The Marriage Beat

The Marriage Beat
Doreen Roberts

He'sMyHeroA protector, a provider, a friend–he's every woman's hero….FROM THE DESK OFOfficer Tyler JacksonCentral PrecinctI don't know why these hardheaded females think they're invincible. Women like Megan Summers make my job three times as hard. I told the chief that giving this lady self-defense lessons would be a mistake. Now look at what's happened. She's laid up with her arm in a sling!That's the only reason I'm playing nursemaid. It has nothing to do with her blond hair, or her beautiful smile or the way she looks at me when she thinks I can't see….

“I could take care of you,” Tyler said gruffly. (#u915a9f96-52c3-5085-a2ee-2c25d3698738)Letter to Reader (#u069555ba-5f6d-5b48-abb5-a2cea8cb1ba4)Title Page (#u19bf8d8a-db90-5265-898a-27aff6fa17b3)Dedication (#ud95c69b3-3991-5b38-a5f7-a1401fa82cb5)DOREEN ROBERTS (#u3cfb1093-f797-5da5-ac0d-ced23b627637)Chapter One (#uf80d82a4-024e-58d0-b299-3cfd87088eb8)Chapter Two (#uca61563a-fd56-5410-b832-8167083b4169)Chapter Three (#ua3c7c2d5-7726-5787-a673-8804285eb908)Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

“I could take care of you,” Tyler said gruffly.

She almost laughed out loud. “You? I don’t think so.”

His light blue eyes were full of indignation when he looked at her. “As your instructor I was responsible for seeing that you didn’t get hurt. You can trust me. I’m not going to make any moves on you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

For heaven’s sake, the man was serious. Tyler Jackson was too domineering, too patronizing, too darn arrogant, and he would drive her crazy. But what alternative did she have? She ignored the little voice that warned her she would live to regret her decision.

She also ignored the sudden thumping of her heart at the thought of being alone with the rugged cop in her tiny apartment. It was only for a few days. She could survive for a few days.

“All right,” she said, looking him straight in the eye. “I accept your offer....”

Dear Reader,

The wonder of a Silhouette Romance is that it can touch every woman’s heart. Check out this month’s offerings—and prepare to be swept away!

A woman wild about kids winds up tutoring a single dad in the art of parenthood in Babies, Rattles and Cribs... Oh, My! It’s this month’s BUNDLES OF JOY title from Leanna Wilson. When a Cinderella-esque waitress—complete with wicked stepfamily!—finds herself in danger, she hires a bodyguard whose idea of protection means making her his Glass Slipper Bride, another unforgettable tale from Arlene James. Pair one highly independent woman and one overly protective lawman and what do you have? The prelude to The Marriage Beat, Doreen Roberts’s sparkling new Romance with a HE’S MY HERO cop.

WRANGLERS & LACE is a theme-based promotion highlighting classic Western stories. July’s offering, Cathleen Galitz’s Wyoming Born & Bred, features an ex-rodeo champion bent on reclaiming his family’s homestead who instead discovers that home is with the stubborn new owner...and her three charming children! A long-lost twin, a runaway bride...and A Gift for the Groom—don’t miss this conclusion to Sally Carleen’s delightful duo ON THE WAY TO A WEDDING.... And a man-shy single mom takes a chance and follows The Way to a Cowboy’s Heart in this emotional heart-tugger from rising star Teresa Southwick.

Enjoy this month’s selections, and make sure to drop me a line about why you keep coming back to Romance. We want to fulfill your dreams!

Happy reading,

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor, Silhouette Romance 300 East 42nd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10017

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The Marriage Beat

Doreen Roberts

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To Bill, for putting up with me.

I love you.

DOREEN ROBERTS

lives with her husband, who is also her manager and her biggest fan, in the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon. She believes that everyone should have a little adventure now and again to add interest to their lives. She believes in taking risks and has been known to embark on an adventure or two of her own. She is happiest, however, when she is creating stories about the biggest adventure of all—falling in love and learning to live happily ever after.

Chapter One

Trouble, Tyler Jackson reflected, usually came in threes. It didn’t help matters to be lying flat on his back on the cold hard floor of Central Precinct when that profound thought occurred to him.

The sudden blow to his midriff, which had put him in that embarrassing position, was trouble number one. The young woman scrambling off his stomach was definitely trouble number two. He hated to imagine what might be trouble number three.

“I’m sorry,” the woman said breathlessly. “I didn’t see you until it was too late. Are you all right?”

Of course he wasn’t all right. She’d barreled around the corner at sixty miles an hour and plowed straight into his stomach. The collision had knocked them both off balance and the polished floor had done the rest. He was still trying to get his wind back.

“I was in a hurry. I need help.”

Tyler looked up at his assailant. She wore a sea-green silky shirt with a black skirt that rose several inches above her knees. Her shirt matched her eyes. Gorgeous eyes. He forced his attention off that fact and concentrated instead on the distress he saw in them.

Using his hands, he lithely propelled himself back on his feet. The young woman looked impressed and he was momentarily distracted. Pulling himself together he asked abruptly, “What’s the trouble then? Are you hurt?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m all right. It’s my purse. A man snatched it right off my shoulder.” She grabbed his arm and tugged at it. “Come on, he’ll get away with it if you don’t hurry.”

“Now just a minute...take it easy.” Tyler pulled his arm free. “I need to know exactly what happened.”

“I’ve just told you what happened.” She waved an impatient hand at the door. “A man stole my purse. I need someone to go after him and get it back. Right now.”

He pulled his notebook from his pocket. “Now just calm down and tell me where this happened.”

“It was on the South Park Blocks. But he’s not there now. He went down an alleyway on Park. If you’d just go after him he might still be there.”

Tyler’s first instinct was to find someone else to take the case. Anyone else. This woman was trouble. It wasn’t just her silky blond hair, or her full, warm lips and mouth-watering figure, though that was a deadly enough combination. It was her tone of voice.

If there was one thing Tyler had learned to avoid, it was a pushy female, and this one had all the earmarks of a bulldozer temperament.

Deliberately he poised his pencil over the pad. “What did he look like?”

“About five-eight or nine, skinny, dressed in jeans and a dark jacket.” She paused, frowning in concentration, then went on, “He has long, dark, straggly hair and needs a shave and a good wash by the looks of him. I’ll know him when I see him, I can promise you. Please, hurry.” A note of desperation crept into her voice. “I can’t lose my purse.... I just can’t. My whole life is in there.”

Her sudden look of vulnerability struck home. Instincts or not, this woman was in trouble and it was his duty to help. He happened to be on his way out anyway, he argued with his conscience as he snatched a pair of keys from the board on the wall and headed for the door.

Outside in the hot summer afternoon, he was halfway down the steps before she caught up with him. “Wait a minute. I’m coming with you,” she announced, with a note in her voice that dared him to refuse.

He was tempted to do just that. One look at her stricken face, however, and he relented. “All right. You can show me where he went.” He led her around the back of the building, did a fast check of the squad car, then opened the door on the passenger side. “Get in.”

For a moment she looked a little apprehensive, but then she slid into the seat and sat back, her shoulders hunched.

He climbed in beside her with a sense of impending disaster, though he wasn’t sure what prompted the feeling. He reached for his radio and called in his report, then started the engine. “I’m Officer Jackson,” he said, as he backed the car out of its space. “I didn’t get your name.”