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  This couldn’t be happening to her, Kari thought.

  Gage Reynolds had just walked back into her life. Right in the middle of a bank robbery…With a robber’s gun pressed to her temple!

  Eight years ago, Gage was her beloved, a young deputy, tall and handsome in his khaki uniform. He was still good-looking enough to make an angel want to sin. And now he was the sheriff of Possum Landing, judging by the badge on his shirt.

  His dark eyes gleamed with interest at what he saw. “You know,” he casually told the gunman, “that’s Kari Asbury. The one who got away.” He continued easily. “Eight years ago, that pretty lady there left me standing at the altar.”

  The bank robber glared at her. “That wasn’t very nice. You want me to shoot her, Sheriff?”

  Gage shrugged. “That’s mighty neighborly of you…but I think I’d rather deal with her in my own way.”

  Kari gasped. Obviously, coming back to placid Possum Landing was going to be a whole lot more complicated than she’d thought….

  Dear Reader,

  A rewarding part of any woman’s life is talking with friends about important issues. Because of this, we’ve developed the Readers’ Ring, a book club that facilitates discussions of love, life and family. Of course, you’ll find all of these topics wrapped up in each Silhouette Special Edition novel! Our featured author for this month’s Readers’ Ring is newcomer Elissa Ambrose. Journey of the Heart (#1506) is a poignant story of true love and survival when the odds are against you. This is a five-tissue story you won’t be able to put down!

  Susan Mallery delights us with another tale from her HOMETOWN HEARTBREAKERS series. Good Husband Material (#1501) begins with two star-crossed lovers and an ill-fated wedding. Years later, they realize their love is as strong as ever! Don’t wait to pick up Cattleman’s Honor (#1502), the second book in Pamela Toth’s WINCHESTER BRIDES series. In this book, a divorced single mom comes to Colorado to start a new life—and winds up falling into the arms of a rugged rancher. What a way to go!

  Victoria Pade begins her new series, BABY TIMES THREE, with a heartfelt look at unexpected romance, in Her Baby Secret (#1503)—in which an independent woman wants to have a child, and after a night of wicked passion with a handsome businessman, her wish comes true! You’ll see that there’s more than one way to start a family in Christine Flynn’s Suddenly Family (#1504), in which two single parents who are wary of love find it—with each other! And you’ll want to learn the facts in What a Woman Wants (#1505), by Tori Carrington. In this tantalizing tale, a beautiful widow discovers she’s pregnant with her late husband’s best friend’s baby!

  As you can see, we have nights of passion, reunion romances, babies and heart-thumping emotion packed into each of these special stories from Silhouette Special Edition.

  Happy reading!

  Karen Taylor Richman

  Senior Editor

  Susan Mallery

  GOOD HUSBAND MATERIAL

  Books by Susan Mallery

  Silhouette Special Edition

  Tender Loving Care #717

  More Than Friends #802

  A Dad for Billie #834

  Cowboy Daddy #898

  *The Best Bride #933

  *Marriage on Demand #939

  *Father in Training #969

  The Bodyguard & Ms. Jones #1008

  *Part-Time Wife #1027

  Full-Time Father #1042

  *Holly and Mistletoe #1071

  *Husband by the Hour #1099

  †The Girl of His Dreams #1118

  †The Secret Wife #1123

  †The Mysterious Stranger #1130

  The Wedding Ring Promise #1190

  Prince Charming, M.D. #1209

  The Millionaire Bachelor #1220

  ‡Dream Bride #1231

  ‡Dream Groom #1244

  Beth and the Bachelor #1263

  Surprise Delivery #1273

  A Royal Baby on the Way #1281

  A Montana Mavericks Christmas: “Married in Whitehorn” #1286

  Their Little Princess #1298

  **The Sheik’s Kidnapped Bride #1316

  **The Sheik’s Arranged Marriage #1324

  **The Sheik’s Secret Bride #1331

  ‡‡The Rancher Next Door #1358

  ‡‡Unexpectedly Expecting! #1370

  ‡‡Wife in Disguise #1383

  Shelter in a Soldier’s Arms #1400

  **The Sheik and the Runaway Princess #1430

  Christmas in Whitehorn #1435

  **The Sheik & the Virgin Princess #1453

  **The Prince & the Pregnant Princess #1473

  *Good Husband Material #1501

  Silhouette Intimate Moments

  Tempting Faith #554

  The Only Way Out #646

  Surrender in Silk #770

  Cinderella for a Night #1029

  Silhouette Books

  36 Hours

  The Rancher and the Runaway Bride

  Montana Mavericks Weddings

  “Cowgirl Bride”

  World’s Most Eligible Bachelors

  Lone Star Millionaire

  Harlequin Books

  Montana Mavericks: Big Sky Grooms

  “Spirit of the Wolf”

  Harlequin Historicals

  Justin’s Bride #270

  Wild West Wife #419

  Shotgun Grooms #575

  “Lucas’s Convenient Bride”

  SUSAN MALLERY

  is the bestselling author of nearly fifty books for Harlequin and Silhouette Books. She makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her handsome prince of a husband and her two adorable-but-not-bright cats.

