DEADLY HOLIDAY REUNION
When his ex is thrust into the crosshairs of a deadly syndicate, FBI agent Gavin McKade will do whatever it takes to protect her. Even work the case with his stubborn sheriff dad. Gavinâs holiday homecoming isnât exactly warm and fuzzy, but he must set aside the past to make sure Lexie Grant survives. As if protecting Lexie from professional killers isnât difficult enough, the unlikely reunion has rekindled their complicated romantic connection. But if Gavin canât untangle Lexie from this dangerous web, the blurring line between duty and love may not matter...because this Christmas could be their last.
âGavin!â she screamed. âHurry.â
Gavin pushed Lightning into a gallop, his breath coming in hard puffs as he quickly closed the distance between them. To be safe, he drew his weapon as he dismounted.
âLexie,â he said, afraid he was wrong, that sheâd turn, it wouldnât be her and heâd learn sheâd perished in the explosion.
She looked up from doing CPR on a man lying prone.
It was Lexie. His Lexie. No...not his. Not anymore. âAre you okay?â
She stopped her compressions, held up blood-covered hands and peered down at the man lying in front of her.
âItâs Dad. He...heâs gone.â A sob tore from her throat. âGunshot wounds. I saw it all. I tried to help Dad and failed.â
âOh, sugar, Iâm so sorry.â Gavin didnât think of the years that had passed...of the turmoil when theyâd broken up. Instead, acting on pure instinct, he drew her into his arms. She needed his comfort, and he was only too happy to hold her.
âThis canât be happening. Not really. Can it?â She suddenly grabbed Gavinâs arm. âThe killer canât get away with this. We have to go after him.â
Dear Reader,
Thereâs nothing I like more than starting a new series and I hope you enjoyed the first book in my McKade Law miniseries. This family is like so many I met in the time I lived in Texas. Hardworking. Honest and God-fearing. And yet their lives are invaded with turmoil and challenges just like yours and mine, and their faith is tested.
In this story, Lexie feels abandoned and unloved. Gavin feels misunderstood and guilty. Yet, through it all, they recognize the strength and compassion of the McKade family, and both long to be part of this strong family unit once again. I hope that you will enjoy getting to know the McKades and enjoy all four books with this family as much as I am enjoying writing them.
If youâd like to learn more about my other books, please stop by my website at www.susansleeman.com. I also love hearing from readers, so please contact me via email at [email protected], on my Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/susansleemanbooks, or write to me c/o Love Inspired, HarperCollins 24th floor, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Susan Sleeman
SUSAN SLEEMAN is a bestselling author of inspirational and clean-read romantic suspense books and mysteries. She received an RT Reviewersâ Choice Best Book Award for Thread of Suspicion. No Way Out and The Christmas Witness were finalists for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence. Sheâs had the pleasure of living in nine states and currently lives in Oregon. To learn more about Susan, visit her website at susansleeman.com.
Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed.
âIsaiah 49:23
For all the families waiting for their prodigal son or daughter to return home.
Acknowledgments
A special thank-you to Amanda Williams for naming Kendallâs horse Beauty. To Leslie McKee for naming Gavinâs horse Lightning. And to Lizzi Rizzi for naming Lexieâs horse Misty. Your help was greatly appreciated!
ONE
Lexie Grantâs father had to pick today, of all days, to come back from the dead.
âNot a word from you in over a month.â She glanced at his prop plane rumbling in the distance on the abandoned airstrip, the winds from a blue norther howling across the field. âI thought you had to be dead.â
âWhy in the world would you think that?â Her father raised his chin in his usual haughty manner.
âYour house and office. They were ransacked. Then you go missing. The sheriff couldnât find you, and he suspected foul play. What else was I supposed to think?â She sighed and wished her father cared enough about her and her fourteen-year-old brother, Adam, to have told them he was leaving town. âWhere have you been?â
He stepped closer to the crumbling maintenance building shielding them from the harsh wind racing through the Texas Hill Country. âThereâs no time to explain. I have another appointment and have to leave.â
Right. Leave. Heâd left her and Adam to be raised by their motherâs sister, Ruth, when their mother died giving birth to Adam. Why should Lexie expect him to stay and give her an explanation?