The Hero Next Door

The Hero Next Door
Irene Hannon

He thought the big city was tough…Then former Chicago cop Justin Clay met his neighbor's rebellious teenaged nephew. Just like Justin, the boy had come to Nantucket to put his difficult past behind him. But while love-shy tea shop owner Heather Anderson is doing wonders for Justin's outlook, she's having trouble reaching the teen.Suddenly the man who didn't think he had anything to offer is helping a fractured family, and three fractured hearts, come together. And a world-weary cop is turning into the hero–and husband material–next door.

“This isn’t Chicago. Nantucket is safe. You scared me to death! Is that a gun in your hand?” Heather asked.

“Yes, and crime happens everywhere,” J.C. responded.

“The noise we heard is probably feral cats. I caught them rooting through my trash a few days ago.”

J.C. took a quick look around her backyard and confirmed that two cats had indeed stuck their noses in the trash bin.

“Sorry to raise an unnecessary alarm,” he said.

“You must travel in rough circles.”

In Heather Anderson’s world, cats were the biggest predators on the street.

He, on the other hand, had spent his career dealing with lowlifes. And he’d been doing it for so long he didn’t know how to behave around a woman who was untouched by the raw side of life.

“Well, thanks again.” Turning, she disappeared through her back door.

Suddenly, an odd sensation settled in J.C.’s chest. One that had nothing to do with the guilt he’d been carrying for the last month. This was related to a woman with beautiful hazel eyes.

IRENE HANNON

Irene Hannon, who writes both romance and romantic suspense, is an author of more than twenty-five novels. Her books have been honored with both a coveted RITA

Award from Romance Writers of America (the “Oscar” of romantic fiction) and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times BOOK reviews magazine. More than a million copies of her novels have been sold worldwide.

A former corporate communications executive with a Fortune 500 company, Irene now writes full-time. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, long walks, cooking, gardening and spending time with family. She and her husband make their home in Missouri.

For more information about her and her books, Irene invites you to visit her Web site at www.irenehannon.com.

The Hero Next Door

Irene Hannon

Love never fails.

—I Corinthians 13:8

To my husband, Tom—

who is just my cup of tea!

Acknowledgment

Special thanks to Chief William J. Pittman,

Nantucket Police Department,

for his generous assistance.

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

Epilogue

Questions for Discussion

Chapter One

Justin Clay had always considered June 1 to be the true beginning of summer. The day that marked the transition from cold and dark to warm and bright.

And on this June 1, as the ferry from Hyannis churned into Nantucket Harbor under cloudless blue skies, he hoped that was as true for his life as it was for the weather.

Forearms resting on the railing, he took in the view as the ferry rounded diminutive Brant Point Light and the Coast Guard station. Boats of every type and size dotted the blue water below the tree-filled town, which perched on a gentle hillside in the background. The gold dome of a clock tower and a tall white steeple soared over the leafy branches, while weathered gray clapboard buildings with white trim predominated along the waterfront.