To Love and Protect. Сьюзен Мэллери

      

       As David Logan investigates a black-market baby ring in Russia, he’s reunited with the woman he regretted leaving behind years ago…

      Elizabeth Duncan had finally made it to Russia.

      David knew her visit had nothing to do with him—they hadn’t been in contact since they’d parted company the evening he’d flown to Moscow. Still, he’d come to this embassy party in hopes of catching a glimpse of her. Maybe more than a glimpse…

      He looked across the room and caught a view of a beautiful redhead in a black gown. The slender straps holding up the dress offered possibilities. He began walking toward her.

      “Liz?”

      She turned slowly, teasing him first with her profile and then with her whole, incredible face. Those large green eyes and full lips. Heat sizzled between them.

      “David Logan,” she said, her voice exactly as he remembered. “I wondered if I’d run into you here.”

      She’d thought of him…and the news pleased him more than it should have.

       SUSAN MALLERY

      is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than ninety romances. Her combination of humor, emotion and just-plain-sexy has made her a reader favorite. Susan makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her handsome husband and possibly the world’s cutest dog. Visit her Web site at www.SusanMallery.com.

      New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

      To Love and Protect

      Susan Mallery

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Be a part of

       Because birthright has its privileges and family ties run deep.

      One night sealed their passion, then divided them. Could fate—and an adorable baby girl—reunite them?

      David Logan: Though they couldn’t be together, David never forgot Elizabeth and the fierce emotions she aroused in him. Five years later, while on assignment in Russia, he saw her and his heart stopped. This time she needed his help, and he was determined not to let her disappear again!

      Elizabeth Duncan: She would do anything to protect her little girl, even enlist the aid of the special agent who’d broken her heart years ago. While she couldn’t admit all he’d meant to her, she was grateful…and more drawn to him than ever. Did she dare hope that the three of them would become a family?

      The Portland pot is brewing: Behind the scenes, one troubled person pulls strings and creates dangers that no one could have imagined….

       Because birthright has its privileges and family ties run deep.

      AVAILABLE JUNE 2010

      1.) To Love and Protect by Susan Mallery

      2.) Secrets & Seductions by Pamela Toth

      3.) Royal Affair by Laurie Paige

      4.) For Love and Family by Victoria Pade

      AVAILABLE JULY 2010

      5.) The Bachelor by Marie Ferrarella

      6.) A Precious Gift by Karen Rose Smith

      7.) Child of Her Heart by Cheryl St. John

      8.) Intimate Surrender by RaeAnne Thayne

      AVAILABLE AUGUST 2010

      9.) The Secret Heir by Gina Wilkins

      10.) The Newlyweds by Elizabeth Bevarly

      11.) Right by Her Side by Christie Ridgway

      12.) The Homecoming by Anne Marie Winston

      AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2010

      13.) The Greatest Risk by Cara Colter

      14.) What a Man Needs by Patricia Thayer

      15.) Undercover Passion by Raye Morgan

      16.) Royal Seduction by Donna Clayton

      Contents

      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

       One

       “I need a man with good hands,” Liz Duncan murmured to herself as she studied the sketch, then the beautiful blond female model she’d hired for the afternoon.

      “Don’t we all?” Marguerite said as she adjusted the baby she held, then tossed her long hair back over her shoulder. “That’s why they wrote a song about it.”

      Liz tilted her head. Something about the scene wasn’t right. The proportion, she thought. With a man holding the baby, the image would be more powerful and evocative. Marguerite’s fingers were too delicate, her palms too narrow.

      “A song about what?” Liz asked absently.

      “Slow hands, honey. Get with the program. If you’re going to get a man, get a good one. Make sure he knows what he’s doing.”

      Liz glanced at the tall, slender nineteen-year-old. “I’m talking about work.”

      “I’m not.”

      “You never are.” Liz flipped through her sketches, then shook her head. “You can put her down. We’re done.”

      “Sure, boss.” She carefully placed the sleeping baby back into the bassinet and lightly touched her cheek. “Thanks for the good time, kid.” She looked at Liz. “You really done with me?”

      “Sure. I’ll let the agency know I changed my mind about the assignment, not that you didn’t work out.”

      “I appreciate that.”

      Marguerite collected her large tote bag and walked out of the room. Liz crossed to the bassinet and stared at the sleeping baby. The infant’s tiny features stirred her heart.

      “I wouldn’t mind taking you home with me, little one,” she murmured. “Too bad this is all about work.”

      After wheeling the baby back to the nursery, Liz wandered the halls of Children’s Connection, the nonprofit adoption and fertility center that had hired her to do the artwork for its new brochure. She’d been on manhunts before, but never in connection with her work.

      “I should give myself hazard duty pay,” she murmured as she rounded a corner and began checking out offices.

      She found nine women, three guys over the age of fifty, a hunky