Don't Break My Heart (Return to Redemption, Book 6) (16 page)

Three years ago, Sam had designed the
original Magic Worry Pal to comfort Dani when she was alone in the hospital
overnight, hoping it would give her a way to identify and face her fears. The
two things that made Sam’s toys unique and popular with kids were the tiny
flashlights looped onto the animals’ paws—to chase away the creepy shadows—and
the hidden pocket in their bellies. The top-secret compartment concealed a
small writing pad and a vanishing ink marker so children could record their
fears and have them magically disappear overnight.

As she packed premium fiberfill into a dog’s
head, a loud thump followed by an unholy howl came from outside. Every muscle
stiffened. She muted the television, scrambled out of bed, and looked out the
window, listening. It definitely sounded as if someone was walking on the porch
below.

The whole reason Nick had asked his brother
to install the high-security deadbolt was because of a recent rash of home
invasions in their rural area. With her house situated in the middle of two
acres, her closest neighbors were well beyond shouting distance.

She grabbed the phone off the nightstand and
punched in 911. The moment the call connected, she whispered she might have an
intruder. The emergency operator promised to send the nearest patrol car and
asked her to stay on the line.

At the unmistakable sound of the front door
closing, Sam dropped the receiver and yanked Nick’s old baseball bat from the
walk-in closet. No way would she sit holding a phone while some wacko attacked
her daughter.

Shaking, Sam tiptoed down the dark hallway
to guard Dani’s door. If only she’d let Nick get their daughter that dog they’d
wanted. Maybe something like a vicious pit bull with razor-edged teeth.

When the fourth step from the top creaked
its usual warning, her heart pummeled her breastbone like a claustrophobic
child locked in a closet.

She peered around the corner. A dark figure
crept toward her. Raising the bat in a home run stance, she threatened in her
meanest
make-my-day
voice, “The cops
are on the way, sleazebag. One step closer and I’ll whack your skull into next
week!”

Read More of
Baby, I’m Back

Other Books by Laurie Kellogg

Winner of
Romance Writers of America
^®
Golden Heart
^®

and Romantic
Times
^®
American Title Finalist

The Memory
of You

The Return to
Redemption Series Prequel

She can’t forget him—He
can’t remember her

Together, they must
discover the healing power of unforgettable love

The day
Lieutenant Matthew Foster departed for his
so-called ‘
tour’
in Vietnam, he never expected a sudden change in his
itinerary would include an extended stay in the horrific Hanoi Hilton. Six
years later, h
e’s finally released with the other POWs during Operation
Homecoming. Unfortunately, his memories before his capture were erased by the
complimentary torture provided by the hotel’s concierge. Due to prior facial
injuries and the beard concealing his gauntness, he looks nothing like the
boyish photo in his military file.

When the Army
informs Matt he has a wife and he was mistakenly declared dead, he’s sure Abby
must have made a new life for herself. He doubts the bitter man he’s become can
salvage the boy she once cared for, so to be fair to her, he decides to simply
write a note to wish her well and leave. But before he does, he can’t resist
going to Redemption, PA, to catch a glimpse of the woman he’d loved enough to
marry.

The irony of the
small town’s name is totally eclipsed by Matt’s dread that he’ll discover he’s
lost
something truly worth
remembering. That fear becomes reality when he learns Abby is engaged, and he’s
a
daddy
!
Luckily, his wife
doesn’t recognize him, so Matt could still walk away from the beautiful
stranger who’s been starring in his X-rated dreams. However, he could never,
ever
abandon his sons.

The clock is ticking. Any day, the
military will inform Abby he’s alive, and her wedding is in only six weeks. It
doesn’t give Matt much time to discover if he can reclaim the love the war
stole from him.

Winner of
Romance Writers of America
^®
Golden Heart
^®

and Pacific
Northwest Writers Association
^®
Zola award

A Little
Bit of Déjà Vu

The Return to
Redemption series—Book One

Sometimes destiny has the last word....
and laugh

Fate thrust them together

Blackmail and deception tore
them apart

Nineteen years later, their
children’s love reunites them

Now, only truth and forgiveness can make
them a family

Margie Bradford is picking up the pieces of her
shattered life following her husband’s death. When her meddling cousin
encourages unsuspecting Margie to make a fresh start with her teenage daughter,
Margie takes a reading specialist job in the small town of Redemption, PA. The
last person she expects to encounter is Rocket Manion, the ex-NFL quarterback
and Dr. Phil wannabe who broke her heart nineteen years ago.

Divorced teacher and head football coach Jake Manion experiences an
eerie sense of déjà vu when his son announces he’s gotten his girlfriend
pregnant. The feeling simply grows stronger when Jake learns the girl’s mother
is Maggie, the same woman on whom he’s wasted nearly two decades of bitterness.

While planning their kids’ wedding and helping them grow up too soon,
Jake attempts to pick up right where he left off—in Margie’s bed. But no matter
how irresistible his kisses are, she isn’t stupid enough to let him hurt her
again. Or is she?

Romance Writers of
America
^®
Golden Heart
^®
Finalist

Baby, I’m Back

Originally The Great
Bedroom War

The Return to Redemption
series—Book Two

She’s trying to forget the pleasure in her ex’s arms

He’s doing his damnedest to remind her

Fledgling entrepreneur Samantha Riverà is in charge of
her own life for the first time and determined to keep it that way. She’s
attempting to banish her call-all-the-shots ex-husband, who could charm the
knickers off a nun, from her dreams. Unfortunately, it’s kind of tough
forgetting the Zorro look-alike who’s willing to do anything for her, except
give her the only two things she wants—another baby and his love.

