Joyce Sullivan - In His Wife's Name

“Thank you, Luke. You rescued me today in more ways than one.”

For several seconds Luke’s thoughts scattered at the sensation Mary’s hand created in his. Soft. Her hand felt so soft and delicately feminine. So…

Misleading.

That was the only term Luke would allow himself to describe his intense reaction to her touch.

As Mary climbed into her truck and drove off with a smile and a wave, Luke couldn’t help wondering what he was walking into and how it might be connected to his wife’s murder. Mary’s truck’s punctured tire had his gut shrieking warnings that something wasn’t right. Whether Mary was an impostor or not, Luke was afraid for her and her daughter.

This Mary Calder, whoever she was, had an enemy.

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

What’s bigger than Texas…? Montana! This month, Harlequin Intrigue takes you deep undercover to the offices of MONTANA CONFIDENTIAL. You loved the series when it first premiered in the Lone Star State, so we’ve created a brand-new set of sexy cowboy agents for you farther north in Big Sky country. Patricia Rosemoor gets things started in Someone To Protect Her. Three more installments follow—and I can assure you, you won’t want to miss one!

Amanda Stevens concludes her dramatic EDEN’S CHILDREN miniseries with The Forgiven. All comes full circle in this redemptive story that reunites mother and child.

What would you do if your “wife” came back from the dead? Look for In His Wife’s Name for the answer. In a very compelling scenario, Joyce Sullivan explores the consequences of a hidden identity and a desperate search for the truth.

Rounding out the month is the companion story to Harper Allen’s miniseries THE AVENGERS. Sullivan’s Last Stand, like its counterpart Guarding Jane Doe, is a deeply emotional story about a soldier of fortune and his dedication to duty. Be sure to pick up both titles by this exceptional new author.

Cowboys, cops—action, drama…it’s just another month of terrific romantic suspense from Harlequin Intrigue.

Happy reading!

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Associate Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

P.S. Be sure to watch for the next title in Rebecca York’s

43 LIGHT STREET trilogy, MINE TO KEEP, available in

October.

In His Wife’s Name

Joyce Sullivan

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Joyce Sullivan credits her lawyer mother with instilling in her a love of reading and writing—and a fascination for solving mysteries. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and worked several years as a private investigator before turning her hand to writing romantic suspense. A transplanted American, Joyce makes her home in Aylmer, Quebec, with her handsome French-Canadian husband and two case-book-toting kid detectives.

HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

352—THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

436—THIS LITTLE BABY

516—TO LANEY, WITH LOVE

546—THE BABY SECRET

571—URGENT VOWS

631—IN HIS WIFE’S NAME

Mary Calder—What really happened the night this beautiful public relations consultant was murdered? Luke Calder—He was determined to discover who had killed his wife.

Shannon Mulligan—Mary Calder’s name gave her a new identity and an escape from her past.

Rob Barrie—He wouldn’t rest until he and Shannon were man and wife…again.

Dylan White—What would this teen do to protect his mother’s income?

Glorie—The burglary in her gift shop was most puzzling.

Bill Oakes—What could the resort caretaker tell Luke about the woman who called herself Mary Calder?

To Mom and Dad,

My first heroine and hero, who taught me the meaning

of family and commitment and unfailing support.

My sincere thanks to criminologist T. Lorraine Vassalo

and family lawyer Marci Lin Melvin, B.A., LL.B.,

for patiently answering my questions about the

Canadian legal system. And to fraud detective

Paul Heagle, Ottawa-Carleton Regional Police Services

(retired), for explaining how the men and women in blue

get the job done. Without you, this story would never

have been more than an idea on a piece of paper.

Thanks also to the following for helping me get the

details right: Jackie Oakley, Ottawa-Carleton Regional

Police Services; Dr. Stephen W. Maclean; Nina Fast, R.N.;

Deborah Sarty; Pat and Linda Poitevin;

and Kay Gregory. Any mistakes are my own.

Last but not least, a heartfelt hug to Judy McAnerin

for her exceptional plot analysis skills!

Prologue Prologue Mary was unmindful of the car tailing hers; its looming headlights in her rearview mirror were insignificant and blurred by the darkness of the night and the sleet lashing her windows. At least her meeting with her client at the country club had gone well, and he’d been open to her suggestions to smooth over his furniture company’s image in the media after a consumer’s report on the evening news had targeted it for its sales tactics. She didn’t know why public-relations crises were like fevers in sick children, which reached a flashpoint in the middle of the night. Mary smiled, thinking about children. Babies in particular. And making a baby with Luke. Her toes had turned to ice cubes in her black leather pumps. What she needed was a hot bath, candlelight and Luke’s long lean body sharing the tub with her. Mary stopped her sports car for a red light at a dark intersection, her mind drifting to fantasy. Too bad Luke was on duty tonight. Without warning her door was jerked open. A hand brutally gripped her arm and attempted to pull her from the car. Mary fought back instinctively. Honked the horn. Screamed at her attacker. In her peripheral vision, she saw a dark-clothed figure dart in front of the headlights—a woman? Something struck Mary. Hard. Her left arm exploded with pain. Her attacker reached across her body and released her seat belt. As he dragged her free of the car, Mary saw her attacker’s face…looked straight into his eyes. Shock came in a frigid thrust she felt to the depths of her soul. In that brief all-knowing instant, Mary knew she wouldn’t survive the night.

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

Mary was unmindful of the car tailing hers; its looming headlights in her rearview mirror were insignificant and blurred by the darkness of the night and the sleet lashing her windows. At least her meeting with her client at the country club had gone well, and he’d been open to her suggestions to smooth over his furniture company’s image in the media after a consumer’s report on the evening news had targeted it for its sales tactics. She didn’t know why public-relations crises were like fevers in sick children, which reached a flashpoint in the middle of the night.