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With Valor And Devotion
Charlotte Maclay
FIREMAN REPORTName: Mike GablesStatus: Currently reconsidering his bachelor status for one orphaned six-year-old and a very sexy social workerRescuing people from raging fires was a job Mike Gables took very seriously. Committing himself to only one woman…well, that was another story. But Mike hadn't counted on the effect six-year-old Randy would have on his life–or what Kristin McCoy would do to his heart. For Kristin was like no beauty Mike had ever known, and her devotion to abandoned children only made him want her more. Suddenly the dedicated firefighter was thinking more about planning a future than filling his little black book…Men of Station Six: The courage to face danger was in their blood…love for their women ignited their souls.
He had Kristin right where he wanted her. In his bed.
Unfortunately he wasn’t there with her.
Admiring Kristin from across the room, Mike lowered his duffel quietly to the floor. Even without makeup, she looked vibrant, as though the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks were a symbol of her energy. Her lips were slightly open in readiness for a kiss.
Eager to taste their flavor again, Mike moved beside her, sat down on the edge of the bed and bent over to touch her lips with his.
Warm and soft. Feminine. Parting on a sweet sigh that took possession of his senses.
His body reacted the way a fire ignites from spontaneous combustion. No amount of water on the flame would be able to put out the sensual blaze that rose within him.
He wanted Kristin McCoy as he’d never wanted any other woman in his life.
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Harlequin American Romance. With your search for satisfying reading in mind, every month Harlequin American Romance aims to offer you a stimulating blend of heartwarming, emotional and deeply romantic stories.
Unexpected arrivals lead to the sweetest of surprises as Harlequin American Romance celebrates the love only a baby can bring, in our brand-new promotion, AMERICAN BABY, which begins this month with Jacqueline Diamond’s delightful Surprise, Doc! You’re a Daddy! After months of searching for her missing husband, Meg Avery finally finds him—only, Dr. Hugh Menton doesn’t remember her or their child!
With Valor and Devotion, the latest book in Charlotte Maclay’s exciting MEN OF STATION SIX series, is a must-read about a valorous firefighter who rescues an orphaned boy. Will the steadfast bachelor consider becoming a devoted family man after meeting the little boy’s pretty social worker? JUST FOR KIDS, Mary Anne Wilson’s new miniseries, debuts with Regarding the Tycoon’s Toddler…. This trilogy focuses on a corporate day-care center and the lives and loves of those who work there. And don’t miss The Biological Bond by Jamie Denton, the dramatic story of a mother who is reunited with the child she’d been forced to give away, when her daughter’s adoptive single father seeks her help.
Enjoy this month’s offerings, and be sure to return each and every month to Harlequin American Romance!
Wishing you happy reading,
Melissa Jeglinski
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin American Romance
With Valor and Devotion
Charlotte Maclay
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Dedicated to Kay Hyland and her fellow social workers, who give so much of themselves and receive so little thanks in return.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlotte Maclay can’t resist a happy ending. That’s why she’s had such fun writing more than twenty titles for Harlequin American Romance and Harlequin Duets, plus several Silhouette Romance books. Particularly well-known for her volunteer efforts in her hometown of Torrance, California, Charlotte’s 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)
890—WITH VALOR AND DEVOTION** (#litres_trial_promo)
WHO’S WHO AT FIRESTATION SIX
Mike Gables—The most “studly” firefighter at the station, he’s known as much for his ability to fight fires as his success in the bedroom.
Kristin McCoy—The dedicated social worker has vowed to stay clear of men with quick, sexy smiles designed to seduce a woman…then break her heart.
Randy Marshall—The six-year-old loves his dog, Suzie, best of all, but what he really needs is a family of his own.
Harlan Gray—The dedicated fire chief will go to 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 and the Men of Station Six.
Contents
Chapter One (#u2a901c04-b718-5319-8810-895368fffb6d)
Chapter Two (#u38129297-8895-5d28-a6f8-6c01c6cc1405)
Chapter Three (#u67275eb8-fe14-5009-b8c1-30d7bdccc321)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
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)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
Flames licked out the window and up the side of the house, red and orange tongues scorching the stucco black. Smoke wormed its way through the attic vents into the night sky. Glass popped, and the smell of burning wood filled the cool air of an early summer evening. A faded For Sale sign stood in the weed-choked front yard, as abandoned as the house itself.
Tightening his helmet strap, his adrenaline giving him a nice edge, Mike Gables swung down from his seat behind the driver of Engine 61 and jogged to the back of the truck. The gold and black crest on the side of the vehicle read Paseo del Real, California.
“Let’s put some wet on that red before the guys from 62 get to have all the fun,” he shouted to Jay Tolliver, his buddy and fellow firefighter. Mike wished they had been the first engine company on the scene, but the driver of Engine 62 had beaten 61 out of the station by milliseconds. They were already putting water on the fire.
We’ll get ’em next time, Mike thought with a competitive grin.
Giving Mike a thumbs-up, Jay took the nozzle and headed across the yard. Right behind him, Mike hefted the hose over his shoulder, reeling it out from the truck.
“Fireman! Fireman!” A gray-haired woman in a housecoat and slippers came running toward them, waving frantically. “There’s a little boy inside. He’s in the back bedroom. Oh, dear heaven! The poor little thing. I heard him crying. You’ve got to—”
With no more than a look that communicated what needed to be done, both Mike and Jay dropped the hose and raced toward the back of the house. The place was entirely dark. No curtains on the windows. No sign anyone had lived there for months.
Out front, a second police car arrived, siren screaming, lights flashing red-and-orange stripes along the shadowed path to the rear of the house.
“Suzie, where are you?” a child’s voice cried.
“Damn, there’re two of ’em,” Mike muttered. Kids. He hated it when the red devil went after kids, trying to suck the life out of them. Bad enough when it was grown-ups who were trapped. It wasn’t a fair fight when kids were involved. Mike’s job was to even the odds.
“I can’t see anything inside,” Jay shouted, trying to peer in the old-fashioned guillotine window. He gave it a shove but it didn’t open.
Mike pulled his heavy flashlight from its loop at his waist. “I got it. Stand back.”
He smashed the back of the flashlight through one of the panes, reached inside past the jagged glass, unlatched the window and opened it.
“Come here, Suzie,” the child coughed and sobbed. “Please, Suzie.”
“Give me a boost,” Mike ordered.
Jay cupped his hands, and Mike used them to lever himself inside, diving headfirst. He hit the floor with a thud, and coughed as smoke filled his lungs.
Stay low, you go; stay high, you die. Mike reminded himself of the old firefighters’ adage as he tried to get his bearings in the dark. Beyond two feet, smoke swallowed the light he shone around the room. He began circling to the right on his hands and knees so he’d know how to get back out again if there was a flashover.
But he wasn’t going anywhere until he found the children.
“Where are you, kid? Talk to me, okay?”
“I can’t find Suzie.”
Mike followed the sound of the young, frightened voice. “I’ll get her. You just stay put and keep talking.”
The child coughed again.
If the kid hadn’t made a sound right then, Mike might have missed him and passed right by what appeared to be a walk-in closet. He flashed his light inside and caught a glimpse of a boy with big brown terrified eyes. He looked to be five or six years old.
“Come on, fella, let’s get you out of here.” He reached for the boy.
The kid backed farther into the closet. “No! I won’t go without Suzie!”
Mike didn’t like the idea of manhandling the kid, but the smoke wasn’t getting any better. He had to get the youngster out of there in a hurry.
“I promise I’ll come back for Suzie, but for now you’ve got to do as I say.”
“No!” the child wailed, making himself as small as he could in the very back of the closet. “I want Suzie!”
