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    In the Heat of the Night
    In the Heat of the Night
    In the Heat of the Night
    Ebook269 pages3 hours

    In the Heat of the Night

    By Katherine Garbera

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    About this ebook

    "Smart, sassy and entertaining."

    --Romantic Times magazine on Reunited…With Child

    All it takes is a spark!

    Meg Starling has come back to her small Florida hometown to start over. After spending five years in New York fighting to get her own TV show, she's almost ready to admit defeat. Then a call from a producer changes everything. Now she's got one last chance to make it big, and nobody's going to get in her way. Not even a hunky, drop-dead sexy, absolutely irresistible firefighter . . .

    Rory O'Roarke is new in town, but it hasn't taken the new guy at the firehouse long to scope out what he wants--Meg, the gorgeous girl next door. But Rory has his own issues--an incident at his last fire has left him struggling with doubts. Can he still do the job? All he wants is to settle down and have a normal life. Unfortunately, the only woman he wants has no intention of staying.

    It is the worst possible time for either of them to fall in love, but it's hard to stop a wildfire once it's burning out of control . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBelleBooks
    Release dateJun 27, 2014
    ISBN9781611944396
    In the Heat of the Night
    Author

    Katherine Garbera

    USA Today bestselling author Katherine Garbera is a two-time Maggie winner who has written more than 60 books. A Florida native who grew up to travel the globe, Katherine now makes her home in the Midlands of the UK with her husband, two children and a very spoiled miniature dachshund. Visit her on the web at http://www.katherinegarbera.com, connect with her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @katheringarbera.

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      Book preview

      In the Heat of the Night - Katherine Garbera

      In the Heat of the Night

      She wanted him. He wanted her. It was simple.

      But nothing she wanted had ever come to her easily.

      And she really wanted Rory.

      Just a summer fling, she thought. No harm, no foul. Tonight, she’d told everyone important to her that she’d be leaving town. So she could have a no-strings affair with Rory. A wild, hot, sex-fueled thing that would ignite quickly . . . and then burn to ashes just as fast.

      She pulled down the visor and checked her makeup in the mirror. She glimpsed a wildness in her eyes. That feeling was mirrored in the pit of her stomach.

      Everything she wanted was within her grasp. All she had to do was reach out and take it. And for once, she wasn’t scared. She wanted it all and she was going to have it.

      Starting with Rory O’Roarke.

      Also by Katherine Garbera from Bell Bridge Books

      Body Heat

      In the Heat of the Night

      by

      Katherine Garbera

      Bell Bridge Books

      Copyright

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events or locations is entirely coincidental.

      Bell Bridge Books

      PO BOX 300921

      Memphis, TN 38130

      Ebook ISBN: 978-1-61194-439-6

      Print ISBN: 978-1-61194-410-5

      Bell Bridge Books is an Imprint of BelleBooks, Inc.

      Copyright © 2014 by Katherine Garbera

      Printed and bound in the United States of America.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

      We at BelleBooks enjoy hearing from readers.

      Visit our websites

      BelleBooks.com

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      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Cover design: Debra Dixon

      Interior design: Hank Smith

      Photo/Art credits:

      Man (manipulated) © Konradbak | Dreamstime.com

      Backgrounds (manipulated) © Juliasha | Dreamstime.com

      :Ehin:01:

      Dedication

      For Courtney and Lucas. I’m so blessed to be your mom and to have watched you grow up. I love you!

      Author’s Note

      Dear readers,

      Thank you so much for supporting the O’Roarkes. In this book, you’ll notice that I’ve changed settings. I created the fictional town of Twin Palms so I could incorporate a lot more of what I believe represents what rural central Florida is like. I kept the pretty gazebo and the park by the train tracks. But I added a lot of housing developments, some fun Main Street shops and my own big lake.

      I hope you enjoy this story!

      Chapter One

      MEG STARLING had often thought about how she’d return to the small town of Twin Palms, Florida after her big break. She envisioned herself with a police escort—hey, her dad was the police chief so why not? Maybe a parade or two in her honor, and, of course, she’d give talks at the local middle and high schools, sharing her gems of wisdom about life beyond the city limits.

