He’d never met a more resourceful woman.

      He leaned against the door frame, let the light that stretched into the hall from the living room fall softly across her face and watched the steady rise and fall of her chest. She’d kept a vehicle hidden in a remote location for a quick getaway in the event she was made. He wondered how many gas stations along how many routes she had scouted out to ensure she could escape from a variety of locations. She appeared to know every tree and trail in those woods off the interstate. He wouldn’t even hazard to guess how many other escape routes she had around the town she’d called home for the past year.

      She was absolutely amazing.

      She’d gone to great lengths to protect herself and her child. That alone made him wonder about the threat her ex posed….

      The Hidden Heir

      Debra Webb

      As a mother I have often worried what would become of my youngest daughter if something were to happen to me and her father. I am certain I could count on my eldest daughter as well as my niece, but beyond family, who could I depend on for this enormous obligation? In this life there are friends and there are friends. Donna Boyd is a friend with whom I would without hesitation trust my daughter’s life. This book is dedicated to her unending loyalty and immense kindness. I will forever hold her friendship dear to my heart.

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Debra Webb was born in Scottsboro, Alabama, to parents who taught her that anything is possible if you want it bad enough. She began writing at age nine. Eventually she met and married the man of her dreams, and tried some other occupations, including selling vacuum cleaners, working in a factory, a day-care center, a hospital and a department store. When her husband joined the military, they moved to Berlin, Germany, and Debra became a secretary in the commanding general’s office. By 1985 they were back in the States, and finally moved to Tennessee, to a small town where everyone knows everyone else. With the support of her husband and two beautiful daughters, Debra took up writing again, looking to mystery and movies for inspiration. In 1998, her dream of writing for Harlequin came true. You can write to Debra with your comments at P.O. Box 64, Huntland, Tennessee 37345 or visit her Web site at www.debrawebb.com to find out exciting news about her next book.

      CAST OF CHARACTERS

      Keith Devers—This is his first field assignment. Can a guy who has worked in research his entire career cut it in the field?

      Ashley Orrick—Seemingly sweet and vulnerable, she’s willing to go to great lengths to keep her son away from his father. But is the money her only motivation?

      Desmond Van Valkenberg—His fortune can buy him anything except a cure for his terminal illness. Doesn’t he have the right to know his only son?

      Mr. Brody—Van Valkenberg’s personal attorney. His loyalty lies with his client. How far is he willing to go to keep that client happy?

      Ben Haygood—The Top Gun of software and hardware at the Colby Agency. Will he be able to come through for Keith when a life hangs in the balance?

      Mary Orrick—Is she protecting her daughter or seeking revenge against the man she hates?

      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 One

      Victoria Colby-Camp sat in the coffee shop on the first floor of the building she called her second home. The place where the Colby Agency had been born, where it thrived more than twenty years later.

      Located mere blocks off Chicago’s glorious Magnificent Mile, coming to work every day was a treat for the senses. She loved the excitement of the city. Her city. The sounds and smells; the good and the bad that went along with living in an ever-expanding metropolis.

      She should be getting back to the office. Lucas—she smiled—would be wondering where she’d gotten to. Every woman who had loved and lost, whatever the circumstances, should have a second chance at the kind of love she had found with Lucas Camp.

      Victoria thanked God every day for him, as well as for the health and well-being of her family.

      She sipped her Earl Grey and studied the patrons swarming in and out of the small coffee shop. There were only six tables, each with two delicately formed wrought iron chairs. The seats weren’t cushioned, most likely to prevent anyone from growing too comfortable. The owner needn’t have worried; most who entered the shop were in a hurry. They were either in a rush to get to work or simply needed to get away from the office for a few moments. Smoking was no longer permitted in the building, so those who partook were forced to go outside to do so.

      Of course, there was coffee and tea of all sorts in the lounge on the fourth floor just down the hall from Victoria’s office. Or Mildred, her secretary, would have been happy to see after her refreshment needs. Each morning when Victoria came to work, she found coffee, her favorite blend, waiting for her in an elegant carafe. Mildred had a kind of sixth sense when it came to anticipating the needs of most everyone at the agency. This one had been no different.

      But, like those with cigarettes and lighters in hand, this morning Victoria had come down to the lobby for a different reason. Escape, for only a minute or two. She couldn’t say precisely why she had felt the need. All was well at home and in the office. She simply needed a few moments, not necessarily alone but to herself.

      She watched the men and women rush through the main entrance and across the expanse of polished marble floor only to have to wait in line while security scrutinized their possessions as well as their persons. To move beyond that checkpoint, one had to have proper identification and be thoroughly screened for anything that might be used as a weapon.

      It was a nuisance, but unfortunately a necessary one in today’s climate of unrest.

      Victoria settled her attention back on the swiftly cooling tea. Maybe the reason for her desire to have a moment alone was more apparent than she realized. For the first time in almost two decades, everything in her life was exactly as it should be. Her son Jim and his wife Tasha, were at long last happy, and the first Colby grandchild was on the way. The horrors that had haunted Jim since his return home were now finally under control.

      A smile toyed with the corners of Victoria’s mouth. And her other baby, her agency, was better than ever. She’d hired more new recruits, bringing the total to five. The energy from those young men and women had provided just the transfusion of excitement the agency had needed recently.

      Unstoppable.

      That was the one word that truly defined her agency as it moved toward its third decade of operation.

      She felt completely satisfied for the first time in far too long a time. Satisfied and extremely lucky.

      That smile that had tickled her lips now spread across her face as she caught sight of her husband in the lobby.