Between Love and Duty. Janice Johnson Kay

>

      

      There’s a right way, then there’s the wrong way

      Nobody knows that better than police captain Duncan MacLachlan. He has served and protected for years without bending to a middle ground he doesn’t believe in. And he’s not about to change. Certainly not for stubborn—and sexy—court advocate Jane Brooks. Her shades-of-gray view of the world clashes with his black-and-white one.

      Then a mission to save an at-risk teen has Jane’s life on the line. Now she and Duncan must join forces despite their differences—and the flaring attraction that’s too hot to ignore. It’s Duncan’s toughest challenge yet. Because keeping Jane safe is one thing…and keeping her out of his arms is another.

      “So tell me, Captain MacLachlan, what do you do for fun?”

      Fun? Duncan had to think for a minute about Jane’s question. How often did he do anything that he could call fun?

      “I play basketball.” Suddenly he was smiling. “I gave Judge Smithson a bloody nose with my elbow in one of our last games of the season.”

      Jane chuckled. “And you had the nerve to appear in his courtroom.”

      “He repaid me with an elbow to the gut. I dropped to my knees retching.”

      Her full-bodied laugh rang out.

      “Like that image, do you?”

      “I’m embarrassed to admit how much I do.”

      He was still smiling, something he hadn’t expected to do in her company. She was irritating, all right, but also…not as unlikable as he’d thought. Smart, edgy, amusing. Still not a woman he’d consider romantically. But sexually?

      Maybe.

      Dear Reader,

      Stories grow from surprising moments. This trilogy came from an image that lurked in my mind. I live in a small town where people know how to celebrate the Fourth of July. Our parade is a big deal, and bagpipers play while marching in kilts. One particular piper has lingered in my memory. He was tall, striking, auburn-headed and solemn, a hero if I’ve ever seen one. One day that not-so-important memory sent up shoots. I imagined three brothers walking shoulder to shoulder, all playing the bagpipes that are their heritage.

      Alas, heroes have minds of their own. Duncan MacLachlan, the oldest son, declined to play the bagpipe. He was taught by his father, whom he bitterly resents, and he chooses to reject everything that came from a man he despises. And, darn him, Conall, the youngest son, feels the same. Only Niall, the hero of the upcoming book From Father to Son, embraces his Scottish heritage.

      Despite his defiance, I fell for Duncan. He’s a man to whom duty is all. He sacrificed his dreams when his brothers needed him. Romantic love is a foreign concept to him, and not one he intends to embrace. But aren’t responsibility and duty rooted in a deep sense of caring? And what is caring but a kind of love? Oh, yes, it turns out that Duncan is quite capable of loving...once he meets a woman strong and fierce enough to defy him, command his respect and gain his trust. He might have been able to ignore her, if only she didn’t need his protection. Naturally, Duncan feels it’s his duty to provide it. And love has everything to do with it.

      These brothers, damaged by a painful childhood, are some of my favorite heroes.

      Enjoy!

      Janice Kay Johnson

      Between Love

      and Duty

      Janice Kay Johnson

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      The author of more than sixty books for children and adults, Janice Kay Johnson writes Harlequin Superromance novels about love and family—about the way generations connect and the power our earliest experiences have on us throughout life. Her 2007 novel Snowbound won a RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America for Best Contemporary Series Romance. A former librarian, Janice raised two daughters in a small rural town north of Seattle, Washington. She loves to read and is an active volunteer and board member for Purrfect Pals, a no-kill cat shelter.

      Janice enjoys hearing from readers. Please contact her c/o Harlequin Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, ON M3B 3K9, Canada.

      Books by Janice Kay Johnson

      HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE

      1332—OPEN SECRET*

      1351—LOST CAUSE*

      1383—KIDS BY CHRISTMAS*

      1405—FIRST COMES BABY

      1454—SNOWBOUND

      1489—THE MAN BEHIND THE COP

      1558—SOMEONE LIKE HER

      1602—A MOTHER’S SECRET

      1620—MATCH MADE IN COURT

      1644—CHARLOTTE’S HOMECOMING**

      1650—THROUGH THE SHERIFF’S EYES**

      1674—THE BABY AGENDA

      1692—BONE DEEP

      1710—FINDING HER DAD

      1736—ALL THAT REMAINS

      HARLEQUIN ANTHOLOGY

      A MOTHER’S LOVE

       “Daughter of the Bride”

      SIGNATURE SELECT SAGA

      DEAD WRONG

      *Lost…But Not Forgotten

      **The Russell Twins

      Other titles by this author available in ebook format

      Contents

       PROLOGUE

       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

      PROLOGUE

      EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD DUNCAN MacLachlan saw from half a block away that his mother’s