Completely Smitten

Completely Smitten
Susan Mallery

Haley Foster had lived her entire life in a box.Guided by her preacher father and the residents of her tiny hometown as to what to do, what to wear and even who to marry, she'd lost herself along the way. But no more. Now she was going to live on her own terms and do all the things good preachers' daughters didn't do. Starting with Kevin Harmon.The injured U.S. Marshal needed a ride from Kansas to his home in Texas. Haley had a car. She figured she owed him a favor. And he knew a lot more about being bad than she did. A few days, just the two of them, in her tiny convertible and intimate hotel roomsIt would be fun, it would be passionate, it would be an experience. At least, that was her plan. He just didn't know it yet.

In our 2011 Bestselling Author Collection, Harlequin Books is proud to offer classic novels from today’s superstars of women’s fiction. These authors have captured the hearts of millions of readers around the world, and earned their place on the bestseller lists with every release.

As a bonus, each volume also includes a full-length novel from a rising star of series romance. Bestselling authors in their own right, these talented writers have captured the qualities Harlequin is famous for—heart-racing passion, edge-of-your-seat entertainment and a satisfying happily-ever-after.

Don’t miss any of the books in this year’s collection!

Praise for New York Times and USA TODAY

bestselling author Susan Mallery

“Romance novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling.”

—Booklist on Accidentally Yours

“Susan Mallery’s stories will make you fall in love and laugh out loud.”

—#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Debbie Macomber

“Mallery’s prose is luscious and provocative, and her characters worth following from book to book.”

—Publishers Weekly on Sizzling

Completely Smitten

Susan Mallery

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

To my readers, with thanks.

And to my former editor, Karen Taylor Richman, who always loved this book.

Contents

COMPLETELY SMITTEN

SUSAN MALLERY

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

COMPLETELY SMITTEN

New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author

Susan Mallery

SUSAN MALLERY

is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than ninety romances. Her combination of humor, emotion and just-plain-sexy has made her a reader favorite. Susan makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her handsome husband and possibly the world’s cutest dog. Visit her website at www.SusanMallery.com.

Chapter One

All Kevin Harmon wanted was a beer, a burger and a bed, in that order. He’d had the kind of day designed to make a man rethink his career choices. He’d been bit, he was stuck in the middle of Kansas on a night that was practically guaranteed to produce twisters, and he’d just been offered a promotion. Not one thing was going right with his life. For once he wasn’t looking for trouble, so of course trouble came looking for him.

He’d been around long enough to know that when a pretty, wide-eyed blonde walked into a seedy roadside bar, somewhere, somehow, there was going to be hell to pay. Kevin was determined to stay out of the way. No matter what.

He turned his attention from the petite blonde back to the bartender. “Burger,” he said, pushing the plastic menu back at the man. “Extra fries.”

The bartender nodded and wrote something on a pad of paper, then set a frosty mug down on a once-white coaster advertising the local grange.

Kevin took a long drink. He’d just spent the better part of the day transporting a convicted felon across state lines. The process had not gone smoothly, which explained the bite on his arm. The skin hadn’t been broken, but he really hated when there was trouble on the road. If he hadn’t drawn the short straw, he would be down in Florida, helping with a drug raid. But no, he was stuck in Kansas where the air was so thick you could practically stand a spoon up in midair. The pressure was rising—or maybe falling—he could never remember which one caused storms to spin out of control and become tornados.

He’d grown up with twisters, back when he’d lived in Texas, and he’d never liked them. They always seemed to show up right when he was supposed to be whipping the crosstown rival at a baseball game.

Kevin thought about tornados and Texas. He even tried to remember if he needed to buy milk when he flew home the next day. Anything to keep from turning to watch the progress of the blonde. It wasn’t that she was so attractive that he couldn’t resist her. Far from it. Sure, she was pretty enough, but pretty was a dime a dozen.

Instead, what made him determined to stay out of it was the nervousness he’d seen lurking in her eyes, and the hesitation in her step. She belonged in this bar as much as a dog with mange belonged in church.

The bartender flipped on a small television. Instantly the sound of a ball game blasted into the half-full room. Kevin continued to drink his beer, while he stared determinedly at the screen. He ignored everything else, even the half sly, half defiant male laughter behind him.