Heart of Gold Read online

  Dear Reader,

  Readers often want to know how I got my start as a writer. When I tell people that my first books were romance novels for Bantam’s Loveswept line, they’re sometimes surprised. Although this genre may seem completely different from the suspense I write now, the two have more in common than it seems.

  For me, every good story has two indispensible components to it: characters to fall in love with and root for, and a mystery to figure out—whether it’s an unsolved crime or that confusing and complex emotion that baffles us most of all—love. Even the most detailed murder plot can’t compare to the intricate mechanics of the human heart.

  In Heart of Gold, the first book in a trilogy about a group of college friends, Faith Kinkaid is trying frantically to escape her past, which includes her ex-husband who is on trial for bribery. Despite building a new life for herself and her daughter in the charming seaside town of Anastasia, California, and starting her own bed and breakfast, Faith wants to bring her husband to justice, and agrees to testify against him in a high-profile case. There’s just one catch: The Justice Department decides she needs a bodyguard. When Shane Callan shows up on Faith’s doorstep, she realizes that her new protector has a deep, vulnerable side beneath his impeccable physique and quick wit. Can Faith overcome her fears to break through Shane’s stoic demeanor and give both of them a second chance at love?

  Faith and Shane’s story touched my heart all those years ago, and I hope that you’ll enjoy it as much today.

  All my best,

  Tami Hoag

  PRAISE FOR THE BESTSELLERS OF

  Tami Hoag

  THE ALIBI MAN

  “Captivating thriller … [Elena] is a heroine readers will want to see more of.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Hard to put down.”

  —The Washington Post

  “A superbly taut thriller. Written in a staccato style that will have readers racing through the pages … Will leave readers breathless and satisfied.”

  —Booklist

  “A suspenseful tale, with a surprising ending; the author once again has constructed a hard-hitting story with interesting characters and a thrilling plot.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “Elena Estes [is] one of Hoag’s most complicated, difficult and intriguing characters…. Hoag enhances a tight mystery plot with an over-the-shoulder view of the Palm Beach polo scene, giving her readers an up-close-and-personal look at the rich and famous…. The Alibi Man is her best work to date.”

  —BookReporter.com

  “An engrossing story and a cast of well-drawn characters.”

  —Minneapolis Star Tribune

  “[Hoag] gets better with every book. One of the tautest thrillers I have read for a long while.”

  —Bookseller (U.K.)

  “Hoag certainly knows how to build a plot and her skill has deservedly landed her on bestseller lists numerous times.”

  —South Florida Sun-Sentinel

  “Hoag has a winner in this novel where she brings back Elena Estes…. Hoag is the consummate storyteller and creator of suspense.”

  —Mystery News

  “Tami Hoag weaves an intricate tale of murder and deception…. A very well-written and thought-out murder/mystery. Hoag is able to keep you guessing and you’ll be left breathless until all the threads are unwoven and the killer is revealed.”

  —FreshFiction.com

  PRIOR BAD ACTS

  “A snappy, scary thriller.”

  —Entertainment Weekly

  “Stunning … Here [Hoag] stands above the competition, creating complex characters who evolve more than those in most thrillers. The breathtaking plot twists are perfectly paced in this compulsive page-turner.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “A chilling thriller with a romantic chaser.”

  —New York Daily News

  “A first-rate thriller with an ending that will knock your socks off.”

  —Booklist

  “An engrossing thriller with plenty of plot twists and a surprise ending.”

  —OK! magazine

  “A chilling tale of murder and mayhem.”

  —BookPage

  “The in-depth characterization and the unrelenting suspense are what makes Prior Bad Acts an outstanding read. Gritty and brutal at times, Prior Bad Acts delivers a stunning novel of murder, vengeance and retribution…. Riveting and chilling suspense.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  KILL THE MESSENGER

  “Excellent pacing and an energetic plot heighten the suspense…. Enjoyable.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “Everything rings true, from the zippy cop-shop banter, to the rebellious bike messenger subculture, to the ultimate, heady collision of Hollywood money, politics, and power.”

  —Minneapolis Star Tribune

  “Hoag’s usual crisp, uncluttered storytelling and her ability to make us care about her characters triumph in Kill the Messenger.”

  —Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

  “A perfect book. It is well written, and it has everything a reader could hope for…. It cannot be put down…. Please don’t miss this one.”

  —Kingston Observer

  “[A] brisk read … it demonstrates once again why [Hoag’s] so good at what she does.”

  —San Francisco Chronicle

  “Action-filled ride … a colorful, fast-paced novel that will keep you guessing.”

  —Commercial Appeal

  “High-octane suspense … Nonstop action moves the story forward at a breath-stealing pace, and the tension remains high from beginning to end…. Suspense at its very best.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “Hoag’s loyal readers and fans of police procedural suspense novels will definitely love it.”

  —Booklist

  “Kill the Messenger will add to [Hoag’s] list of winners…. This is a fast-moving thriller with a great plot and wonderful characters. The identity of the killer is a real surprise.”

