Small Town Justice

DANGEROUS SECRETS

Back home in Serenity, Jamie Lynn Henderson’s determined to prove her brother was framed for the town sheriff’s hit-and-run death years ago. But as she encounters dead end after dead end, Jamie Lynn discovers someone will go to any lengths—even murder—to bury the evidence. Her only hope of staying alive long enough to uncover the truth is Shane Colton, the late lawman’s wary son. Shane’s world was shattered by one senseless act that he can’t forgive. But somehow he is drawn to protect the lovely woman trying to free her brother from prison. If they don’t work fast, Jamie Lynn’s single-minded quest might lead them both into the killer’s trap.

“Freeze.”

The burly man sprang for the door instead, jerked it open and escaped into the night. Shane chased him as far as the exit and stopped. Not having to shoot was fine with him but he would have loved to land a punch.

A weak moan snapped him out of battle mode. He automatically set the safety as he slipped the gun back into its holster and returned to Jamie Lynn.

She had managed to swing her legs over the side of the bed and sit up. Tears streaked her face. She was gasping out ragged sobs and trying to talk.

“Sh-Shane… Oh, Shane.”

He took a step closer and held out his hand, wondering how he could best comfort her after such a frightening ordeal. Any worries he’d had about the possibility she wouldn’t want to be touched were banished in the instant it took her to throw herself into his arms.

Instinct took over. He pulled her closer, one hand on her back, the other stroking her hair, and said, “It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

VALERIE HANSEN was thirty when she awoke to the presence of the Lord in her life and turned to Jesus. She now lives in a renovated farmhouse in the breathtakingly beautiful Ozark mountains of Arkansas and is privileged to share her personal faith by telling the stories of her heart for Love Inspired. Life doesn’t get much better than that!

Small Town Justice

Valerie Hansen

Ask and God will give you.

Search, and you will find. Knock and the door will open for you.

—Matthew 7:7

To my Joe, who is with me in spirit, looking over my shoulder and offering moral support as I write. He always will be.

And thanks to my dear friend Karen for keeping me on the right track—as much as possible!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

EPILOGUE

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

ONE

The narrow dirt track leading to the deserted farm was so overgrown, so cloaked in shadows, Jamie Lynn almost missed her turn. Seeing the decrepit condition of the well-loved house broke her heart.

Parking her mini pickup, she shivered and stared. Well, what had she expected? Nobody had lived there for almost fifteen years. Not since her family had been split apart by lies and she’d been sent to live with an elderly aunt.

The little white dog beside her whimpered.

Jamie Lynn instinctively stroked his head. “Yes, this is it, Ulysses.”

He began to pant and wiggle all over. “Okay, you can come with me while I have a look around,” she told him, slipping her cell phone into her jeans pocket. “Hold still so I can get your harness unclipped.”

He continued to strain and squirm. “I’m about to give up and leave you,” she warned. “Sit. Stay.”

He sat. He did not stay long. The moment she shifted her attention to the leash lying on the floor of the pickup’s cab, he leaped over her, using her back as a springboard, and landed on the hard-packed ground like a gymnast making a competition dismount.

“Ulysses! No!”

Jamie Lynn chased him through the tall grass and weeds, ruing the fact that her clothing was summer-light shorts, a T-top and sandals.

“Ulysses,” she wheedled, trying to sound unperturbed. “Come on, baby. I’m not mad. I just don’t want to lose you.”

Ahead, she heard him yip. “Please, please don’t catch anything bigger than you are.”

She rounded the house. The roof over the back porch had partially collapsed but she spotted a flash of white fur as her dog ducked through the half-open door.

Normally, Jamie wouldn’t have considered entering someone else’s house without an invitation. However, since her research had shown that this place had long ago been seized for unpaid taxes and didn’t belong to any individual, she figured it would be okay to venture inside long enough to catch her naughty dog.

The staccato cadence of his nails led her to the stairway, where his paws had left impressions in the dust. Jamie followed. Pausing at the top of the stairs, she was overcome with nostalgia for her childhood home.

“Marf!”

Ulysses’s sharp, single bark snapped her back to the present and drew her to her former bedroom. He was circling excitedly in front of one of the tall, narrow windows as if insisting she must look.

Below, parking behind her pickup, was a larger truck with a camouflage paint job. Two men climbed out.