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Dangerous Relations
Carol J. Post
He'll do anything to save his niece… In this The Baby Protectors novel When her sister’s murdered, Navy man Ryan McConnell insists on protecting Shelby Adair and their niece—especially after someone tries to kidnap little Chloe. But can Shelby trust the child’s uncle? After all, she’s convinced his family’s behind the attacks. But the longer Ryan shields them, the more Shelby wonders if becoming a forever family is their only shot at survival.
He’ll do anything to save his niece...
In this The Baby Protectors novel
When her sister’s murdered, navy man Ryan McConnell insists on protecting Shelby Adair and their niece—especially after someone tries to kidnap little Chloe. But can Shelby trust the child’s uncle? After all, she’s convinced his family’s behind the attacks. But the longer Ryan shields them, the more Shelby wonders if becoming a forever family is their only shot at survival.
CAROL J. POST writes fun and fast-paced inspirational romantic suspense stories and lives in sunshiny central Florida. She sings and plays the piano for her church and also enjoys sailing, hiking and camping—almost anything outdoors. Her daughters and grandkids live too far away for her liking, so she now pours all that nurturing into taking care of two fat and sassy cats and one highly spoiled dachshund.
Also By Carol J. Post (#u42d5a1ac-c700-55f7-be5a-6a4566713b23)
Midnight Shadows
Motive for Murder
Out for Justice
Shattered Haven
Hidden Identity
Mistletoe Justice
Buried Memories
Reunited by Danger
Fatal Recall
Lethal Legacy
Bodyguard for Christmas
Dangerous Relations
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Dangerous Relations
Carol J. Post
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-09736-9
DANGEROUS RELATIONS
© 2019 Carol J. Post
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 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 (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Note to Readers (#u42d5a1ac-c700-55f7-be5a-6a4566713b23)
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Text to speech
“Someone was here.” Ryan nodded toward the door.
Shelby shifted Chloe to one hip and looked. A breeze lifted a sheet of paper that was affixed to the door. Her chest tightened as a sense of vulnerability swept through her. She scanned the area. No one was loitering nearby. Unless someone was watching them from the woods.
When she glanced back at Ryan, tension emanated from him. He was wearing a light windbreaker-type jacket. Did he have his weapon underneath?
“Let’s get inside.” He nodded toward the door.
She stepped onto the landing and jammed the key into the lock. Ryan waited until she and Chloe were safely inside before he followed them in.
“Call the police.”
Shelby tensed at the urgency in his tone. “What does it say?”
“Paraphrasing? He’s watching.”
Shelby began to pace. “What’s that telling us that we don’t already know? Addy has seen him twice. You chased him.”
“There’s more. He said someday there’ll be no one here to protect you.” Ryan’s jaw tightened. “And Chloe might become collateral damage.”
Dear Reader (#u42d5a1ac-c700-55f7-be5a-6a4566713b23),
I hope you’ve enjoyed Ryan and Shelby’s story and beautiful North Bend, Washington. Earlier this year, my sister and I visited friends there. I was quite taken with the town and so inspired by all the amazing scenery. I decided it would be a great setting for a story. Apparently I’m not the only one, since the TV series Twin Peaks was also filmed there.
Both Ryan and Shelby grew up in dysfunctional homes, but they each had someone with a strong faith who was a guiding light. For Ryan, it was his best friend’s father. For Shelby, it was her aunt. And though the path was winding and it took some time for both of them to come to the place of developing their own faith, eventually those long-ago efforts bore fruit.
May we each be that “someone” whom God uses to make an eternal impact on others’ lives.
Love in Christ,
Carol
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him...
—Psalms 145:18
Thanks to my friend Nicole Little, who showed me around North Bend and Snoqualmie and patiently answered a gazillion questions.
Thanks to my son-in-law Mike Daunis, who helped me with all things navy. (Thank you for your twenty years of service.)
