

Editorial Coordinator, Tyler

Courthouse Steps

Ginger Chambers

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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For Steve, Beverly and Chris...who always believed

Special thanks and acknowledgment to Ginger Chambers for her contribution to the TYLER series.

Special thanks and acknowledgment to Joanna Kosloff for her contribution to the concept for the TYLER series.

Cover

Back Cover Text WELCOME TO TYLER-JUDSON’S ON TRIAL! Forty years after his wife’s disappearance, Tyler patriarch Judson Ingalls has been arrested and charged with her murder! All eyes are trained on the proud Ingalls family as the dramatic courtroom battle grips America’s favorite hometown. SHE’S HER GRANDFATHER’S DEFENSE COUNSEL Amanda Baron knows she’ll need all her courage and skill to defend her grandfather, Judson, against notorious state prosecutor Ethan Trask. She knows Judson is innocent, even though she only has to prove reasonable doubt. AND THE PROSECUTOR IS DISTRACTED Ethan Trask is convinced of Judson’s guilt. But Amanda’s shrewd courtroom strategy surprises him…and her quiet dedication charms him. He’s determined to convict her grandfather, but he knows that if he succeeds, Amanda will never forgive him… Previously Published.

Dear Reader

Title Page Courthouse Steps Ginger Chambers www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dedication For Steve, Beverly and Chris...who always believed

Acknowledgments Special thanks and acknowledgment to Ginger Chambers for her contribution to the TYLER series. Special thanks and acknowledgment to Joanna Kosloff for her contribution to the concept for the TYLER series.

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

Extract

Copyright

AMANDA SAW him across the lobby. He was standing in a cluster of people, but he was easily the most likely to draw the eye. Tall, dark-haired, in command—the set of his handsome features reflected a quick mind and a steely determination. The group he was with seemed to hang on his every word. Several individuals nodded; one left to do his bidding. He turned to a shorter man at his side, murmured something for his ear alone, then broke away from the small group himself. His walk was assured as he started across the room.

Amanda’s heart rate jumped when she saw that he was coming toward her. She looked around for somewhere to hide. She didn’t want to meet him like this! She wasn’t ready! When she’d come to the courthouse in Sugar Creek, it was to tie up the last threads in a case that had nothing to do with her grandfather. She hadn’t expected to run into Ethan Trask!

She sidled quickly toward a high rectangular table where other people were filling out forms. Picking up a form herself, she pretended to study it, but in reality she continued to watch the man...her adversary. His reputation had preceded him. He was the state attorney general’s “Avenging Angel.” When he was assigned to a case, he almost always won it. Brilliant, she’d heard him described. Merciless, as well.

She held her breath as he paused near her. Had someone told him that she was here? She spared a glance toward where he’d been standing and saw that the group had dispersed. No one was waiting to see what would happen next. Her blue gaze whipped back to the man and moved quickly over his angular face and strong, straight nose. She braced herself for his sharp word of greeting and the reactive flash of confident recognition that she would be no match for him.