At Any Cost

NO ESCAPE

Hiding from the past, jumping at shadows... Welcome to Jenna Harper’s life ever since her ex decided murder was the way to punish her for moving on. Yet Jenna survived—and continuous survival means eluding her attacker: no unnecessary risks, no credit cards and definitely no men. But despite her cautiousness, Jenna can’t deny her attraction to Beau Travis, the rugged carpenter fixing up her B and B. Neither can she ignore the recent mishaps that could blow her cover. Are the two connected? A troublemaker in high school, Beau was never the dependable type. Is he a suitor or a suspect? The answer could mean her life.

“We’re bein’ invaded.”

Jenna exchanged a smile with Beau, and dropped her voice. “Invaded by whom, Elmer?”

“Hippies. See that fella across the way there? The one with the black cap and orange hair? The one readin’ the newspaper?”

Jenna’s breath froze in her lungs as the man with the shaggy, orange-streaked blond hair and dark beard shadow slowly raised his head and seemed to stare straight at her. Cold fear drizzled down her spine and, like a deer in the headlights, she couldn’t look away from his long face and pointed jaw—his narrow shoulders. Then the man tossed some bills on the table beside the paper, and a moment later, he was heading toward the door.

Jenna’s rapid heartbeat began to ease a little as Elmer continued to speak. He couldn’t have been Court—not dressed like that.

Her hand shook a little as she reached for her coffee, and her cup rattled against the saucer. Get a grip, she commanded herself, refusing to look up when she felt Beau’s heavy gaze on her. Elmer’s hippie was simply a man passing through, who’d stopped to get a meal and would be moving on. He wasn’t a threat to her. He wasn’t.

LAUREN NICHOLS

From the time Waldenbooks bestselling author Lauren Nichols was able to read, there was a book in her hand—then later, in her mind. Happily, her first attempt at romance fiction was a finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart Contest, and though she didn’t win, she’s been blessed to sell eight romance suspense novels, and dozens of romance, mystery and science-fiction short stories to national magazines.

When Lauren isn’t working on a project or hanging out with her family and friends, she enjoys gardening, geocaching and traveling anywhere with her very best friend, her husband, Mike. Lauren loves to hear from readers. You can email her at [email protected] or through her website, www.laurennichols.com.

At Any Cost

Lauren Nichols

www.millsandboon.co.uk

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? In times of trouble

He will shelter me; He will keep me safe in His Temple and make me secure on a high rock.

—Psalms 27:1, 5

For Ann McCauley, Lindsay Randall

and Karen Rose Smith for your unwavering encouragement and friendship. I love you guys.

And always for Mike. You’re my everything.

Contents

PROLOGUE

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

EPILOGUE

DEAR READER

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

PROLOGUE

Impatient to begin, the man sat in an idling, early model beige sedan outside a diner advertising Wi-Fi, his features hidden behind tinted glasses, a knitted black watch cap pulled low on his forehead. Outside, the mid-November snow was blowing sideways, sending a chill through him despite the blast of heat coming through the car’s vents. He abhorred his appearance, detested his scruff of a beard. But the deception was paramount to conceal his identity.

Scowling, he consulted his wristwatch, saw that it was 9:00 a.m., then turned to the woman beside him and handed her a disposable cell phone. Usually slender and strikingly attractive, she wasn’t much to look at now—not the way she was dressed today. The bulky winter jacket, mousy wig and owlish glasses had leeched every ounce of her appeal. Ridiculous pewter peace sign earrings swung from her earlobes. He’d been told that she was a woman of many names and talents. In fact, he suspected that even the name she’d given him was an alias. But according to the man who’d introduced them—a friend of a friend of an acquaintance—she was worth every cent he was paying her.

Opening his laptop, he snagged an internet connection from the diner and located an online building supply house that carried top-of-the-line power tools. He turned the screen toward her—pointed out two items.

“Kindly order the planer and the radial arm saw—and tell the salesperson there’s no rush. Regular delivery will be fine.” A hint of sarcasm entered his tone. “I wouldn’t want to drain Ms. Harper’s bank account.”

“No flowers this time?”

“No.”

Smiling, the woman who’d given her name as Deirdre Alaimo tapped the company’s number into the phone, then accepted the business card he offered. As she’d done with the three purchases she’d made late yesterday, “Deirdre” gave the salesperson who answered Jenna Harper’s name and address, placed the order, then turned the business card over and read the credit card number scrawled on the back.