Jean Barrett - Sudden Recall

You don’t even know my name. You never once called me by name. You don’t know any more about me than I do.”

“You’re making a mistake,” Eden said.

“Yeah, I trusted you. That was my mistake. What I can’t figure out is why you didn’t call the cops last night when I stumbled in here. Why is that? What is it you’re after?”

“Look, give me the gun, and we’ll talk about it.”

Until he knew differently, he had to assume Eden was his enemy, an enemy from whom he needed answers. But this was a dangerous place to try to get them. He needed somewhere that was safe until he figured out what to do. Where? That’s when he remembered the painting above the fireplace.

He was getting out of here, going to that isolated houseboat on the river—and he was taking her with him.

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

Those April showers go hand in hand with a welcome downpour of gripping romantic suspense in the Harlequin Intrigue line this month!

Reader-favorite Rebecca York returns to the legendary 43 LIGHT STREET with Out of Nowhere—an entrancing tale about a beautiful blond amnesiac who proves downright lethal to a hard-edged detective’s heart. Then take a detour to New Mexico for Shotgun Daddy by Harper Allen—the conclusion in the MEN OF THE DOUBLE B RANCH trilogy. In this story a Navajo protector must safeguard the woman from his past who is nurturing a ticking time bomb of a secret.

The momentum keeps building as Sylvie Kurtz launches her brand-new miniseries—THE SEEKERS—about men dedicated to truth, justice…and protecting the women they love. But at what cost? Don’t miss the debut book, Heart of a Hunter, where the search for a killer just might culminate in rekindled love. Passion and peril go hand in hand in Agent Cowboy by Debra Webb, when COLBY AGENCY investigator Trent Tucker races against time to crack a case of triple murder!

Rounding off a month of addictive romantic thrillers, watch for the continuation of two new thematic promotions. A handsome sheriff saves the day in Restless Spirit by Cassie Miles, which is part of COWBOY COPS. Sudden Recall by Jean Barrett is the latest in our DEAD BOLT series about silent memories that unlock simmering passions.

Enjoy all of our great offerings.

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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If setting has anything to do with it, Jean Barrett claims she has no reason not to be inspired. She and her husband live on Wisconsin’s scenic Door Peninsula in an antique-filled country cottage overlooking Lake Michigan. A teacher for many years, she left the classroom to write full-time. She is the author of a number of romance novels.

Write to Jean at P.O. Box 623, Sister Bay, WI 54234. SASE appreciated.

Eden Hawke—She is prepared to risk anything to get her son back, including the man without a past.

Shane—He is on the run and with no memory. Can he trust the alluring P.I., or is she another threat to him?

Tia—Eden’s friend is worried about her.

Nathanial—Is Eden’s son still alive? If so, what became of him after he vanished three years ago?

Roy—The caretaker is unwilling to tell what he knows.

Harriet Krause—The lab technician is frightened. What is she hiding?

Bruno and Boris—Whatever their actual names might be, the two brutes are both dangerous and desperate.

Lissie Reardon—She is prepared to sacrifice everything, including her life.

Charles Moses—Eden had once loved him, but now he’s her enemy.

Irene Moses—The daughter of Sebastian Jamison is as shallow as she is beautiful.

Claire Jamison—What family secret is Sebastian’s elegant but ruthless widow determined to protect?

Estelle and Victor DuBois—They are valuable friends, but how far are they willing to go to help Eden and Shane?

To my good friends Bev, Jane and Kathy. You’re the tops.

A special thank you to Judy Scrimpsher, R.N.,

for sharing her medical knowledge.

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

Epilogue

Whatever it was, it was vital. Something he had lost and had to recover before it was too late. That part was clear, though nothing else was.

He wished his head would stop hurting. If only he could achieve that much, ease the throbbing inside his skull, he was certain he would remember just what it was he was trying to find.

Then a new thought struck him. Maybe it wasn’t a something from which he had been separated but a someone. Could that be right? Yes, he was sure of it now. Someone was waiting for him, someone who needed him. Or was it the other way around? Was he the one in need?

In his confusion he wasn’t absolutely certain of anything, only that he had to get there. Wherever there was. He was so disoriented he had no idea what this place was or how he’d gotten here. Neither the hour nor the weather were his allies.

It was late, sometime in the middle of the night. He could sense that much. And there was water off to his right. A river, he thought. He could see lights on the other side, and more lights off to his left. Between them was this strip of darkness along which he had been wandering. For how long he didn’t know.

A parkway, he decided. That was the explanation for the grassy strip. He was alone and on foot along some city parkway. A wind blew off the river, cold and wet, pelting him with needles of rain. He wasn’t dressed for the weather. Drawing the collar of his light jacket up around his neck, he turned and moved away from the biting exposure of the broad river.

That’s when he realized that more than his head was hurting. His whole body was sore, aching with the effort of each step. Had he been in an accident?

He came to a wide boulevard where the traffic at this hour was light. On the other side were the glowing lights of what looked like a convenience store, one of those places that never closed.

They would have aspirin in there. If he could get some aspirin inside him, relieve the stabbing inside his head, he was confident his brain would find the answers he was searching for.

He shuffled across the thoroughfare, and into the store. The light was dazzling after the darkness outside. It took him a moment to adjust to the glare. Then he saw that the store was deserted except for him and a young attendant at the checkout counter talking on her cell phone.