  Dear Reader,

  What is it about old friends? It doesn’t seem to matter how much time passes or what changes there have been in our lives—being with old friends renews the spirit, while reminding us of where we used to be and how far we’ve come.

  Some of my book characters are like old friends—scary but true. ? One of my most successful series at Silhouette Special Edition features the Haynes family—four brothers, a half sister and a close friend. Over the course of six books, they each met their perfect match, fell in love and reaffirmed the bonds of family and marriage. I hated to say goodbye to them. Almost as soon as I finished the last book, I had the idea of going back to them someday.

  That day is here. Welcome to my HOMETOWN HEARTBREAKERS, part two. If you are new to the series, don’t worry. These books stand alone. If you are a fan of HOMETOWN HEARTBREAKERS, then I hope you will enjoy visiting old friends, while making new ones.

  Two sets of brothers are about to have their worlds changed forever. They will find out they are not who they thought they were and begin a journey of self-discovery that will lead to love and a family they knew nothing about. Like the other Haynes men, these men respect the rules of the land and risk their lives to enforce them. They are heroes in the truest sense of the word.

  These books are special to me, and I hope you will find the stories touch your heart, as well.

  Best,

  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 One

  Kari Asbury fully expected to have trouble cashing her out-of-state check, she just didn’t think she would have to put her life on the line to do it.

  It wasn’t just that the check was drawn from a bank in big, bad New York City; it
was that her driver’s license was also from that East Coast state. Ida Mae Montel would want to know why a girl born and raised in Possum Landing, Texas, would willingly run off to a place like that…a place with Yankees. And if a girl had to do such a thing, why on earth would she give up her Texas driver’s license? Didn’t everyone want to be from the Lone Star State?

  No doubt Sue Ellen Boudine, the bank manager, would mosey on over to examine the check, all the while holding it like it was attached to a poisonous snake. They’d make a few calls (probably to friends, letting them know that Kari was back in town and with a New York driver’s license, of all things), they’d hem and haw, and sigh heavily. Then they’d give Kari the money. Oh, but first they’d try to talk her into opening an account right there at the First Bank of Possum Landing.

  Kari hesitated in front of the double glass doors, trying to figure out if she really needed the cash that badly. Maybe it would be better to pay the service fee and get the money out of the ATM machine. Then she reminded herself that the quicker everyone realized she’d returned to town for a very temporary visit, the quicker all the questions would be asked and answered. Then maybe she could have a little peace. Maybe.

  There was the added thrill of finding out if Ida Mae still wore her hair in a beehive. How much hair spray did that upswept style require? Kari knew for a fact that Ida Mae only had her hair done once a week, yet it looked exactly the same on day seven as it did on day one.

  Still smiling at the memory of Ida Mae’s coiffure, she pulled open the door and stepped inside. She paused just past the threshold and waited for the shrieks of welcome and the group hug that would follow.

  Nothing happened.

  Kari frowned. She glanced around at the bank—established in 1892—taking in the tall, narrow windows, the real wood counters and stylish paneling. Ida Mae was in her regular spot—the first position on the left—as befitted the head teller. But the older woman wasn’t talking. She wasn’t even smiling. Her small eyes widened with something that looked like panic, and she made an odd gesture with her hand.

  Before Kari could figure out what it meant, something hard and cold pressed against her cheek.

  “Well, lookee here. We got us another customer, boys. At least this one’s young and pretty. What my mama used to call a tall drink of water. That’s something.”

  Kari’s heart stopped. It might be nearly ninety in the shade outside, but here in the bank it felt closer to absolute zero.

  Slowly, very slowly, she turned toward the man, who was holding a gun. He was short, stocky and wearing a ski mask. What on earth was going on?

  “We’re robbin’ the bank,” the man said, as if he could read her mind.

  His astuteness startled her, until she realized his deduction wasn’t much of a stretch.

  She quickly glanced around. There were four of them, counting the man holding a gun on her. Two kept all the customers and most of the employees together at the far end of the bank, while the last one was behind the counter, putting money that Ida Mae handed him into a bag.

  “You go ahead and set your purse on the floor,” the man in front of her said. “Then start walking toward the other ladies. Do what you’re told and no one will get hurt.”

  Kari flexed her hands slightly. Her chest tightened, and it was nearly impossible to speak. “I, uh, I don’t have a purse.”

  She didn’t. She’d come into the bank with a check and her driver’s license. Both were in the back pocket of her shorts.

  The robber stared at her for a couple of seconds, then nodded. “Seems you don’t. Now head on over there.”

  This couldn’t be happening, Kari thought, even as she headed for the cluster of other customers huddled by the far end of the counter.

  She was halfway to the safety of that crowd when the rear door of the bank opened.

  “Well, hell,” a low voice drawled. “One of us has bad timing, boys. You think it’s you or me?”

