One-Night Alibi. Kara Lennox

      

      Walking away is not an option

      It was one night. And it might have stayed that way for Elizabeth Downey if her steamy evening with Hudson Vale hadn’t been the same night her estranged father was murdered. Now she and Hudson—a cop who had arrested her father—are the prime suspects.

      Forced to work together to clear their names, Elizabeth and Hudson must deal with their wildly different approaches. Worse, the simmering attraction between them won’t go away. As they race to untangle a web of deceit, the stakes get higher. Because not only do their lives depend on finding the truth, but so does this passion that’s turning into so much more.…

      “You have to leave.”

      The urgency had returned to Liz’s voice. “We can’t be seen together.”

      “We’ve already been seen together,” Hudson said. “Your security man downstairs knows I came to see you. The valet at the wedding saw us leave together. You think cops won’t figure that out?”

      Her face fell. She returned to the living room and more or less collapsed onto the sofa. Hudson sat in the chair opposite her.

      “Maybe you better tell me everything,” he said. “Why would you want to kill Franklin Mandalay?”

      “Because he’s my father. And we’re estranged. He is manipulative and controlling and a liar. And I’m his sole heir.” With that, her eyes filled with tears. “I have no idea why I keep crying. He was not a very nice man.”

      Mandalay was her father? Hudson’s head spun. “I knew there was something off about that night,” he murmured. Then, louder, he said, “Tell me everything. All of it, Liz. If I get even a whiff of deception from you I’m going straight to the police.”

      Dear Reader,

      Any writer will tell you that coming up with the title of a book can be an excruciating process. For me, I usually begin writing with some lame title in place. Then, as I get to know my story and my characters, other titles will come to mind. By the time I send the manuscript to my editor, I’ll probably have a title I’m happy with.

      Oh, but it doesn’t end there. Editors have their own ideas about titles, and every title undergoes a great deal of scrutiny. Does it fit the story? Is it the right tone? Does it sound like a Harlequin Superromance title? Will it fit on the cover nicely? Although the title usually is something all parties can agree to, often it is not the author’s original title.

      One-Night Alibi is one of those titles that come up once in a blue moon. I had it before I even started the book. I love it because it tells you exactly what the book is about. It’s sexy and it’s suspenseful-sounding. Happily, the editors agreed with me on this one! I hope it caught your attention, too!

      All best,

      Kara Lennox

      One-Night Alibi

      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.

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      For Sally Slocum

      Everyone should have such a wonderful mother-in-law

      Contents

       Prologue

       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

       Excerpt

      PROLOGUE

      HUDSON VALE LIKED to brag that he never got sick. All the vitamin C in the Mountain Dew he drank kept him healthy as a horse. But today, he’d been made a liar. After sneezing his head off yesterday, he’d cut his shift early and gone home. A handful