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The Lawman's Secret Vow
Tara Randel
To have and to hold—until the case is solved?When an undercover assignment pairs laid-back Florida detective Dante Matthews with by-the-book cop Eloise Archer, he knows it won’t be easy.And not just because they’re competing for the same promotion. Now they’re living together under the same roof, and it’s getting harder to ignore his deepening feelings for his “wife.” Can he convince Eloise to partner up—for life?
To have and to hold—
until the case is solved?
When an undercover assignment pairs laid-back Florida detective Dante Matthews with by-the-book cop Eloise Archer, he knows it won’t be easy. And not just because they’re competing for the same promotion. Now they’re living together under the same roof, and it’s getting harder to ignore his deepening feelings for his “wife.” Can he convince Eloise to partner up—for life?
TARA RANDEL is an award-winning, USA TODAY bestselling author of fifteen novels. Family values, a bit of mystery and, of course, love and romance are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Tara lives on the west coast of Florida, where gorgeous sunsets and beautiful weather inspire the creation of heartwarming stories. This is her seventh book for Mills & Boon Heartwarming. Visit Tara at tararandel.com (http://tararandel.com) and like her on Facebook at TaraRandelBooks (https://www.facebook.com/TaraRandelBooks/).
Also By Tara Randel (#ub20c2a39-4475-5acd-a590-3d97380e9bdd)
The Business of Weddings
His One and Only Bride
The Wedding March
The Bridal Bouquet
Honeysuckle Bride
Magnolia Bride
Orange Blossom Brides
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
The Lawman’s Secret Vow
Tara Randel
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08585-4
THE LAWMAN’S SECRET VOW
© 2018 Tara Spicer
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.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
A smile that made him feel like a hero spread over her lips.
The sun had pinkened her skin and her hair shone in the light. Between victory and spending the day in close proximity to Eloise, Dante wanted to kiss her.
The thought shocked him to his core. Kiss her? He’d been dealing with this new attraction, but to take it a step further? Too much, too soon.
He fisted his hands together to keep from hauling her against his chest.
“I knew you could do it,” she said. “You were made for this case.”
“Saying I’m sneaky?”
“In the best way.” Her grin grew bigger. “I made inroads today, as well.”
He threw his arm over her shoulder and tugged her close, one part undercover, the other part pure selfishness. It was like they fit together.
Should he be worried?
Dear Reader (#ub20c2a39-4475-5acd-a590-3d97380e9bdd),
I’m so excited to introduce the Matthews brothers to you. You’ll be seeing more of them in the books to come, but in The Lawman’s Secret Vow, we begin the journey with Dante, the youngest of the Matthews clan. The brothers are on a mission to protect their mother, and being the well-meaning but suspicious sons that they are, you can imagine the lengths they’ll go to in order to uncover the truth.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like for police officers who go undercover? How it would feel to solve a case and put away a bad guy? Experience the rush of adrenaline by jumping into action that is just a bit over the line? For Eloise Archer, this goes against everything the by-the-book detective is about. For Dante, it’s standard operating procedure. Put them together and wait for the fireworks to begin.
I love this couple. They’re both so different in their process of discovering the truth, but eager to get the job done. In life, people don’t achieve goals by going after them in exactly the same way. Where’s the fun in that? As this couple begins to trust, something deeper develops. But do they have the courage to confront those feelings?
The books in this series will also feature Deke and Derrick Matthews, as well as a surprise heroine with her own story. Sit back and enjoy the ride, because the Matthews brothers go full tilt on life and will have you falling in love along the way.
Happy reading!
Tara
To my police officer friends who bravely serve and protect their communities, and take time out of their busy schedules to answer my endless questions.
