Cheryl Harper - Saving The Single Dad

His son and daughter—

They are her family, too

Christina Braswell would do anything for her divorced best friend’s kids, including help their father. Park ranger and sudden single dad Brett Hendrix inspires trust and has everyone’s back. But Christina’s torn between loyalty and a deepening attachment to the handsome Sweetwater, Tennessee, lawman. Brett’s not making it any easier—Christina’s finally feeling as if she belongs somewhere.

CHERYL HARPER discovered her love for books and words as a little girl, thanks to a mother who made countless library trips and an introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House stories. Whether stories she reads are set in the prairie, the American West, Regency England or Earth a hundred years in the future, Cheryl enjoys strong characters who make her laugh. Now Cheryl spends her days searching for the right words while she stares out the window and her dog, Jack, snoozes beside her. And she considers herself very lucky to do so.

For more information about Cheryl’s books, visit her online at cherylharperbooks.comor follow her on Twitter, @cherylharperbks.

Also By Cheryl Harper

Otter Lake Ranger Station

Smoky Mountain Sweethearts

Lucky Numbers

A Home Come True

Keeping Cole’s Promise

Heart’s Refuge

Winner Takes All

The Bluebird Bet

A Minute on the Lips

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Saving the Single Dad

Cheryl Harper

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08501-4

SAVING THE SINGLE DAD

© 2018 Cheryl Harper

Published in Great Britain 2018

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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“Thank you for keeping my kids safe, Christina.”

Brett decided to take a chance, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to squeeze her closer. Growing up, she’d always smelled of hair spray and drugstore perfume. Tonight Christina might as well have sprayed a perfume named Home.

Christina blinked. “Wow. I didn’t think you could surprise me, but tonight, with those words, you’ve done it.”

Because he’d been so rigid.

She was right. Something was changing inside him, probably thanks to an unrelenting pressure. If she knew that two urges were battling for control inside him, she’d be shocked. He was either going to kiss her or run for cover. There, in the warm glow of home, feeling connected, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to press his lips to hers. What would she do?

Dear Reader,

Saving the Single Dad started while I was eavesdropping at work. (Note: beware the quiet writer.) A man stepped out of a meeting to take a call from his son. The reason? His son needed help negotiating some kind of agreement with his very clever sister. It was charming, but when Dad ended the call with a sweet “I love you, son,” I was hooked. All I had to do was dream up the right heroine.

In Saving the Single Dad, Christina and Brett both have sharp edges, but such soft spots for kids and family that it was easy to help them fall in love. I hope you enjoy their story.

To find out more about my books and what’s coming next, please visit me at cherylharperbooks.com.

Cheryl

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

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

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

CHRISTINA BRASWELL HAD already had enough of Monday, but it was only eight o’clock and the breakfast rush was in full swing. Finding her inner peace in the chatter and bustle that filled the combination camp store, marina and no-frills diner at the Otter Lake Campground was impossible.

Her inner peace had always been elusive like that. She focused on the view through the window. Otter Lake gleamed outside. The campground was situated in a quiet cove of the lake, a shadowy forest and the steep rise of Yanu Falls forming a serene landscape.

Which was almost the perfect contrast for the controlled chaos of the busy diner.

“I missed my favorite waitress this weekend,” Woody Butler said as he yanked up his camo ball cap and smoothed down a healthy shock of white hair.

“Your wife steal the keys to the truck again?” Christina flipped over the porcelain coffee cup and poured black coffee to the rim. She was his favorite; Woody would swill coffee for hours and talk her ear off along the way before always leaving the same five-dollar tip.

Typical day ending in Y around here.

If he’d ever caught any of the fish he liked to tell her about, he’d done it before she started working behind the counter.

“Naw, you know better’n that, Chrissy,” he said with a grin. “That wife of mine don’t care what I do, so long’s I stay out of her hair.” He waggled his eyebrows. “That’s why I like to hang out here with you.”