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Nighttime Guardian
Amanda Stevens
He'd believed in her once…Years ago, Nathan Dallas had stood by young Shelby Westmoreland when she'd claimed a creature had risen from the river one foggy midnight.Townsfolk had accused Shelby of crying wolf, but she knew she'd seen something. And she never forgot Nathan. and she needed him more than ever Shelby was all woman now–and Nathan was back in town, under a cloud of scandal. His dark stare sent shivers of awareness and apprehension down her spine. But when wet footprints appeared and Shelby's belongings mysteriously moved or disappeared, Nathan answered her cry for help. With her elusive tormentor near, Nathan became Shelby's nighttime guardian…and keeper of her heart.
The intensity of his stare made her remember the dream she’d been trying all day to forget…
The two of them had been—
No!
She couldn’t allow herself to have those thoughts about Nathan.
He looked down at her, and in the soft light his eyes were like obsidian pools—deep and fathomless. Dangerous, if you weren’t careful.
He reached out a hand to touch her hair.
“Don’t do something we’ll both regret,” she warned. But she didn’t move away from his touch.
“I would never ask you to do anything you didn’t really want to.” Nathan wove his fingers in her hair, applying a gentle pressure until they stood only inches apart. He was so tall, she had to look up at him, and when she tilted her head back, he lowered his mouth to hers.
Her first thought was to shove him away. Let him know she was not his for the taking.
Instead, she stood perfectly still, allowing his lips to whisper over hers in a promise of passion.…
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
We have another outstanding title selection this month chock-full of great romantic suspense, starting with the next installment in our TOP SECRET BABIES promotion. In The Hunt for Hawke’s Daughter (#605) by Jean Barrett, Devlin Hawke had never expected to see Karen Ramey once she’d left his bed—let alone have her tell him his secret child had been kidnapped by a madman. Whether a blessing or a curse, Devlin was dead set on reclaiming his child—and his woman.…
To further turn up the heat, three of your favorite authors take you down to the steamy bayou with three of the sexiest bad boys you’ll ever meet:Tyler, Nick and Jules—in one value-packed volume! A bond of blood tied them to each other since youth, but as men, their boyhood vow is tested. Find out all about Bayou Blood Brothers (#606) with Ruth Glick—writing as Rebecca York—Metsy Hingle and Joanna Wayne.
Amanda Stevens concludes our ON THE EDGE promotion with Nighttime Guardian (#607), a chilling tale of mystery and monsters set in the simmering South. To round out the month, Sheryl Lynn launches a new series with To Protect Their Child (#608). Welcome to McCLINTOCK COUNTRY, a Rocky Mountain town where everyone has a secret and love is for keeps.
More action and excitement you’ll be hard-pressed to find. So pick up all four books and keep the midnight oil burning.…
Sincerely,
Denise O’Sullivan
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin Intrigue
Nighttime Guardian
Amanda Stevens
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda Stevens has written over twenty novels of romantic suspense. Her books have appeared on several bestseller lists, and she has won Reviewer’s Choice and Career Achievement in Romantic/Mystery awards from Romantic Times Magazine. She resides in Cypress, Texas, with her husband, her son and daughter and their two cats.
Books by Amanda Stevens
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
373—STRANGER IN PARADISE
388—A BABY’S CRY
397—A MAN OF SECRETS
430—THE SECOND MRS. MALONE
453—THE HERO’S SON* (#litres_trial_promo)
458—THE BROTHER’S WIFE* (#litres_trial_promo)
462—THE LONG-LOST HEIR* (#litres_trial_promo)
489—SOMEBODY’S BABY
511—LOVER, STRANGER
549—THE LITTLEST WITNESS** (#litres_trial_promo)
553—SECRET ADMIRER** (#litres_trial_promo)
557—FORBIDDEN LOVER** (#litres_trial_promo)
581—THE BODYGUARD’S ASSIGNMENT
607—NIGHTTIME GUARDIAN
HARLEQUIN BOOKS
2-in-1 Harlequin 50th Anniversary Collection
HER SECRET PAST
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Shelby August—Twenty-one years ago she saw something rise out of the river and come after her. Whether the monster was real or imagined, Shelby’s life has never been the same since that night.
Nathan Dallas—For over two decades he’s kept his feelings for Shelby a secret. Now she’s come back home, but another terrible secret threatens to keep them apart.
Annabel Westmoreland—Shelby’s grandmother has lived on the river most of her life. She’s seen a lot of strange things.
Yoshi Takamura—He’s built a laboratory near the river, and there are whispers in town of strange experiments.
James Westmoreland—Annabel’s son. How far would he go to get his hands on her money?
Delfina Boudreaux—Her midnight walks along the river are troubling. What is she looking for?
Virgil Dallas—After Shelby’s monster sighting, his paper made the nine-year-old famous…and then infamous.
Miss Scarlett—Annabel’s neurotic cat may be the death of Shelby yet.
