For the Right Reasons. Kara Lennox

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      Secrets…murder…redemption

      Dr. Bree Johnson won’t let an innocent man rot in jail. Why won’t Project Justice’s handsome attorney Eric Riggs listen to her when she knows her ex Kelly Ralston did not commit the crime he’s been arrested for? Little does she know that Kelly has threatened Eric’s daughter and that the secrets in this case go beyond them all.

      But who is controlling Kelly? Bree and Eric will have to trust one another in order to bring the real criminal to justice. Bree might have met the love of her life, but if she and Eric don’t stay ahead of the killer, her life might not be a long one….

      “Very good work, MacKenzie. I think I might have something here.…”

      Bree dug into her purse. “I do. Would you like a glitter heart or a gold star?”

      “Heart, heart, heart, heart!”

      Eric was touched. Had Bree put those stickers in her purse just for MacKenzie? Or… “You must have kids.”

      A stark sadness flashed across Bree’s face before she masked it. “No, no kids. But I keep a few things on hand for children who come through the emergency room.”

      “So emergency medicine is your specialty?”

      “Yes. I work at the county hospital.”

      He wondered how many men faked serious illness in the hopes that lovely Bree would minister to them. Images flashed through his mind of Bree’s soft, pale hands touching him—in the most innocent, doctorly ways, of course.

      God, what was he doing? He clenched his eyes shut until the images dissipated. He couldn’t afford to think of her like that. He needed to get her and her misguided agenda out of his life.

      Dear Reader,

      Ask any parent what they would be willing to do to save their child’s life, and most will answer without hesitation, “Whatever it takes.” The bond between parent and child is said to be the strongest of any human attachments. Otherwise timid, gentle people will turn into superheroes when their offspring are threatened.

      That’s the situation Eric Riggs faces in this story. (If you read In This Together,—Mills & Boon Superromance, October 2013—the previous book in this series, you might remember Eric as the brother Travis Riggs risks everything to free from prison.) Eric will do what it takes to keep his fragile little girl safe, even if it puts his newfound love for Bree in jeopardy—even if it means he might go back to prison.

      It’s been a long time since I wrote a book in which a child was a major character, but I became so attached to Eric’s daughter, MacKenzie, that she threatened to take over the book! I hope you enjoy watching Eric and Bree pick their way through a minefield of choices and challenges as they try to forge those all-important familial bonds, but I especially hope you enjoy MacKenzie’s role. Maybe someday I’ll give her her own book, when she’s grown up.

      All my best,

      Kara Lennox

      For the Right Reasons

      Kara Lennox

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      KARA LENNOX has earned her living at various times as an art director, typesetter, textbook editor and reporter. She’s worked in a boutique, a health club and an ad agency. She’s been an antiques dealer, an artist and even a blackjack dealer. But no work has ever made her happier than writing romance novels. To date, she has written more than sixty books. Kara is a recent transplant to Southern California. When not writing, she indulges in an ever-changing array of hobbies. Her latest passions are bird-watching, long-distance bicycling, vintage jewelry and, by necessity, do-it-yourself home renovation. She loves to hear from readers. You can find her at www.karalennox.com.

      For my husband, Rob Preece, without whom I never would have made it to the end of this book! Thank you for keeping me sane and refilling my coffee cup.

      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 Twenty-One

       Extract

      CHAPTER ONE

      “I THINK MOST of you know Eric Riggs.” Daniel Logan, the billionaire CEO and founder of Project Justice, spoke from an enormous video screen positioned at the head of a gleaming mahogany table, making it appear as if he were actually in the conference room, presiding over the staff meeting.

      Eric nodded in acknowledgment and tried not to look as nervous as he felt. This conference room was not so different from countless others he’d visited as an attorney. But it had been three years since he’d worn a suit. Three years since he’d focused on anything except proving his innocence and getting out of prison.

      He’d accomplished that goal, with the help of his brother and this very organization.

      Eric had always thought that once he was free, he would simply start living again—albeit without his wife, the woman he’d thought was his true love. But nothing about his life was simple. Prison had changed him.

      His old firm hadn’t wanted him back. They were a stodgy lot, and they wanted nothing to do with what they referred to as Eric’s “unsavory notoriety.” But Daniel Logan had generously offered him a temporary job here, just