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Hideaway At Hawk's Landing
Rita Herron
He’s her best chance to save her childAfter her baby girl is kidnapped, Dr Mila Manchester turns to Brayden Hawk for help. The sexy lawyer is determined to save Mila’s daughter, but could the explosive secret Mila’s keeping destroy the growing bond between him and the single mum?
Her baby has been abducted
And Brayden Hawk is her best chance at getting the child back
After her baby girl is kidnapped, Dr. Mila Manchester must turn to the one man who can help bring her home: Texas cowboy Brayden Hawk. The sexy lawyer refuses to settle for anything less than reuniting mother and daughter, but the deeper he digs, the more questions he has. Like why is Mila so sure the girl’s father isn’t involved? And is the explosive secret he can tell she’s keeping going to destroy the intimacy building between them—or strengthen it?
Badge of Justice
USA TODAY bestselling author RITA HERRON wrote herfirst book when she was twelve but didn’t think realpeople grew up to be writers. Now she writes so shedoesn’t have to get a real job. A former kindergartenteacher and workshop leader, she traded storytelling tokids for writing romance, and now she writes romanticcomedies and romantic suspense. Rita lives in Georgiawith her family. She loves to hear from readers, soplease visit her website, ritaherron.com (http://www.ritaherron.com).
Also by Rita Herron (#u402f873b-7859-5b97-9746-6a8a7e5d8571)
Redemption at Hawk’s LandingLock, Stock and McCullenMcCullen’s Secret SonRoping Ray McCullenWarrior SonThe Missing McCullenThe Last McCullenCold Case at Camden CrossingCold Case at Carlton’s CanyonCold Case at Cobra Creek
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Hideaway at Hawk’s Landing
Rita Herron
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-07935-8
HIDEAWAY AT HAWK’S LANDING
© 2018 Rita B. Herron
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To my wonderful daughter, Elizabeth, who helps real
victims of domestic violence and human trafficking
every day—you are amazing!
Love, Mom
Contents
Cover (#ua4ad76ff-6150-5067-bb60-7fd421817ec9)
Back Cover Text (#u2c9c1ab7-86f2-5b01-b4ea-8cbff04fb97c)
About the Author (#u3fbd3164-9d67-50dd-81b4-f679fc409be6)
Booklist (#u0e12633f-7c8f-5294-8f76-0418c58c37b0)
Title Page (#u1b58889e-ce08-5eec-aa1b-501db00d75a6)
Copyright (#u5556305d-449a-5b20-b641-d43517491daa)
Dedication (#ueda579f0-7b10-5331-aa22-a17d2df2c737)
Prologue (#ue1f33c46-5e6a-58e6-8507-8dd08317a458)
Chapter One (#u2f335291-415f-5c49-accd-302d6e2c1b07)
Chapter Two (#ub745a80c-ff3b-56a0-af77-522ba281abb2)
Chapter Three (#u6c3bfc90-9ef8-5fcd-b5cb-215ab408825c)
Chapter Four (#u8eba59cb-1592-522f-ab8d-079a5e2e3234)
Chapter Five (#ud2841d84-5b98-5ce0-b081-0cce16b139d3)
Chapter Six (#u4a1aa017-39e3-58d5-9b8b-ca46e5b5a5c7)
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)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue (#u402f873b-7859-5b97-9746-6a8a7e5d8571)
“Please, you have to take my baby.” The young girl hid in the shadows of the awning, shivering as a dreary rain drizzled down, adding to the winter chill in the air.
Mila Manchester’s heart ached for her. She knew her story. She was thirteen years old. Her name was Carina. Her mother had died in childbirth, and her father had abused her. Then he’d sold her to a man who used her as a sex slave.
Mila had helped Carina get to a shelter when she’d first escaped the monster.
Now Carina’s slender pale face was shielded by a scarf, and her clothes were dark, allowing her to blend into the night.
A disguise.
She was terrified for her life.
The baby whimpered and Carina rocked her gently in her arms. “If he finds out little Isabella is his, he’ll kill me and do God knows what with her.”
Fear and grief laced the girl’s voice. Carina was just a child herself. She should be in high school, hanging out with girlfriends, attending football games, shopping for dresses for the school dance.
Mila had wanted to report the situation to the police, but the girl had begged her not to. She’d confided about her pregnancy and claimed that the man didn’t know. If he found out, he’d never let her go.
And if she went to the police, he would find out.
“Please, you’re the only person I trust, Dr. Manchester. Promise me you’ll give her a good life,” the girl cried.
“Of course I will,” Mila said. How could she turn her away? “But what about you? Do you want to stay with me—”
The girl shook her head, her eyes wild with panic. “No, he’ll find me and kill both of us.”
Mila’s heart pounded. Unfortunately, she was right. “What will you do then?”
“I talked to those women at the shelter like you suggested. They know somebody who’ll give me a new identity. They’ve even found me a place to stay so I can go to school.”
So, the underground team was still operating. They’d helped so many abused women and children that she’d been afraid the police would shut them down.
Emotions clogged Mila’s throat. This girl needed a chance to have a life. And so did the baby.
A noise sounded from the street, and the girl glanced over her shoulder. “They’re waiting. This might be my only chance.” She kissed the baby on the cheek. “I don’t want you to think I’m a terrible mother—”
“I don’t,” Mila said. “It’s obvious you love her, or you wouldn’t have come here.” But how could she take care of the child when she was just finishing her medical residency herself?
The girl suddenly threw herself against Mila and broke into a sob. Mila wrapped her arms around her and the infant and soothed her. “It’s okay, sweetie. What happened to you isn’t fair or right. You deserve to go to school and make a life for yourself.”
The girl nodded against Mila, but she was crying and trembling as she turned and fled toward the waiting car.
Mila blinked back tears. She could take the child to the authorities. They’d find her a home. One with two parents.
But then she’d never know what happened to her...
And what if Carina came back one day looking for her daughter?
She looked down into the baby’s sweet face. Her big eyes were watching her. Then the baby curled a tiny hand against Mila’s breast.
Mila’s heart melted. This baby needed her. She’d raise her as her own.
And she’d do anything to protect her.
Chapter One (#u402f873b-7859-5b97-9746-6a8a7e5d8571)
Three years later
Having Isabella, Izzy, had changed Dr. Mila Manchester’s life forever. She would do anything for her little girl.
Time to check in.
Mila ducked into the break room at the clinic where she worked and dialed her home number. When she was working, she missed Izzy, but they FaceTimed at least three times a day. And Izzy loved her nanny, Roberta, who’d been a Godsend to them both.
Izzy smiled up at her with big brown eyes. “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!” Izzy twirled around the kitchen, her sparkling tiara bobbing sideways on her head.
“Look, Mommy, I’m a princess today.”
“You’re my little princess every day,” Mila said with a smile.
