Unexpected Outcome

Unexpected Outcome
Dawn Stewardson

A little secret…Dana Morancy adores her father, so it isn't surprising that she followed in his career footsteps and joined the New York Police Department. But after four years on the job, she is involved in a "suicide by cop." Uncertain whether she'll ever be able to fire a gun again, she becomes a private investigator.Noah Haine works at a Manhattan import shop that's being sabotaged. He and Dana join forces and find the villain–find, too, that they've fallen in love.Dana and Noah are ready for happily ever after.But they may have to wait a while. In fact, they may have to wait forever.Because Dana's father has a little secret….

“Oh, Lord,” Dana whispered

Suddenly her insides were hurting.

“That’s right. I’d give anything not to have to shock you like this, but…”

She wrapped her arms around her chest, still reeling from her father’s news.

“You see—”

She did her utmost to concentrate as he began speaking once more, but she could barely make out what he was saying because her ears were ringing.

It was something about the name Haine.

Listen, she ordered herself. Pay attention. Keep your emotions in check.

That last one was impossible, but she tried as hard as she could.

“That’s when I had to tell you,” her father was continuing. “Because the other day, the very first time I saw you and Noah together…the way you look at each other…”

“Is it that obvious?” she murmured.

“Uh-huh.”

But of course it was. Noah was the love of her life. Now, though…

Dear Reader,

One of the things I tell my students in the romance writing course I teach is not to make things easy for their characters. When it came to Dana Morancy, I took that advice seriously.

We all have emotional baggage, but I gave her some that most of us would never dream of. Then I introduced her to the man she’d been waiting for her entire adult life—but put such a sharp twist in the road that just when she thinks she’s looking straight at the “happy-ever-after,” she discovers that things haven’t been at all what they seemed.

As for Noah Haine, when the story begins the last thing he wants in his life is a woman. By the time it ends, it’s the only thing he wants. And the woman has to be Dana—despite the complications.

I hope you enjoy the twists and turns of Dana and Noah’s story.

Warmest wishes,

Dawn Stewardson

P.S. Please come and visit me at www.superauthors.com

Unexpected Outcome

Dawn Stewardson

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

To John, always.

And to my editor, Beverley Sotolov,

who pushed me to write this particular book.

CONTENTS

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

CHAPTER ONE

DANA WAITED WHILE Robert Haine settled himself in a visitors’ chair, absently wondering why he’d come to see her.