Silent Shadows (Harbored Secrets Book #3) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Natalie Walters

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179 pages

English

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Description

Pecca Gallegos moved to the tiny town of Walton, Georgia, to protect her son and escape the dangerous lifestyle that once defined her. When a series of strange circumstances evolve into threats, Pecca finds herself confiding in an unlikely ally--her stubborn patient.Army veteran Colton Crawford is desperate to recover from the undiagnosed disorder that is ruining his life, and his instincts are on high alert when threats against his nurse and her son force him to take action. But Colton's involvement only ramps up the danger when he uncovers a family secret revealing that whoever is after Pecca is closer--and more deadly--than they realized.With this suspenseful new story, Natalie Walters welcomes you once more to Walton, Georgia, where everyone knows your name--but no one knows your secret.

Sujets

Romance

Thriller

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	31 mars 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781493421312
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	5 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0461€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Cover
Endorsements
Praise for Deadly Deceit
“[Walters] crafts chilling antagonists and irresistible protagonists who illuminate the crux of human desperation, including how far people will go to hide a mistake and to expose another’s weakness. Its fast and entwined plot lines, exciting twists, and electrifying conclusion will appeal to fans of suspenseful inspirational romances.”
Booklist
Praise for Living Lies
“Walters’s fresh new voice pulls readers into an edge-of-your-seat plot with more than a few surprises.”
Family Fiction
“Natalie Walters has masterfully woven an emotionally charged suspense and love story. It’s the perfect book for the avid romantic-suspense reader. Look for more novels to come from this new author!”
DiAnn Mills , author of Burden of Proof , www.DiAnnMills.com
“ Living Lies is a nail-biter that will make you play hooky from your day job, feed your children cereal for supper, and not stop reading until the last page. Natalie Walters’s debut novel is intriguing and enticing, with a romance that will make you believe not only in love but also that you are worth being loved. It gripped me from the first chapter and didn’t let go until the end!”
Jaime Jo Wright , author of The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond and the Christy Award–winning novel The House on Foster Hill
“A deftly written, compulsive page-turner of a read from cover to cover, Living Lies showcases author Natalie Walters’s genuine flair for originality and a narrative storytelling style that keeps her reader’s rapt attention from beginning to end.”
Midwest Book Review
Half Title Page
Also by Natalie Walters
Living Lies
Deadly Deceit
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2020 by Natalie Walters
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-2131-2
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Dedication
To the three who call me Mom— you are the treasure I’m most proud of. I love you.
Contents
Cover
Endorsements
Half Title Page
Also by Natalie Walters
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Epigraph
1
2
3
4
5
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7
8
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10
11
12
13
14
15
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18
19
20
21
22
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24
25
26
27
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29
30
31
32
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34
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
Epigraph
For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
ONE
PECCA GALLEGOS never thought she’d be turning down a marriage proposal—much less four of them. Of course, the average age of the men proposing was sixty-seven, but still. In her short time working as a rehabilitation nurse at Home for Heroes in Walton, Georgia, Pecca had found it impossible to resist the sweet affection of the military veterans in her care. And right now, the deep blue eyes of the octogenarian staring up at her held amused hope.
“I’m sorry, Sergeant Kinkaid.” Pecca wheeled the retired Army veteran down the hall and into his room. “But my heart belongs to another.”
As she set the brake on the wheelchair, a warm hand covered hers. She looked up into the veteran’s wistful and wise eyes. “That little boy is lucky to have a sweet mama raising him.”
The kind sentiment turned her vision glassy. “Thank you, sir.”
After she situated “Sarge” in his room to watch Fox News, Pecca made her way back through the halls of the Georgian plantation–style home turned rehab facility. She loved that it wasn’t a large, overcrowded place but rather the perfect size to offer the type of personalized assistance the veterans needed.
