Wrongly Accused

by Laura Scott

  Her jaw dropped open, and she quickly glanced over to make sure Kaitlin wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. “Are you going to do it?” she asked.

  “I don’t know what to do,” he confessed, his gaze full of agony. “I love my daughter. She’s the center of my life, regardless who fathered her.”

  “I know you love her, and she loves you, too.” Her heart was breaking for him and she thought that if Declan walked through the door right now she might be tempted to throw something at him, like her box of tissues or her cup of ice chips. Why had he put the idea in Caleb’s head? “There’s no reason to torture yourself over this, Caleb. She’s yours and that’s all that matters.”

  He nodded, but then shrugged. “I never noticed it before, but Kaitlin really doesn’t look like me. And she has a cleft chin, just like Royce. I searched through all the family photo albums last night, not a cleft chin to be seen on anyone else.”

  She didn’t want to admit that she’d noticed the lack of resemblance, too. “Do you really think that this test will help prove Royce’s guilt?”

  “I think it’s the best shot we have,” he replied. “As much as I detested Marc Brickner, I believe he really loved Heather. And he wanted me to know the truth because he wanted to make Royce pay for what he did.”

  “Sounds like you’ve talked yourself into it,” she murmured.

  “Yeah, maybe. It will take a while for the DNA to get back, regardless.”

  “Are you sure all this hasn’t changed your feelings for Kaitlin?” she asked.

  “I’m positive.” This time, his smile reached his eyes. “I love her. And I want you to know, Noelle, that I care about you, too.”

  She blinked, wondering if she’d imagined that last part. “I care about you, too, Caleb,” she said carefully. “We’ve been through a lot together over the past week.”

  He cradled her hand between his. “Noelle, I don’t want to scare you, or to rush you, but I want you to know, that my feelings for you aren’t going to fade away over time. I missed you terribly and we were apart for less than twenty-four hours. Staying away so that you could get the rest you needed was almost impossible. I can’t tell you how many times I walked to the door, intending to head over here to see you. And it didn’t help that Kaitlin asked about you, constantly.”

  She stared at him in shock. Was she dreaming? If so, please don’t let her wake up.

  “Noelle, I know you’re sick and in pain, but I just want to know that you’ll give us a chance. After you feel better, of course. But don’t shut me out. Don’t hide from me. I love you, Noelle.”

  “Oh, Caleb,” she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. “I want more than anything to be with you, but I’m also afraid. I’ve never been in a serious relationship before. And you know I have a lot of baggage.”

  “I do, too,” he reminded her. “And I’ll be patient, as long as you give me a chance. I’ll wait as long as you need.”

  She was honored and humbled by his declaration. “Caleb, how did I get so lucky to meet you? I never knew what it meant to be in love until I met you.”

  “Lucky?” he asked in mock horror. “I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around. I’m the one who’s lucky enough to have found you.”

  “God gets the credit for bringing us together,” she said firmly.

  “You’re right. And it’s up to us to honor His gift.” Caleb rose and leaned over to give her a gentle kiss. She reached up to hug him with her good arm, longing for the day she could hug him properly.

  “Daddy! Are you kissing Noa?” Kaitlin’s voice made Caleb jump back and Noelle stifled a giggle as she glanced over to see Kaitlin gawking at them, holding a purple crayon in her tiny fist.

  “Yes, I’m definitely kissing Noa,” he said. To prove his point, he kissed Noelle again before he turned to face his daughter. “Are you okay with that, Katydid?”

  “Oh yes, because I love Noa, too.”

  Noelle smiled through her tears, knowing she was truly blessed to be surrounded with love.

  EPILOGUE

  Six months later...

  Caleb stood at the front of the church, waiting for his two favorite women to make their appearance. The church was crowded with the parishioners they’d come to know and his SWAT team buddies, including Declan standing beside him as his best man. He’d been reinstated on the force with a new boss at the helm and things were going about as well as could be expected, considering the reputation of the team had taken a serious media hit.

  Caleb resisted the urge to tug at the tight collar of his tux, because he’d wear anything, including this monkey suit, if it made Noelle happy.

  He was the luckiest man in the world to have this second chance at a family. Royce had crumpled after discovering he was Kaitlin’s biological father, but since his former captain was serving a life sentence for his crimes, Caleb could afford to feel a little sorry for the guy.

  The music swelled and everyone stood, rose to their feet and turned expectantly toward the back of the church. Kaitlin walked down the aisle first, adorably serious as she took slow steps, deliberately dropping pink rose petals on the white runner.

  When her tiny basket was empty she smiled at him and came over to stand next to him. He put his arm around her slim shoulders and said, “Good job, Katydid.”

  “I love you, Daddy,” she whispered back.

  Noelle’s friend and maid of honor, Sarah Germaine, came down the aisle next with Declan. When Deck came over to stand beside Caleb, he patted the pocket holding their rings and winked.

  Caleb practically held his breath waiting for Noelle. When she walked toward him, their gazes clung and instantly the crowd of people in the church faded away, leaving just the two of them.

