Quinn's Woman

By Susan Mallery

Synopsis:

Self-
defense
instructor D. J. Monroe would do anything to keep her edge. Even if that meant asking the dangerous and magnetic paramilitary expert Quinn Reynolds to instruct her! D.J. didn’t date, didn’t trust, didn’t let anyone into her world. But when she found herself falling for him, could she let go of her past and embrace a future with Quinn?

Hardened military man Quinn was knocked head over heels - literally - by a stunning brunette in camouflage. One encounter with the tough-as-nails beauty, and Quinn knew he was in trouble. His high-risk career had taught him not to get too close to anyone, but D.J. made Quinn long to throw caution to the wind and lay siege to her heart.

We’re delighted to feature Jennifer Mikels, who penned the second story in our multiple-baby-focused series, MANHATTAN MULTIPLES. Jennifer writes, ‘To me, there’s something wonderfully romantic about a doctor-nurse story and about a crush developing into a forever love. In The Fertility Factor (#1559), a woman’s love touches a man’s heart and teaches him that what he thought was impossible is within his reach if he’ll trust her enough.”

Sherryl Woods continues to captivate us with Daniel’s Desire (#1555), the conclusion of her celebrated miniseries THE DEVANEYS. When a runaway girl crosses their paths, a hero and heroine reunite despite their tragic past. And don’t miss Prince and Future...Dad? (#1556), the second book in Christine Rimmer’s exciting miniseries VIKING BRIDES, in which a princess experiences a night of passion and gets the surprise of a lifetime! Quinn’s Woman (#1557), by Susan Mallery is the next in her longtime-favorite HOMETOWN HEARTBREAKERS miniseries. Here, a self-defense expert never expects to find hand-to-heart combat with her rugged instructor....

Return to the latest branch of popular miniseries MONTANA MAVERICKS: THE KINGSLEYS with Marry Me...Again (#1558) by Cheryl St. John. This dramatic tale shows a married couple experiencing some emotional bumps – namely that their marriage is invalid! Will they break all ties or rediscover a love that’s always been there? Then, Found in Lost Valley (#1560) by Laurie Paige, the fourth title in her SEVEN DEVILS miniseries, is about two people with secrets in their pasts, but who can’t deny the rising tensions between them!

As you can see, we have a lively batch of stories, delivering diversity and emotion in each romance.

Happy reading! Sincerely.

Karen Taylor Richman Senior Editor

Susan Mallery

QUINN’S WOMAN

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Special edition

Published by Silhouette Books America’s Publisher of Contemporary Romance

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “‘stripped book.”

To that young girl who grew up with broken wings,

and somehow learned to fly. You are, as always, an inspiration.

SILHOUETTE BOOKS

ISBN 0-373-24557-2 QUINN’S WOMAN Copyright ©2003 by Susan Macias Redmond

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books U.S.A.

® and TM are trademarks of Harlequin Books U.S.A., used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

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Printed in U.S.A.

SUSAN MALLERY is the bestselling and award-winning author of over fifty books for Harlequin and Silhouette Books. She makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her handsome prince of a husband and her two adorable-but-not-bright cats.

This is the last book in my HOMETOWN HEARTBREAKERS series. If this is the only one you’ve read, don’t worry – it stands alone. If you’ve been following the series, I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting new members of the “Haynes family” and seeing how the clan has expanded.

My original plan was to write two books – Austin’s and Travis’s. Then I realized there were more brothers who had stories to tell. At one point in time I actually considered killing Craig off and having Jordan adopt his children. I know – a really bad idea. One of my writer friends talked

me out of it.

When I decided to revisit the series, I had a logistical problem of how to connect these stories with the originals. It had been several years since the last book was out. So I sat down and read them all and came up with the idea of using Earl Haynes.

Okay – for all you who have written and e-mailed to get an update on the Haynes family “baby count” on the original brothers, here it is:

Craig and Jill, three boys from his previous marriage and two girls together. Travis and Elizabeth, one daughter from her previous relationship and three girls together. Jordan and Holly, three girls. Kyle and Sandy, two girls and a boy from her previous marriage and two girls together. Hannah and Nick, three girls. Austin and Rebecca, one adopted son, two boys and one girl.

Happy reading.

Susan
Mallery

“Try to bring this one back alive,” Sheriff Travis Haynes said as he nodded at the slightly built private waiting by the edge of the makeshift podium.

“Alive I can promise,” D.J. Monroe said as she grabbed a rifle from the stack on the table. “In one piece may be more complicated.”

The men standing around chuckled, but the private in question blanched. D.J. tossed him the rifle, grabbed a second one for herself, then started walking. She figured her partner for the next fourteen hours would come trotting along as soon as he figured out she wasn’t going to wait for him.

Sure enough, in about thirty seconds she heard rapid footsteps on the damp ground.

“What’s your name, kid?” she asked when he’d caught up with her.

“Private Ronnie West, ma’am.”

She gave him a quick once-over. He was tall – about six-three to her five-nine-skinny and barely shaving. His shock of red hair was bright enough to read by.

“Are you even eighteen, Ronnie?”

“Yes, ma’am. Nearly four months ago.”

