Support Your Local Sheriff

Will he pass the daddy test?

With his job in jeopardy, it couldn’t be a worse time for Sheriff Nate Landry’s recent past to come back to haunt him. But it would take an army to stop SWAT team leader Julie Smith. The fellow cop—and sister of his ex-fiancée—wants one thing from the beleaguered lawman: custody of the toddler son that Nate didn’t know he had.

He may not be natural daddy material, but he quickly takes a shine to little Duke. And then there are the feelings Nate’s been hiding for years. Only now Julie’s running for sheriff of Harmony Valley—against him. Time to retreat? Not if he wants a future with the woman he loves.

Nate grinned, no half smile about it.

The two sides of his mouth matched in upturned delight.

Julie almost fell over. That full grin. She’d never seen it before. It boosted him from handsome to gorgeous. He should smile like that all the time. Strike that. If he smiled like that all the time, he’d be irresistible. To women. To...her.

Deep inside her something shifted; something fit. And it fit as easily as her thumb on Nate’s worry stone. She looked away, refusing to name it or acknowledge it or think about what that something was.

But that grin. It made her wonder.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Harmony Valley!

Just a few short years ago, Harmony Valley was on the brink of extinction with only those over the age of sixty in residence. Now the influx of a younger generation is making life in Harmony Valley more fun than afternoon television for its gray-haired residents.

Sheriff Nate Landry had a tough childhood that made him reluctant to have children of his own, so when he met a woman who had faced her own challenges and wouldn’t be having children, it seemed like a sign. But things fell apart on his wedding day. Now, more than two years later, his ex-fiancée’s sister, Julie Smith, shows up with a toddler she says is her sister’s baby and his, and she’s got custody papers that she wants him to sign. After all Nate’s been through, his decision to let go should be easy.

I hope you enjoy Nate and Julie’s journey to a happily-ever-after, as well as the other romances in the Harmony Valley series. I love to hear from readers. Check my website, www.melindacurtis.com, to learn more about upcoming books, sign up for email book announcements, and I’ll send you a free sweet romance read, or chat with me on Facebook at MelindaCurtisAuthor to hear about my latest giveaways.

Melinda Curtis

Support Your Local Sheriff

Melinda Curtis

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Award-winning USA TODAY bestselling author MELINDA CURTIS is an empty nester still married to her college sweetheart, despite raising three kids, flipping houses and writing full-time through many live-in remodels. Having been raised on a remote sheep ranch with grandparents who built houses from scratch made Melinda the perfect match for Mr. Curtis, who was raised by a family of contractors. Just don’t ask her to operate a drill, because she always seems to reverse the setting.

Melinda writes sweet contemporary romances as Melinda Curtis (Brenda Novak says of Season of Change, it “found a place on my keeper shelf”), and fun, sexy reads as Mel Curtis (Jayne Ann Krentz says of Fool For Love, it was “wonderfully entertaining”).

This book is dedicated to my sister-in-law, Lynn DeMerritt, who was the inspiration for April. Both Lynn and April went through cancer treatments that left them sterile, only to be blessed with a child after they’d lost all hope and their relationships fell apart. Lynn, you knew your fate and still showed the world love and grace. Your daughter is a blessing to me. I’m so happy that part of your story is being told in a book released on the first anniversary of your passing.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

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

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

“WHAT’S THE EMERGENCY?” Sheriff Nate Landry, fresh from chasing chickens at Clara Barra’s house, took a seat on a creaky wooden pew in the back of the church. “Spring Festival meltdown?”

“The emergency is next,” Flynn Harris said in a hushed voice so as not to wake baby Ian in his arms.

Nate’s entrance met with turned heads, warm smiles and nods of recognition. The Harmony Valley Town Council was in session, better attended than some small-town basketball games. The meetings were held in the historic, steepled church downtown, being led from folding tables and chairs set up on the pulpit. That was the way of life in the remote northeastern corner of Sonoma County—casual, a bit of making do and a bit impromptu.

Flynn managed to brush reddish-brown hair from his eyes with his shoulder without disrupting his newborn’s sleep. “The emergency is Doris Schlotski.”