  —Somerset Daily American

  “Engaging … the triumph of substance over style … character-driven, solidly constructed thriller.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Hoag upholds her reputation as one of the hottest writers in the suspense genre with this book, which not only has a highly complex mystery, multilayered suspense and serpentine plot, but also great characterizations … an entertaining and expertly crafted novel not to be missed.”

  —CurledUp.com

  DARK HORSE

  “A thriller as tightly wound as its heroine … Hoag has created a winning central figure in Elena…. Bottom line: Great ride.”

  —People

  “This is her best to date…. [A] tautly told thriller.”

  —Minneapolis Star Tribune

  “Hoag proves once again why she is considered a queen of the crime thriller.”

  —Charleston Post and Courier

  “A tangled web of deceit and double-dealing makes for a fascinating look into the wealthy world of horses juxtaposed with the realistic introspection of one very troubled ex-cop. A definite winner.”

  —Booklist

  “Anyone who reads suspense novels regularly is acquainted with Hoag’s work—or certainly should be. She’s one of the most consistently superior suspense and romantic suspense writers on today’s bestseller lists. A word of warning to readers: don’t think you know whodunit ’til the very end.”

  —Clute Facts

  “Suspense, shocking violence, and a rip-roaring conclusion—this novel has all the pulse-racing touches that put Tami Hoag books on bestseller lists and crime fans’ reading lists.”

  —Baton Rouge Advocate Magazine

  “Full of intri
gue, glitter, and skullduggery … [Hoag] is a master of suspense.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Her best to date, an enjoyable read, and a portent of even better things to come.”

  —Grand Rapids Press

  “A complex cerebral puzzle that will keep readers on the edge until all the answers are revealed.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “To say that Tami Hoag is the absolute best at what she does is a bit easy since she is really the only person who does what she does…. It is a testament to Hoag’s skill that she is able to go beyond being skillful and find the battered hearts in her characters, and capture their beating on the page…. A superb read.”

  —Detroit News & Free Press

  BANTAM TITLES BY TAMI HOAG

  The Alibi Man

  Prior Bad Acts

  Kill the Messenger

  Dark Horse

  Dust to Dust

  Ashes to Ashes

  A Thin Dark Line

  Guilty as Sin

  Night Sins

  Dark Paradise

  Cry Wolf

  Still Waters

  Lucky’s Lady

  The Last White Knight

  Straight from the Heart

  Tempestuous/The Restless Heart

  Taken by Storm

  Heart of Dixie

  Mismatch

  Man of Her Dreams

  Rumor Has It

  The Trouble with J.J.

  McKnight in Shining Armor

  PROLOGUE

  University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana Spring 1977

  “OKAY, EVERYBODY, THIS is it. The final portrait of the Fearsome Foursome. Make sure your caps are on straight, ladies. I’m setting the timer now.” Bryan Hennessy hunched over the thirty-five-millimeter camera, fussing with buttons and switches, pausing once to push his glasses up on his straight nose.

  Faith Kincaid adjusted the shoulders of her graduation gown and checked her cap, poking back long spirals of burnished gold hair that had escaped the bondage of barrettes. She settled herself and her sunny smile in place.

  They stood on the damp grass near the blue expanse of Saint Mary’s Lake, not far from the stone grotto that was built into the hillside behind Sacred Heart Church—a replica of the shrine at Lourdes. The clean, cool air was sweet with the scents of spring flowers, new leaves, and freshly cut grass. Bird song mingled with Alice Cooper’s School’s Out blasting from a boom box in a distant dorm.

  To Faith’s right stood Alaina Montgomery, tall, cool, and poised. To her left stood petite Jayne Jordan, all wide eyes and wild auburn hair. Bryan hustled around to stand behind her, his cap askew. He was tall and athletic with a handsome, honest face and tawny hair that tended to be a bit shaggy, because Bryan tended to forget little details like barber appointments.

  These were her three best friends in the entire world. Faith loved them as if they were family. Jayne was artsy and odd, warm and caring. To most people Alaina seemed aloof, but she was fiercely loyal and sharply insightful. Bryan was sweet and eccentric—their surrogate big brother, their confidant.

  They had banded together their freshman year.

  Four people with nothing in common but a class in medieval sociology. Over the four years that followed they had seen each other through finals and failures, triumphs and tragedies, and doomed romances. They were friends in the truest, deepest sense of the word.

  And they were about to graduate and go their separate ways.

  Faith sucked in a breath and valiantly blinked back tears.

  “Okay, everybody smile,” Bryan ordered, his voice a little huskier than usual. “It’s going to go off any second now. Any second.”

  They all grinned engagingly and held their collective breaths.

  The camera suddenly tilted downward on its tripod, pointing its lens at one of the white geese that wandered freely around Saint Mary’s Lake. The shutter clicked, and the motor advanced the film. The goose honked an outraged protest and waddled away.

  “I hope that’s not an omen,” Jayne said, frowning as she nibbled at her thumbnail.

  “It’s a loose screw,” Bryan announced, digging a dime out of his pants pocket to repair the tripod with.

