Waters Run Deep. Liz Talley

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      This is starting over…not putting down roots

      Getting attached to someone nearly sidelined agent Annie Perez’s career. So she’s not about to make the same mistake twice. This latest undercover assignment in Louisiana—acting as nanny for a famous couple under threat—suits her perfectly. She can investigate quietly and under the radar. That is, provided she can stay clear of way-too-suspicious detective Nate Dufrene.

      Easier said than done when Nate seems to be around every corner. And with each encounter, Annie is tempted a little more by this son of Bayou Bridge. Yet regardless of their chemistry, they are worlds apart, and she’s not willing to compromise for love again. But when she needs an ally, Nate has her back. And that could convince her to get very attached!

      The sound of a car behind her had her scooting off the road.

      Annie broke her stride to check over her shoulder. Gray government car.

      Nate Dufrene.

      He slowed beside her. “Wanna ride?”

      “I’m almost there. And I’m pretty sweaty. Wouldn’t want to mess up your seats.”

      “I don’t mind.”

      Her mind screamed get your butt back to the house and leave sexy Nate Dufrene the hell alone. Her libido, however, told her to take the candy the man offered and climb into his car like a naughty little girl.

      “If you don’t mind,” she said, pulling open the passenger door.

      “You look like you could run circles around me.”

      “Don’t know about that. You look fit enough,” she said.

      “Oh, yeah? Maybe we can go for a run together.”

      Her body tightened unwillingly as thoughts of other things they could do together flitted through her mind. Lord, what was wrong with her? Goal: prove to Sterling she could do a phenomenal job as an investigator so she could make more money and get better assignments. Barrier: hunky detective.

      She made a noncommittal sound.

      “Tell me, Annie. Is that a yes or a maybe?”

      Dear Reader,

      The people of Louisiana have a joie de vivre that spills over and encourages visitors to get up and pass a good time. Whether it’s slurping gumbo, listening to the sounds of zydeco or watching the pageantry of Mardi Gras, this place is unique.

      I love my state, from the winding piney hills of the north to the flat delta of the south and all the places in between. We live, we love and we eat…a lot!

      I hope you enjoy my venture into Acadiana with the odd and sometimes kooky matriarch Picou Dufrene and her three disarming boys. If the food isn’t a good enough reason to visit Bayou Bridge, the sexy Cajun men will seal the deal. Life is good here on the bayou. Tru dat.

      Look for the other two books in this The Boys of Bayou Bridge miniseries. Under the Autumn Sky will be out in July 2012 and The Road to Bayou Bridge will hit the shelves in September 2012.

      I love to hear from my readers, so drop by and leave me a note at www.liztalleybooks.com or drop a letter in the mail to: P.O. Box 5418, Bossier City, LA 71171.

      Happy reading,

      Liz Talley

      Waters Run Deep

      Liz Talley

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      From devouring the Harlequin Superromance novels on the shelf of her aunt’s used bookstore to swiping her grandmother’s medical romances, Liz Talley has always loved a good romance. So it was no surprise to anyone when she started writing a book one day while her infant napped. She soon found writing more exciting than scrubbing hardened cereal off the love seat. Underneath her baby-food-stained clothes, a dream stirred. Liz followed that dream, and after a foray into historical romance and a Golden Heart final, she started her first contemporary romance on the same day she met her editor. Coincidence? She prefers to call it fate.

       Currently Liz lives in North Louisiana with her high-school sweetheart, two beautiful children and a passel of animals. Liz loves watching her boys play baseball, shopping for bargains and going out for lunch. When not writing contemporary romances for the Harlequin Superromance line, she can be found doing laundry, feeding kids or playing on Facebook.

      For the people of Louisiana who may face hurricanes, crooked politics and record droughts, but who never fail to invite a neighbor to the table to share their delicious dishes and their lives.

      I’m honored to live among you.

      Special thanks goes to Caddo Parish Sheriff Detective Mick McDaniel and to the Medeiros family who showed me true Cajun hospitality.

      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

       CHAPTER FIFTEEN

       CHAPTER SIXTEEN

       CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

       CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

       CHAPTER NINETEEN

       CHAPTER TWENTY

       CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

      CHAPTER ONE

      The marshlands off Bayou Lafourche, Louisiana, 1986

      SAL COMEAUX GLANCED in the rearview mirror for the fifth time that night and muttered a curse. The child still stared at him with those freaky blue eyes. No longer crying, just gazing into his soul with stabbing accusation.

      He clutched the steering wheel tighter, trying to ignore the weight pressing