Kids on the Doorstep / Cop on Loan. Kimberly Van Meter
KIDS ON THE DOORSTEP
Renee closed the door and paced her small living room.
She twisted her hands in agitation, not quite sure what she’d hoped would happen just now, but definitely disappointed that nothing at all had happened.
Yet the very fact that she’d looked into his eyes and felt a tingle zing from her stomach to her feminine parts made her extremely wary. She wasn’t supposed to be attracted to John Murphy. The man had complicated her life in a way that should make him Public Enemy No.1 in her eyes, but she was slowly seeing him in a different light.
And that was not good. Better to keep the battle lines firmly drawn. They were not on the same side. They were simply being civil to one another for the sake of the kids.
Cop on Loan
She opened her door to a tired-looking cop.
He couldn’t have had more than a few hours’ sleep, but there he was, wearing the faded blue jeans and dark T-shirt that appeared to be his standard off-duty wardrobe.
Jasmine looked past Tony to the truck parked at the kerb with a mattress and box spring in the back and a giant dog in the cab.
“That’s your dog?”
“I told you he was big.”
“That’s not big. That’s economy size.”
He laughed and she felt the impact of the unexpected transformation. He was surprisingly attractive when he wasn’t being condescending or annoying.
“You’re sure about this? Having me move in?” he asked, the laughter fading from his face.
This was probably the last time he’d give her an out.
Her last chance to bail.
Kids On The Doorstep
by
Kimberly Van Meter
Cop On Loan
by
Jeannie Watt
MILLS & BOON
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Available in September 2010
from Mills & Boon® Special Moments™
The Texas Billionaire’s Bride
by Crystal Green
&
The Texas Bodyguard’s Proposal
by Karen Rose Smith
Kids on the Doorstep
by Kimberly Van Meter
&
Cop on Loan
by Jeannie Watt
The Texan’s Tennessee Romance
by Gina Wilkins
&
The Rancher & the Reluctant Princess
by Christine Flynn
Loving the Right Brother
by Marie Ferrarella
A Weaver Baby
by Allison Leigh
A Small-Town Temptation
by Terry McLaughlin
A Not-So-Perfect Past
by Beth Andrews
Kids On The Doorstep
by
An avid reader since before she can remember, KIMBERLY VAN METER started her writing career at sixteen when she finished her first novel, typing late nights and early mornings on her mother’s old portable typewriter. Although that first novel was nothing short of literary mud, with each successive piece of work her writing improved to the point of reaching that coveted published status.
Kimberly, now a journalist, and her husband and three kids make their home in Oakdale. She enjoys writing, reading, photography and drinking hot chocolate by the window sill when it rains.
To the mothers of the world: raising children is the most important job we as adults will ever have, as they are our legacy and our future.
To my sister, Kristen, who wears the badge of motherhood with pride and inspires people to love without reservation, without judgement, without fear. She is a mama bear and a wonder to watch in action!
Chapter One
JOHN MURPHY HAD JUST STOKED the fire and returned to his well-worn leather chair with his newspaper in hand when an urgent knock at the front door had him twisting in surprise.
It was nearly ten o’clock at night and the rain was quickly turning to sleet. This storm was supposed to hit the California Sierra Nevadas pretty hard by dumping a load of snow in the high country and plenty of it even in the foothills, so anyone with any kind of sense knew better than to be out and about. A bad feeling settled in his gut. There was no one he could imagine who would venture into this storm without good reason.
“John? It’s me, Gladys.”
The sound of his neighbor’s voice, thin and reedy, alarmed him. It was too late for house calls of an ordinary nature and Gladys—after going through surgery a few days prior—should’ve been in bed resting.
He opened the door and Gladys offered him a weak and somewhat pained smile as she and three little girls were ushered in from the biting cold.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked yet immediately guided Gladys to his leather chair. “What in the Sam Hill are you doing out in this storm in your condition? You just had surgery, woman. Are you trying to kill yourself?”
“Don’t yell at her. It’s not her fault,” piped up the middle girl whose short stack of wild hair was matted to her head. The poor kid looked like a drowned pixie. She rubbed at her pert nose but stared John down with attitude. “Daddy didn’t stay long enough to listen that she was sick.”
John ran his hand through his hair. “And you are? And who’s your daddy?”
“We’re