Right in front of her eyesâ¦
Former bounty hunter Marc DiLeo is not the guy social worker Courtney Gerard wants helping her. But finding a kid whoâs been missing for a long time takes priority over her personal preferences. And if anyone can locate the child, Marc canâeven with his injury. So sheâll overlook his attitude.
As they follow cold leads together, Courtney glimpses beneath his tough exterior to something surprisingâcaring, compassionâ¦vulnerability. That softer side proves more irresistible than his good looks. An unexpectedâand unexpectedly intenseâattraction flares between them, making her wonder why she never saw this before. Suddenly the man she was determined to avoid is the only man she wants close!
Marc came face-to-face with Courtney
She stood in the living room, visible through the doorway as he emerged from the steamy bathroom.
Suddenly everything about her was a dare.
From the glossy black hair that would feel like silk to the touch to the clear eyes she raked down the length of him.
He stood wrapped in a towel.
Her gaze traveled the length of him again. There was surprise all over her face, her eyes widening, her lips parting.
But she didnât look away. She only stood there for a protracted moment, a deer stunned by headlights. And by the time sheâd rallied, mumbling something unintelligible and turning away, it was too late.
Marc had seen everything.
This felt normal. A beautiful woman looking at him like he was a man. A woman looking at him with want in her eyes.
Yet she turned away....
Dear Reader,
Life is love. Itâs our chronic aspiration and the source of our greatest strength. Love inspires us to courage and moves us past selfishness to kindness and generosity.
Araceli would do anything to have love in her life.
Courtney fought hard to bring love to her foster kidsâ lives, but she kept love in the periphery of her own.
Marc had run far away from love and allowed it only an occasional visit. It wasnât until adversity forced him to stop running that he came face-to-face with how much of himself he had lost along the way.
When love brings these three together, they realize what was right before their eyes all alongâwith love, they can conquer anything.
Ordinary Women. Extraordinary romance.
Thatâs what Harlequin Superromance is all about. I hope you enjoy Courtney and Marcâs story. I love hearing from readers, so please visit me at www.jeanielegendre.com.
Peace and blessings,
Jeanie London
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeanie London writes romance because she believes in happily-ever-afters. Not the âlove conquers allâ kind, but the âwe love each other, so we can conquer anythingâ kind. Jeanie is the winner of many prestigious writing awards, including multiple RT Book Reviews Reviewersâ Choice and National Readersâ Choice Awards. She lives in sunny Florida with her own romance-hero husband, their beautiful daughters and a menagerie of strays.
To my beloved Pup.
You are a joy! You make life endlessly fascinating with your inspired interests, your enormous heart and your delightful friends! <3 YOU <3
PROLOGUE
Before Hurricane Katrina
PAPA ALWAYS SAID love changed lives. I knew what he meant because love was all around me.
Every morning, Mama packed Papaâs lunch. Always the same sandwich, container of leftovers from dinner, fruit and fresh-baked pastry. She stacked them in his lunch bag in the order he would eat them through the day.
A fruit for the morning to keep him healthy.
Leftovers for lunch with the sandwich, too, if he worked really hard. Sometimes he saved half for later.
He ate the pastry with his con leche in the afternoon when he needed a sweet for strength.
In between each layer would be a neatly folded napkin with a love note. One for every meal.
Hecho con amor para ti.
Gracias por nuestra hermosa vida juntos.
The love notes changed every dayâall but one that read Te quiero siempre.
Mama did love him always.
She loved all of us. We were her family.
When I was old enough for school, I opened my lunch bag to find my own love notes. Mama would draw little hearts that would make me proud to be the beautiful daughter she loved so much. Or funny faces to make me laugh, because Mama did not have the family talent for drawing.
I never used my love-note napkins but always tucked them into my pocket, a secret reminder of how much I was loved no matter what happened through the rest of the day.
Paolo wasnât too little to notice. He didnât say anything because of his speech trouble, but I knew. He was quick-eyed for a little one. Mama counted on those eyes.
âPaolo, where did Mama set her keys?â she would ask. âPaolo, did you see where Mama lay her scissors?â