The Eleventh Hour. Wendy Etherington

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      A note from the editor…

      Well, this is it—the last month of Harlequin Temptation. We’ve had a good run, but everybody knows that all good things have to end sometime. And you have to admit, Temptation is very, very good.…

      When we celebrated our twentieth anniversary last year, we personified the series as a twenty-year-old woman. She was young, legal (well, almost) and old enough to get into trouble. Well, now that she’s twenty-one and officially legal, she’s leaving home. And she’s going to be missed.

      I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the countless number of authors who have given me, and other Harlequin Temptation editors past and present, so many hours of enjoyable reading. They made working at Harlequin an absolute pleasure.

      I’d also like to thank our loyal readers for all their support over the past twenty-one years. Never forget—you are the reason we all do what we do. (Check out the back autograph section if you don’t believe me.)

      But this doesn’t have to be the end….

      Next month Harlequin Blaze increases to six books, and will be bringing the best of Harlequin Temptation along with it. Look for more books in THE WRONG BED, 24 HOURS and THE MIGHTY QUINNS miniseries. And don’t miss Blazing new stories by your favorite Temptation authors. Drop in at tryblaze.com for details.

      It’s going to be a lot of fun. I hope you can join us.

      Brenda Chin

      Associate Senior

      Editor Temptation/Blaze

      “I’m tired of being cautious and shy.”

      Laine looked at him. “I took this job with the magazine for the pay raise, but it’s also part of my journey to be more assertive and confident.”

      The tension dispelled, Steve kissed her palm. “How assertive are we talking about?”

      She lifted herself out of her seat, hiked her dress up, then swung her leg over his lap and straddled him.

      “That’s pretty assertive.”

      Laine grinned. “When you want something…” She traced his bottom lip with her finger. “Or someone…”

      Eyes wide, he slid his hands up her sides. “I don’t want our first time to be in a car,” he said without much conviction.

      Leaning down, she tongued his earlobe. “Sometimes assertiveness is all about the timing.” She pressed her hips against his. “And this isn’t our first time.”

      The Eleventh Hour

      Wendy Etherington

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Dear Reader,

      Things always seem to come full circle, don’t they?

      I started these stories about the Kimball family with the concept of heroes and their importance in both life and fiction very much on my mind. I was writing the first one in September 2001 and now here we are years later with the definition of an “American Hero” changed and intensified forever.

      In the lives of the Kimballs it’s finally “Baby” Steven’s turn. Hopefully he will measure up to your personal definition of a hero as he finds himself and the love of his life.

      While my story comes full circle, so does Harlequin Temptation. After twenty years of love, drama and laughter, this month marks the end of the line in North America. I hope the books have been as pleasurable for you to read as they have been for us authors to write.

      Drop me a line anytime via my Web site, www.wendyetherington.com, or by regular mail at P.O. Box 3016, Irmo, SC 29063.

      Take care and happy reading!

      Wendy Etherington

      Books by Wendy Etherington

      HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION

      944—PRIVATE LIES

      958—ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT?

      998—SPARKING HIS INTEREST

      HARLEQUIN FLIPSIDE

      29—IF THE STILETTO FITS…

      This book is dedicated in memory of Robert “Scooter” Haines, a great American hero to both his country and his family.

      The Temptation Years 1984–2005

      Autographs

      Contents

       Prologue

       Chapter 1

       Chapter 2

       Chapter 3

       Chapter 4

       Chapter 5

       Chapter 6

       Chapter 7

       Chapter 8

       Chapter 9

       Chapter 10

       Chapter 11

       Chapter 12

      Prologue

      WITH A HOLLOW STOMACH, Laine Sheehan sank onto a bar stool. She rested her elbows on the glossy mahogany bar that had been in her family for so long, still stunned by the news.

      “It’s over,” her sister, Cat, announced as she tossed ice into a cocktail shaker. “I knew those biddies from the historical society would reject us. The city wants a new road, so we’re out.”

      Laine realized her sister’s bravado was a front; this was killing her.

      Temptation would soon be no more.

      As her and Cat’s two closest friends, Gracie and Tess, flanked her and launched commiserations at her sister, Laine clutched the envelope the leader of the historical society had given her as they’d walked out of the courtroom earlier.

      She