A Family at Last. Jacqueline Diamond

      “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 [email protected] and visit my Web site at www.jacquelinediamond.com.

      A Family at Last

      Jacqueline Diamond

       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*

      1101—NINE-MONTH SURPRISE*

      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

       Chapter Nineteen

       Chapter Twenty

      Chapter One

      Through the gathering dusk, Karen Lowell stared at the one-story brick pediatric clinic in the Green Hills area of Nashville, Tennessee. She had to summon the courage to march inside that building, even if it meant making a complete fool of herself.

      She had to stop Dr. Chris McRay from ruining her life.

      And her brother’s. And a lot of other people’s. Maybe even his own.

      She opened her car door and stepped into a blustery February wind that buffeted her dark green coat. She should have come here months ago, she reflected as she hurried across the parking lot. She’d blamed work and family pressures, but in all honesty, cowardice had kept her away.

      Chris had no business returning to his hometown, even if it did desperately need a pediatrician. Karen had opposed hiring him and now he’d set a date less than three weeks away for his arrival.

      Before he made the move, someone had to change his mind. Karen couldn’t delay any longer.

      She knew practicality wouldn’t sway Chris, who must have already weighed the reduction in income he’d receive by moving to Downhome. Instead, she had to hope he’d retained a shred of common decency.

      It was a lot to ask of a man who’d lied on the witness stand. A man who’d sent her innocent brother to prison to cover up a crime he himself had committed.

      A man who’d gotten away with murder.

      Although her hands felt clammy, Karen refused to let nerves get the better of her. Murderer or not, Chris posed no immediate danger. In fact, to a casual observer, he no doubt appeared quite likable.

      He’d been all smoothness and charm when he’d interviewed for the clinic job. As director of the town’s nursing home, Karen had served on the three-person physician search committee,