Starting with June. Emilie Rose

      

      Resisting June may be his toughest job

      Investigating small-town police corruption has never been on former Marine Sam Rivers’s radar. Still, taking this assignment gives him the opportunity to figure out what’s next after his medical discharge. The task should be a straightforward one. That is, until he meets Deputy June Jones. Almost instantly the warm, sexy woman occupies his thoughts. For a man who craves solitude, suddenly he can’t get enough of her.

      He also can’t forget his reason for being in Quincey, North Carolina. As his investigation progresses, it threatens his secret relationship with June. But can he turn his back on all the love and hope she offers?

      “Forget it, Rivers. Now go. Please.”

      Sam watched June, not responding. Finally, she spoke again. “Leave me with a little pride, and let me pretend I didn’t just make a fool of myself.”

      She pushed the door again, but when he held his position, she threw up her hands and retreated inside. A smart man would let her go.

      “June, let me explain.”

      She angled a hesitant, wounded gaze over her shoulder. “I’m mature enough to take no for an answer, Rivers. But it’s time you left.”

      The cool and clearly false bravado in June’s tone only made Sam feel worse. Damn, she was tough. She could have begged, cried, thrown a tantrum or slammed the door on him. He would have expected, and knew how to handle, any of those reactions. Instead, she acted with dignity.

      This was one firefight he wouldn’t win no matter what he did.

Dear Reader,

      Writing this letter is bittersweet. While I get to share the story of one of my favorite heroines, I’m also saying goodbye to Quincey—a town that has become like my second home.

      Deputy June waited patiently in the background of my previous two Quincey stories, but it wasn’t until an accident forced hardcore Marine Sam Rivers to question everything he knew about himself that I discovered why June refused to get out of my head. Despite Sam’s repeated efforts to push her away, she’s determined to help him become the man he was meant to be—whether or not he wants her assistance. And in June, Sam finds the one woman he considers his equal.

      There are times in our lives when we or someone we love needs a June—someone with a positive, persistent, kick-butt attitude and the life experience to help us through a rough patch. I hope you enjoy watching a woman who is everybody’s champion take on a man determined to stand alone.

      Emilie Rose

      Starting with June

      Emilie Rose

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      USA TODAY bestselling author and RITA® Award finalist EMILIE ROSE lives in North Carolina with her own romance hero. Writing is her third career. She’s managed a medical office and a home day care—neither offered half as much satisfaction as plot­ting happy endings. Her hobbies include gardening, fishing and cooking. Visit her website, emilierose.com, or email her at [email protected].

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      In loving memory of my mother-in-law.

      I wish I’d met her sooner.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       Introduction

Dear Reader

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dedication

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

       Extract

       Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

      SOMETIMES LIFE SUCKED. This was one of those times, Sam Rivers decided as he exited the building on MCB Quantico with the words he’d never expected to hear still ringing in his ears.

      Separated from the corps. Medically discharged.

      Over. His military career was over.

      He caught a trace of movement near his Charger. Instantly alert, he squinted through the glaring sunlight that not even his Wiley X sunglasses could block. Was the subject a friend or foe? A foe on a domestic base was unlikely. But old habits were hard to break.

      The man slouched against the car’s front fender was none other than Roth Sterling. As close