Corporate vice president Nicolàs Riverà's refusal to
sire a second child ultimately destroyed his marriage. His ex-wife has no clue
how terrified he is of losing her to another high-risk pregnancy. Now, Nick
will stop at nothing to get his family back—even if it means blackmailing his
way into his ex-wife’s home—and with any luck—her bed and her heart.

The Parent Pact

The Return to Redemption
series—Book Three

Cinderella and Prince Charming never had

to consider the welfare of their children

When
widower Tyler Fitzpatrick meets Annie Barnes at his daughter’s school, his
libido goes
tilt.
The sexy single
mother is
everything he and his
grieving little girl need. Unfortunately, Annie flatly refuses his dinner
invitation. She wants a husband and a father for her son—not just a boyfriend.
And the last time she checked, wealthy, summa-cum-laude lawyers didn’t marry
high-school-drop-out housekeepers.

Tyler
concedes there’s a vast difference between their experiences and lifestyles.
Still, he’s inexplicably drawn to the impoverished young woman—even though her
little boy reminds Tyler of an underprivileged past he’d rather forget. While
becoming better acquainted, he offers Annie a job caring for his daughter and
home in Redemption, PA. He also proposes a
Parent
Pact
—an agreement to become role models to each other’s child and to fill
one another’s needs as single parents while they continue to search for true
love.

Accepting
Tyler’s offer would solve a lot of Annie’s problems. However, surrendering to
her weak-in-the-knees attraction to the irresistible widower could very well
leave her and her son heartbroken. Yet, when circumstances threaten her ability
to feed her child, Annie reluctantly agrees to the pact, making it clear she
has no desire for Tyler to fill her so-called
needs
in bed. It’s a bald-faced lie, but she knows the man’s
desperation to give his daughter the nurturing she needs will compel him to
accept a purely platonic relationship.

Now,
Annie’s only problem is resisting the overwhelming temptation to let
sin-in-a-tailored-suit Tyler seduce her.

No Exchanges, No Returns

The Return to Redemption
series—Book Four

There were
never such devoted sisters…

Dr. David Lambert and his wife, Brianna, received the ultimate
Christmas gift from her fraternal twin. They gratefully accepted it, of course,
because everyone knows you can’t return a baby like an itchy sweater. Yet,
that’s essentially what Brianna does when she has a meltdown and unexpectedly
divorces David. She runs from their home in Redemption, Pennsylvania, and
leaves their surrogate—her sister, Casey—pregnant with his little bundle.

When David chose her beautiful twin over her, Casey McIntyre hid
her hurt behind a wall of sarcasm. Now that her sister has divorced her
husband, it’s increasingly difficult to remember why the hunky pediatrician is
supposed to be off limits—especially since Brianna doesn’t seem to want him or
care if Casey and he get involved.

David always liked and admired his
selfless ex-sister-in-law—despite that the sassy preschool teacher is always
busting his chops. Consequently, after his wife bails on marriage and
motherhood, it’s only natural he turns to Casey for sympathy. Unfortunately,
the exasperating pixie becomes more irresistible with each day she carries his
child. He already mistook lust for love once and jumped way too fast into
marriage. He’s not about to botch up his life that way again.

Casey wants whatever happiness she can grab, whether it’s temporary
or not. The only problem is, if she lets herself love her baby (
or David
), what will happen to her when
her sister inevitably realizes her mistake and returns to Redemption?

A Heart Decision

On her wedding night, Sabrina will share the

 
bridal suite
with one of her brother’s best friends.

Which one? She has no idea!

Sabrina Fitzpatrick helped
plan her dream wedding last year—
for
her brother and his wife
. Now, she wants her own fairytale ceremony. She’s
tired
of waiting for commitment-phobe, Detective Luke Marino, to realize she’s been
crazy about him since puberty. Consequently, when Luke’s billionaire friend
asks her to marry him, she’s compelled to accept BJ Elliott’s proposal,
especially after he suggests their impending marriage might induce
his idiot pal to finally step forward.
Unfortunately, a week later, adrenaline-junkie Luke risks his life
again
and ends up temporarily confined
to a wheelchair.

BJ would love to give Sabrina an unforgettable wedding
night, but he fears she’ll never be happy with him if she doesn’t resolve her
feelings for his buddy, first. Therefore, even knowing he could lose her, BJ
persuades her to become Luke’s live-in nurse—offering her one last chance to
convince the man she loves to take BJ’s place at the altar (
which BJ doubts his friend will ever do
).
If nothing else, he hopes
Love’em and
Leave’em
Luke can convince Sabrina he’ll make a lousy husband.

Luke has two secrets not
even his best friends know. The first is he aches for Sabrina with every fiber
of his being. The second is he loves her enough to spare her the heartbreak
that being his wife would undoubtedly entail. Much to Luke’s dismay, his
resolve to resist his buddy’s fiancée is tested after Sabrina steps in as his
nurse and starts prancing around in nothing but his threadbare T-shirt. If he
surrenders to her seduction, it may destroy his relationship with BJ. And,
worse still, if he gets a taste of loving Sabrina, how can he ever stand by and
let her marry his friend?