Gina Wilkins - Yesterday's Scandal

A small town in Georgia. A family with a past.

A miniseries packed with sensual secrets and elusive scandals.

Bestselling author Gina Wilkins continues her unforgettable family drama,

by bringing you the wildest member of the family yet!

Former cop Mac Cordero is going undercover one last time…to bring his proud Southern family to its knees!

in

Enjoy the sexy, scandalous escapades of the McBride clan, the most notorious family in the South!

Dear Reader,

The Wild McBrides have certainly taken me for a wild ride, through six Harlequin Temptations and now this, my first single title release. It seems fitting that this story should be centered around the “wildest” McBride yet—one who possesses knowledge that could bring down the close-knit McBride clan. They’ve survived scandal before, but this time they will be forced to face truths that will shake their very foundation….

Sharon Henderson finds herself in the middle of this crisis, torn between loyalty to a family that has always been very dear to her, and her love for a man who needs retribution—and doesn’t seem to care who gets hurt along the way. Is her love strong enough to soothe the anger inside this proud man—or will his desire for revenge destroy them both?

Hold on,

HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION—THE MCBRIDES

668—SEDUCING SAVANNAH

676—TEMPTING TARA

684—ENTICING EMILY

710—THE REBEL’S RETURN

792—SEDUCTIVELY YOURS

796—SECRETLY YOURS

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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For my friends and colleagues in Novelists, Inc.,

the most supportive group I have ever met.

And for Nora Roberts, my personal hero,

who was there for me when I needed her

during this past year.

My thanks to all of you.

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

EPILOGUE

TAILLIGHTS GLOWED red in the darkness ahead of him as Mac Cordero drove along the rural outskirts of Honoria, Georgia. He wasn’t deliberately following the other vehicle. They just happened to be headed in the same direction on the narrow, hilly road bordered by thick woods on the left and a rain-swollen river on the right.

Mac had no particular destination in mind. He was merely killing time on this Friday evening, delaying his return to the no-frills motel where he would be staying until he made better arrangements for the next few months. He had things to accomplish in this oddball town, and the renovation of the 1920s-era Victorian-style house he’d recently purchased was the excuse he’d use if anyone asked why he was here. The real reason he was here—well, sometimes that even seemed like a mystery to him.

Because it was a warm, early-June evening, his windows were down, letting in the fresh, woodsy air and the sounds of night creatures. Neither lifted his mood, nor eased the frustration that he had accomplished so little since his initial visit to Honoria several weeks earlier. He was no closer now to solving the mystery that had brought him here than he’d been when he’d decided to pursue it.

The small car ahead of him began a steady ascent up a steep, blind hill. Mac shifted in the seat of his truck. All in all, it had been an unproductive day. He was beginning to wonder if boredom was all that awaited him here. He hated being bored.

A squeal of brakes brought him abruptly out of his thoughts. His hands tightened on the steering wheel when the taillights ahead of him swerved suddenly and erratically, then veered off to the right side of the road—straight toward the river. At the same moment, a light-colored van topped the hill in the center of the road, speeding, weaving, making no effort to slow down. Acting on instinct, Mac jerked his wheel to the right, pulling his truck to the side but stopping before it went over the edge. The van sped past, disappearing behind him.

Muttering a curse, Mac didn’t waste time trying to get a license-plate number, but jumped from his truck and ran to the edge of the road. The slow-moving river looked like black ink in the darkness, shimmering with multifaceted reflections of the three-quarter moon overhead. He saw no sign of the car he knew had gone over. Kicking off his shoes, he prepared to dive in.

A head broke the water in front of him as he started to jump. He heard a loud gasp for air, followed by what might have been a broken cry of pain and fear. A moment later, he was in the cold water, reaching the woman just as she went under again.

He grabbed her arms and hauled her to the surface, noting automatically that she was lightweight, slender. His hands easily spanned her waist as he treaded water and supported her until she caught her breath. It was difficult to see her features in the shadows, but he got the impression she was somewhat younger than his own thirty-three years.

Reassured that she was stable, he asked urgently, “Is there anyone else in the car?”

“No. I was alone.” Her voice was a choked whisper. “It…took me a while to get out. I had my windows down, but…”

“It wasn’t as long as it must have seemed to you.” He was aware that she was trembling so hard her teeth were chattering. The water was cool, but not frigid. Sensing that shock was about to set in, he tightened his grip on her. “Can you swim? Are you injured?”

“I…I don’t know,” she managed to say, clinging to him. “I hurt, but I don’t know exactly where yet.”

Because it made sense to him, considering the circumstances, he merely nodded and wrapped an arm around her to help her toward the bank. He would assess her injuries once she was safely out of the water, he decided, beginning to swim with steady, rescue-trained strokes.

The bank was steep, mud crumbling beneath his hands and feet as he helped the woman out of the river. It wasn’t easy to swing her into his arms and carry her up to the side of the road. Hard shivers racked her, and he could hear her teeth chattering. Damning the darkness that kept him from seeing whether she was bleeding anywhere, Mac settled her on the gravel beside the road. “I’ll be right back.”

He dashed to his truck, water streaming off him, his wet socks providing little protection from the rocks on the roadbed. Ignoring his discomfort, he snatched his cellular phone and dialed 911. Grabbing the lightweight jacket he’d tossed into the passenger seat earlier, he gave the emergency dispatcher a clipped summation of his situation, requested an ambulance and then hung up.