A Family at Last

A Family at Last
Jacqueline Diamond

The Wait Might Just Be OverYears after a teenage prank ended badly and a young boy's testimony put his best friend in jail, Downhome, Tennessee, is still trying to heal the scars of the old scandal. Now the two are back in town–one trying to clear himself of murder, the other of betrayal–and long-buried feelings have been stirred.Karen Lowell is once again caught between the two men, with even more now at stake. Her brother's ongoing crusade to shift blame away from himself has already poisoned her past, and now it's tainting her dreams for the future.Because Karen yearns for a life that will include pediatrician Chris McRay, the man who is now–as he was so many years ago–her lover. A life where she and Chris will be a family at last.The choice is hers. Can she make it?

“You can’t prop him up forever.”

“I know that. I’m only asking you to wait a little longer. If Jeremiah really did kill Norbert Anglin, those fibers might prove it. Once Barry clears his record, he’ll have a second chance at the life he always wanted.”

“We have no guarantee it will work.” Chris wrapped his arms around his knees. “I want to fight for you because we belong together. But I have needs, too, Karen. I’ve been on a roller coaster ever since I got back to town. Please promise to marry me. We’ll work the rest out later.”

“I can’t,” she said miserably. “Not now.”

“I won’t force the issue tonight,” he conceded, “but neither am I willing to continue seeing you on the sly. If this business with the fibers doesn’t work out, you’re going to have to choose.”

“I know.”

Karen’s heart felt close to bursting. The prospect of betraying her brother went against her character, right down to her soul. Yet she couldn’t bear to lose Chris.

Somehow she had to find a way to say yes.

Dear Reader,

Although A Family at Last is the third book set in Downhome, Tennessee, it stands by itself. Readers of the previous two books will enjoy meeting old friends, but new readers won’t have any trouble jumping into the story.

This time, the town in need of doctors has landed pediatrician Chris McRay. Although nursing home director Karen Lowell once loved him, his testimony sent her brother, Barry, to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

In an attempt to clear his name, Barry has focused on Chris—even going so far as to accuse him of committing the murder himself. But Chris is determined to put those rumors to rest.

Karen doesn’t know whom to believe or where her loyalties lie. The tricky part is that as Chris fits back into the community, she discovers she’s falling in love with him all over again.

None of them has considered that even in a close-knit town like Downhome, the real killer might still be on the loose. They’re going to have to put aside their divided loyalties and work together if they want a happy ending.

Hope you enjoy their story! Please e-mail me at jdiamondfriends@aol.com and visit my Web site at www.jacquelinediamond.com.

A Family at Last

Jacqueline Diamond

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

Books by Jacqueline Diamond

HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

913—THE IMPROPERLY PREGNANT PRINCESS

962—DIAGNOSIS: EXPECTING BOSS’S BABY

971—PRESCRIPTION: MARRY HER IMMEDIATELY

978—PROGNOSIS: A BABY? MAYBE

1046—THE BABY’S BODYGUARD

1075—THE BABY SCHEME

1094—THE POLICE CHIEF'S LADY* (#litres_trial_promo)

1101—NINE-MONTH SURPRISE* (#litres_trial_promo)

Contents

Chapter One (#u55afcbed-02ae-5805-8a81-e2902238c50a)

Chapter Two (#u1405766c-5e52-569f-9365-ad92f9c6dcde)

Chapter Three (#u953d480b-355d-55f1-bf32-2d29c8a17a0c)

Chapter Four (#u84e60f6a-c250-5c6e-b010-b5758452588a)

Chapter Five (#ua3946e8b-7143-500d-9337-a5eaffcde73f)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)