Roxann Delaney - Bachelor Dad

“Talk to me, Libby,” he said, looking into the depths of her amber eyes.

“What is it?” he whispered, afraid he would scare her away.

“It’s nothing,” she answered, and tried to break free, but he held her tight.

When he turned her face with one finger so he could look into her eyes again, he saw the sparkle of tears.

Cupping her cheek with one hand, he pulled her closer with his other. “Won’t you let me help?”

Her sigh seemed to come from the depths of her, but she didn’t look away. Tears mixed with raindrops as they made a path down her cheek, and then her eyes slowly drifted shut. Without thinking, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. Garrett felt her start to pull away, and then she seemed to fold herself into him.

Dear Reader,

The winter of 2010–2011 has been a tough one for those of us who live in North America. Between snowstorms and flooding, no one has escaped unusual weather. The one good thing that may have come from this is the chance to read.

Whether it’s the weather or just the overall enjoyment of books, it seems I’ve been rebitten by the reading bug, doing more reading this year than I have for a long time, and really enjoying it. I’ve also been doing a lot of writing, which has culminated in this, the sixth book set in Desperation, Oklahoma. I’m especially pleased that you’ve chosen the story of Desperation’s City Attorney, Garrett Miles, a man who’s happy with his lot in life, and single mom Libby Carter. When a “package” is delivered to Garrett, his life takes on new responsibilities as he learns firsthand some of the things Libby goes through every day. As for Libby, she has secrets that can’t be shared. But can secrets remain buried in Desperation?

In the United States, one out of four people will be victims of domestic violence. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, over 2 million people called a hotline or domestic violence crisis center in 2004. If you’re in a violent relationship or know someone who is, get help now. For more information, visit the Domestic Violence Resource Center (www.dvrc-or.org) or domesticviolence.org. Help make sure everyone has a chance at happy ever after.

Best Wishes and Happy Reading,

Roxann

Bachelor Dad

Roxann Delaney

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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To the wonderful ladies of

WARA (Wichita Area Romance Authors)

for their encouragement, support, and especially

their friendship for the past fifteen years.

Ignoring the lunch crowd at Lou’s Place, Garrett Miles skimmed the minutes from Tuesday night’s city council meeting and jotted a note on a legal pad. The local tavern might not be the ideal place for the city attorney to be working, but his tiny office in the municipal building had become claustrophobic. Besides, he was hungry.

“Coffee, tea or …”

Smiling, he looked up and into a pair of familiar amber eyes and a devilish smile. “When did you start working the lunch shift?” he asked.

Libby Carter waited until he’d put his paperwork aside before she placed a cup of coffee in front of him. “Jeanine needed a couple of hours off, so I offered to cover for her. I didn’t know you came here for lunch.”

A strand of her blond hair had slipped from the twisted knot at the back of her head and fallen along her cheek, and he fought the urge to touch it. He’d always been attracted to Libby and liked her far more than he should.

He pushed the thought aside, smiled again and shrugged. “I had a hankering for one of Kate McPherson’s barbecue beef sandwiches and didn’t want to wait until after work.”

“I can’t blame you for that,” she answered, tucking the errant strand of hair behind her ear. “Is there anything else I can get you? Besides the sandwich, that is.”

Picking up the cup in front of him, he shook his head. “Just the sandwich,” he answered. “And keep the coffee coming.”

She looked over her shoulder when another customer called to her, and Garrett heard her sigh before she answered. “Be there in a second, Gus.” When she turned back to Garrett, she flashed him a smile. “Duty calls. I’ll have that sandwich for you right away.”

“Thanks.”

He watched her walk to the bar where several locals sat, their beer glasses and bottles in hand, their talk quiet except for an occasional burst of laughter. He didn’t stop in for lunch at Lou’s often, preferring to visit in the evenings after work, but today he’d needed the change of scenery. Seeing Libby was a perk.

Picking up the cup of coffee, he took a drink—and nearly scalded the roof of his mouth, causing him to let out a small yelp.

Libby appeared within seconds with a glass of water. “Too hot?”

He nodded and set his cup down quickly.

She picked it up and sighed. “I told Lou he was serving it too hot. Did he listen? Like he always does, meaning never. I’ll get it cooled down.” Shaking her head, she hurried to the bar and reached over the top of it.

Garrett stared, instantly forgetting about his burned mouth. He wasn’t the only one in the place who was looking. Nearly every man with decent eyesight was watching, the same as he was. It hadn’t escaped his notice or anyone else’s that Libby’s charms included more than being a good waitress with a sassy attitude. She was a very attractive woman. Especially from the back.

He’d thought more than once of asking her out, but he’d never done it. He didn’t have time, and he wasn’t interested in a relationship. Libby might be fun to flirt with at Lou’s, but he knew from talking to her that she was a single mom and as far as he was concerned, that was a red light.

“I added some ice,” Libby said, hurrying back to his table and setting the cup of cooled coffee in front of him again.

The twinkle in her eyes put him on guard. “What, besides ice, did you put in it?”

“Only ice, I swear,” she answered, placing one hand flat on the table and holding up the other. “I want to make sure it’s all right. After all, we can’t have one of our best customers, not to mention our only non-beer-drinking customer, burning his mouth.”

“It’s okay,” he answered. “I’m good.”

“So I’ve heard.”

He couldn’t keep from chuckling. Having a conversation with Libby was always a game. “Hassling the injured guy, are you?”

“Get ‘em while they’re down, I always say.” She walked away with an exaggerated swing to her hips.

Within minutes, she returned with his sandwich. “On the house,” she told him.

“There’s no need for that,” he assured her, pulling the plate closer. “I’m not going to sue.”

He’d expected a smart answer from her, but instead she said nothing. She looked tired, he thought, noticing the dark circles beneath her eyes, but she always had a smile for everyone.

She leaned forward to wipe a few water rings from the table with the corner of the dishtowel tucked into the waistband of her jeans. “Why hasn’t such a nice guy like you settled down with an equally good woman?”

He considered giving her a flippant answer, but instead he decided she deserved honesty. “I practiced family law back in Chicago for several years. You know, divorce and child custody and all that. I thought I could make a difference. Came to find out, I couldn’t. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep those kids from being pawns of their parents. Divorce is always messy, even when everybody starts out agreeing, but when kids are involved … Well, I guess you could say the whole experience jaded me.”