      Instead, she was sitting behind the Twin Palms Library booth selling lemonade and iced tea at the annual Memorial Day Weekend volleyball match, wearing the biggest tortoiseshell glasses she could find and a Twin Palms Police Department baseball cap. She’d been back in town a week.

      Yeah, instead of a police escort into town, all she’d gotten was this baseball cap. The annual grudge beach volleyball match between the fire station and the police department was being played out on the sandy beach at Lake Aurora’s shores.

      Everyone showed their colors, either red for the fire department or classic police department blue. Being home and working the refreshment booth wasn’t exactly part of her plan, but it did offer her a distraction from figuring out her next move.

      Nothing ever changed around here. Well, except for maybe that new firefighter.

      Who is that? Meg asked her older sister Anne, who was just finishing her shift in the booth. Anne was wearing a police department T-shirt. Like Meg, she had reddish hair and favored their mother in looks. But Meg always thought that Anne had their father’s stubborn jaw. Of course, that could have been simply because her older sister was always bossing her around.

      Their mom, a librarian with a fierce love of books, had named her and her sister after literary characters. Anne was three years older than Meg and owned the town’s one coffee shop/diner.

      The hunky shirtless firefighter? Anne asked, pushing her sunglasses up on her head and forcing her straight, shoulder-length hair back.

      Who said he was hunky? Yeah, like those rippling pectorals and large well-developed biceps hadn’t caught her eye. He was built and definitely worked out. And yes, she’d noticed him. Hadn’t she asked who he was?

      She had a strict dating rule. Just one . . . well, okay, two. But to her, no dating married men was a given. The other one was no dating any small-town guys. There was only one reason anyone came to Twin Palms, and it wasn’t for the money.

      Besides, she’d fallen in love once and had the scars to prove it. That was part of the reason she was back in Twin Palms, hiding out until she could figure out her next big move. Not that lust and love were exclusive, but she’d always had a hard time keeping the two separate.

      Are we pretending to be blind? Is that why you’re wearing dark glasses? Anne asked, more than a tinge of sarcasm in her voice.

      The sun is a little bright today, in case you hadn’t noticed, Meg said.

      Sarcasm ran rampant in their family. Her mom had always been a master, but years of being married to a stoic cop like Butch Starling had honed it to legendary proportions. It was something she’d passed on to her daughters.

      In Meg’s opinion, her sister was a big pain in the ass. Why did she put up with her? She could have waited until the men were done playing and asked her friend Paul, one of the firefighters.

      Ha. Just tell me who he is. Or maybe you don’t know. Would it kill you to say you don’t know?

      It would. In this case, I do know.

      Anne, I love you. But you know, you’re not all that important, really. Mom and Dad already have me and I’m beginning to think they might not miss you, Meg said.

      Dad’s the police chief. I think he’d be able to figure out you did me in, Anne said.

      Just tell me who he is, Meg said. She and her sister could go on like this for days. As the oldest, Anne liked to be right and tended to dole out information as if it were gold bars from the treasury department.

      While waiting for Anne to respond, Meg poured herself a glass of sweet tea. She took a sip and let the liquid cool her mouth and felt the iciness move through her body. She took another sip. Maybe it would be better not to know his name. Because there wasn’t enough iced tea in Twin Palms to put out the kind of fire he could ignite.

      I’m just saying you should be honest about what’s going on, Anne said.

      You’re not talking about the firefighter, are you? Meg asked.

      Anne just stared at her.

      She sighed. Her family didn’t know why she’d come back. It had been humiliating and the last thing she wanted to do was talk about it. I just need to start over.

      Anne put her arm around Meg’s shoulder and hugged her close.

      His name is Rory O’Roarke. Parents could have been a little more creative, don’t you think? Or maybe it’s a nickname. He comes from South Florida where he’s part of a dynastic firefighting family, Anne said. He has only been in town for a couple of weeks and he eats at the diner just about every night.

      Meg almost sighed out loud with regret. A Florida firefighter. Not exactly the kind of man she should be interested in. Maybe if he was a carpenter or a construction company owner . . .

      Anne reached over and picked up Meg’s iPhone off the table.

      What are you doing?

