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Bold And Brave-hearted
Charlotte Maclay
FIREMAN REPORT Name: Jay Tolliver Status: Relieved of duty to recover from injuries sustained in heroic rescueAn earthquake had left celebrity Kimberly Lydell's once-flawless face permanently scarred. And though she withdrew from the world, Kim couldn't forget the strong, brave firefighter who'd risked his life to save hers. When she learned he'd been blinded in a fire, Kim flew to Jay Tolliver's side.Darkness temporarily held Jay prisoner. But he didn't need sight to know Kim was the woman he desired most in the world. Jay would accept her help–and show Kim that real heroes saw beauty with the heart….Men of Station SixThe courage to face danger was in their blood…love for their women ignited their souls.
“After being hurt during the earthquake…my face didn’t heal right. It probably never will.”
Frowning, Jay gazed at Kim with unseeing eyes. “What are you trying to tell me?”
“I’m ugly Jay. That side of my face is—”
Jay framed her face between his big, gentle hands. His fingertips traced every bit of her face. Her eyebrows, the shape of her nose. The cheekbone that had been shattered and the one that was whole. His fingertips skimmed across her lips, following the outline and sketching the seam.
Kim stood immobile, afraid to breathe. A surge of adrenaline urged her to flee. But her body could only respond to Jay’s tender touch.
“Kimberly Lydell, you listen to me.” His rich baritone vibrated with conviction. “Even when my vision is twenty-twenty again, you’ll still be the most beautiful woman in the world to me. That’s how I’ll always see you.”
Dear Reader,
Welcome to another month of wonderful books from Harlequin American Romance. We’ve rounded up the best stories by your favorite authors for you to enjoy.
Bestselling author Judy Christenberry brings readers a new generation of her popular Randall family as she returns to her BRIDES FOR BROTHERS series. Sweet Elizabeth is about to marry another man, and rodeo star Toby Randall will let nothing stand in the way of him stopping her wedding. Don’t miss Randall Pride.
An injured firefighter and the woman he rescued in an earthquake learn about the healing power of love in Charlotte Maclay’s latest novel, Bold and Brave-Hearted. This is the first book of her exciting new miniseries MEN OF STATION SIX. In Twins Times Two! by Lisa Bingham, a single mom agrees to a marriage in name only to a handsome single dad in order to keep together their two sets of twins, who were separated at birth. And enemies are forced to become Mr. and Mrs. in Court-Appointed Marriage by Dianne Castell, part of Harlequin American Romance’s theme promotion THE WAY WE MET…AND MARRIED.
Enjoy this month’s offerings, and make sure to return each and every month to Harlequin American Romance!
Wishing you happy reading,
Melissa Jeglinski
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin American Romance
Bold and Brave-Hearted
Charlotte Maclay
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlotte Maclay can’t resist a happy ending. That’s why she’s had so much fun writing more than twenty titles for Harlequin American Romance and Harlequin Love & Laughter, plus several Silhouette Romance books, as well. Particularly well-known for her volunteer efforts in her hometown of Torrance, California, Charlotte says her philosophy is that you should make a difference in your community. She and her husband have two married daughters and two grandchildren, whom they are occasionally allowed to baby-sit. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at P.O. Box 505, Torrance, CA 90501.
Books by Charlotte Maclay
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
474—THE VILLAIN’S LADY
488—A GHOSTLY AFFAIR
503—ELUSIVE TREASURE
532—MICHAEL’S MAGIC
537—THE KIDNAPPED BRIDE
566—HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE
585—THE COWBOY & THE BELLY DANCER
620—THE BEWITCHING BACHELOR
643—WANTED: A DAD TO BRAG ABOUT
657—THE LITTLEST ANGEL
684—STEALING SAMANTHA
709—CATCHING A DADDY
728—A LITTLE BIT PREGNANT
743—THE HOG-TIED GROOM
766—DADDY’S LITTLE COWGIRL
788—DEPUTY DADDY
806—A DADDY FOR BECKY
821—THE RIGHT COWBOY’S BED* (#litres_trial_promo)
825—IN A COWBOY’S EMBRACE* (#litres_trial_promo)
886—BOLD AND BRAVE-HEARTED** (#litres_trial_promo)
Who’s Who at Fire Station Six
Jay Tolliver—Dedicated to fighting fires, he doesn’t need perfect vision when it comes to recognizing a beautiful woman.
Kimberly Lydell—Her life-changing scars can be healed only by a man who sees with his heart.
Harlan Gray—The dedicated fire chief will go the wall for his men; the only thing he can’t do is escape a pursuing councilwoman.
Councilwoman Evie Anderson—Has her eye on the most eligible widower in town, Chief Gray.
Emma Jean Witowsky—The dispatcher has an uncanny way of predicting the future, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.
Tommy Tonka—An adolescent genius in all things mechanical, but he needs help from his firefighter friends when it comes to girls.
Mack Buttons—The station mascot, a five-year-old chocolate dalmatian who loves kids, people and the Men of Station Six.
