Shadows Of Truth

Shadows Of Truth
Sharon Mignerey

Only one thing could bring DEA agent Micah McLeod back to Carbondale, Colorado: Rachel Neesham being in danger.Months before, Rachel's antique shop had been a front for crime, and she'd been a suspect. Micah went undercover to seek the truth and found out Rachel was innocent–but not before casting a veil of suspicion that destroyed her reputation. Yet in the process, he'd fallen for her.Now, with her business ruined and her faith shattered, the real criminals were after her and her two children. Micah vowed to keep them safe at any cost. Would Rachel forgive and forget? Her life depended on it.

Micah moved toward the door, which Rachel was starting to close. “Wait–” he said. “I want to help you.”

“Oh, that’s rich,” she said. “Just how are you going to do that?” She turned away from him.

“Look, I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he said.

“No, you don’t,” she agreed, lifting her chin.

He stopped in front of her, lifted a hand. “Rachel…”

“Go,” she whispered on a ragged breath. “Just go.”

Micah stepped onto the porch, and she closed the screen door. He stood there facing the sun that burned into his eyes, his fingertips in his jeans pockets. Finally he cleared his throat. “You have no idea how much I regret what I did to you,” he said.

But she was already gone.

SHARON MIGNEREY

After living most of her life in Colorado, Sharon recently moved to the Texas Gulf coast, where Southern hospitality lives up to its reputation for being warm and welcoming. She wanted to be a storyteller since she learned that spelling words could be turned into stories. Sharon’s first book was published in 1997 after winning RWA’s Golden Heart Award in 1995. That same book went on to win the National Reader’s Choice Award. In addition to writing novels, Sharon has had several articles published by The Writer Magazine. She says the accolades are wonderful, but the only lasting satisfaction comes from serving the work. When she’s not writing, you can find her being happily involved with her critique group, learning how to garden in the Texan heat or playing with her two rescued shih tzus.

Sharon loves hearing from readers. She can be reached through her Web site www.sharonmignerey.com or in care of Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.

Shadows of Truth

Sharon Mignerey

Consider my affliction and my travail.

Forgive all my sins.

—Psalms 25:18

My deepest gratitude to Barbara Harrison,

Judythe Hixson, Sue Hornick and Pamela Nowak—

you each are amazing lights.

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

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

ONE

Busting a gang of drug dealers would be easier than going to the door to ask for Rachel Neesham’s forgiveness. Even so, Micah McLeod was back in Carbondale, Colorado, a scant hour’s drive from Aspen. Last spring, he had left town to follow a trail of evidence, first to Aspen, then to Cabo San Lucas, all the while pretending his undercover assignment here hadn’t rocked his world.

In truth, he had run.

In truth, he wasn’t sure he would have come back now if not for the threat he knew was hanging over Rachel’s head. That thought shamed him. She had deserved far better from him than he had ever given her.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the wrought-iron gate in front of Rachel’s big, two-story Victorian house and stepped onto the brick walkway that led to her front door. He squared his shoulders and climbed the two steps, each scrape of his boot against the wood echoing in his conscience.

The late-afternoon sun burned into his shoulder blades like a laser. The heavy oak door with its oval etched glass stood open, implying welcome. Once, he had been, and now he hoped she would give him the second chance he had failed to give her.

Her safety depended upon it, though he didn’t have hard evidence to prove it. Yet.

A month ago, Rachel’s old business partner, Angela London, had started leaving him messages from prison. Since she was a proven liar and a convicted felon, he’d figured she was simply working an angle, and he hadn’t been in any hurry to see her. Now, he wished he had answered her summons the first day she had called. The case that had put Angela behind bars had taken one more unpredictable turn, and Rachel was once again caught in the crosshairs.

He frowned, staring into the house beyond the screen door. Given the threats she had received, Rachel should have the house locked up. As it was, anyone could walk right in.

The fragrance from brilliant flowers overflowing the huge terra-cotta pots framing the door assaulted his senses and ratcheted up his unease. Through the screen, the foyer was gilded in sunlight, his own shadow stretching down a hallway that he knew led to the kitchen.