âCome to my bed tonight.â
Oh, mercy. She was in trouble here.
Her body was tingling just thinking about it. All that precision. All that superhero strength. All those muscles. She wasnât a shallow woman, but the thought of getting her hands on his body made her mouth water, literally.
Bailey really wanted to go to his bed tonight.
But then something in the backyard caught her eye. Some kind of movement. Maybe. Bailey tried to pick through the unfamiliar surroundings and sounds. Bailey saw it then. It wasnât an animal. Nor a shadow.
It was a manâ¦.
To Max. This one is for you.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Delores Fossen for her contribution to the Daddy Corps series.
Imagine a family tree that includes Texas cowboys, Choctaw and Cherokee Indians, a Louisiana pirate and a Scottish rebel who battled side by side with William Wallace. With ancestors like that, itâs easy to understand why Texas author and former air force captain Delores Fossen feels as if she were genetically predisposed to writing romances. Along the way to fulfilling her DNA destiny, Delores married an air force top gun who just happens to be of Viking descent. With all those romantic bases covered, she doesnât have to look too far for inspiration.
Parker McKenna âFormer army captain who joins the Daddy Corps as a bodyguard for the governorâs daughter, Bailey Lockhart. Parker closed down after his wifeâs death five years ago, but protecting Bailey makes him see that he still has a lot to loseâand winâif he can only trust his heart again.
Bailey Lockhart âThe governorâs headstrong daughter and owner of Cradles and Crayons Daycare and Preschool. Even though sheâs in danger, sheâs reluctant to rely on Parker, the hot GI, but Bailey soon realizes that Parker is her best chance at staying alive.
Zach McKenna âParkerâs thirteen-year-old son. He lives with his father, but they havenât really communicated in years.
Bart Bellows âThe eccentric Texas billionaire and head of Corps Security and Investigation who would do anything for his old friend, the governor. But all Bartâs money and influence might not be enough to save the Lockharts.
Lila Lockhart âThe governor of Texas whoâs considering a run for the White Houseâ¦but first she has to deal with the threats against her daughter, Bailey.
Timothy Penske âLilaâs personal bodyguard. Bailey rejected his advances, but does he still have feelings for her, and are those feelings a part of whatâs happening to her now?
Sidney Burrell âThe handyman at Cradles and Crayons. Heâs kept a secret about his past. Just how far will he go to make sure no one finds out what he really is?
Chester Herman âThe mystery man who shows up in town at the same time the threats on Bailey begin. He could be Baileyâs stalkerâ¦or maybe someone wants it to look that way.
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
Epilogue
Parker McKenna stopped cold. The dinner invitation sure hadnât said anything about sharing a fancy meal with an assassin, but he was pretty sure the guy in the far right corner fit that particular bill.
âTakes one to know one,â Parker mumbled to himself.
Except Parker had killed only when thereâd been no other option, when it had been necessary to protect someone in the line of duty. He wasnât sure this guy could say the same.
Parker eased out of the doorway and stood next to the wall so he could take in the rest of the private dining room in the posh Dallas hotel. The Wainwright wasnât exactly his kind of place. Too rich for his middle-class army blood with its glossy marble floors and crystal chandeliers shimmering overhead.
Normally, Parker wouldnât have come within a mile of a place like this, but the invitation had, well, made him an offer he couldnât refuse. His host, Bart Bellows, had sent the handwritten dinner request along with round-trip plane tickets.
This is your chance to be part of a brotherhood again. A chance to make a difference. A chance for freedom.
Freedom.
Now, that was a complex word and not usually associated with a dinner invitation, but Parker had to admit that without that word, he might not be here. Heâd probably still be in Mankato, Minnesota, supervising an apartment construction site. He hadnât felt anything close to freedom in the past five years, not since his wifeâs death, and until he saw that oddly worded invitation, he hadnât realized just how hungry he was for it.
Freedom from the guilt. The bad memories. From all the things heâd screwed up.
âParker McKenna,â he heard someone say. It wasnât exactly a question, and the man who approached him seemed to know exactly who Parker was.
Parker couldnât say the same. The man had black hair, a neatly trimmed beard and wore dark pants and a casual shirt. Parker was six-three, and this guy was at least four inches shorter, but there was something in his demeanor that let Parker know this man knew how to take care of himself.