Hailey's Hero. Judy Duarte

      She caught him watching her.

      Hailey welcomed his presence. His strength. His support.

      She slid a glance at the one-time bad boy, caught his profile, the square cut of his chin, the angular cheekbones. Something told her there was still a bit of rebel in the detective, something she found far more appealing than she should.

      Don’t get too close, her conscience ordered. Nick Granger may be easy to lean on today, but he’s not the kind of man you want or need.

      And he wasn’t.

      Even if he did happen to be her temporary lover.

      And the father of her baby.

      Dear Reader,

      Well, we hope your New Year’s resolutions included reading some fabulous new books—because we can provide the reading material! We begin with Stranded with the Groom by Christine Rimmer, part of our new MONTANA MAVERICKS: GOLD RUSH GROOMS miniseries. When a staged wedding reenactment turns into the real thing, can the actual honeymoon be far behind? Tune in next month for the next installment in this exciting new continuity.

      Victoria Pade concludes her NORTHBRIDGE NUPTIALS miniseries with Having the Bachelor’s Baby, in which a woman trying to push aside memories of her one night of passion with the town’s former bad boy finds herself left with one little reminder of that encounter—she’s pregnant with his child. Judy Duarte begins her new miniseries, BAYSIDE BACHELORS, with Hailey’s Hero, featuring a cautious woman who finds herself losing her heart to a rugged rebel who might break it…. THE HATHAWAYS OF MORGAN CREEK by Patricia Kay continues with His Best Friend, in which a woman is torn between two men—the one she really wants, and the one to whom he owes his life. Mary J. Forbes’s sophomore Special Edition is A Father, Again, featuring a grown-up reunion between a single mother and her teenaged crush. And a disabled child, an exhausted mother and a down-but-not-out rodeo hero all come together in a big way, in Christine Wenger’s debut novel, The Cowboy Way.

      So enjoy, and come back next month for six compelling new novels, from Silhouette Special Edition.

      Happy New Year!

      Gail Chasan

       Senior Editor Silhouette Special Edition

      Hailey’s Hero

      Judy Duarte

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To Christy Freetly and Gail Duarte, who spent hours reading my books

       in manuscript form, even those drafts that may never see the light of day. If God hadn’t made us family, I would have chosen you both as friends.

      And to Mahnita Boyden-Wofford, who turned a blind eye when I

       played hooky from the day job to dream up stories and chat with my critique partners on the telephone. Thanks for looking out for our family over the years.

      JUDY DUARTE

      An avid reader who enjoys a happy ending, Judy Duarte always wanted to write books of her own. One day, she decided to make that dream come true. Five years and six manuscripts later, she sold her first book to Silhouette Special Edition.

      Her unpublished stories have won the Emily and the Orange Rose, and in 2001, she became a double Golden Heart finalist. Judy credits her success to Romance Writers of America and two wonderful critique partners, Sheri WhiteFeather and Crystal Green, both of whom write for Silhouette.

      At times, when a stubborn hero and a headstrong heroine claim her undivided attention, she and her family are thankful for fast food, pizza delivery and video games. When she’s not at the keyboard or in a Walter Mitty–type world, she enjoys traveling, spending romantic evenings with her personal hero and playing board games with her kids.

      Judy lives in Southern California and loves to hear from her readers. You may write to her at: P.O. Box 498, San Luis Rey, CA 92068-0498. You can also visit her Web site at www.judyduarte.com.

      Dear Reader,

      Welcome to Bayside, a fictitious beachfront community near sunny San Diego, where love and romance await the unsuspecting men known as the Bayside Bachelors.

      This new miniseries has one common thread. All of the heroes were once troubled teens—bad boys—who turned their lives around thanks to the guidance of Harry Logan, a retired detective who took them under his wing.

      In each book, you’ll meet everyday heroes like cops and firemen, doctors and navy pilots, men who can’t quite shake a stubborn heart, a crooked smile or the rebellious nature that still flows in their veins. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always liked stories of redemption, stories of regular people who overcame the odds and made tremendous and, oftentimes, heroic changes in their lives.

      I had fun creating the Bayside Bachelors and the women who would touch their hearts. May you experience that same pleasure as you turn each page, as you enter the world of Harry and Kay Logan, meet the men they’ve grown to care about and watch each romance unfold.

      Wishing you all the best,

      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 One

      Hailey Conway didn’t believe in heroes. And hadn’t since her sixth birthday.

      Over the years, she’d accepted the fact that a woman couldn’t expect someone to rescue her, to step in and make life picture-book perfect.

      So when Hailey walked out of the Granville drugstore and a young man jerked on her black vinyl purse, she didn’t scream for help. Instead, she struggled with the thug until he knocked her fanny-first on the sidewalk.

      At the gas station across the street, a tall, dark-haired stranger in a leather jacket yelled to the attendant to call the police, then took off in pursuit of Hailey’s mugger.

      Heart pounding and hands trembling, she stood on wobbly legs and grimaced at the pain in her right hip. She didn’t think anything was broken, but her bottom hurt like the dickens. She brushed the dirt from her wool slacks and looked down the street. Both suspect and stranger were long gone.

      And so was her oversize purse. But it wasn’t her cash and credit cards she worried about. It was the package she’d discreetly slipped inside that concerned her. A package she’d traveled twenty miles to buy.

      Now she was not only missing her purse and her purchase, she was rubbing an aching rear end.

      A police cruiser pulled to a stop in front of the drugstore, and a stocky, red-haired officer climbed from the car. “What seems to be the problem, ma’am?”

      Hailey explained what had happened, then pointed in the direction the mugger and the stranger had run.

      “Your name?” he asked.