Thanks to my sister Kimberly Wolff, who not only plots with me but has a built-in radar and works hard to keep this directionally challenged author straight. You’re the best sis ever!
Thank you to my editor, Dina Davis, and my critique partners, Karen Fleming and Sabrina Jarema, for making my stories the best they can be.
And thank you to my husband, Chris, for encouragement, computer help, brainstorming and buying me chocolate.
Contents
Cover (#u79026b16-2396-57bd-bb6d-e435676476b5)
Back Cover Text (#u7bf1b445-f74d-5103-ae35-e0f3b5025e78)
About the Author (#u0f03cd81-b8b5-5822-9c1e-bc81ddd7a0d9)
Booklist (#u53080e3a-8302-572a-80ef-fe126c866353)
Title Page (#ud01f9f75-a364-5af9-a4e8-abedd53b6331)
Copyright (#ua9d86220-c9e0-51d2-a452-6dfca581d714)
Note to Readers
Introduction (#u88dce619-8634-54ba-8249-1de68c75fa14)
Dear Reader (#udc0245c2-bab2-50a2-8e91-f9d3939fba95)
Bible Verse (#u0b138aef-9de7-558a-a8f8-b6587ef26fe8)
Dedication (#u9cf283da-34fa-52f4-b8ac-404204dd2ecf)
ONE (#ub37fd8f8-025b-57e4-9f74-88aad00db832)
TWO (#u27f6c07c-1107-53c1-a4dd-695b79fca85d)
THREE (#u04a3d6f7-c9d0-5bdd-a6bb-de222e1cd929)
FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
ONE (#u42d5a1ac-c700-55f7-be5a-6a4566713b23)
Shelby Adair cruised down I-90, trying to drum up some enthusiasm for the evening ahead. No matter how she pitched it, she couldn’t find many bright spots in the prospect of spending two or three hours with her self-absorbed sister.
But Mia’s company wasn’t the reason she’d scheduled the dinner date. She was an aunt. And she was going to be a good one.
She cast a glance over her shoulder and moved into the far-left lane. Soon she’d cross Lake Washington and join the other vehicles that made up Seattle’s rush-hour traffic. But during the late afternoon, coming in wasn’t as bad as going out. Barring the unexpected, she should arrive at Mia’s apartment complex in thirty minutes.
She was seeing her sister twice in one month. That was a record. But she’d had a valid reason for avoiding contact. Between caring for their dying aunt and keeping the diner afloat, she’d had a full plate. Dealing with Mia’s theatrics would have sent her over the edge.
Now that her aunt was gone, she had no excuse. Besides, she did want to connect with her fifteen-month-old niece. And with her dysfunctional childhood nine years behind her, she might have a shot at developing a relationship with one of her siblings.
It wouldn’t happen with her older sister. Lauren had escaped at eighteen, moved to the other side of the country and never looked back. She hadn’t even responded to Shelby’s voice mails and Facebook messages about their aunt. She hadn’t come to the funeral, either.
Ten minutes later, brake lights lit up the road, and Shelby slowed to a crawl. This was one reason she was glad she’d left Seattle for the sleepy, picturesque town of North Bend. It was only thirty miles away but had always felt like a small chunk of paradise.
She finally exited the interstate and negotiated her Lincoln Town Car through a series of turns. Mia’s apartment complex was ahead on the right. Red and blue lights strobed through trees still bare from winter.
As she moved closer, the muscles drew tight across her shoulders. Two Seattle police cruisers and a crime-scene unit sat in front of the building that housed Mia’s apartment.
Her sister’s words echoed in her thoughts, fragments of a conversation they’d had after the funeral. Mia had said there was something going on at the club where she worked, that if she stumbled across exactly what it was, her life would be in danger. Shelby hadn’t taken her seriously at the time.
She still didn’t. Mia was the ultimate drama queen, the proverbial “girl who cried wolf.” Anything for attention. She’d been crafting fantastic stories since she was old enough to talk.
