Catherine Lanigan - Hers To Protect

She’s sworn to protect...

But does that include a speeding celebrity?

Violet Hawks is a by-the-books police officer—so when she catches a man speeding, she arrests him. Only, the man is famous race car driver Josh Stevens. To make amends, Josh launches a charm campaign, and it works on the small town...and on Violet. But when Josh is connected to an investigation, Violet begins to wonder—can she trust her instincts when her heart is involved?

CATHERINE LANIGANknew she was born to storytelling at a very young age when she told stories to her younger brothers and sister to entertain them. After years of encouragement from family and high school teachers, Catherine was shocked and brokenhearted when her freshman college creative-writing professor told her that she had “no writing talent whatsoever” and that she would never earn a dime as a writer.

For fourteen years she did not write until she was encouraged by a television journalist to give her dream a shot. That was nearly forty published novels, nonfiction books and anthologies ago. To add to the dream, Hallmark Channel has recently released The Sweetest Heart , based on the second book in her Mills & Boon Heartwarming series, Shores of Indian Lake. With more books in the series and more movies to come, Catherine makes her home in La Porte, Indiana, the inspiration for Indian Lake.

Also By Catherine Lanigan

Shores of Indian Lake

Family of His Own

His Baby Dilemma

Rescued by the Firefighter

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Hers to Protect

Catherine Lanigan

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09136-7

HERS TO PROTECT

© 2019 Catherine Lanigan

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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Text to speech

Why was Josh interested in his arresting officer?

There was a softness in Violet’s eyes, a compassion, and that made Josh pause. Made him think. And feel things he hadn’t felt in a really long time.

Josh had spent most of his adult life chasing the next win. He hadn’t stopped to consider what he really wanted.

“Belonging.”

The word rushed out of him like a riptide from the bottom of his heart. To be important to just one person. What would that be like? What would it be like to walk into a room and have Violet’s face light up just because he was there? Not the blaze of fame like he saw in a fan’s face, or the need in those dependent on him, but love.

Was that what he wanted?

Love?

Dear Reader,

To all of you who are returning to the Shores of Indian Lake series and who read Family of His Own , you might remember Violet Hawks. For those of you who are new to Indian Lake, welcome. Indian Lake is a lovely and loving smallish town located in Northwest Indiana. The town is noted for its close community of involved, concerned and caring people. I have been fortunate in my life to grow up in a place like Indian Lake.

Violet Hawks is a rookie police officer. She dreams of becoming an investigative detective one day, but when she sees an expensive Bugatti Chiron shooting down a country road, she pursues. The Chiron is driven by handsome, famous and wealthy race car driver Josh Stevens. Josh is shocked when the feisty and pretty Violet actually arrests him!

The judge orders Josh to do community service, which keeps him tied to Indian Lake and to Violet. When Josh is injured in a Memorial Day race, Violet realizes that her concern for Josh has turned into something deeper.

I hope you enjoy Hers to Protect . It was interesting and challenging to delve into the law enforcement world as seen through Violet’s young, ambitious eyes. Josh clearly burrowed into my heart.

I love hearing from you as I delve into more Shores of Indian Lake stories. Follow me on Facebook; Twitter: @cathlanigan; catherinelanigan.com; Pinterest; YouTube; heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.com; and my book tours at prismbooktours.blogspot.com; and see my Hallmark movie, The Sweetest Heart , based on the book Heart’s Desire , on the Hallmark Channel.

God bless,

Catherine

This book is dedicated to my husband and hero, Jed Nolan, who died October 21, 2015. I love you to the moon and back and throughout all the galaxies forever. I am ever grateful to you for watching over me.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My heartfelt thanks to my editor Adrienne Macintosh for guiding me through this fast-paced relationship between Violet and Josh. We had so much fun sitting in the grandstand while these two jockeyed for positions in their rocketing romance. Your insights and brilliance continue to polish my creativity and make my work turn to “play.”

To Dianne Moggy, my editor and friend. We’ve racked up another one and we’re heading into even more fun! Thank you for being there for me over twenty-three years. That time went fast.

To Kathleen Scheibling, Kathryn Lye, Deirdre McCluskey, Dana Grimaldi and all the creative Heartwarming team who work endlessly to make every Heartwarming story the superlative novels they are, my deepest gratitude. You all continue to amaze me.