Fire! Dale thought in a quick moment of sleep-dulled panic
Tansy. The half-formed thought dissolved in a fit of coughing as Dale lunged for the floor, instincts taking over. Tansy was down the hall. In danger. He yelled over the serpentâs hiss of smoke and the lionâs roar of fire beneath.
âTansy, get back from the door, Iâm coming in!â Dale shouted, hoping she could hear him. Hoping he wasnât too late. There was no response over the rush of dry, burning wood and the voice of the fire. He ducked below the waist-high smoke and gulped in a breath before testing the knob. Blazing air surrounded him, and he yanked open the door and bolted inside.
Through watering eyes and the eerie red radiance that bathed the entire house, he saw that the bed was empty, and his heart stuttered. Then he saw Tansyâ¦.
She was lying on the floor. Out coldâ¦
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
Itâs the most wonderful time of the year! And we have six breathtaking books this month that will make the season even brighterâ¦.
THE LANDRY BROTHERS are back! We canât think of a better way to kick off our December lineup than with this long-anticipated new installment in Kelsey Robertsâs popular series about seven rascally brothers, born and bred in Montana. In Bedside Manner, chaos rips through the town of Jasper when Dr. Chance Landry finds himself framed for murderâ¦and targeted for love! Check back this April for the next title, Chasing Secrets. Also this month, watch for Protector S.O.S. by Susan Kearney. This HEROES INC. story spotlights an elite operative and his ex-lover who maneuver stormy watersâand a smoldering attractionâas they race to neutralize a dangerous hostage situation.
The adrenaline keeps on pumping with Agent-in-Charge by Leigh Riker, a fast-paced mystery. Youâll be bewitched by this monthâs ECLIPSE selectionâEdenâs Shadow by veteran author Jenna Ryan. This tantalizing gothic unravels a shadowy mystery and casts a magical spell over an enamored duo. And the excitement doesnât stop there! Jessica Andersen returns to the lineup with her riveting new medical thriller, Body Search, about two hot-blooded doctors who are stranded together in a windswept coastal town and work around the clock to combat a deadly outbreak.
Finally this month, watch for Secret Defender by Debbi Rawlinsâa provocative woman-in-jeopardy tale featuring an iron-willed hero who will stop at nothing to protect a headstrong heiressâ¦even kidnap her for her own good.
Best wishes for a joyous holiday season from all of us at Harlequin Intrigue.
Sincerely,
Denise OâSullivan
Senior Editor, Harlequin Intrigue
Though sheâs tried out professions ranging from cleaning sea lion cages to cloning glaucoma genes, from patent law to training horses, Jessica is happiest when sheâs combining all these interests with her first love: writing romances. These days sheâs delighted to be writing full-time on a farm in rural Connecticut that she shares with a small menagerie and a hero named Brian. She hopes youâll visit her at www.JessicaAndersen.com for info on upcoming books, contests and to say âhiâ!
Dr. Tansy Whitmoreâ After this latest assignment, she plans to request a transfer away from the pain of working side by side with her ex-lover. If she lives that long.
Dr. Dale Metcalfâ The outbreak specialist is a brooding loner. Will an assignment on the island of his birth break through his carefully tended walls before a deadly past catches up with himâ¦and threatens the one woman he cares about?
Walter Churchillâ Daleâs father figure helped him escape the poor island and become a doctor after Daleâs parents died at sea. He made Dale promise never to return. What will happen when that promise is broken?
Dr. Hazel Bronteâ The islandâs dedicated doctor is overwhelmed by the deadly outbreak, which isnât playing by the rules.
Mickey Loweâ Daleâs distant cousin and boyhood friend is the only one with the power to call him back to the island.
Nathaniel Robertsâ The real-estate developer says he wants to help the islanders, but he may have a more deadly agenda.
Trask Metcalfâ Daleâs uncle drove him away fifteen years earlier. Is he looking to get rid of Dale again, this time permanently?
To Marley Gibson, for seeing this book through from beginning to end. Thanks, friend.
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
People were dying on Lobster Island. Again.
Dale Metcalf read the brief message for the hundredth time and told himself he should walk away. Let the islanders save themselvesâthey certainly hadnât saved him fifteen years ago. They hadnât saved his parents. His aunt.
âCan I get you something else?â The heavily made-up waitress leaned over Dale, giving him a look down her shirt and a whiff of cheap perfume. She brushed her breast against his arm when she stood, leaving no doubt as to what something else could entail. Though the strippers were off duty, the Slippery Pole still reeked of sex and anonymity.