Emergency Contact. Susan Peterson
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He had healer’s hands. Long elegant fingers with the tips slightly calloused, as if he didn’t really spend all his time sitting behind a desk analyzing people. And when he slipped them over the curve of her ear, Tess shivered….
He leaned closer, using a cotton swab to gently clean her cut. “What were you thinking out there in the pool—right before you started to go under?”
His breath was warm against her cheek. Tess shook her head. Concentrating on his words, not on what he was doing to her body. “I don’t know. I can’t remember. It’s all a blur. Just a big blur.”
As she spoke, Tess was conscious of how close he was. His mouth was only inches from hers. It would be so simple to lift her head and quickly brush her lips across his, to run her tongue along the swell of his bottom lip and then carefully, slowly suck it in.
She tightened her fingers on the edge of the sheet. What was she thinking? Please don’t let me make a total fool out of myself, she thought. The stakes are much too high.
“Do you trust me enough to let me help you, Tess?”
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
We have another month of spine-tingling romantic thrillers lined up for you—starting with the much anticipated second book in Joanna Wayne’s tantalizing miniseries duo, HIDDEN PASSIONS: FULL MOON MADNESS. In Just Before Dawn, a reclusive mountain man vows to get to the bottom of a single mother’s terrifying nightmares before darkness closes in.
Award-winning author Leigh Riker makes an exciting debut in the Harlequin Intrigue line this May with Double Take. Next, pulses race out of control in Mask of a Hunter by Sylvie Kurtz—the second installment in THE SEEKERS—when a tough operative’s cover story as doting lover to a pretty librarian threatens to blow up.
Be there from the beginning of our brand-new in-line continuity, SHOTGUN SALLYS! In this exciting trilogy, three young women friends uncover a scandal in the town of Mustang Valley, Texas, that puts their lives—and the lives of the men they love—on the line. Don’t miss Out for Justice by Susan Kearney.
To wrap up a month of can’t-miss romantic suspense, Doreen Roberts debuts in the Harlequin Intrigue line with Official Duty, the next title in our COWBOY COPS thematic promotion. It’s a double-murder investigation that forces a woman out of hiding to face her perilous past…and her pent-up feelings for the sexy sheriff who still has her heart in custody. Last but certainly not least, Emergency Contact by Susan Peterson—part of our DEAD BOLT promotion—is an edgy psychological thriller about a traumatized amnesiac who may have been brainwashed to do the unthinkable….
Enjoy all our selections this month!
Sincerely,
Denise O’Sullivan
Senior Editor,
Harlequin Intrigue
Emergency Contact
Susan Peterson
MILLS & BOON
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A devoted Star Trek fan, Susan Peterson wrote her first science-fiction novel at the age of thirteen. But unlike other Star Trek fan writers, in Susan’s novel she made sure that Mr. Spock fell in love. Unfortunately, what she didn’t take into consideration was the fact that falling in love and pursuing a life of total logic didn’t exactly go hand in hand. In any case, it was then that she realized that she was a hopeless romantic, a person who needed the happily-ever-after ending. But it wasn’t until later in life, after pursuing careers in intensive care nursing and school psychology, that Susan finally found the time to pursue a career in writing. An ardent fan of psychological thrillers and suspense, Susan combined her love of romance and suspense into several manuscripts targeted to the Harlequin Intrigue line. Getting the go-ahead to write for this line was a dream come true for her.
Susan lives in a small town in northern New York with her son, Kevin, her nutball dog, Ozzie, Phoenix the cat and Lex the six-toed menace (a new kitten). Susan loves to hear from readers. E-mail her at [email protected] or visit her Web site at susanpeterson.net.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Tess Doe (Ross)—Although unaware of her own identity, Tess knows that she can trust no one, including gentle but probing psychiatrist Ryan Donovan, called in to treat her. Instinct tells her that her enemies are closing in and she must escape before time runs out.
Ryan Donovan, M.D.—Disillusioned with clinical work, he returns to his hometown, determined to bury himself in research. But he quickly finds himself intriguingly involved with the beautiful but perplexing amnesiac who walked out of a local cornfield.
Gen. Thomas Flynn—A member of the ultraconservative organization The Patriot’s Foundation of Family Values, Flynn is a decisive, arrogant man who decides to change the political course of a country by whatever means possible.
Sidney Bloom, M.D.—A brilliant scientist who vehemently believes in the old adage The End Justifies the Means.
Ian McCaffery—A human machine bent on making sure his superior’s plans for change come to fruition.
For you, Dad.
I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but your
deep love, warm support and total belief in my talent
have always made me feel appreciated. I love being
one of your four daughters.
Thanks to my critique partners Chris Wenger, Linda Bleser & Tracy Rysavy. You made this all possible.
A special thanks to Patricia Otto, R.N. and Eric Lemza for their wonderful medical insights. Any medical errors are totally my fault and were done in order to make this work of fiction possible.
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
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter One
The