  Noelle was so beautiful, smiling confidently as she approached. When they first met, in those terrified hours after the shooting, she reminded him of a frightened gazelle determined to protect his daughter. But once the danger was over and they had a chance to relax and get to know each other, Noelle’s strength and confidence had grown. The way she smiled and laughed convinced him she was truly happy.

  He hoped the love he felt was evident in his eyes, the way her love glowed from hers. And he couldn’t stop himself from taking a step forward to meet her.

  “You’re so beautiful, Noelle,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too, Caleb,” she whispered back with a quick smile.

  His heart swelled in his chest as he tucked her hand in his arm and they turned together to face the pastor. With Noelle on one side and his daughter on the other, he was more than ready to begin the next phase of his life.

  Noelle and Kaitlin were his family. And he would never take his life and his freedom for granted ever again.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from PERILOUS WATERS by Sandra Orchard.

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome to my new miniseries SWAT: Top Cops! Living in Wisconsin I’ve had the unfortunate experience of two terrible mass shooting incidents in the past few years. The first was the Sikh Temple Shooting and the second was the Azana Salon Shooting. In both cases, we were lucky to have an awesome response from our Milwaukee County and Waukesha County SWAT teams. Seeing these brave men and women in action as these tragedies unraveled gave me the idea to write a miniseries about them.

  Wrongly Accused is the first book in the series. Caleb O’Malley has been arrested for killing his wife. When he’s released from jail, he’s determined to pick up his daughter, Kaitlin, and to figure out a way to start their life over. But when the bullets fly, Caleb has no choice but to take Kaitlin and her foster mother, Noelle Whitman, with him to keep them safe. Soon, Noelle’s love and faith helps Caleb to learn to trust again.

  I hope you enjoy reading Caleb and Noelle’s sto
ry. I’m always thrilled and honored to hear from my readers and I can be reached through my website at www.laurascottbooks.com, on Facebook at Laura Scott Author and on Twitter @laurascottbooks.

  Yours in faith,

  Laura Scott

  Questions For Discussion

  In the beginning of the story, Caleb resents the fact that Noelle has been taking care of his daughter while he was in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Discuss a time when you resented someone else, even if that person was doing something good.

  Noelle isn’t sure she can trust Caleb, even though she knows that we should consider people innocent until proven guilty. Discuss a time when you didn’t give someone the benefit of the doubt.

  Caleb discovers how Noelle has been teaching Kaitlin to pray, despite the fact that he wasn’t a Christian. Do you think Noelle did the right thing in teaching Kaitlin to pray? Why or why not?

  Noelle soon begins to believe in Caleb’s innocence because he goes out of his way to make his daughter happy and seems determined to keep her safe. Do you think Noelle trusted Caleb too soon? Why or why not?

  Caleb is thankful that his daughter learns to trust him again. Discuss a time in your life when you experienced a strained relationship with someone you loved.

  Caleb begins to pray when they are on the bus and the police have arrived at the mall to search for them. Discuss a difficult time in your life when you turned to prayer.

  Noelle is determined to help Caleb prove his innocence and to find his way to God. Discuss a time when you had to help someone in your life find faith or rebuild their reputation.

  Caleb finally calls on his former SWAT teammate Declan for assistance. Do you think he should have called his teammates sooner? Why or why not?

  Caleb learns the true meaning of prayer when he discovers Noelle and Kaitlin have been taken from Declan’s house. He’s also willing to give up his life for his daughter’s. Discuss a time when you might have faced a similar situation.

  Toward the end of the story, Caleb discovers he may not be Kaitlin’s biological father. Discuss whether or not you could handle learning that sort of information and how it might affect your love for your child.

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

  You enjoy a dash of danger. Love Inspired Suspense stories feature strong heroes and heroines whose faith is central in solving mysteries and saving lives.

  Enjoy four new stories from Love Inspired Suspense every month!

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

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  ONE

  “Please tell me those women aren’t why you’re really in town.”

  Sam Steele shifted his gaze from the gorgeous heiresses dining in the corner of the dimly lit Seattle bistro and grinned at his brother. “They’re not why I’m in town.”

  Jake’s eyes narrowed. “Right. Now tell me the truth.”

  “What?” Sam brandished his most offended tone, hoping not to give away that Jake had nailed his mission. “Can’t I look at a pretty woman?” Pretty hardly did Jennifer Robbins justice. His fingers itched to tug her blond locks free of the tidy bun she’d tamed them into.

  “Sure, but I thought you gave up women after that jezebel almost cost you your job.”

  Sam gritted his teeth at the reminder of the woman he’d blithely dated for weeks until she’d manipulated him into being late for a rendezvous with a critical informant, who’d later turned up dead, and he’d had to prove he was merely a gullible idiot and not complicit in the plot.

  Sam forced his shoulders to relax, sipped his water.

  “Still a sore spot, I see.” Jake smirked. “Want me to ask the twins to join us?”

  “You know them?” The question came out strangled. Investigating women his brother knew would not go over well with his family, or his boss.