The bright-colored walls, lightly stained oak floors, and large picture windows in every room made the place feel more like a home than a medical facility. It didn’t matter whether the veterans needed help dressing themselves or using their prosthetics—or, all too often, learning to cope with the anguish that sometimes followed them home from war—Home for Heroes was a place of acceptance and healing.
Passing the second-floor lounge, Pecca noted the time on her smartwatch and picked up her pace. She headed for the grand stairway that led to the main floor, dividing the house in half and offering a dramatic welcome to anyone coming in for the first time. She took the steps down two at a time.
“Whoa, honey.” Shirley Perkins, a robust woman with dark skin, rose up from behind the wraparound desk anchoring one side of the foyer. She eyed Pecca with deep brown eyes that held all the authority of a no-nonsense woman. “You run down those steps like that and you’re going to end up with a broken ankle and leave me dealing with the ornery vets in D-Wing.”
Pecca’s foot hit the last step. “The guys in D-Wing love you.” She winked, thinking of the cantankerous veterans from all branches of the military who occupied the west wing rooms and filled the hallways with battle tales that grew more exaggerated with every retelling. “They like giving you a hard time because you react.”
Shirley arched an eyebrow and opened her mouth to respond, only to be interrupted when the phone at her desk rang. She reached across and answered it while Pecca picked up the clipboard that held her schedule. She needed to check on two patients to see how they were recovering from their therapy sessions before beginning the in-processing paperwork for the new arrival.
Captain Colton Crawford. US Army . Pecca’s cheeks pinched into a smile, as she was keenly aware that the dynamics in D-Wing were about to shift, giving the Army veterans a one-man advantage. She flipped the page and began scanning Captain Crawford’s information. Pecca liked having a general idea about her patients before they arrived to help make their transition as easy as possible. Her eye was immediately drawn to the picture in the corner. Chiseled jaw, straight nose, sharp hazel eyes that seemed to stare straight through her. Hmm, good-looking too .
Heat blossomed in her chest, and Pecca forced her eyes from his photo to take in the rest of the information. Thirty-two years old put him not much older than she was, yet if he was coming here it was likely he had the lifelong scars of war etched into his skin and bones—or perhaps his mind, except . . . Hmm. No physical injuries indicated. Only PMD. Was it a mistake? A typo? Pecca was familiar with PTSD but had never heard of PMD.
Maybe Shirley would know, but the second Pecca’s gaze caught sight of the grim look etching the receptionist’s face, she forgot her question.
“It’s Principal Webb.” Shirley held out the phone.
Pecca’s pulse jumped as her fingers closed around the receiver. Maceo? “Hello, Mrs. Webb, this is Pecca Gallegos. Is Maceo okay?”
“Oh, yes, Ms. Gallegos, he’s fine.” Principal Webb’s voice was reassuring, though Pecca heard some hesitation. “I’m sorry to bother you at work, but Maceo’s in my office. He’s in a bit of trouble, and I’d like it if you could come over to discuss it further.”
Trouble? Pecca checked the time. Her new patient was late and it was her job to check him in, but she had no one else she could call to pick up Maceo. Frustration turned into emptiness. This was yet another stinging realization that, even though her life was good here in Walton, she was still mostly alone. Her gaze traveled to Shirley, who took the clipboard from Pecca’s hand and gave a nod of empathy.
“I’ll be there shortly.” Pecca handed the receiver back to Shirley. “I’ve gotta go. Maceo’s gotten into some kind of trouble.”
“Go on, honey. Your shift ends in half an hour anyway. I’ll get your patient settled in and the paperwork started. You can take care of the rest in the morning.”
Pecca’s anxiety rocketed through her at the idea of leaving work early. She loved this job and didn’t want to let anyone down—especially her patients. But the whole reason Pecca was here, working hard, was for Maceo. She had no choice—he came first.
“Thank you, Shirley.” After grabbing her keys and purse, Pecca hurried out the large front door and down the steps of the wraparound porch. The large limbs of the live oaks stretching over the small parking lot did little to smother the warm September day. The heat brought with it the memory of Texas in the fall. And with that, a pang of longing.
Pecca climbed into her car and adjusted the air-conditioning to full blast. She refused to allow herself to reflect on everything she’d left behind. Instead, her focus turned to her son and getting to the school as quickly as possible. What could Maceo possibly have done to warrant a visit to the principal’ s office?
She was so focused on leaving that she didn’t see the figure that had stepped out of the brush and in front of her car until she was already pressing the gas. Pecca screamed and stomped on her brakes just as the man jumped back. The man’s dark gaze speared her, his shadowed expression partially hidden behind a thick beard. What in the world?
Heart pounding, she pressed the button to roll down her window. Before she could apologize, th