Holiday Illusion

Holiday Illusion
Lynette Eason

To save a sick, orphaned boy, Anna Freeman must risk her own life.Little Paulo desperately needs a new heart. It's his only Christmas wish–well, that and building his first snowman. For the surgery, Anna must take him to a hospital in the city she once called home. A place she fled in fear years ago.Which means telling Dr. Lucas Bennett that the woman he's known all this time as a caring orphanage worker is really someone else. Someone with a very frightening past. And that the danger stalking all of them won't take Christmas Day off.

“Anna, let’s go to the boat.”

“Why?” Lucas had avoided the boathouse like the plague until now.

“I’ll explain in a minute.”

Anna did as requested and followed Lucas down the path that led to the boathouse. As they neared the building, Lucas’s steps faltered for a brief moment before he squared his shoulders, as though approaching the boathouse equaled going into battle. “Lucas, could I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” he said, but never looked at her, just kept his eyes on the door to the building.

“What’s the deal with you and your father? Why is it so tense and formal between you?”

“Because I killed my brother.”

LYNETTE EASON

Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. Her home church, Northgate Baptist, had a tremendous influence on her during her early years. She credits Christian parents and dedicated Sunday school teachers for her acceptance of Christ at the tender age of eight. Even as a young girl, she knew she wanted her life to reflect the love of Jesus.

Lynette attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, then moved to Spartanburg to attend Converse College where she obtained her master’s degree in education. During this time, she met the boy next door, Jack Eason—and married him. Jack is the executive director of the Sound of Light Ministries. Lynette and Jack have two precious children, Lauryn, eight years old, and Will, who is six. She and Jack are members of New Life Baptist Fellowship Church in Boiling Springs, South Carolina, where Jack serves as the worship leader and Lynette teaches Sunday school to the four-and five-year olds.

Holiday

Illusion

Lynette Eason

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

—2 Peter 1:3–4

To Jesus Christ, who lets me do this.

I love You, Lord.

My grandmother, Freda Trowbridge, died February 2, 2008. I’m so grateful she got to read my first published book, Lethal Deception. She won’t get to finish the series this side of heaven, so I decided I wanted to make a special dedication to the memory of my grandparents:

Paternal grandparents: Lewis Carroll, Sr. and Kate Bexley Barker

Maternal grandparents: Cary Eugene and Freda Jackson Trowbridge

Thanks for being godly men and women. I know Jesus found it easy to say to each one of you, “Well done, my good and faithful servants.”

And, of course, thanks always to my family and friends who make it possible for me to write. I couldn’t do it without you.

One more special thanks goes to Barbara Lollis, one of my childhood Sunday school teachers. I’ve lost count of how many books you’ve bought to give away. I know my sales numbers are going to look great thanks to your efforts. God bless you!

Contents

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

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

ONE

The boy was going to die.

Lucas stared down at Paulo, the nine-year-old child in the hospital bed, listening to the heart monitor blip and beep, the sound echoing through his brain as though amplified by a hundred microphones. An innocent child with no one in the world to care whether he lived or died—except the staff at the Amazon Orphanage in Tefe, Brazil.

With compassion crimping his heart, Lucas reached out a hand to brush a finger down the silky soft skin that, in the absence of a miracle, would never know a whisker. His knuckle bumped the oxygen tube attached to Paulo’s nose and he stirred, eyelids flickering up, down, then back up. The brown eyes focused in on Lucas, and the boy smiled.

“Hey, Paulo. How are you doing? Hanging in there?” The Portuguese fell from Lucas’s tongue with practiced ease.

“Sim,” the boy breathed. “I will get a new heart soon, right, Doctor?”