  “The heiresses to the Robbins Art Gallery?” Jake said in a do-I-look-like-I-was-born-yesterday tone. “Everyone in Seattle knows them.”

  Sam leaned forward, holding his brother’s x-ray-vision gaze without so much as a flinch. “They’re not why I’m in town. I’m here to join our parents, you and my adorable nephew Tommy on an Alaskan cruise. Remember?”

  Jake studied him a moment longer but thankfully didn’t question Sam’s sudden generosity in surprising them with the cruise tickets. He probably didn’t want to risk being asked to pitch in. Jake drew back his hands, palms out. “Okay, I believe you.”

  No, he didn’t. Bringing Jake here tonight had been a mistake. He knew Sam specialized in the FBI’s art crime investigations, so he was bound to be more suspicious than ever when they “ran into” the women on the cruise next week.

  Jake glanced over his shoulder again.

  This time the twin sister, Cassandra, noticed and offered an inviting smile.

  Terrific. Just what Sam didn’t want. Now she’d be suspicious of them on the cruise, too. Could anything else go wrong?

  “Wipe that smirk off your face,” Sam ordered. “Mom would kill you if you brought home a girl like that.”

  The corner of Jake’s mouth hitched higher. “So I guess that means you’d prefer the more conservative-looking one? Her name’s Jennifer, in case you’re interested.”

  Yeah, but Sam didn’t let on that he already knew. He knew more about the pair than Jake could imagine. Like the fact that their parents died in a tragic car accident when the girls were seventeen. That their former guardian, longtime family friend and gallery curator, Reginald Michaels, was their estate trustee until their twenty-fifth birthdays. That, although identical twins, the two women couldn’t be more different.

  Cassandra wore too much makeup, and flashy designer outfits that revealed more than they concealed. Meanwhile, Jennifer was as buttoned-up as they came in her navy suit and sensible shoes. She didn’t seem to favor the nightclub photo ops like her sister, either. In fact, in the few publicity shots Sam had managed to dig up of the reclusive twin, her gaze held a lost-soul quality that had tugged at something deep inside him.

  He shook away the thought. He shouldn’t be noticing a suspect’s ocean-blue eyes, except to be able to identify her in a lineup.

  “She goes to church,” his brother said, with a hint of amusement. “Has been going for a while.”

  “Good to know,” Sam acknowledged, letting Jake have his fun if it meant diverting him from Sam’s true interest in the women. But the backhanded reference to Ms. Jezebel stung. She’d orchestrated their acquaintance at his church, and because she hadn’t seemed to have any affiliation to any of his cases, he’d trusted her far too easily. A mistake he never planned to repeat. “And you know this how?” Sam asked, suddenly curious how Jake happened to know so much about the women who were supposed to be out of their league.

  Jake leaned back and took a long draw of his ginger ale before answering. “She goes to the same church as the fire chief.”

  Sam steeled himself against a spark of doubt about the woman’s guilt. Jennifer might not work at the gallery like her sister, but as part owner, she’d have some inkling of their illegal dealings. Why else would her computer’s IP address and cell phone have logged as many as six searches of the FBI’s National Stolen Art Information Registry in the past week and a half—the last one while she was in the gallery earlier this evening?

  According to the Anchorage office, the tip that a stolen Native American painting had surfaced in a Skagway gallery came from a reliable source. A wiretap on the gallery’s phone had logged several suspicious calls from the Robbins Gallery. Two days later, Cassandra and Jennifer were booked on an Alaskan cruis
e.

  Across the bistro, the women asked for their bill.

  Sam pushed aside his half-finished dessert. “You done?”

  Jake shoveled tiramisu into his mouth and shook his head.

  The women stood, and Jake must’ve guessed at Sam’s real reason for asking. Well, hopefully not the real, real reason.

  Reginald Michaels’s suspiciously worded conversations with the Skagway gallery had convinced Sam the twins’ roles would be pivotal in smuggling the pieces south. He needed to know for sure.

  In his six years on the FBI’s art crime team, Sam had specialized in recovering stolen art, usually by posing as an unscrupulous private collector willing to overlook a masterpiece’s provenance for the opportunity to own it. First he’d cultivate the seller’s trust, then he’d set up the buy, and a combined team of FBI agents and local law enforcement would have his back. But time hadn’t been on his side in this case.

  Jake shoveled in another mouthful then quickly wiped his face. “Okay. I’m good.”

  By the time Sam paid the bill, the women had just about made it to their car, which was perfect because Sam could say bye to Jake and quietly tail the pair to their next destination. The late-June sun was sinking fast, which would make it easier to follow unobserved.

  A scream split the air. One of the twins.

  Jake hoofed across the parking lot with Sam on his heels, more than a little uneasy about meeting the twins this way. When he was close enough to see they were unharmed, he slowed and let his brother take the lead. The last thing he needed on this case was more complications.

  “Are you two okay?” Jake asked.

  The women, clearly shaken, both nodded.

  Keeping his distance, Sam rounded behind them, taking in the slashed tires and the smashed driver-side window of the Ford Focus. An economy car. Another of the heiresses’ anomalies.