Lorraine Beatty - Their Family Legacy

Title Page Their Family Legacy Lorraine Beatty www.millsandboon.co.uk

Copyright ISBN: 978-1-474-08623-3 THEIR FAMILY LEGACY © 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. ® 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

Introduction “Jake the handyman to the rescue.” He smiled and came toward Annie, causing a blip in her pulse. “What do you need repaired?” His smile lit up his eyes and added another layer of attractiveness. He looked good in cargo shorts and a T-shirt that emphasized the breadth of his chest. She glanced away. “It’s the twins. They want to build a doghouse for Sam.” “An admirable goal.” “Yes, but they have no idea how to go about it. I hope you don’t mind me calling you.” “I don’t mind. I’ve been wanting you to ask for my help for a long time.” He grinned again and headed out to the yard. “Hey, fellas, what are you working on?” What had he meant by that? Why did he want to help her? Annie watched as he spoke to the boys. The scene warmed her heart. She longed for a strong father figure to teach and guide her sons. She couldn’t help but wonder how it would be if Jake were their father. But that could never happen.

Dear Reader Dear Reader Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Introduction Dear Reader Bible Verse 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 , I hope you enjoyed meeting Annie, another member of the Widow’s Walk group. Telling Annie and Jake’s story was one of the most difficult books I’ve ever written. It was also one of the most satisfying. Both of them are dealing with very real fears and painful pasts that keep colliding and complicating their relationship. Despite that, their attraction and respect for one another grows. But how do you forgive someone for a deadly mistake? How do you learn to trust someone who suffers from an addiction that will never be completely cured? Annie discovers that the strings attached to her inheritance come at too great a cost. Jake realizes that he must stand up and fight for what he wants. Before they can find their happily-ever-after, they both must learn to forgive and allow each other a second chance to get things right. I’m a big believer in second chances. A mistake, a failure or a bad decision can happen to any of us, anytime. Our job is to learn from it and move forward—not sit down and wallow in the pain. The only answer is forgiveness—of others and of ourselves. It’s the only path to love and peace. I love to hear from readers, so feel free to contact me at my website, lorrainebeatty.com , or like my author page on Facebook, Lorraine Beatty Author, or follow me @LorraineBeatty on Twitter. Lorraine

Bible Verse Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. —Proverbs 3:27

Dedication To my grandchildren—Casie, Chey, Drew, Anna and Addie. Love the Lord, follow your dreams and never forget we love 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

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter One

He’d be here today.

A nervous knot formed in Annelle Shepard’s chest. In just a couple of hours she’d have to confront the man who killed her cousin and best friend fifteen years ago, Jacob Langford. She had no desire to meet him face-to-face. Ever. But if she wanted to keep her aunt’s estate, this beautiful old home and the financial bequest that would give her room to breathe after years of living pillar to post, then she had to fulfill the terms of the will. Every year on the anniversary of her cousin’s death she had to accept a dollar from Langford until either of them died.

The whole concept left a bad taste in her mouth. No amount of penance could bring back her cousin. Her aunt’s persistence in making this man pay for his crime bordered on insanity and she resented being forced into participating.

But the bottom line was she needed a home for her boys. One that no one could gamble away, or foreclose for failure to pay the mortgage. Aunt Margaret’s house provided a safe and permanent place to raise her ten-year-old twin boys, Tyler and Ryan. Here they could put down roots and live a quiet, normal life without the constant tension and chaos of a drunken husband and father.

A knock sounded on her front door and she inhaled sharply, glancing at the clock. It was too soon for the man to be here. He’d agreed to come by sometime early in the afternoon. This was probably her neighbor Denise coming to get her boys. She’d offered to take them to the splash park for the afternoon so Annie could deal with the official meeting without interruption.

Denise Sanderson was an added blessing in her move back to Hastings. She lived next door, and Annie’s twins and Denise’s three children—Steve, Johnny and Tina—were close in age and played well together. Denise had been a huge help in recommending doctors, a good church and putting her in touch with a widow’s support group that Denise said had helped her sister move forward with her life. It had been two years since Annie’s husband Rick’s death and she still struggled with certain aspects of widowhood.

She opened the door with a smile.

“Are they ready?” Denise stepped into the hall just as the boys raced down the stairs.

“Bye, Mom.” Two voices spoke as one.

“Hold up there, fellas. You behave for Miss Denise. Do you hear me? And watch out for each other.”

“We will.” They answered in unison.

Denise ushered the boys out onto the porch. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay for this meeting?”