Contents
Cover (#ubb47b887-a9a2-5d51-9b44-9148d84474de)
Back Cover Text (#ufbc82773-6171-5777-8b8a-df9eb10f8dec)
About the Author (#u690fb979-ce3f-5932-a547-69d5933d55eb)
Booklist (#uda29970f-7449-5ca2-b75e-0ef500c0b3f7)
Title Page (#ua0d90e6a-b5c8-5503-a07a-0fdc11509d47)
Copyright (#ub996c58d-0fa9-5113-a0eb-ac7d0a3cfeb1)
Introduction (#uc52ada23-3f28-59f4-be42-ef8373bf46c9)
Dear Reader (#uca95efd5-5230-5b74-bdb8-0185a579e4f0)
Dedication (#uf006450d-cf5e-5168-86d2-ee67db007e00)
CHAPTER ONE (#uc41e399c-92d6-5d2c-8711-5126fe9a30c9)
CHAPTER TWO (#u5313655c-a32b-5aec-8645-14787bbacaeb)
CHAPTER THREE (#u72fd669f-f980-5b99-8b25-973772ff9c4e)
CHAPTER FOUR (#u2e6a3785-69a6-52a9-a368-8aa1f157305c)
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 FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ub20c2a39-4475-5acd-a590-3d97380e9bdd)
A STRONG HAND clasped Eloise Archer’s upper arm, yanking her toward a deserted hallway in the Palm Cove, Florida, police department. She glanced at the hand and then looked up at the serious dark blue eyes of fellow detective Dante Matthews.
“Chambers is on the warpath. Pretend we’re having a work-related conversation.”
She clutched the file folders in her arms tighter to her chest, ignoring the shimmers of attraction that came with Dante’s touch. It was bad enough she worked with the handsome man, was it too much to ask that she not...notice him so much? They had a professional relationship, end of story. But Dante, with lush dark hair, recently cut short after his last undercover operation, stood tall and lean, filling out his button-down shirt and jeans—very much a dream man.
Or hers, anyway.
She spied over her shoulder to see Lieutenant Chambers standing in the doorway of his office across the wide, busy squad room, arms crossed over his barrel chest. Dante was right on the mark with his assessment. Their superior officer did not look happy.
“What did you do now?” she asked, returning her gaze to his. She knew the answer. Wanted his version.
“Nothing serious.”
“Really? I heard your last case had a bit of a hiccup,” she returned, showing him she wasn’t clueless. In fact, she probably knew more about the results of his undercover operation than he thought she did.
His eyes crinkled in the corners when he smiled at her. “Hiccup is an understatement.”
“Jumped in to make the arrest too soon?”
“Not by design. Six months of undercover work down the drain, but at least I got one arrest in the end.”
“Tell me what went wrong.”
“It’s not important.” His fingers repeatedly squeezed and released her bicep in a rhythm she doubted he was aware of. That was Dante, always moving. “What is important is that I need your help.”
One eyebrow rose. She knew what was coming.
“I’ve been relegated to desk duty until Chambers decides to give me a break. I’m behind on paperwork. Any chance I can talk you into a late-night catch-up session?”
“Reviewing reports? Why would I do that when I have my own to manage?” She held up the folders to prove her point, immediately missing the warmth of his grasp on her blouse-clad arm when he dropped his hand.
“We can go out for drinks afterward.”
“I don’t think—”
“That’s right. You don’t drink. How about grabbing some food?”
“I haven’t even agreed.”
A slow smile spread over his lips. “Come on, Ellie. Help a coworker out here.”
Eloise’s face burned. He was the only person in her life to have ever given her a nickname. “Eloise will do.”
“But you look like an Ellie.”
Did she? Her name happened to be a bit old-fashioned, probably the reason why her parents had given it to her when she was born. Literary professors, they loved classics from centuries past. But Ellie? The woman who dressed in a white blouse and navy or black skirt every day? Pulled her hair back in a no-nonsense bun to keep it out of her face? She was an Ellie?
Eloise tried to ignore his cologne, a musky aroma mixed with spice, tickling her nose.
“C’mon, Ellie. What do you say?”
