Holding Out For A Hero

Holding Out For A Hero
Pamela Tracy

This is more than just a case…Every instinct Oscar Guzman honed in the military and the police academy, is telling him that Shelley Brubaker is hiding something. It’s not just a secret; he’s sure of that. It’s something darker, more dangerous. And the only way to protect her is to convince her to open up to him. But Shelley isn’t about to let him get that close. Oscar knows that with her con-man ex still at large and probably threatening her, Shelley is suspicious of everyone. But he also knows that at eight months pregnant with a toddler to raise, she’s in no shape to fight this battle alone. And he’s not about to let her!

This is more than just a case...

Every instinct Oscar Guzman honed in the military and the police academy is telling him that Shelley Brubaker is hiding something. It’s not just a secret; he’s sure of that. It’s something darker, more dangerous. And the only way to protect her is to convince her to open up to him. But Shelley isn’t about to let him get that close. Oscar knows that with her con-man ex still at large and probably threatening her, Shelley is suspicious of everyone. But he also knows that at eight months pregnant with a toddler to raise, she’s in no shape to fight this battle alone. And he’s not about to let her!

There’d been a time when she wasn’t afraid of anything.

Now, everything, everyone, every action needed to be thought over, accepted or rejected, and it fell on her shoulders. Maybe it was the pregnancy playing havoc with her thoughts as well as her hormones. She hoped so. Because then, after her little girl was born, things would go back to normal.

No, they’d never go back to normal, but she’d at least be able to make good decisions again.

“Peeve likes kids.” Oscar’s voice was deep, his smile broad.

So were his shoulders. He was tall, with a square jaw and black hair cut short. There’d been a time when Shelley might have added gorgeous to her assessment. Now she was looking for a flaw.

Not his eyes. They were so deep a brown they bordered on black. And they spoke to her. They hinted at safety, yet...she wasn’t sure she could trust him with her secret.

Dear Reader (#ua098f4e0-e42f-54eb-9214-a86f3408103c),

I’m never short on story ideas because my life is a situation comedy without the thirty-minute time constraint and/or the perfect clothes, hair and body. The new point of humor in my life is a puppy named Lucy.

Regimented me, who likes lists and research, decided the family needed a dog. I have a ten-year-old son, and every boy needs a dog, right? My husband wasn’t sure. The cat voted no. I decided on an Australian shepherd, male, between one and three, a rescue that would already be housebroken and like cats. Maybe they exist. I’m not sure. I took the first puppy I saw.

Our little family now has a GIANT German husky who is still a puppy but looks like a full-grown dog. Oh, it’s a girl. She wasn’t housebroken because she was only eight weeks.

The cat’s not talking to me. The husband is talking to me but most of our conversations are about what the dog is eating: toothbrushes, socks, books (never a Harlequin Heartwarming!) and every dog toy (we get two days’ use max).

I walk Lucy every morning and night. One morning, I met a mother and her one-year-old. The one-year-old ran to Lucy (twice her size!), who took it with good grace and slobbering tongue, and the mother and I got to talking. Meanwhile, the one-year-old toddles to the closest house and peeks through the window. Her mother was aghast. Me? I got a whole story idea. You’re about to read it.

Thank you so much for delving into Harlequin Heartwarming books! If you’d like to know more about me, please visit www.pamelatracy.com (http://www.pamelatracy.com).

Pamela

Holding Out for a Hero

Pamela Tracy

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

PAMELA TRACY is a USA TODAY bestselling author who lives with her husband (the inspiration for most of her heroes) and son (the interference for most of her writing time). Since 1999, she has published more than twenty-five books and sold more than a million copies. She’s a RITA® Award finalist and a winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Award.

To my wonderful editor Adrienne Macintosh, who will soon be out taking walks with a baby of her own. Enjoy every moment.

Contents

Cover (#ua6460021-36e6-5987-ad74-7b140058a54d)

Back Cover Text (#ue9b5bc15-e163-52df-9754-1aa4e82ca8ee)

Introduction (#u76333704-fdd3-5f86-91be-65b7aac32280)

Dear Reader (#u1b592535-e3fc-5205-a870-2c8b5c6e6902)

Title Page (#u4f78f8c1-d0dd-52c0-8c2e-fe905da5eea3)

About the Author (#u4d635545-5af7-5d83-9bb8-349adf37ea8a)

Dedication (#u01741598-c846-56ab-aca3-75f4eb49881a)

CHAPTER ONE (#u595a18e4-4c92-59f5-a86d-8d7bef6e2c33)

CHAPTER TWO (#u400fc6f5-37a1-5347-8587-d758a4f16f52)

CHAPTER THREE (#ub33e6656-9f16-54dc-beb5-8e77451424ed)

CHAPTER FOUR (#u71d60b16-044d-5e28-aa9a-5abbf96f4c86)

CHAPTER FIVE (#ub7b2bef3-d2ff-565e-ac85-1313e19aef8d)

CHAPTER SIX (#udb55da26-0ea3-5e05-b43e-602c59d963d6)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)