      Something you’ll thank me for later, Anne said, accessing the camera app on the phone and then zooming in on the firefighter. She clicked a quick picture of him and handed it back to her. You’re welcome.

      I don’t remember asking you to do that, Meg said. But she glanced at the picture and wondered why she always wanted what she couldn’t have.

      I’ve got to get back to the diner. I’ll see you for brunch on Sunday at Mom and Dad’s, Anne said, giving her a quick hug before leaving.

      Every Sunday, they had a standing date with their parents for brunch. Meg tried not to dwell on the fact that it had been five years since she’d been to one. Or that when she’d left, she’d sort of been a bit arrogant about her plans to leave the dust of this small town behind.

      Who’s winning? Paul said that this year they were going to sweep the floor with the PD, Jenny O’Shea asked as she walked over to the booth.

      She and Meg had gone to high school together. And while they hadn’t been close—Meg had been too focused on getting out of town—they had been friends.

      Fire department, Meg said, handing Jenny a sweet tea and taking the dollar bill from her. Since it’s for charity, I’d like to say Dad won’t care. But you know how competitive he is.

      How competitive you all are, Jenny said.

      Nothing wrong with wanting to win, Meg said.

      The firefighter—Rory—spiked the ball, finally giving his team the victory. He high-fived the other firefighters including Paul and then shook hands with her dad’s team. She noticed he seemed to really fit in with the crew, even though he was still new to the area. Then again, Anne had mentioned that he came from a firefighting family.

      She’d noticed that on the police force, people who came from a similar background tended to fit in better. It was as if they all knew the score. Everyone understood that the brotherhood—and she meant that to include the women on the force and on the fire truck—came first. They had a bond that nothing could break.

      It was something she’d do well to remember. She tried not to let it bother her, but this stranger who’d spent barely ten days in Twin Palms seemed to fit in better than she did. And she’d lived her all her life!

      Shake it off, baby. You’re only back here to regroup and move on. But moving on at thirty wasn’t as easy as it had been at twenty-five.

      RORY O’ROARKE had been in Twin Palms for exactly three weeks. He’d worked twenty four hours on and forty-eight hours off and still hadn’t been called out to anything more dangerous than rescuing a cat that had gotten stuck under an old woman’s house. In fact, playing volleyball today was the most dangerous thing he’d done so far, if getting sunscreen in his eyes counted.

      He didn’t think it did. He knew his dad wouldn’t think it did either. And as he noticed his tall burly brothers walking toward him, he knew they wouldn’t either.

      Rory, good game. Took it a little easy on them there at the end, Liam said as he clapped him on the back.

      I’m new. Didn’t want to show off, Rory said.

      Not showing off? You’re an O’Roarke. You can’t help but win. We always do, Pat said.

      The other guy in the group wasn’t technically his brother, but close. He was his brother-in-law. Tucker Fields had married Rory’s only sister and was his closest relative now that he was living in Central Florida.

      That sounds like a challenge that Andi and I would love to accept, Pat. We’ll make you eat those words, Tucker said.

      Tucker knew that Rory’s sister was even more competitive than the rest of them since she’d grown up trying to prove she was just as tough as the boys.

      Not today, Rory said. Where is Andi?

      On duty. But she wanted me to drop by and make sure you were settling in.

      Andi was older than Rory. Ever since their mother died, she’d taken over the role. And he’d given her a lot more to worry about lately, with his divorce and return to the squad.

      I’m good. Come meet my crew, Rory said. Anything to get the focus back on firefighting and off of him.

      Nice spike, Paul O’Shea said, clapping him on the shoulder.

      Paul was one of the lieutenants at the firehouse whose job it had been to show Rory the ropes when he’d first arrived. He was also the captain of the volleyball team. You are a great addition. I’m sure the Cap didn’t know that when he hired you, but I’m glad of it.

      Thanks, Rory said shaking his hand. This is my family. Brothers Liam and Pat, brother-in-law Tucker Fields.

      Fields? Arson Investigator Fields? Paul asked.

      One and the same, Tucker said.

      It’s hotter than hell today, Pat interrupted. Where can a guy get a beer?

      Not here, Paul said. We keep the charity events dry so that there won’t be any problems. You can get your fill of iced tea and lemonade though.

      Point me to it.

