Washed dishes stood dry in the draining rack beside the sink. Unpaid bills lay in a stack on the end of the counter beside a half-drunk cup of tea. A magazine on the dining table was opened to the crossword in the back – almost complete – with a ballpoint pen resting on the page. She ran her fingertips over the table, a lump forming her throat. Where had they been driving to? It didn’t seem as though they were headed anywhere for the day, since they’d left so many things unfinished. They must have thought they wouldn’t be gone long.
Her chest ached and her eyes smarted. She still couldn’t believe they weren’t coming back, even after stopping at the coroner’s office in Milton, the closest metropolitan centre to Heartstone, and identifying their bodies. Just the memory of that made the bile rise in her throat. She swallowed and breathed deeply.
Isabella slumped onto a barstool at the counter, laid her head on her arm and sobbed, finally letting out all her pent-up emotions. Hector sat beside her, nuzzling her leg.
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Also by Vivi Holt
CONTEMPORARY SERIES
Make-Believe
Make-Believe Fiancé
Make-Believe Wedding
Make-Believe Honeymoon
Make-Believe Husband
Cowboys & Debutantes
Dalton
Eamon
Parker
HISTORICAL SERIES
Cowboys & Debutantes (Historical)
Della
Hattie
Pearl
Paradise Valley
Of Peaks and Prairies
Winds of Paradise
Lost in Laredo
Cheyenne Reckoning
Forgotten Trails
Cutter’s Creek
The Betrothed
Cherished
Season of Love
Captivated
Beguiled
Orphan Brides Go West
Mail Order Bride: Christy
Mail Order Bride: Ramona
Mail Order Bride: Katie
Mail Order Bride: Holly
Visit my website at www.viviholt.com for an updated list of my books
About the Author
Vivi Holt was born in Australia. She grew up in the country, where she spent her youth riding horses at Pony Club, and adventuring through the fields and rivers around the farm. Her father was a builder, turned saddler, and her mother a nurse, who stayed home to raise their four children.
After graduating from a degree in International Relations, Vivi moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work for a year. It was there that she met her husband, and they were married three years later. She spent seven years living in Atlanta and travelled to various parts of the United States during that time, falling in love with the beauty of that immense country and the American people.
Vivi also studied for a Bachelor of Information Technology, and worked in the field ever since until becoming a full-time writer in 2016. She now lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband and three small children. Married to a Baptist pastor, she is very active in her local church.
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Copyright © 2018 by Vivi Holt
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