Leonard Tina - A Man Of Honor

A man of honor always protects the woman he loves

Maybe it was. It just wasnt the way he wanted her. And Cord didnt know if he could settle for less. She reached out to touch his forearm, and something like lightning sizzled across his conscience.

Maybe Tessa was thinking straighter than he was. Maybe her idea was a good one. His pride stood in the way of his seeing clearly, because he so badly wished Tessa would see him as a real husband, a lover, a friend.

But at least youd have her, an eager voice prompted. Under your roof for good is a step closerto having her forever.

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

Sunscreen, a poolside loungeand Harlequin Intrigue: the perfect recipe for great summer escapes!

This months sizzling selection begins with The Stranger Next Door (#573) by Joanna Wayne, the second in her RANDOLPH FAMILY TIES miniseries. Langley Randolph is the kind of Texan who cant resist a woman in trouble. Can he help unlock a beautiful strangers memoriesbefore a killer catches up with her first?

Little Penny Drake is an Innocent Witness (#574) to a murder in this suspenseful yet tender story by Leona Karr. The childs desperate mother, Deanna, seeks the help of Dr. Steve Sherman. Can Steve unlock her daughters secretsand Deannas heart?

Dr. Jonas Shades needs a woman to play his wife. Cathlynn OConnell is the perfect candidate, but with time running out, he has no choice but to blackmail his bride. Each minute in Jonass presence brings Cathlynn closer to understanding her enigmatic husband and closer to danger! Dont miss Blackmailed Bride (#575) by Sylvie Kurtz.

Bestselling Harlequin American Romance author Tina Leonard joins Harlequin Intrigue with a story of spine-tingling suspense and dramatic romance. Shes created the small town of Crookseye Canyon, Texas, as the backdrop for A Man of Honor (#576). Cord Greer must marry his brothers woman to keep her and her unborn baby safe. But is it fear that drives Tessa Draper into Cords arms, or is it something more than Cord had hoped for?

Indulge yourself and find out this summerand all year long!

Sincerely,

Denise OSullivan

Associate Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

A Man of Honor

Tina Leonard

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Books by Tina Leonard

576A MAN OF HONOR

HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

748COWBOY COOTCHIE-COO

758DADDYS LITTLE DARLINGS

771THE MOST ELIGIBLEDADDY

796A MATCH MADE IN TEXAS

811COWBOY BE MINE

829SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Cord Greer Protecting Tessa is second nature, as is hiding the love that burns in his heart.

Hunt GreerTwo strangers claim hes dead. So why are they still looking for him?

Nan AshleyCords neighbor treats him like a son. Now she wants Tessa for a daughter.

Hester DraperTessas mother has nothing good to say about anyone. Will becoming a grandmother melt her cold heart?

Sheriff Grimes A cop on a mission or a crook looking for an easy arrest?

Colonel John WestHunts

mentor was a second father to him.

Salvador and RossiTheir code demands a life for a life.

EleanorTessas new puppy is darling, but no watchdog.

Many thanks to my father, Tom Sites, for his military advice and plotting assistance.

Also my mother, Sylvia Kalberer, who liked this story from the get-go.

Lisa and Dean, I love you. Thanks for always being supportive of Mumsie.

To Denise OSullivan, thanks for believing in this book from the start, and Natashya Wilson, more thanks than I can possibly give you for helping me make it what I wanted it to be.

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 Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Epilogue

Prologue

John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage

The north Texas night was colder than most, stinging Cord Greers face as he went out into the February storm to get firewood. Sleet-driven wind slashed across his cheeks, but he merely lowered his black Stetson a little more and tried to ignore the chilling sensation that had been bugging him for the past two hours.

Something was wrong. He could feel it as surely as the ice storm gripping Crookseye Canyon. What really had his skin creeping was that hed only had this feeling once before, when his brother, Hunt, had been in a car crash. It was as if Cord had felt the impact himself that night. Hunt walked away from the crash, but Cord could still remember the peculiar sensation that hed been right there in the car with his brother.

Tonight hed felt another kind of impact. This one closed over him with dark fingers of dread as his soul experienced a rending, a tearing of one half from the other.

He shook it off, telling himself the stormand too much time alone on his ranchwas making him imagine things. Being half Navajo didnt necessarily make him a mind reader, as some people seemed to think. But he did feel deeply, a trait hed had all his life.

Taking an armload of firewood inside, he tried to force his mind off Hunts latest secret assignment.