Man of Her Dreams, Debra Webb [my reading book txt] 📗

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

It might be warm outside, but our June lineup will thrill and chill you!

* This month, we have a couple of great miniseries. Man of Her Dreams is the spine-tingling conclusion to Debra Webb’s trilogy THE ENFORCERS. And there are just two installments left in B.J. Daniels’s McCALLS’ MONTANA series—High-Caliber Cowboy is out now, and Shotgun Surrender will be available next month.

* We also have two fantastic special promotions. First, is our Gothic ECLIPSE title, Mystique, by Charlotte Douglas. And Dani Sinclair brings you D.B. Hayes, Detective, the second installment in our LIPSTICK LTD. promotion featuring sexy sleuths.

* Last, but definitely not least, is Jessica Andersen’s The Sheriff’s Daughter. Sparks fly between a medical investigator and a vet in this exciting medical thriller.

* Also, keep your eyes peeled for Joanna Wayne’s THE GENTLEMAN’S CLUB, available from Signature Spotlight.

This month, and every month, we promise to deliver six of the best romantic suspense titles around. Don’t miss a single one!

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

DEBRA WEBBMan of Her Dreams

TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON • AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG • STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID • PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND

ISBN 1-55254-325-0

MAN OF HER DREAMS

Copyright © 2005 by Debra Webb

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 publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

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 S.A.

® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

www.eHarlequin.com

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

COMING NEXT MONTH

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debra Webb was born in Scottsboro, Alabama, to parents who taught her that anything is possible if you want it badly enough. When her husband joined the military, they moved to Berlin, Germany, and Debra became a secretary in the commanding general’s office. By 1985 they were back in the States, and with the support of her husband and two beautiful daughters, Debra took up writing full-time and in 1998 her dream of writing for Harlequin came true. You can write to Debra with your comments at P.O. Box 64, Huntland, Tennessee 37345 or visit her Web site at www.debrawebb.com to find out exciting news about her next book.

Books by Debra Webb

HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

583—SAFE BY HIS SIDE*

597—THE BODYGUARD’S BABY*

610—PROTECTIVE CUSTODY*

634—SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT: BABY

646—SOLITARY SOLDIER*

659—PERSONAL PROTECTOR*

671—PHYSICAL EVIDENCE*

683—CONTRACT BRIDE*

693—UNDERCOVER WIFE**

697—HER HIDDEN TRUTH**

701—GUARDIAN OF THE NIGHT**

718—HER SECRET ALIBI*

732—KEEPING BABY SAFE*

747—CRIES IN THE NIGHT*

768—AGENT COWBOY*

801—SITUATION: OUT OF CONTROL†

807—FULL EXPOSURE†

837—JOHN DOE ON HER DOORSTEP††

843—EXECUTIVE BODYGUARD††

849—MAN OF HER DREAMS††

HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

864—LONGWALKER’S CHILD

935—THE MARRIAGE PRESCRIPTION*

948—THE DOCTOR WORE BOOTS

995—GUARDING THE HEIRESS*

SILHOUETTE BOMBSHELL

22—JUSTICE

33—SILENT WEAPON

*Colby Agency

** The Specialists

†Colby Agency: Internal Affairs

††The Enforcers

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Aidan—An Enforcer, a genetically engineered seer assigned to complete the Prophecy Mission.

Darby Shepard—A simple schoolteacher who has unexplainable dreams. But if she’s so simple, why is her life in danger?

Madam Talia—A local New Orleans psychic. Can she help Darby discover the truth before it’s too late?

Detective Lance Willis—He has to nail the serial killer who has been preying on children. Can Darby help him bring the man to justice?

Jerry Lester—A twisted murderer who is obsessed with children.

Howard Thomas—The Shepard family attorney. Does he know more about Darby’s adoption than he’s telling?

Director Richard O’Riley—Center Director. He has the power to order Darby’s elimination. Will his conscience let him do what’s best for Center?

Governor Kyle Remington—The new head of the Collective. The man in charge of the Collective has traditionally left the day-to-day operations to O’Riley. Will Remington prove a more forceful leader than his predecessor?

Dr. Waylon Galen—The creative mind behind the Enforcers. Will he win this time?

Wizard—Darby’s cat.

Prologue

Ring a-round the roses,

Pocketful of posies

Her mother watched from the kitchen window as six-year-old Christina Fairgate frolicked in the backyard. She clutched her favorite doll under one arm and skipped around the circle she had made in the grass with the other dolls and stuffed animals from her room. She sang the nursery rhyme over and over, as if she expected her audience to join her.

The autumn Louisiana sun hovered like a glimmering orange in the western sky. Its golden rays were still powerful enough to force a sweat even as it slipped downward in surrender to the coming dusk.

Christina’s mother smiled at the pleasant scene, then turned back to the oven to check on the special treat she had prepared for her daughter. One hand gloved with a thick mitt, she opened the oven door and removed the baking pan, allowing the delicious smell of homemade chocolate chip cookies to fill the air.

A sound of approval on her lips, she set the pan aside so the cookies would cool. After turning off the oven she poured her daughter, as well as herself, a cool glass of milk. A little snack this close to dinner wouldn’t hurt. Handling the still warm dessert gingerly, she loaded a small plate with cookies