The Man She Almost Married

193 Pages·2011·0.74 MB·English

by  Price Maggie

Why hadn’t he just stayed away?
Letter to Reader
Title Page
Books by Maggie Price
About the Author
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Copyright
Why hadn’t he just stayed away?
Because there had been no way in hell to predict Vanessa’s murder. No way
to know that deed would bring Julia back into his life, and, with her, the
reminder of all he’d given up.
Julia, who made him want to make promises he couldn’t keep. Julia, who
wasn’t just any woman. She was the only woman.
And now she knew the truth. Knew he’d loved her when he walked out,
knew the real reason for his leaving. Sloan’s mouth tightened as he pictured the
mix of fire and challenge—and hurt—that had leaped into her eyes.
Maybe after all this time it was best. Maybe someday she would develop a
grudging understanding of why he’d purposely destroyed her love for him.
Maybe she wouldn’t hate him for the rest of her life....
Dear Reader,
They say all good things must end someday, and this month we bid a
reluctant farewell to Nora Roberts’ STARS OF MITHRA trilogy. Secret Star is
a fitting windup to one of this New York Times bestselling author’s most
captivating miniseries ever. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say
this: You’re in for the ride of your life—and that’s after one of the best openings
ever. Enjoy!
Marilyn Pappano also wraps up a trilogy this month. Knight Errant is the
last of her SOUTHERN KNIGHTS miniseries, the story of Nick Carlucci and
the bodyguard he reluctantly accepts, then falls for—hook, line and sinker. Then
say goodbye to MAXIMILLIAN’S CHILDREN, as reader favorite Alicia Scott
offers Brandon’s Bride, the book in which secrets are revealed and the last of the
Ferringers finds love. Award-winning Maggie Price is back with her second
book, The Man She Almost Married, and Christa Conan checks in with One
Night at a Time, a sequel to All I Need Finally, welcome new author Lauren
Nichols, whose Accidenral Heiress is a wonderful debut,
And then come back next month for more of the best romantic reading
around—right here at Silhouette Intimate Moments.
Yours,
Leslie Wainger
Senior Editor and Editorial Coordinator
Please address questions and book requests to:
Silhouette Reader Service
U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3
THE MAN SHE ALMOST MARRIED
MAGGIE PRICE
Books by Maggie Price
Silhouette Intimate Moments
Prime Suspect #816
The Man She Almost Married #838
MAGGIE PRICE
turned to crime at the age of twenty-two. That’s when she went to work at
the Oklahoma City Police Department. As a civilian crime analyst, she evaluated
suspects’ methods of operation during the commission of robberies and sex
crimes, and developed profiles on those suspects. During her tenure at OCPD,
Maggie stood in lineups, worked on homicide task forces, established procedures
for evidence submittal, even posed as the wife of an undercover officer in the
investigation of a fortune-teller.
While at OCPD, Maggie stored up enough tales of intrigue, murder and
mayhem to keep her at the keyboard for years. The first of those tales won the
Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award for Romantic Suspense and
was published by Silhouette Intimate Moments.
Maggie invites her readers to contact her at 5208 W. Reno, Suite 350,
Oklahoma City, OK 73127-6317.
To my very fantastic critique partners, Nancy Berland
and Merline Lovelace. Thank you for taking time on that
wickedly cold January day to meet over brunch and
weave your magic. You make the bad times better, and
the good times fantastic. When it comes to support, you
guys put an orthopedic mattress to shame.
Chapter 1
“A corpse awaits us.”
With her cell phone crammed between her cheek and shoulder, Sergeant
Julia Cruze checked the clock on her car’s dashboard. Their shift didn’t kick in
for fifteen minutes, and already her partner was on the line to her.
She let out a weighty sigh as she glanced at her leather tote on the
passenger seat, the morning newspaper bulging out its unzipped top. Inside was
the case file on the unsolved homicide that had plagued her for the past month.
She’d planned to spend part of the day reinterviewing the victim’s neighbors and
family. Now, unless they got lucky—real lucky—she’d have another case file to
add to the one in her tote.
“What have we got?” Julia asked, slowing the unmarked cruiser to legal
speed in case a change of direction was in her future.
“A woman bought it in the parking garage of her office building,” her
partner replied cheerfully. “I’m just leaving the station, so I don’t have any
specifics. But I imagine there’s blood, gore and mayhem involved. The perfect
welcome back after our days off.”
Rolling her eyes, Julia sipped the steaming coffee she’d purchased at the
minimarket around the corner from her apartment. Sergeant Travis Halliday, her
rookie partner of six months, had jumped into the fray of the Oklahoma City
Police Department’s Homicide detail with the gusto of a kid attacking Christmas
presents. In a contest between Halliday and the medical examiner, it would be
nose-to-nose who had a keener interest in viewing dead bodies.
“Here’s an idea, Halliday,” Julia began dryly. “Instead of me driving
around all morning looking for the scene, why don’t you give me the address?”
“The deceased awaits us at Remington Aerospace’s corporate office.
Address is—”
“I know it,” Julia shot back, and set her teeth against the quick, instinctive
lurch of her stomach. Two years, and the name still had the impact of a bare-
fisted punch.
“Ouch. What’s the matter? Did you and Bill go a few rounds last night?”
“We never fight,” Julia said, then blared her horn at a dented taxi that had
cut in front of her. “Does Lieutenant Ryan know we’re on this?”
“He wasn’t in the office when the call came in,” Halliday answered.
“Anyway, you and I are first on the schedule so I—”
“Forget it. I’ll meet you there,” Julia said, then ended the connection.