“You insulted about being paired with a woman?” she asked.

“No, ma’am.” His pale-blue eyes widened as he glanced at her. “I’m honored. My sergeant said you were one of the best and that I was damned lucky to get a chance to watch you work.” He ducked his head and blushed. “Excuse me for swearing, ma’am.”

She stopped walking and turned toward him. The annual war games between the emergency services of Glenwood, California – sheriff’s office, fire department and EMT units – and the local Army base were a chance for all concerned to practice, learn and have fun. The morning had been spent on obstacle courses, snapshooting and tactical planning. D.J. didn’t care about any of that. She looked forward to the search and capture phase of the games.

Between now and 6:00 a.m. tomorrow, she and her partner would be expected to bring in up to five enemy prisoners. For the past two years she’d won that section. It was a point of pride with her. The other players grumbled about her good fortune, not understanding it. Especially when she always took a relatively new recruit as her partner.

“Ronnie, let’s get some ground rules set up,” she said. “You can swear all you want. I doubt you can come up with anything I haven’t heard. Or said.” She smiled at him. “Fair enough?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. On this mission, I’m in charge. You’re here to listen, learn and follow orders. You get in my way, and I’ll cut off your ear. Or something you’ll miss even more. Understand?”

He swallowed hard, then nodded.

“Last, but most important, you’ve got a good six inches of height on me and weigh about forty pounds more. Is there any doubt in your mind that I could take you right here, right now?”

His gaze swept over her body from her Army-issue boots, past her camouflage pants and shirt, to her face.

He straightened and squared his shoulders. “No, ma’am.”

“As long as we have that straight.”

She ducked into the tent her team used for headquarters and picked up her backpack. Ronnie already had his gear with him. When she stepped back out into the misty afternoon, she pulled a knife from the pack and stuck it into her boot.

“Check your weapons,” she said.

Ronnie frowned. “They’re not loaded.”

“Check them, anyway. You always check.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He followed her lead and made sure both his side-arm and rifle were unloaded. When he’d finished, she pulled her cap lower on her head and wished they could have had sun today. Telling herself the gray skies and low clouds would reduce the risk of shadows didn’t make her appreciate the chilly dampness any more. It was nearly July. Shouldn’t it be hot?

Northern California weather was frequently uncooperative, she thought as she set off into the forest. Ronnie trailed after her, making enough noise to pass for a musk ox. At least he wasn’t a talker. The one from last year had chatted on and on until she’d been forced to grab him from behind and threaten to slit his throat.

Two hours later they were deep in “enemy” territory. She slowed their pace in an effort to keep her boy toy from giving away their position. Her oversize shirt was damp and clinging to her skin, which she hated. Water dripped from her hat. It was the kind of day better spent curled up reading, not combing the backwoods for swaggering men who thought they knew it all. Still, the war games helped keep her sharp. For her life was all about maintaining her edge; the book would have to wait.

Up ahead she sensed more than heard movement. She stopped, as did Ronnie. After silently handing him her backpack and ordering him to wait, she circled around a cluster of trees so that she could come out on the other side.

A man sat on a log, studying a map. She recognized him as a Fern Hill EMT guy. Midthirties, in decent shape, but not much of a challenge. Oh, well, she had to take what she could get.

After deliberately stepping on a fallen branch to make it snap, she retreated into the dripping shadow of a thick tree. The man sprang to his feet and turned toward the sound. His backpack lay on the ground, as did his rifle. He wore his sidearm, but she doubted he knew how to use it.

As the man stepped toward where she’d broken the branch, she circled behind him. When she was less than a foot away, she grabbed his arm, turned him, then swept out her leg to topple him to the ground. He landed hard, with an audible “oof” of air.

She was already on him. After tossing his sidearm into the brush, she turned him and neatly tied his hands behind his back. She was nearly finished with his feet before he’d even gasped breath back into his body.

“Okay, kid,” she called. “You can come out now.”

Ronnie appeared, carrying her backpack. He stared open-mouthed at the tied man.

“That was so great,” he told her. “Really fast and smooth. He never heard you coming.”

The EMT guy didn’t look amused. “Now what?” he asked.

D.J. smiled. “Now you relax while we search out other prey. I’m not wasting Ronnie’s time by having him head back to headquarters with just one guy.”

“No way. You can’t leave me. It’s raining. The ground is wet.”

D.J. shrugged. “It’s war.”

He was still yelling when they were nearly a quarter mile away. She would have liked to tape his mouth, but it violated the rules of the game.

Pity.

An hour later they came upon three men standing together, smoking. They were talking and laughing, obviously unconcerned about the potential for being captured.

D.J. studied the situation, then pulled Ronnie back far enough for them to have a whispered conversation.

“If you want to win, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes,” she said as she slipped off her backpack. “Catch the enemy off guard with the unexpected. I’m going to wait while you get into position. You’ll head east and circle around them. When I walk into the clearing, you’ll be directly in front of me and behind them. When they’re distracted, walk in with your rifle pointed at their backs.”

Ronnie nodded, but she saw the doubt in his eyes. He wanted to know how she was going to manage to distract three men at the same time. She smiled. It was so easy.