Spring In The Valley. Charlotte Douglas

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      All Brynn could think of was how much she was attracted to Rand, from his thick brown hair to the tips of his Gucci loafers

      And especially everything in between.

      Rand gave her a look that made her suddenly hot. “It’s been such a great day that I don’t want it to end. Come to River Walk with us.”

      No way, her mind was screaming, but her reply came from her heart. “I’d love to.”

      His face lit up like Fourth of July fireworks, his delight so obvious Brynn had to look away. She restrained herself from beating her hand against the window in frustration. Why hadn’t she just said no?

      Because Rand Benedict is a very special man, maybe the one you’ve been looking for all your life, a voice inside her head insisted.

      But she hadn’t been looking for a man, not even a special one.

      Had she?

      Dear Reader,

      In the words of an ancient Chinese saying, we live in interesting times. Due to tumultuous world events, we appreciate more than ever security, solace, acceptance and love as bulwarks against the troubles of the day. In my series A PLACE TO CALL HOME, I’ve created a small town in upstate South Carolina, where love and acceptance, along with only occasional mayhem, abound. For the residents of Pleasant Valley, friends are family, and family is everything.

      In Spring in the Valley, book three of the series, Officer Brynn Sawyer, one of Pleasant Valley’s finest, finds her heart and values shaken by Yankee stranger Rand Benedict, a lawyer on a secret mission to the South. But Brynn has always given as good as she gets, and Rand soon discovers his life and expectations upended after being ticketed by the curvaceous cop.

      I hope you’ll enjoy the romantic skirmish between Brynn and Rand, aided by Rand’s adorable nephew and ward, and as we say in the South, y’all come back and visit Pleasant Valley again early in 2006.

      Happy reading!

      Spring in the Valley

      Charlotte Douglas

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      The major passions of Charlotte Douglas’s life are her husband—her high school sweetheart to whom she’s been married for over three decades—and writing compelling stories. A national bestselling author, she enjoys filling her books with love of home and family, special places and happy endings. With their two cairn terriers, she and her husband live most of the year on Florida’s central west coast, but spend the warmer months at their North Carolina mountaintop retreat.

      No matter what time of year, readers can reach her at [email protected]. She’s always delighted to hear from them.

      Books by Charlotte Douglas

      HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

      591—IT’S ABOUT TIME

      623—BRINGING UP BABY

      868—MONTANA MAIL-ORDER WIFE*

      961—SURPRISE INHERITANCE

      999—DR. WONDERFUL

      1027—VERDICT: DADDY

      1038—ALMOST HEAVEN†

      1049—ONE GOOD MAN†

      1061—SPRING IN THE VALLEY†

      HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

      380—DREAM MAKER

      434—BEN’S WIFE

      482—FIRST-CLASS FATHER

      515—A WOMAN OF MYSTERY

      536—UNDERCOVER DAD

      611—STRANGER IN HIS ARMS*

      638—LICENSED TO MARRY

      668—MONTANA SECRETS

      691—THE BRIDE’S RESCUER

      740—THE CHRISTMAS TARGET

      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

       Epilogue

      Chapter One

      Officer Brynn Sawyer was definitely out of uniform. At the rate her friends were getting married, she contemplated with a wry chuckle, a bridesmaid’s dress was beginning to feel like her backup wardrobe.

      Recalling Jodie Nathan and Jeff Davidson’s wedding earlier that day, she couldn’t help smiling as she drove her SUV down the dark, winding road toward the valley highway. Hours ago, she and a few hundred other guests had given the happy couple a great send-off for their Bermuda honeymoon.

      After most of the others had departed the festivities at Archer Farm, Brynn had remained behind to help the staff and clients clean up at the juvenile rehabilitation center that the groom had founded. The teenage boys, most of whom she knew