Tessa's Gift

Tessa's Gift
Cerella Sechrist

A runaway teen at Christmas… brings a special gift into her life. When Ava Cahill returns to Holly River to reunite with the son she gave up for adoption, she’s stunned to encounter Noah Walsh again. The attractive biker she knew six years ago had no idea of her secret. And now Ava’s mentoring his troubled daughter. As she and Noah rekindle powerful feelings, can she tell him the truth and become one forever family?

She gives him peace...

But can he give her the same?

A new PR job at the Findlay Roads hospital is exactly the fresh start Tessa Worth needs. The challenge? Coaxing the gruff but brilliant Dr. Noah Brennan out of his shell. Noah and Tessa grow closer as she helps him heal from the loss of his wife and daughter, but Tessa is afraid of revealing her own secret. Can they find hope and healing...together?

CERELLA SECHRIST lives in York, Pennsylvania, with two precocious pugs, Darcy and Charlotte, named after Jane Austen characters. Inspired by her childhood love of stories, she was ten years old when she decided she wanted to become an author. A former barista, Cerella could spend hours discussing coffee origins and flavour profiles. She’s been known to post too many pug photos on both Instagram and Pinterest. You can see for yourself by finding her online at cerellasechrist.com (http://www.cerellasechrist.com).

Also by Cerella Sechrist (#ue965e9b2-1586-55d6-970e-6dd21db4dda7)

Gentle Persuasion

The Paris Connection

A Findlay Roads Story

Harper’s Wish

A Song for Rory

The Way Back to Erin

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

Tessa’s Gift

Cerella Sechrist

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ISBN: 978-1-474-09088-9

TESSA’S GIFT

© 2019 Cerella Delbaugh Sechrist

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

Dedicated to my nieces, Emily and Ellis. You are

the daughters of my heart, and you make every

day an adventure. I love you both so much.

Acknowledgements (#ue965e9b2-1586-55d6-970e-6dd21db4dda7)

Special thanks to…

Tracy Bedell-Hoke and her daughter, Elizabeth, for sharing their family’s experience with childhood cancer and answering my questions, no matter the time of day.

Zachary and Jackie Loder for being so open about their struggles with early-onset menopause and infertility.

Dr Bradley Phiel and Linda Kimes from Heston Veterinary Medical Center for assistance with animal therapy questions.

Linda Seitz and her therapy dog, Viva, for details on animal therapy, especially in a hospital setting, and for graciously agreeing to appear as characters in the story.

Lisa Lawmaster Hess for our weekly writing sessions, which include brainstorming, encouragement and caffeine.

Every single person who offered their support and prayers as I finished up this book in the midst of my dad’s accident. Thank you.

Contents

Cover (#ub8234cc9-ca31-56d8-9792-b6af48598ce1)

Back Cover Text (#u64a324dc-ef7d-5821-8e7b-44357fe93d39)

About the Author (#u974e3c04-a872-574c-ba30-c44b7acc79b8)

Booklist (#u67007948-aaf1-51a8-9aa1-eb144b423329)

Title Page (#u64d6e2e8-d00d-50d1-aab8-67e2c04c8342)

Copyright (#u93a79b74-a5fc-5599-9c3c-cd0b58372dae)

Dedication (#u64e2ecf4-30bd-58c3-a0bc-be7b501575db)

Acknowledgements (#u63b0b05d-2a73-5cab-9a39-1f0f6756277f)

CHAPTER ONE (#ub7d72a1b-51a7-5566-9be2-4fbbb88b57a6)

CHAPTER TWO (#udab4440f-afca-5bd4-a70b-f36418c4a1bd)

CHAPTER THREE (#u2fda2db7-9209-5432-9b02-53f3ac3efa9f)