      Paul gestured to a tent where a pretty little redhead and a blonde were working. There were two lines and the one in front of the redhead was twice as long.

      What’s the deal there?

      Meg Starling’s the one with the long line. She left town to make it big and now she’s back. No one knows why and the gossips are dying to find out.

      He glanced over at her again. She had thick auburn hair that ended at her shoulders and the big glasses she wore hid her eyes but her skin was creamy and covered in freckles.

      They got in the redhead’s line.

      The other is shorter, Liam said.

      I want to see what’s so special about this girl, Pat said.

      His brother was a flirt and a bit of a charmer. And he was notorious for fixing things. Whether it was fixing problems or people, Pat was a pro. Rory suspected his brother was here today to do just that—fix his life for him.

      Finally, they made it to the front of the line.

      Nice playing today, Paulie. Good thing you had this guy on your squad, the redhead said with a smile.

      Rory O’Roarke, he said, holding out his hand.

      She took it. An electric tingle spread up his arm. It was probably just a muscle spasm from the game, he told himself.

      Meg Starling, she said. What’ll it be, boys?

      Sweet tea all around, Rory said.

      She handed them the cups and he gave her the money, taking a moment to try to see the color of her eyes before he walked away.

      Want to join us over at Kebbler’s? Paul asked after his brothers had taken their leave. They’d had to head to Auburndale, about twenty miles from Twin Palms, to have dinner with Andi.

      What’s Kebbler’s? Rory asked.

      Only the best smokehouse BBQ in the county, Paul said.

      Tempting, but not today. I’m still looking for a permanent place to stay and my realtor might have found just the property for me.

      Good luck with that. But you are missing out on some good eats.

      Rory got on his Harley Davidson and headed out of town to meet the realtor. There was only one thing on his mind, and it wasn’t food or firefighting. It was the burning need to know what color were Meg Starling’s eyes.

      MEG DROVE SLOWLY out of town toward the interstate. She’d had more than enough downtown Twin Palms action for one day. She needed to escape. And luckily, she knew just the place to go. She’d received a call yesterday from a producer friend of hers at HGTV. He’d mentioned that if she could find an old house and do a one-hour segment redoing it, he’d fast track her for her own show.

      How many times had she heard that before? She knew she shouldn’t get too excited, but there was something about being back home that reminded her of all her old dreams. Dreams that hadn’t been tarnished by too many years in Manhattan being a production assistant and set dresser to someone else’s vision instead of going after her own.

      She switched the air conditioner to full blast, then turned off on Old Twin Palms-Caldwell Road. It was the cutoff between the two cities and led to an area where there were lots of older places that had been homesteaded back in the early 1900s.

      She loved the landscape here. Big scrub oaks heavy with Spanish moss and swampy ground covered in palmettos. She’d missed her home. She turned off the A/C and opened the driver’s window, letting the full blast of hot May air circulate around her.

      Florida had been mainly held by the Seminoles until the late 1890s and settled by runaway slaves and prisoners from other states. Not that long ago, this area had been a huge citrus-growing center. But too many hard freezes and a bad spell of citrus canker had killed most the groves back in the 80s.

      Now, places like Elias Clapham’s were all that was left. She turned off the paved road onto one that was mainly dirt and rock, then stopped and got out when she got to a rusted gate with a large C squarely in the middle. She reached into her car and took out her SLR camera then pushed open the gate. J.P. was meeting her out here along with the owner and the other bidder’s agent. She was determined to get the homestead. Steeling herself for whatever she might face, she got back in her car and drove up to the house.

      The place itself was a sprawling two-story ranch-style house with a wraparound porch. In its heyday, the shutters had been pristine white and the clapboard had been painted a rustic red. Today, it was faded and the paint was chipping off. And the front porch was falling down in one corner.

      But when Meg pulled her car to a stop in front of it, she saw it as her future. It was perfect.

      It wasn’t lost on her that she had a knack for knowing how to make things better. Old buildings, broken-down relics of the past—she quickly saw the way things could be. Too bad she couldn’t do that for herself . . .

      She got out of the car and walked around the perimeter of the house, taking pictures with her iPhone as well as her SLR. There was an overgrown rose bush near the kitchen

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