Doreen Roberts - Official Duty

Her breath caught in her throat. She made her lips move. “What happened?”

“They were shot at close range. The house looked like a tornado had gone through it. Lamps smashed, chairs overturned, drawers pulled out from dressers…a real mess.”

She shuddered. “And you have no idea who it was?” Her twinge of awareness at his closeness took her by surprise. She hadn’t expected to still be affected by him like this.

“Not yet.” His mouth tightened in a grim line. For a long moment he kept his gaze on his hands, then slowly he raised his chin. “But I will.”

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

We have another month of spine-tingling romantic thrillers lined up for you—starting with the much anticipated second book in Joanna Wayne’s tantalizing miniseries duo, HIDDEN PASSIONS: FULL MOON MADNESS. In Just Before Dawn, a reclusive mountain man vows to get to the bottom of a single mother’s terrifying nightmares before darkness closes in.

Award-winning author Leigh Riker makes an exciting debut in the Harlequin Intrigue line this May with Double Take. Next, pulses race out of control in Mask of a Hunter by Sylvie Kurtz—the second installment in THE SEEKERS—when a tough operative’s cover story as doting lover to a pretty librarian threatens to blow up.

Be there from the beginning of our brand-new in-line continuity, SHOTGUN SALLYS! In this exciting trilogy, three young women friends uncover a scandal in the town of Mustang Valley, Texas, that puts their lives—and the lives of the men they love—on the line. Don’t miss Out for Justice by Susan Kearney.

To wrap up a month of can’t-miss romantic suspense, Doreen Roberts debuts in the Harlequin Intrigue line with Official Duty, the next title in our COWBOY COPS thematic promotion. It’s a double-murder investigation that forces a woman out of hiding to face her perilous past…and her pent-up feelings for the sexy sheriff who still has her heart in custody. Last but certainly not least, Emergency Contact by Susan Peterson—part of our DEAD BOLT promotion—is an edgy psychological thriller about a traumatized amnesiac who may have been brainwashed to do the unthinkable….

Enjoy all our selections this month!

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Senior Editor,

Harlequin Intrigue

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Doreen Roberts lives with her husband, who is also her manager and her biggest fan, in the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon. She believes that everyone should have a little adventure now and again to add interest to their lives. She believes in taking risks and has been known to embark on an adventure or two of her own. She is happiest, however, when she is creating stories about the biggest adventure of all—falling in love and learning to live happily ever after.

Cully Black—The small-town sheriff thought he’d seen the last of Ginny Matthews. But now she’s back and in trouble, and it’s up to Cully to save her life—and maybe his own, as well.

Ginny Matthews—Ginny had never planned to return to Gold Peak. But when her former foster parents, Mabel and Jim Corbett, are brutally murdered, she’s forced to face the past once more, as well as the deadly present.

Luke Sorenson—The scruffy, shifty quarryman was also a foster child of the Corbetts. He wanted something from them…badly enough to kill?

Old Man Wetherby—The aged, surly recluse always carries a shotgun. He’s mean, he hates Jim Corbett, and he’s out for revenge.

Sally Irwin—Bright and breezy barmaid Sally was Ginny’s best friend in the old days. But this isn’t the old days anymore. Maybe Sally was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe.

David Petersen—Only Sally knows who he is and why he’s in town. She might also know what he’s up to, but if so, she’s not talking.

My thanks to Sheriff Dave Daniel, Josephine County,

Oregon, for your patience and for the valuable

information. You were a great help.

And to Bill, who is my hero in every way,

and who makes all things possible. Thank you. I love you.

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

Sheriff Cully Black jammed his fists hard into the pockets of his black windcheater. Seventy feet below where he stood on a craggy bluff of the mountain, the twin beams from his deputies’ flashlights probed the thick shadows of the night. They roamed across the wreckage of the familiar pickup, searching for signs of life.

Cully knew it was pointless. No one could have survived that crash. He tilted his chin high enough to see past the wide brim of his hat and stared bleakly at the stars scattered across the dark velvet sky. Maybe someone had borrowed the truck. Maybe it was someone else lying crushed behind the wheel.

It was a slim hope but he held on to it until Jed and Cory climbed back up the steep gully and reached the road, both of them panting from the exertion.

Cully braced himself. In the half-light of the waning moon he saw Jed’s face. The deputy had trouble meeting his gaze.

“Sorry, Cully,” he muttered. “Guess there’s nothing we can do now.”

Cully nodded, his lips clamped so tightly together he could taste blood. When he could draw breath, he asked harshly, “Both of them?”

“Yep.”

“You’re sure?”

“Dead sure,” Jed told him, with just a trace of irony.

“Okay. I’ll wait for the medic.” Cully checked his watch. “You two get back to bed. It’ll be dawn in an hour or two.”

“I’ll wait with you.” Jed tipped his hat back and scratched his head.

“Me, too,” Cory muttered.

“He’s gotta come out from Rapid City,” Cully reminded them. “That’s more than forty miles away.” As if echoing his words, the thin wail of a siren floated across the mountainside on the wings of a strong breeze.

“Reckon that’s him now,” Jed said quietly.

Still unable to accept what had happened, Cully drew an unsteady breath. “You’re sure. About down there, I mean.”

Jed’s face looked drawn in the ghostly moonlight. “Cully…”

Cully lifted his hand. “Okay. I just want to know, that’s all.”

He’d seen more than his share of death and destruction during his years in law enforcement. He was hardened by it, almost to the point of detachment. It was part of the job—a job he struggled to give his all.

The law and his horses. That was all he needed to make him happy. There was nothing better to keep his mind off the seamy side of life than taking a wild ride in the saddle under a western sky—head on into the clean, sharp winds that blew in from the mountains.