When A Hero Comes Along

When A Hero Comes Along
Teresa Southwick

The return of the father When Joe Morgan showed up again on Kate Carpenter's doorstep, the E.R. nurse didn't know what to think.After Kate had discovered she was pregnant, she'd waited to hear from the helicopter pilot and on-duty marine. Nothing. So why would the man who had left without a second glance suddenly return to her life? Joe wanted to be a father to J.T., and Kate wouldn't stand in his way.She couldn't know that during Joe's harrowing tour of duty, thinking of his son–and of her–had kept him alive. But would the demons of the past prevent Joe from repairing the damage to Kate's heart–and embracing his family for keeps?

“You’re a good man.”

He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. Dark intensity pushed through the cool look in his eyes and hinted at a pain deep inside. “There are things you don’t know, Kate.”

“There are things I do know, Joe.” She put her hand on his arm and saw something flicker in his expression. “I was wrong not to trust you with J.T. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“So you’re going to allow me to spend unsupervised time with my son?”

“As much as you want,” she confirmed. “He deserves to know his father. Because you are a good man.”

She started to walk away and felt his strong fingers on her wrist. When he tugged her into his arms, the heat in his eyes stole the air from her lungs.

“If I were a good man, I wouldn’t have been thinking about this. Let alone do it in a hospital.”

He lowered his head and captured her lips….

Dear Reader,

Have you ever wondered about the guy who made you contemplate happily-ever-after, but for whatever reason things didn’t work out? What would you do if that man suddenly showed up on your doorstep?

In When a Hero Comes Along, this is the dilemma facing Kate Carpenter. Dashing Marine Corps helicopter pilot Joe Morgan abruptly broke things off with her before going overseas, then rekindles the relationship because of their baby. She never stopped caring about him, but his rejection hurt so very much she’s determined not to go down that road again. Instead, for the sake of their child, they’re forced to follow a different path—one that eventually leads to love.

When a Hero Comes Along is for all of us who remember the one who makes us sometimes think about what might have been. For me, that one was named Joe.

Enjoy!

Teresa Southwick

When A Hero Comes Along

Teresa Southwick

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

TERESA SOUTHWICK

lives with her husband in Las Vegas, the city that reinvents itself every day. An avid fan of romance novels, she is delighted to be living out her dream of writing for Silhouette Books.

To all the men and women in the U.S. military—

past and present.

Your service and sacrifice are deeply appreciated.

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 One

It wasn’t every day a man had the chance to come back from the dead.

More to the point, Marine Captain Joe Morgan had come back from hell. He knew what it felt like to face off with a cold-eyed terrorist who hated his guts and was determined to kill him. He knew what he’d done to keep from being killed and that secret would go with him to his grave, where it belonged.

Now he had to face Kate Carpenter, although she probably hated his guts, too. She had good reason, but he still had to see her. And his baby boy. He had to explain.

And here he was on her doorstep.

He lifted a hand to knock, then curved his fingers into a fist. Maybe he should have called first, he thought, running his fingers through his hair. He wasn’t one for putting things off. Mostly. Sooner or later they had to see each other. Although he’d been standing here for five minutes without knocking. Glancing around the apartment complex, he didn’t see anyone moving around.

The pathways through the rock-and-shrub landscaping were well-lit. He’d specifically timed this meeting for nineteen-thirty hours, seven-thirty at night, because it was early enough not to be too late, and late enough that he figured she’d be home. And with any luck not so late that she’d shut the door in his face.

But if he stood here much longer, anyone watching would wonder if he was up to no good. He probably was no good, enough to show up here anyway.

He ran a hand through his hair again, then pressed the doorbell, but he heard nothing and wondered if that was due to thick walls or a broken doorbell. Or was he broken? War was a noisy business; it took all kinds of tolls. Maybe his hearing had suffered.

But he’d passed his flight physical and could hardly wait to get back to the business of flying for his half of Southwestern Helicopter Service. The fact that his bastard of a brother owned the other half wasn’t something he could think about now.