  Several women screamed. One of the masked men by the crowd grabbed an older woman and held the gun to her head. “Stay back,” he yelled. “Stay back or the old lady dies.”

  Kari didn’t have time to react. The man who had first held a gun to her jerked her arm to drag her back to him. She felt the pressure of the pistol against her cheek again. He wrapped one wiry arm around her neck, keeping her securely in place.

  “Seems to me we’ve got a problem,” the man holding her said. “So, Sheriff, why don’t you just back out real slow and no one will get hurt.”

  The sheriff in question gave a sigh of the long-suffering. “I wish I could do that. But I can’t. Want to know why?”

  Kari felt as if she’d slipped into an alternative universe. This couldn’t be happening to her. One second she’d been too scared to breathe, and the next, Gage Reynolds had walked back into her life. Right in the middle of a holdup.

  Eight years ago he’d been a young deputy, tall and handsome in his khaki uniform. He was still good-looking enough to make an angel want to sin. He was also the sheriff, if the gleaming badge on his shirt pocket was to be believed. But for a man of the law, he didn’t seem all that interested in the robbery going on right in front of him.

  He took off his dust-colored cowboy hat and slapped it against his thigh. His dark hair gleamed, as did the interest in his eyes.

  “Don’t make me kill her,” the gunman said, his tone low and controlled.

  “You know who you’ve got there, son?” Gage asked casually, almost as if he hadn’t figured out what was going on in the bank. “That’s Kari Asbury.”

  “Back off, Sheriff.”

  The robber pressed the gun in a little deeper. Kari winced. Gage didn’t seem to notice.

  “She’s the one who got away.”

  Kari could smell the criminal’s sweat. She was willing to bet he hadn’t planned on a hostage situation, and the fact he might be in over his head didn’t make her breathe any easier. What on earth was Gage going on about?

  “That’s right,” Gage continued, setting his hat on a table and stretching. “Eight years ago, that pretty lady there left me standing at the altar.”

  Despite the gun jammed into her cheek, Kari spluttered with indignation. “I did not leave you standing at the altar. We weren’t even engaged.”

  “Maybe. But you knew I was gonna ask, and you took off. That’s practically the same thing. Don’t you think?”

  He asked the last question of the robber, who actually considered before replying.

  “If you hadn’t really proposed, then she didn’t leave you at the altar.”

  “Fair enough, but she did stand me up for the prom.”

  Kari couldn’t believe it. Except for her grandmother’s funeral seven years ago, she hadn’t seen Gage since the afternoon of her high school prom. While she’d known that Possum Landing was small enough that they would eventually run into each other again, this wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind.

  “It was complicated,” she said, unable to believe she was being forced to defend herself in front of bank robbers.

  “Did you or did you not skip town without warning? You left nothing but a note, Kari. You played with my heart like it was a football.”

  The bank robber glared at her. “That wasn’t very nice.”

  She glared right back. “I was eighteen years old, okay? I apologized in the note.”

  “I’ve never gotten over it,” Gage said, emotional pain oozing from every pore. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a package of gum. “You see before you a broken man.”

  Kari resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She didn’t know what Gage’s game was, but she wished he would play it with someone else.

  Her confusion turned to outrage when Gage took a stick of gum for himself, then offered the pack to the bank robber. Next they would be going out for a beer together.

  Gage watched the anger flash in Kari’s eyes. If she could have spit fire, he would be a scorched stick figure right about now. In different
circumstances, Gage might have worried the issue, but not now.

  The gunman shook off the gum, but that wasn’t important. The gesture had been made and well received. Gage had established rapport.

  “She went on up to New York City,” Gage continued, tucking the gum package back into his breast pocket. “Wanted to be a fashion model.”

  The robber studied Kari, then shrugged. “She’s pretty enough, but if she’s back, then she didn’t make it.”

  Gage sighed heavily again. “I guess not. All that pain and suffering for nothing.”

  Kari stiffened at his words, but didn’t try to break away. Gage willed her to cooperate for just a few more seconds. While every instinct in his body screamed at him to jerk her free of the gunman, he forced himself to stay relaxed and focused. There were more people to protect than just Kari. Between the bank employees and the customers there were fifteen innocent citizens within the old walls. Fifteen unprepared folk and four men with guns. Gage didn’t like the odds.

  Using his peripheral vision, he checked on the progress of the tactical team circling around the building. Just another minute or two and they would be in place.

  “You want me to shoot her?” the gunman asked.

  Kari gasped. Her big blue eyes widened even more, and the color drained from her face.

  Gage chewed his gum for a second, then shrugged. “You know, that’s mighty neighborly of you, but I think I’d rather deal with her in my own way, in my own time.”

  The team was nearly in place. Gage’s heart was about to jump out of his chest, but he gave no outward sign. Another few seconds, he thought. Another—

  “Hey, look!”

  One of the robbers near the back turned suddenly. Everyone looked. A tactical team member dropped out of sight a moment too late. The gunman holding Kari snarled in rage.

  “Dammit all to hell and back.”