Honor And Defend

A PERILOUS REUNION

Framed for a crime he didn’t commit, Lee Earnshaw is two weeks out of prison when an ex-con tries to kill him and his former love, K-9 rookie cop Ellen Foxcroft. Recognizing their attacker as a man he met in prison, Lee knows he must be the intended target. But is the shooter settling a score, or does Lee have something he wants? Determined to start over, training puppies and maybe getting a second chance with Ellen, Lee vows to keep both of them safe. But as they investigate together, Ellen’s golden retriever partner at their side, they find themselves dead center in a killer’s crosshairs.

Rookie K-9 Unit: These lawmen solve the toughest cases with the help of their brave canine partners

Who would want to shoot at her and Lee? Ellen wondered.

Probably the same people behind the other trouble the police department and her fellow K-9 officers had faced since being hired to solve Veronica Earnshaw’s murder. Then again, Veronica’s brother, Lee, had just been released from prison. Could it be someone after him?

The car was coming back. Lee pulled the two dog crates from the backseat of his truck and set them on the ground by the blown tire. Once he was sure they were out of the line of fire, he came to kneel next to her. “They’re coming back.”

She nodded, then raised her gun and aimed it. When the car crested the hill, she knew they were in for a second attack. “That’s them.”

The dark gray Buick slowed and the barrel of a rifle appeared in the window. She figured it was now or never and tightened her finger, heard the weapon bark, then felt the kick against her hand.

The sedan’s front windshield exploded.

ROOKIE K-9 UNIT:

These lawmen solve the toughest cases with the help of their brave canine partners

Protect and Serve—Terri Reed, April 2016

Truth and Consequences—Lenora Worth, May 2016 Seek and Find—Dana Mentink, June 2016 Honor and Defend—Lynette Eason, July 2016 Secrets and Lies—Shirlee McCoy, August 2016 Search and Rescue—Valerie Hansen, September 2016

LYNETTE EASON is a bestselling, award-winning author who makes her home in South Carolina with her husband and two teenage children. She enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and teaching at various writing conferences around the country. She is a member of RWA (Romance Writers of America) and ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). Lynette can often be found online interacting with her readers. You can find her at facebook.com/lynette.eason and on Twitter, @lynetteeason.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble;

and He knows those who trust in Him.”

—Nahum 1:7

This book is dedicated to all of the heroes in law enforcement—two-legged and four!

Thank you for your bravery, your service and most of all, your dedication to justice. May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make His face to shine upon you.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to my fellow authors for your tireless willingness to answer my questions day and night!

Terri Reed, Lenora Worth, Dana Mentink, Valerie Hansen and Shirlee McCoy. It’s always a pleasure to work with such professionals!

Thank you to Emily Rodmell for letting me do one more. I appreciate you! :)

Contents

COVER

BACK COVER TEXT

INTRODUCTION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TITLE PAGE

BIBLE VERSE

DEDICATION

Acknowledgments

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

Dear Reader

EXTRACT

COPYRIGHT

ONE

K-9 police officer Ellen Foxcroft shot a sideways glance at the man who drove in silent concentration. Just ten minutes ago, they’d picked up three puppies from Sophie Williams. Not only was Sophie a trainer for the Canyon County K-9 Training Center, she also worked with the Prison Pups program. A program Lee Earnshaw, the man behind the wheel, was intimately familiar with, since he’d been part of it up until two weeks ago when he’d been released from prison. Framed. Set up by a dirty cop, he’d lost two years of his life. He’d developed a new hardness and more lines around his eyes than when she’d last seen him.

Two of the dogs they’d just picked up from the prison program were ready to start training to be assistance animals for Ellen’s clients—adults and children with disabilities. In addition to being a K-9 officer with the Desert Valley Police Department, she also ran the Desert Valley Canine Assistance program she’d started a few weeks before Lee was released. Already she and her four employees were making a difference in the lives of the people in their community, training the dogs to be service animals for the disabled.

Thanks to Sophie’s generosity, Ellen hoped to have the two older puppies ready for the summer camp she planned to offer next month. The younger puppy needed more work—a job Lee would take on as soon as they got back to the facility. “You’re awfully deep in thought,” she said. “Are you all right?”

Lee blinked and sighed. “I’m fine. I just wish we had some better leads on who might have killed Veronica.” Veronica Earnshaw, Lee’s sister, had been murdered a little over three months ago. Her killer still walked the streets, and Ellen could tell Lee’s frustration level was about to boil over.