  “In Jayne or the camera?”

  “Very funny, Alaina.”

  “I think it’s a sign that Bryan needs a new tripod,” said Faith.

  “That’s not what Jessica Porter says,” Alaina remarked slyly.

  The girls giggled as Bryan’s blush crept up to the roots of his hair. Faith knew while there had never been any romantic developments within their ranks, outside of his unusual friendship with them Bryan had an active … er … social life.

  “If you want a sign, look behind you,” he said through gritted teeth as he fussed unnecessarily with the aperture setting on the camera.

  Faith turned as her two friends did, and her dark eyes widened at the sight of the rainbow that arched gracefully across the morning sky above the golden dome of the administration building.

  “Oh, how beautiful,” she said with a gasp, the hopeless romantic in her shining through. Lord, she wasn’t even gone yet and already she was feeling nostalgic about the place.

  “Symbolic,” Jayne whispered.

  “It’s the diffusion of light through raindrops,” Alaina said flatly, crossing her arms in front of her.

  Bryan looked up from fiddling with the camera to frown at her, his strong jaw jutting forward aggressively. “Rainbows have lots of magic in them,” he said, dead serious. “Ask any leprechaun. It’d do you some good to believe in magic, Alaina.”

  Alaina’s lush mouth turned down at the corners. “Take the picture, Hennessy.”

  Bryan ignored her, his wise, warm blue eyes taking on a dreamy quality as he gazed up at the soft stripes of color. “We’ll each be chasing our own rainbows after today. I wonder where they’ll lead us.”

  They each recited the stock answers they’d been giving faculty, friends, and family for months. Alaina was headed to law school. Jayne was leaving to seek fame and fortune in Hollywood as a writer and director. Bryan had been accepted into the graduate program of parapsychology at Purdue. Faith was headed to a managerial position in a business office in Cincinnati.

  “That’s where our brains are taking us,” Bryan said, pulling his cap off to comb a hand back through his hair as he always did when he went into one of his “deep-thinking modes.” “I wonder where our hearts would take us.”

  If anyone knew the answer to that, it was Bryan, Faith thought. He was the one they told all their secret dreams to. He was the one she had confided in that she aspired to nothing more than having a husband and children and a small business to run. That was the end of her heart’s rainbow.

  It probably would have seemed an exceedingly boring dream to Jayne and Alaina. Faith herself admitted it lacked pizzazz and had nothing in the way of driving ambition, but Bryan had assured her it was a wonderful dream.

  “That’s the question we should all be asking ourselves,” Jayne said, wagging a slender finger at her friends. “Are we in pursuit of our true bliss, or are we merely following a course charted by the expectations of others?”

  “Do we have to get philosophical?” Alaina asked with a groan, rubbing her temples. “I haven’t had my mandatory ten cups of coffee yet this morning.”

  “Life is philosophy, honey,” Jayne explained patiently, her voice a slow Kentucky drawl that hadn’t altered one iota over the four years she’d spent in northern Indiana. The expression on her delicately sculpted features was almost comically earnest. “That’s a cosmic reality.”

  Alaina was nonplussed for a full twenty seconds. Finally she said, “We don’t have to worry about you. You’ll fit right in in California.”

  Jayne smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Why thank you.”

  Faith chuckled at the look on Alaina’s face. “Give up, Alaina. You can’t win.”

  Alaina winced and held her hands up as if to ward off the words. “Do
n’t say that. I abhor losing.”

  “Anastasia,” Bryan declared loudly. He gave a decisive nod that set the tassel on his cap dancing. The statement would have seemed straight out of left field to anyone who didn’t know Bryan Hennessy and the workings of his unconventional mind.

  Immediately Faith’s heart-shaped face lit up. Anastasia was the small town on California’s rugged northern coast where the four of them had spent spring break, a beautiful village nestled in a quiet cove. She smiled now at the memory of the plans they had made to move there and pursue idealistic existences. Jayne’s dream had been to have her own farm. Alaina had grudgingly admitted a secret desire to paint. Bryan had wanted to play the role of local mad scientist. An inn with a view of the ocean had been Faith’s wish.

  “That’s right,” she said. “We’d all move to Anastasia.”

  “And live happily ever after.” Alaina’s tone lacked the sarcasm she had undoubtedly intended. She sounded almost wistful instead.

  “Even if we never end up there, it’s a nice dream,” Jayne said softly.

  A nice dream, Faith thought. Something to hang on to, something to take along on the journey into the big world. Like their memories of Notre Dame and each other, warm, golden images they could hold in a secret place in their hearts to be taken out from time to time when they were feeling lonely or blue.

  Just the thought made her feel empty inside.

  Bryan set the timer on the camera once again, then jogged around to stand behind her. “Who knows? Life is full of crossroads. You can never tell where a path might lead.”

  And the camera buzzed and clicked, capturing the moment on film for all time. The Fearsome Foursome—wistful smiles canting their mouths, dreams of the future and tears of parting shining in their eyes as a rainbow arched in the sky behind them.