Daddy Protector

Daddy Protector
Jacqueline Diamond

A Real Hero Needs…The neighbor made Connie Simmons see red. An irresponsible party animal with the kind of magnetism that made her knees shake, he was mostly an irritation–with a generous dollop of temptation mixed in. But because he rescued her child from a fire and got hurt, it was only neighborly to call a truce.…The Right Time And PlaceDetective Hale Crandall had spent months wondering how to patch things up with the blond bombshell next door. Saving her adopted son Skip–while it almost got him killed–had been a lucky break. Now he just needed to make himself an indispensable part of their lives–and wait!

“That’s a good line. You should use it on a susceptible female.”

“Which you’re not?” Hale asked sweetly.

Connie felt heat rise to her cheeks and to cover it grabbed a roll of pressure bandage and began winding it around his foot. “Don’t call me angel. Or honey bunch or any of your other smarmy endearments.”

“Smarmy?” he echoed.

“Naive women must melt when you shower them with phony compliments. Well, not me!” She smacked the end of the bandage so it clung without requiring adhesive.

He flinched. Connie felt guilty, but not enough to apologize.

“Okay, okay.” Hale shrugged. “I have a naturally flirtatious manner. Don’t take it personally.”

“Exactly my point!”

Dear Reader,

I loved telling the story of Connie and Hale, next-door neighbors who drive each other crazy. They’re opposites in many ways, but dramatic events reveal the underlying values they hold in common. And then there’s that sizzling attraction they’ve fought so hard to suppress, breaking forth at last!

I also enjoyed weaving in the details of Hale’s work as a police detective. This is the second of three related books I’ve written featuring two policemen and a policewoman.

Hope you enjoy the continuing stories of Connie, her friend Rachel and her cousin Marta. Still to come is a book in which Marta, who’s struggled for years to recover from a serious accident, finds happiness with the seemingly unattainable man of her dreams.

For details, reviews and information on future books, please visit my Web site, www.jacquelinediamond.com. Hope to see you there!

Best,

Daddy Protector

Jacqueline Diamond

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A former Associated Press reporter, Jacqueline Diamond has written more than sixty novels and received a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times BOOKreviews. Jackie lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons and two cats. You can e-mail her at jdiamondfriends@aol.com (mailto:jdiamondfriends@aol.com) or visit her Web site at www.jacquelinediamond.com (http://www.jacquelinediamond.com).

Books by Jacqueline Diamond

HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

913—THE IMPROPERLY PREGNANT PRINCESS

962—DIAGNOSIS: EXPECTING BOSS’S BABY

971—PRESCRIPTION: MARRY HER IMMEDIATELY

978—PROGNOSIS: A BABY? MAYBE

1046—THE BABY’S BODYGUARD

1075—THE BABY SCHEME

1094—THE POLICE CHIEF’S LADY * (#litres_trial_promo)

1101—NINE-MONTH SURPRISE * (#litres_trial_promo)

1109—A FAMILY AT LAST * (#litres_trial_promo)

1118—DAD BY DEFAULT * (#litres_trial_promo)

1130—THE DOCTOR + FOUR * (#litres_trial_promo)

1149—THE DOCTOR’S LITTLE SECRET

To Beverley Sotolov and Jennifer Green.

Contents

Chapter One (#u17776cfa-a139-5c4e-94c1-5999a77ee82a)

Chapter Two (#u61f35e7a-c2cb-506f-bc4b-29de89f3a541)

Chapter Three (#ufbbaac20-f1df-550d-bc32-742b5787d8d4)

Chapter Four (#uc0932d90-e2c5-56d9-9dbe-29137eed26a0)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)