The ultimate test of courage
No emotional connection means zero risk of being hurt. DEA agent Conall MacLachlan has learned that the hard way. And itâs been the key to his survival. So why is his latest assignment getting to him? Could be that heâs back in the town he rejected years ago. But he suspects the real reason is Lia Woods.
Heâs instantly and powerfully attracted to Liaâsomething thatâs never happened to him. And running a surveillance operation from her house has them too closeâhe canât catch his breath. Between her and her foster kids, Conall feels the domestic ties tightenâ¦yet itâs not so bad. He just needs to be brave enough to take what Lia offers.
âReady to go in?â
Conall rose to his feet in a smooth motion and held out a hand.
Touching him might beâ¦risky. Still, Lia reached out and let his hand close around hers.
And knew immediately that sheâd been right.
His warm clasp felt better than almost anything she could remember. Strong, safeâ¦and yet not safe.
With a gentle tug, he boosted her to her feet. They ended up no more than a foot apart. Her breath caught in her throat. Neither of them moved. He didnât release her. She wanted, quite desperately, for him to pull her closer, until her body bumped up against his. She wanted him to kiss her.
And she knew letting that happen would be stupid. He was here only for a little while, and she suffered enough every time a child left her. She couldnât bear anything else temporary in her life.
Yet the temptation...
Dear Reader,
I find myself feeling a little sad at introducing Conall MacLachlan to you, because it means saying goodbye. I donât know when Iâve been as drawn to my characters as I was writing this trilogy. I fell in love with each brother. Their shared childhood meant they all had major issues, but not the same ones. Conall was the youngest, the most vulnerable, when his family dissolved and the big brother heâd adored sacrificed all to keep the boys togetherâbut in doing so became a tyrant.
In his head, Conall knows that his brother saved him; at twelve, Conall was angry, constantly in fights, drinking alcohol, even going so far as stealing a car. He was in trouble because neither of his parents cared enough to stop him. Duncan did careâbut Conall grew to hate his brotherâs rules, his brotherâs rigidityâ¦his brother. When The Call of Bravery opens, Conall hasnât been home in over ten years. Heâd never intended to come home, but his job brings him back. And now everything he remembered, everything he believed, gets shaken up and settles in a different way.
Of course, a woman has something to do with that. No surprise that Conall has vowed never to have a familyânot when his memories are so terrible. I figured he needed to confront his worst fears in a big way, so I made him move in with a beautiful, generous, compassionate woman who has a houseful of foster childrenâincluding two recently orphaned boys who remind Conall of himself.
Oh, I loved shaking up this man who believed himself invulnerable and who turns out to be the most vulnerable of the three MacLachlan brothers! Wow. Making the hero of my next book measure up is going to be a real challenge.
Good reading!
Janice Kay Johnson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author of more than sixty books for children and adults, Janice Kay Johnson writes Harlequin Superromance novels about love and familyâabout the way generations connect and the power our earliest experiences have on us throughout life. Her 2007 novel, Snowbound, won a RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America for Best Contemporary Series Romance. A former librarian, Janice raised two daughters in a small rural town north of Seattle, Washington. She loves to read and is an
active volunteer and board member for Purrfect Pals, a no-kill cat shelter.
Books by Janice Kay Johnson
HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE
1454âSNOWBOUND
1489âTHE MAN BEHIND THE COP 1558âSOMEONE LIKE HER 1602âA MOTHERâS SECRET 1620âMATCH MADE IN COURT 1644âCHARLOTTEâS HOMECOMING* 1650âTHROUGH THE SHERIFFâS EYES* 1674âTHE BABY AGENDA 1692âBONE DEEP 1710âFINDING HER DAD 1736âALL THAT REMAINS 1758âBETWEEN LOVE AND DUTY** 1764âFROM FATHER TO SON**
HARLEQUIN ANTHOLOGY
A MOTHERâS LOVE
âDaughter of the Brideâ
SIGNATURE SELECT SAGA
DEAD WRONG
*The Russell Twins
**A Brotherâs Word
Other titles by this author available in ebook format.
PROLOGUE
CONALL MACLACHLAN SLUMPED on the bathroom floor, his back against the tub, a wet washcloth pressed to his face. One eye had already swollen shut, and the other lid barely opened. His nose wouldnât quit gushing blood. He could taste it in his throat, and thinking about it, he lunged forward barely in time to retch into the toilet. Afterward he stumbled to his feet to rinse his mouth out and then brush his teeth. Neither helped much when blood kept pumping from his nose and running down his upper lip.