Dear Reader,
They say you can’t go home again, but Nighttime Guardian took me straight back to my roots along the White River in Arkansas. The journey started, oddly enough, on the Internet when I came across a site for a jewelry store in Newport, Arkansas, which deals in freshwater pearls from the White and Black Rivers. I was fascinated to learn that river pearls can be worth thousands of dollars and that in the late 1800s a White River pearl was mounted in the royal crown of England!
I was hooked. Intrigued. But I still didn’t quite have the spark I needed for my story. Then one day Phyllis Holmes, the manager of the store, reminded me about the White River Monster. That prehistoric, sea-serpent-like creature, affectionately dubbed Ole Whitey by the locals, had been the stuff of local legends. I began to wonder what would happen to a child who had a close encounter with the monster. How would she function in a world that didn’t believe in such creatures?
In Nighttime Guardian I’ve changed the name of the river and created a fictitious town, populated with fictitious characters. I’ve even taken artistic license with the monster. But make no mistake. This is where I grew up. These are my people.
And the monster? Well, a 1973 resolution was passed in the Arkansas state legislature creating the White River Monster Refuge.
Now, to you city folk, this may seem a mite eccentric. But if you’re ever out on the river at midnight, when the air is still and the shadows deep and the water so murky it’s like pea soup, you won’t think it strange. Not one bit.
Contents
Prologue (#uae19dd09-ab24-5aec-8c51-1b89bfb8dd44)
Chapter One (#u435868dc-fa60-5637-afde-a2714727b59d)
Chapter Two (#uf98bb2ee-c22b-5e97-a002-f7a7aefc6003)
Chapter Three (#u632939cb-035c-516f-bdd7-29832f948c93)
Chapter Four (#ua4672308-5150-553c-b74a-0d75eacab535)
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)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
From the Arcadia Argus, June 18, 1980:
Pearl River Monster Strikes Again!
Well, folks, just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, the Pearl River Monster has reared its ugly head again. A few days ago, a couple of local farmers reported missing livestock, and another one says he found a mutilated cow carcass down by the river. Now little Shelby Westmoreland, Annabel Westmoreland’sgranddaughter, has told Sheriff McCaid that she saw a huge scaly beast rise up out of the river last night right around midnight.
Unlike previous eyewitness accounts, which claimed the Pearl River Monster resembled some sort of prehistoric sea serpent, this creature apparently walked upright, like a man.
The child was clearly terrified and what she described “sent cold chills down my spine,” said McCaid.
Just what little Shelby was doing out there alone at that time of night is still unclear, but one thing seems certain, folks. There is something in that river besides pearls and catfish….
From the Arkansas Democrat, June 25, 1980:
Nine-Year-Old Sees Monster
An Arcadia girl swears she saw a “huge scaly monster” rise out of the water near her grandmother’s home on the Pearl River. The nine-year-old’s claim is the most recent in a rash of Pearl River Monster sightings that have swept the small communities along the river in the wake of reports of missing livestock and cattle mutilations. Cross County Sheriff Roy McCaid told a group of reporters outside the courthouse yesterday that the child either saw something that badly frightened her, or else she’s a very accomplished actress. “I’ve never seen a kid that scared. She could hardly talk when her grandmother brought her in.”
The child’s grandmother, Annabel Westmoreland, who deals in freshwater pearls harvested from the river, says her granddaughter left their house just before midnight on a dare from one of her friends. According to the grandmother, the child came running back to the house, screaming that she’d seen a horrible creature rise out of the water and come after her.
From the Wall Street Journal, July 2, 1980:
Monster Hunters Invade Arkansas
Following a recent Pearl River Monster sighting by a nine-year-old girl, an army of scientists, sightseers and so-called monster hunters have descended on the small, northeast Arkansas town of Arcadia, located on the Pearl River.
In addition to missing and mutilated livestock—supposedly the handiwork of the monster—there have been numerous alleged sightings of a “huge, scaly, humanoid creature” that inhabits the river.
In Arcadia, where Shelby Westmoreland lives with her grandmother, feelings are mixed concerning the sightings. “We’re all spooked around here,” one woman says uneasily.
But another resident openly scoffs at the notion of a monster. “That girl is obviously trying to get herself some attention.” The woman admits, however, that she has started locking her doors at night and might have second thoughts about swimming in the river.
Meanwhile, nine-year-old Shelby has become something of a celebrity, with tabloid reporters camping on her doorstep and an appearance scheduled later this week on the “Tonight” show.
From the Arkansas Democrat, July 9, 1980:
The Vanishing Monster
Three weeks after the latest and most dramatic sighting of the Pearl River Monster, scientists from Arkansas State University and from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission have pulled up stakes and gone home. “If there is something living in that river other than an assortment of freshwater fish and mollusks, it certainly knows how to camouflage itself,” says Dr. Dean Carey, a zoology professor in Jonesboro. “We’ve found no evidence of anything out of the ordinary in the Pearl River, except, unfortunately, for a high level of pollution.”
Dr. Carey speculates that what people along the river may have witnessed recently is an alligator gar, which can sometimes reach lengths of ten to twelve feet. “And they aren’t your most attractive creatures,” he adds. “I can see how a child might think it a monster, particularly at night.”