Contents
Chapter One (#u03dc0b6a-4086-5a5e-b128-a5925df4aec6)
Chapter Two (#ubef75704-88e5-5c5e-8d26-6ca89e101b86)
Chapter Three (#ued57df1a-ac70-5ecd-a68d-ae41822b9ea1)
Chapter Four (#u39c3cbb5-37e1-5d1c-b42c-a9122a712dea)
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)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
The show must go on.
Those were the first words that popped into Kimberly Lydell’s head when she felt the beginnings of the earthquake right through the seat of her panty hose. She’d been through plenty of California earthquakes and knew that’s where you felt it first. In your butt, if you were sitting down. No big deal.
So she kept on reading the news report from the teleprompter as if nothing were wrong, looking straight into the camera, forcing an easy smile.
“In the Mideast, the prime minister of…”
She grabbed the studio set to steady herself as the vibrations of the earth escalated to an undulating roll. Overhead, the kleig lights began to swing in ever-increasing arcs. A roar like an approaching subway train resonated through the studio walls and shook the floor.
“…We seem to be experiencing…”
“Geez, let’s get out of here!” Her co-anchor for the local six o’clock news kicked back the stool he was sitting on and made a dive for the far side of the room.
The cameraman and floor director headed for the exit, and in the control booth the show’s director waved frantically at Kim to get off the set.
She got the message.
But trying to move was like fighting a riptide. The floor rose and fell in angry waves. The noise was ear-shattering. A camera fell over. A light crashed to the floor. The plywood desk where she’d been sitting offered no protection. Nowhere safe to duck, cover and hold.
Struggling like a drunken sailor, Kim got her legs tangled in her mike cord. She yanked herself free, only to trip over a cable in her now-frantic effort to escape. Panic clawed at her. She’d never been at the epicenter of an earthquake. Now she suspected she was. A big one.
In response to a high-pitched screeching sound, she looked up. The overhead light right above her had broken free. The screws pulled loose.
That was the last image she had before the room fell into total darkness. An agonizing pain sliced across the left side of her face. Screaming in terror, she fell to the floor. An instant later something impossibly heavy collapsed on her, pinning her legs. Dust filled her lungs.
And then there was only eerie silence followed by the sound of sirens.
THE FIRE ENGINE from Station Six roared to a stop outside the KPRX-TV building. Jay Tolliver hopped out as he had a hundred times before in response to fires, explosions and other disasters, man-made and otherwise. The earthquake had been a substantial one. He’d heard calls for help coming into dispatch from all over Paseo del Real, a moderate-size town in central California.
Their dispatcher, Emma Jean Witkowsky, had loudly announced between calls that she’d predicted this was earthquake weather. She hadn’t, of course. But that never stopped her from claiming she had psychic powers—all due to her gypsy blood, she assured them.
A controlled surge of adrenaline shot through Jay as he pulled his helmet down tight. His job was to concentrate on this one building, saving lives and property where he could—the former more important than the latter.
In the cab of the truck, the fire station’s mascot, Mack Buttons, a chocolate dalmatian, waited to see if he’d be called upon to calm traumatized children—or adults. Everyone at Station Six had a job to do.
The battalion chief was already at the scene shouting orders.
“Tolliver and Gables, we’ve got a partial collapse of the back third of the building and reports there are still victims inside. Do a preliminary search.” He turned away quickly and ordered another pair of men into the neighboring building that had fared somewhat better, at least from outward appearances.
Jay snagged a fire ax and so did Mike Gables. Together they jogged toward the TV building’s entrance. In the adjacent parking lot, car sirens set off by the earthquake screamed. Lights from emergency vehicles flashed red across the Spanish-style stucco building and the surrounding scaffolding that suggested the TV station had been in the process of remodeling—or maybe earthquake proofing.
Too little too late, Jay thought grimly.
He pushed through the front door into a lobby where only an emergency light shone from high up on the wall. The floor was covered with broken stucco and the furniture had been rearranged as though by some decorator gone mad.
Gables said, “Looks like KPRX evening news is off the air.”
Flicking on his flashlight, Jay thought about Kimberly Lydell, the news anchor with the face of an angel and the smoky voice of a blues singer. He’d known her in high school but only from a distance. With a typical eighteen-year-old’s raging libido, every time he’d heard her voice back then he’d gotten aroused. The past dozen years hadn’t changed anything. Watching her on the tube was still an exercise in frustration—she’d gone from sixteen-year-old prom queen material to star quality.
He hoped to God she wasn’t one of the victims trapped inside this old building.
They made their way along the hallway to the stairs.
“Anybody here?” Jay shouted, his voice muffled by the hard plastic shield in front of his face.
Cautiously they started up the stairs. Gables was a good partner to have. Experienced. Someone you felt safe with protecting your back.
On the second floor the debris was thicker, glass and plaster under their feet. A beam down. They’d passed the door to the first office when they heard a sound.
“I’ll check it out,” Gables said.
Jay kept going down the hallway. An electrical wire dangled from the ceiling, clicking a slow rhythm against the wall. No danger there unless they suddenly regained power. Then the wire would be hot and could start a fire.
