Greater Love (Tides of Truth, Book 3)

Greater Love (Tides of Truth, Book 3)

In the third and final Tides of Truth novel, Tami Taylor faces many life-changing choices. Where will she settle? And with whom? And can she trust the client she finds herself defending? John Grisham meets Charles Martin in this powerful legal drama. As the storm clouds gather, Tami does her best to weather the growing turbulence in every area of her life. She's just accepted a job with a law firm but now wonders if she made the right decision. She has two strong men vying for her heart--and is about to lose them both if she can't determine which one is right for her. And Tami's new case is anything but simple. When she first meets her prospective client, she immediately knows the rough young teen is lying, guilty...and utterly terrified of something beyond the charges she's facing. What she doesn't realize is just how far reaching the effects of the case will go. Or how close to home the deadly results will hit. For by the time the storm breaks, someone close to Tami will have paid the ultimate price. Through it all, Tami will experience greater sacrifice, greater friendship, and greater love than she's ever known. In the climactic finale of the Tides of Truth series, Tami Taylor faces her most daunting legal case yet--one that will test her courage, her convictions, and her heart. Perfect for fans of John Grisham and Karen Kingsbury, Greater Love delivers a faith-filled blend of courtroom suspense, Southern charm, and a deeply satisfying love story that lingers long after the final page. Robert Whitlow is the bestselling author of legal novels set in the South and winner of the Christy Award for Contemporary Fiction. He received his JD with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law where he served on the staff of the Georgia Law Review. Website: robertwhitlow.com; X: @whitlowwriter; Facebook: @robertwhitlowbooks. GREATER LOVE Book Three in the Tides of Truth series By ROBERT WHITLOW Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2010 Robert Whitlow All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-59554-450-6 Chapter One Through the window I could see a few brown leaf stragglers clinging to limbs of an oak tree. Powell Station was in the Appalachian foothills so snow wasn't uncommon in November, but it rarely fell until after the middle of the month. I rolled onto my side and pulled the quilt up to my chin. I was glad to be home, among my family, spending a few days in the daily routine of life. I slipped out of bed so as not to wake the twins, Ellie and Emma. After retrieving the morning eggs, I joined Mama in the kitchen. Our diet was high in cholesterol, but there wasn't a carton of soft drinks on our property, and honey from hives behind the garden was our favorite sweetener. Mama and I had worked together in the kitchen from the time I was old enough to be trusted at the stove until I left for college. When I returned home, familiar patterns returned without effort and we moved about efficiently without getting in each other's way. I loved meal preparation. There was a sense of fulfillment in fixing hot, delicious food for the people I loved. Daddy claimed my scrambled eggs were fluffier than cotton candy at the county fair. Daddy and Bobby came inside and washed their hands at the garden sink beside the rear door. "It's a glorious morning!" Daddy exclaimed to Mama. "Do you know why, Lu?" Mama smiled. We all knew the answer. "Because we're here together," Mama replied. Daddy dried his hands and kissed me in the usual place on top of my head. He grabbed Ellie by the shoulders. "Which one are you?" he asked, peering into her blue eyes. "Daddy, you know!" she answered with a quick smile. Daddy kissed her on the right cheek. Emma came up for a kiss on the left cheek. Daddy grabbed Mama and squeezed her waist. The timer I used for the hard-boiled eggs went off. While I cooled the eggs enough to remove the shells, Ellie filled large bowls with steaming oatmeal. Emma set a cup of raisins and a jar of honey on the table, then put a cloth napkin at every place and correctly positioned on each a knife, fork, and spoon. I'd never been embarrassed by a lack of table manners. Mama's homeschool curriculum included a course in etiquette that we were expected to incorporate into everyday practice. We ate our meals at a long picnic table painted white. Mama and I sat across from each other at the end nearest the cooking area. "Tammy Lynn, will you pray?" Daddy asked. We held hands around the table. I reached across and took Mama's hand. It was slightly dry and coarse. Her fingers spoke of a lifetime of service to others. "Thank you for this fresh food, my loving family, and this crisp, fall day. Bless them all. In Jesus' name, amen." "Well done, Tammy Lynn," Daddy said. "Who said lawyers forget how to pray? That was downright poetic." "I won't be a lawyer until I graduate from school and pass the bar exam next summer," I corrected. "You'll do both," Mama said confidently as she stirred a