Publisher: Avon
Date of publication: April 2014
The McBrides of Fallbrook return with reformed bad boy Owen. He'll do whatever he must to protect the woman who's captured his heart. Attorney by day, rancher by night Owen McBride conquered his dark past and made it his mission to help the innocent—even at the expense of a personal life. But when a client's abusive ex-husband targets Owen and his gorgeous neighbor Claire gets caught in the crossfire, his feelings turn anything but professional. The mysterious beauty awakens something in him, and he'll move heaven and earth to keep her safe. Coffee shop owner Claire Walsh learned the hard way that handsome men aren't to be trusted. Owen may be sexy as hell and determined to take care of her, but she's reluctant to put her heart on the line. His presence in her life puts a target on her back, yet the more time she spends with him, the more she finds she can't help falling for Owen.
Chapter Two
Claire woke out of a sound sleep with a gasp and held her
breath, trying to figure out what startled her. She listened to the quiet
night. Nothing but crickets and the breeze rustling the trees outside. A twig
snapped on the ground below her window. Her heart hammered faster and she
sucked in a breath, trying not to panic. Living in the country lent itself to
overactive imaginings about things that go bump in the dark night. The noise
could be anything from a stray dog or cat to a raccoon on a midnight raid of
her garbage cans—even an opossum looking for a little action.
Settled back into her
pillow and the thick blankets, she closed her eyes, but opened them wide when
something big brushed against the side of the house. Freaked out, she slipped
out of bed and went to the window. She pulled the curtain back with one finger
and peeked through the crack, scanning the moonlit yard below for wayward
critters. Not so easy to see with the quarter moon, but she watched the shadows
for anything suspicious. Nothing moved.
Not satisfied, and certainly not able to sleep without a more
thorough investigation, she padded down the scarred wood stairs to the living
room. She skirted packing boxes and the sofa and went to the window overlooking
the front yard. Nothing moved. Still not satisfied, she walked to the dining
room, opened the blinds, and stared out into the cold night. Something banged
one flower pot into another on the back patio, drawing her away from the dining
room, through the kitchen, and to the counter. She grabbed the phone off the
charger, went around the island, and skimmed along the breakfast bar to the
sliding glass door. She peeked out, hiding most of her body by the wall and
ducking her head out to see if someone was trying to break into her house. Like
she thought, the small pot filled with marigolds had been knocked over and
broken against the pot of geraniums beside it. Upset her pretty pots and
flowers were ruined, she stepped out from the wall and stood in the center of
the glass door to get a better look.
The next installment will continue tomorrow at My Book Addiction—http://www.mybookaddictionandmore.com Enjoy!
About the author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted Series. Jennifer writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances.
Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home and how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.
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