Special Delivery. Laura Browning
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Cover Copy
Welcome home to Mountain Meadow, Virginia—a small town with a big heart, where love is just around the corner…
All Holly Morgan wants is a safe place to have her baby. Nestled deep within the Blue Ridge Mountains, miles away from her abusive ex-fiancé, Spence, Mountain Meadow seems perfect. Holly can manage a few meddling church matrons if it means Spence can’t find her. Harder to handle is Jake Allred. He may be a dark-haired hunk, but he’s also someone Holly can’t trust: a cop.
Since his time in the military, Lieutenant Jake Allred has lived to protect and serve. And if anyone needs protection, it’s Holly. Having been let down by the law before, she’s wary of letting Jake into her life. But when an unexpected snow storm strands them together, their attraction is hot enough to melt the mounting ice. Just when Jake thinks he’s finally warmed Holly’s heart, Spence strikes. Now it’s up to Jake to save Holly’s baby and bring their fledgling family back together.
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Books by Laura Browning
Winning Heart
Mountain Meadow Homecomings
Special Delivery, Book One
The Barlow-Barretts: An American Dynasty
Bittersweet, Book One
Balancing Act, Book Two
Remember Me, Book Three
Broken Heart, Book Four
Special Delivery
A Mountain Meadow Homecomings Novel
Laura Browning
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Copyright
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2014 by Laura Browning
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First Electronic Edition: May 2015
eISBN-13: 978-1-61650-753-4
eISBN-10: 1-61650-753-5
First Print Edition: May 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-754-1
ISBN-10: 1-61650-754-3
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
To my husband and son who have put up with my long hours at the computer, you have my love and thanks, not to mention the gratitude for the meals and clean-up you guys have pitched in to complete. I’d also like to dedicate this to my friend and teaching colleague, Karen Grayton. Not only have you been my number one fan, you’ve been a great sounding board for ideas. I love you guys.
Chapter 1
“Tyler, wake up,” Holly whispered. Her calm tone masked a heart pounding so loudly she feared her little brother would hear it as well.
Dark hair spiking above his rumpled blankets, Tyler rubbed his eyes and mumbled, “It’s still night.”
“We’re leaving. Now.” Some of her urgency finally broke though.
He sat, eyes wide in the dim glow of the streetlight filtering through his curtains. Holly hated doing this to him, but after taking yet another midnight call from Spence, her ex-fiancé, she didn’t dare wait any longer.
“I thought we weren’t leaving till Saturday,” Tyler grumbled as he rose and located the clothes he’d left folded at the foot of his bed. “What’s happened?”
Even at eleven, he was no dummy. Tyler had already come out on the wrong end of Spence’s temper and knew how vicious it could be. Holly ruffled his hair. God, she loved him. “Nothing we can’t handle, but I want to make sure we’re the ones staying a step ahead.”
No way would she share with him the latest threats Spence had made. Holly had tried going through the legal system. She’d obtained a restraining order right after Spence had gotten physical. Now it wasn’t enough. Something was off with Spence, something scary, and Holly wasn’t sticking around to see what. If the restraining order wasn’t going to stop him, then she and Tyler would just disappear.
“Meet me in the garage in five minutes. I’m going to check to make sure everything’s locked. We’ll drop the key by the real estate agent on the way out of town.”
She’d put the house on the market, but with the economy so slow, they’d had few nibbles, despite cutting the price. Now Holly hoped the real estate agent might be able to find a renter. It could provide some income, but she wasn’t holding her breath. Grinding her teeth was more like it.
She’d already put most of the furniture she wanted to keep in storage, figuring she could pick up odds and ends wherever they ended up. Once she was sure Spence hadn’t followed, she would send for the stored items. Still, her small car was packed as they backed out of the garage and eased down the street. Holly couldn’t help glancing at the rearview mirror several times. The house was the last tie to their parents. Now they would have to carry those memories in their hearts instead.
On the highway leading out of town, Holly at last dared a glance at her brother, giving him a small, reassuring smile as she squeezed his hand. So what if reassuring him also made her feel better too? Leaving the only home you’d ever known was scary.
His eyes reflected his uncertainty. “Are we doing the right thing?”
She shifted her hand to the swell of her pregnancy. “I hope so, Tyler.”
* * * *
When no one answered his call in the morning, Spence Dilby drove to Holly’s one-story ranch, snarling at every traffic light that slowed him down. Located in an upper-end area of Lynchburg, it still screamed middle class to him. He pulled to the back of the house where his car wouldn’t be seen. No use taking chances. He’d had enough of having the cops on his ass. Only fast-talking had gotten him out of hot water the last time. He didn’t need another incident because his father was nearing the end of his patience. At least he’d made his parents happy when he’d agreed to marry Seely.
He knocked on the back door. No one answered. He pounded, wanting nothing more than to feel his fist smash through the wood. Still no answer. Spence peered through the windows. “Open up, Holly! I know you’re in there.”
Silence was his only response. He walked to the French doors looking into the family room and noted