âIâm not what you want.â
âBut you could be,â Kate murmured.
Jay took a step closer and Kate found herself leaning in to him, the general warmth sheâd felt earlier building.
âThis doesnât make sense. Weâre adversaries. Yet around you I get this crazy impulseââ
âI feel it, too.â She lifted her head, studying the depth of his blue eyes.
His hand moved to the small of her back. And then they were kissing. Lips on lips, tender and sweet.
When they separated, she dropped her forehead to his chest. The depth of her longing was so deep she could hardly breathe. âTell me this isnât crazy? Do we really want this?â
Dear Reader,
Imagine youâre single, thirty-something, living in New York City. (Perhaps some of you are!) So many people all around you. But how do you find that one special someone with whom youâre meant to spend your life, and possibly raise a family? Ironically, it seems that when weâre most focused on other aspects of our lives, thatâs when cupidâs arrow strikes.
This is what happens to the hero and heroine in this book. Kate Cooper has ended a relationship with her fiancé after finding out he cheated on her. The last thing she wants is another man in her life. Jay Savage is reeling from his sisterâs recent death and adjusting to his new role as guardian to her son. There has never been a less perfect time to fall in love.
And yetâ¦guess whatâ¦thatâs exactly whatâs about to happen as they compete for a single job opening at the Fox & Fisher Detective Agency.
I hope you enjoy their story and that you look for the final book of the series, Receptionist Under Cover, available next month. Iâm always happy to hear from readers so please send me an e-mail sometime and let me know how youâre doing. Also, do check my Web site, www.cjcarmichael.com, regularly for news about my books and to enter my âSurprise!â contests.
Happy reading!
C.J. Carmichael
Hard to imagine a more glamorous life than being an accountant, isnât it? Still, C.J. Carmichael gave up the thrills of income tax forms and double-entry bookkeeping when she sold her first book in 1998. She has now written more than twenty-eight novels for Harlequin Books, and invites you to learn more about her books, see photos of her hiking exploits, and enter her surprise contests at www.cjcarmichael.com.
With love to all my friends who celebrated
the milestone birthday with me this year:
Simon, Myrna, Rhonda, Susan, Fred, Shannon,
Kate, Wendy, Lynda, Lorna, Myrna-Joy, Debbie, Cheryl, Dennis. And Voulaâ¦your turn is coming soon!
Cripes, but weâre getting old!
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
KATE COOPER TWISTED THE engagement ring on her finger, slowly working it over her knuckle, then into her palm. As a cop with the NYPD, she understood that the most illuminating evidence often came from the most innocuous of sources.
She hadnât expected this to apply to her personal life, though.
âHey, Kate.â Max Beranger tapped her shoulder. âCan I borrow a pen?â He tossed his into the trash with disgust.
Max had been her patrol partner tonight. Now they were filling out their end-of-shift reports. Absentmindedly, she handed him one of the pens she normally hoarded, her mind still on the conversation sheâd had with her neighbor earlier in the evening, on her way to work.
âThanks,â Max said.
âSure.â Janet Beaker lived in the apartment across the hall from her and Conner. Janet was single, well-educated and activeâshe had a life of her own and no need to live vicariously through other peopleâs dramas.
Which was one reason Kate was inclined to believe her.
The other reason was her own gut reaction to what Janet had to say. Yes, sheâd thought. Damn it, yes. I knew something was wrong.
Because there had been signsâ¦such as coming home dead tired after a long night shift to find freshly laundered sheets on the bed and fresh towels in the bathroom.
Sheâd thought, great, Conner was finally pulling his share in the housekeeping department.
After six months of living together, she should have known better.
âYouâve been quiet tonight,â Max said. âWhatâs up?â
âNothing.â Officers had begun arriving for the 7:00 a.m. shift. Slowly men and women filtered into the room, and she dismissed each face until she saw the man sheâd been waiting forâConner Lowery. Just twelve hours ago sheâd thought she was going to marry him, have babies with him, love him forever.
Now the sight of him brought a spasm of pain to her empty stomach. She hadnât been able to eat or drink a thing all shiftânot even a frigging cup of coffee. But then, tonight she hadnât needed caffeine to keep her awake.
Conner caught her eye as he entered the room and gave her his usual grinâthe same quirky yet charming grin that had won her heart, when heâd been transferred to the Twentieth Precinct a year ago.