Lorraine Beatty - Her Fresh Start Family

A new life. A new love.

But will secrets tear them apart?

Struggling with a tragic loss, widow Nina Johnson seeks a fresh start in a Southern small town. Then she meets handsome veteran Bret Sinclair and his sweet daughters. Bret’s no stranger to loss, and his companionship is the solace Nina’s been searching for. Until a dark secret from Bret’s past is exposed, threatening to break these Mississippi Hearts.

LORRAINE BEATTY was raised in Columbus, Ohio, but now calls Mississippi home. She and her husband, Joe, have two sons and five grandchildren. Lorraine started writing in junior high and is a member of RWA and ACFW, and is a charter member and past president of Magnolia State Romance Writers. In her spare time she likes to work in her garden, travel and spend time with her family.

Also By Lorraine Beatty Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Introduction Bible Verse Dear Reader Dedication 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 Epilogue Extract About the Publisher

Love Inspired

Mississippi Hearts

Her Fresh Start Family

Home to Dover

Protecting the Widow’s Heart

His Small-Town Family

Bachelor to the Rescue

Her Christmas Hero

The Nanny’s Secret Child

A Mom for Christmas

The Lawman’s Secret Son

Her Handyman Hero

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Her Fresh Start Family

Lorraine Beatty

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08431-4

HER FRESH START FAMILY

© 2018 Lorraine Beatty

Published in Great Britain 2018

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

“I have some people I’d like you to meet.”

The sight of Bret’s two girls… The memories Nina kept locked away came surging back. She gritted her teeth and tried to look pleasant.

The girls said hello, big smiles on their sweet faces.

Bret’s expression faded from that of a proud parent to deep concern. She should explain, but her heart was being shredded.

“Girls, why don’t you go back to my office? I’ll be there in a minute.”

The minute the girls were gone, she wrapped her arms around her waist.

“Are you all right? I never considered that you might not like children.”

“I like children.”

“Really? You went pale as a ghost.”

“I was surprised, that’s all.” Tears filled her eyes.

“Nina. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.” The sob escaped her throat.

Bret steered her toward the sofa and sat beside her. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.”

She stared into Bret’s eyes. He was safe. Trustworthy. Why was it so hard to say the words?

“I had a daughter. She died. Five years ago today.”

This is the day which the Lord hath made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

—Psalms 118:24

Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Introduction Bible Verse Dear Reader Dedication 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 Epilogue Extract About the Publisher ,

Welcome to the first book in my new series. We’ll be visiting a small city in Mississippi and three widows as they move forward and learn to love again.

This is a story I’ve wanted to write for a very long time, but it kept getting shoved into the background. When I finally started to work on it, I discovered it was going to be one of the most difficult stories I’d ever done. Dealing with Bret and Nina’s grief and guilt was challenging, but as I worked through the story, the two characters became special to me.

Both Bret and Nina struggled with the inability to forgive themselves for past failures. In reality, neither one was to blame. When something bad happens, we want answers. We want to know why, and we want a reason so we can make sense of the terrible loss. But we must accept that God chose to give His creation free will, which can bring about painful events.

We are all guilty of harboring resentment and allowing grief to paralyze our recovery. Only by giving their grief and guilt to the Lord, completely, were Bret and Nina able to let go of their burden and find the courage to love and trust one another and step into their bright new future together.

I hope while reading this story you are able to find your way to forgiveness of yourself or someone else. It’s what the Lord wants you to do.

All the best,

Lorraine

To my mother-in-law, Mary Beatty. You are one of my greatest blessings.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text A new life. A new love. But will secrets tear them apart? Struggling with a tragic loss, widow Nina Johnson seeks a fresh start in a Southern small town. Then she meets handsome veteran Bret Sinclair and his sweet daughters. Bret’s no stranger to loss, and his companionship is the solace Nina’s been searching for. Until a dark secret from Bret’s past is exposed, threatening to break these Mississippi Hearts.

About the Author LORRAINE BEATTY was raised in Columbus, Ohio, but now calls Mississippi home. She and her husband, Joe, have two sons and five grandchildren. Lorraine started writing in junior high and is a member of RWA and ACFW, and is a charter member and past president of Magnolia State Romance Writers. In her spare time she likes to work in her garden, travel and spend time with her family.

Booklist Also By Lorraine Beatty Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Introduction Bible Verse Dear Reader Dedication 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 Epilogue Extract About the Publisher Love Inspired Mississippi Hearts Her Fresh Start Family Home to Dover Protecting the Widow’s Heart His Small-Town Family Bachelor to the Rescue Her Christmas Hero The Nanny’s Secret Child A Mom for Christmas The Lawman’s Secret Son Her Handyman Hero Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk