Pamela Tracy - The Soldier's Valentine

An old life

Versus a new love...

Past haunts are troubling former army man Gary Guzman enough that he turns to top officer Leann Bailey. Gary’s transition to civilian life is eased by his growing feelings for the single mother—Sarasota Falls’s first female cop. But when their investigation of his father’s disappearance unearths decades-old secrets, Gary will have to fight even harder for a future with Leann.

PAMELA TRACY is a USA TODAY bestselling author who lives with her husband (the inspiration for most of her heroes) and son (the interference for most of her writing time). Since 1999, she has published more than twenty-five books and sold more than a million copies. She’s a RITA® Award finalist and a winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Award.

Also by Pamela Tracy

Harlequin Heartwarming

Safe in Sarasota Falls

Holding Out for a Hero

The Woman Most Wanted

Scorpion Ridge, Arizona

The Missing Twin

TownSmall-Town Secrets

What Janie Saw

Holiday Homecoming

Katie’s Rescue

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

The Soldier’s Valentine

Pamela Tracy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09602-7

THE SOLDIER’S VALENTINE

© 2019 Pamela Tracy Osback

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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Leann stepped closer, still swaying, seeming not to care that he was holding both her hands.

They were soft and warm, and he had the feeling that if he let go, he would spend the rest of the night trying to reclaim them. He could tell she didn’t want him to do anything but what they were doing. Standing on the dance floor, gazing at each other, touching, with a half smile on her face.

He got it. She was as torn as he was.

But she still didn’t move away from him. Maybe because they were in a sea of adolescents, maybe because the music was a little nostalgic, maybe because she was off duty as a cop or maybe because she wasn’t sure who he really was: friend, foe, stranger, admirer.

Sometimes he wasn’t sure, either.

And Gary’s feet refused to leave the dance floor.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to book three of the Safe in Sarasota Falls series, set near the Jemez Mountains in New Mexico.

Leann Bailey, our heroine, is a bit different than the ones from my earlier books. She’s a cop, so her job is keeping other people safe, especially her two sons. She’s too busy for romance and she has trust issues. Things become even trickier when Gary Guzman shows up in town and she can’t seem to avoid him. Soon she doesn’t want to. But falling in love means her heart isn’t safe.

Leann is my second cop heroine. She’s tough but fun. It’s a balance most women have to manage. “Hey, Mom, you’re tough but fun.” “Hey, professor, you’re tough but fun.” “Hey, editor, you’re tough but fun.” I could go on.

Above all, this is a romance, and when Leann falls for ex-soldier Gary, she’s met her match in the “tough but fun” arena. Hmm, maybe those three words could be in their wedding vows! “Dearly beloved, we are gathered together to take these two tough but fun...”

I enjoy hearing from my readers. Please visit me at pamelatracy.comto find out about my other Harlequin Heartwarming books.

Pamela

To the Haag family: Stephanie, Steve and Nolan.

I get to write adventures for Harlequin,

but I get to live adventures—camping,

body surfing, Universal Studios, Legoland

and more—with the best traveling buddies

in the world. Most excellent of all,

the adventures are filled with laughter.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Dedication

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 SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

THE ONLY THING Officer Leann Bailey hated more than domestic disturbance calls were domestic disturbance calls that involved her family.

She pulled into the familiar parking lot of Meteor Park, located a mere block away from where she’d grown up.

Evening on a school night meant plenty of empty spaces. She pulled into one and turned off the engine.

Leann had chosen to return to the small town of Sarasota Falls and raise her boys. She had not chosen to return to the neighborhood of her childhood, a house that wasn’t a home and siblings as damaged as she was.

Thanks to her spoiled, slightly neurotic younger sister, she didn’t always have a choice.

“I can deal with this,” Leann muttered to herself, yet she didn’t move from behind the wheel. Every time, every single time, she was called to this side of town, to deal with Gail’s issues, it was a step back in time: a time she didn’t want to remember yet alone police.