Defending Harlow by Susan Stoker
Release Date: June 4, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary
Lowell
“Black” Lockard, former Navy SEAL, has watched his fellow Mountain
Mercenaries settle down with the women of their dreams, but he’s
convinced he doesn’t need love. Then he gets a call from Harlow Reese—a
chef at a local women’s shelter—and begins to reconsider his decision.
After
being continually harassed by a local band of punks, Harlow asks Lowell
to give the women of the shelter lessons in self-defense. She doesn’t
expect him to take such a special interest in her safety, but he insists
on escorting her to and from work, never taking no for an answer. Not
that Harlow minds the personal touch…especially when it’s coming from
her former teenage crush.
Despite
her long history of bad dating luck, seeing Black again makes Harlow
rethink her self-imposed celibacy. Easy on the eyes and hard to forget,
the man has morphed into an alpha stud. And Harlow may be exactly the
type of woman Black is looking for. Making her feel safe isn’t only a
duty; it’s a pleasure. But the threats are escalating. The motives are a
mystery. And as the danger burns almost as hot as their passion,
there’s much more at risk than their hearts.
Guest Post:
A Mountain Mercenary’s Sneak Attack with Author Susan Stoker
Defending Harlow is
book 4 in the Mountain Mercenaries series. Each book features one of
the men who were recruited by the mysteries “Rex” to work on his team to
help rescue kidnapped women and children. In this book we meet Lowell
“Black” Lockard who was a Navy SEAL before he became a Mountain
Mercenary. He joined the group because after his stint in the Navy, he
realized that he was happiest when he was being useful, helping others.
He’d been close to his fellow SEALs when he’d been on active duty, but
somehow he was even closer with his fellow Mountain Mercenaries.
They
worked together, they played together, and they simply enjoyed spending
time with each other both during missions and when they were living
their lives in Colorado Springs.
Black
loves that his friends have found women that completed them. Gray met
Allye when he rescued her from a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean
and they had to swim for hours to safety. Ro met Chloe when her brother
was holding her hostage in his house and was about to pimp her out from
his strip club. And Arrow met Morgan when they’d been down in the
Dominican Republic to rescue a child who’d been kidnapped by her non
custodial father. Turns out, Morgan was one of the most famous missing
people the United States had ever had, and she’d been held for over a
year before she’d accidentally been found by the Mountain Mercenaries.
He
loves that his friends are happy, but realizes that he is…bored. He
wants someone to laugh with. To talk to at the end of the day. To break
the routine of his life. He envies his friends for having that.
Meeting
Harlow is a turning part in Black’s life. She makes him laugh and he’s
intrigued more than he’s ever been by a woman before. And realizing they
went to the same high school once upon a time makes him even more
curious. But there’s a problem…Harlow has had bad date after bad date
and she’s sworn off dating forever.
But
Black won’t give up. He decides to “trick” her by refusing to call what
they’re doing as ‘dates.’ They’re just “hanging out.” And the more he
spends time with her, the more he likes her…and vice versa. Harlow will
have to decide whether or not to take a chance on Black, and he’ll have
to figure out how to neutralize the threat looming over Harlow and the
women’s shelter she works at or else the semantics of what they’re doing
will be a moot point, because someone might end up dead.
Defending Harlow Excerpt
Neither said anything for a while as they drove toward downtown.
Finally, Harlow asked, “Where are we going?”
“The Pit.”
“Where?”
Lowell
smiled. “Since this isn’t a date, and we’re talking about the shelter, I
decided I should take you to the place where me and my team conduct
business. The Pit.”
“It
sounds scary. Please tell me there aren’t snakes on the floor and
Indiana Jones isn’t going to pop up and run pell-mell through the place
being chased by members of an ancient civilization because they want
their artifact back.”
Harlow
stared at Lowell when he threw his head back and laughed loud and long.
She couldn’t help but chuckle herself. The man sitting next to her was
so different from any man she’d dated in the past—no, wait … this wasn’t
a date. Nope. Not even close.
“I
can’t wait to tell the others that. No, Harl, The Pit is a combination
bar and pool hall. It’s pretty much a hole-in-the-wall kind of place.”
“Why do you do business in a bar?” Harlow asked.
“To
be honest, I’m not sure. The Pit is where we were interviewed when we
were first asked to join the Mountain Mercenaries … I’m assuming you
know about the team?”
She
nodded. “A bit. Loretta told me. I’m sorry if she spoke out of turn,
but she was trying to reassure me that you knew what you were doing and
could help us.”
“I
can help you,” Lowell confirmed. “And in a nutshell, me and my
teammates are all former Special Forces soldiers, and we work for Rex,
getting women and children out of untenable situations.”
“Why mercenaries? I mean, it doesn’t sound like that’s what you guys really are.”
Lowell
shook his head, and a small smile formed on his face. “Why do women
always concentrate on that word?” he asked, more to himself than her.
Harlow
answered him even though he hadn’t really asked. “Because. It’s weird
that you call yourselves something that you technically aren’t. I
wouldn’t start a catering business and call it Harlow Photography.”
“Point
taken. I don’t know why Rex chose that name. Probably because it was
catchy and sounded better than Colorado Badasses, or Your Worst
Nightmare.”
Harlow couldn’t stop the bark of laughter that escaped. “True.”
“The
bottom line is that it doesn’t matter what we’re called. We’re six men
who go where we’re needed and do what we have to do to rescue those who
need a helping hand. I know women are empowered, and there are many who
are just as talented at what they do as we are. But the fact remains,
there are a lot of men out there who feel the need to subjugate and beat
down the women and children in their lives. They take advantage of
teenagers who are too young to know better or those who have had
horrible lives. They hurt them and force them to do things against their
will. It’s not right, or fair, and me and my friends are playing a
small part in trying to right those wrongs.”
Harlow
wasn’t sure how their light and playful conversation had turned so
intense, but she turned slightly in her seat to better look at Lowell.
His teeth were clenched, and the hand on the steering wheel was holding
on so tightly, she could see his knuckles turning white. He obviously
felt deeply about the topic and his job, and Harlow couldn’t be more
proud of him.
“I’m proud to know you, Lowell Lockard.”
He looked at her in surprise. “What?”
“The
world needs more men like you and your friends. I don’t know why men
like the ones harassing the shelter are the way they are. Why they feel
the need to exert their power over those they deem weaker than them. But
I’m glad you’re there to help tip the scales. Other than the
high-speed-chase guy, generally I haven’t been afraid of my bad dates,
I’ve just been disgusted by or disappointed in them. But I know there
are a lot of women out there who’re in bad marriages and relationships,
and it helps knowing there are people who care. People who will put
their own lives on the line to help get others out of those situations,
if asked.”
Lowell
pulled into a parking lot of a dark and seedy-looking building, and
Harlow wasn’t surprised to see the neon sign above the door that said The Pit. This was exactly the kind of place where she imagined Lowell and his fellow badasses would meet.
He
stopped the engine, brought the hand he was still holding up to his
mouth, and kissed the back of it. “Stay put. I’ll come around.”
He
went to let go of her, but Harlow held on to his hand. “This isn’t a
date,” she said, not sure if she was reminding him or herself. “It’s a
work meeting. I let you pick me up, but I should’ve driven myself. And I
can open my own door and pay my own way.”
Lowell leaned into her, and Harlow forced herself not to pull back.
“I
know this isn’t a date. You don’t date. I heard that loud and clear,
Harl. But in my world—and make no mistake; when you’re with me, you’re
in my world—a man opens a door for a lady. He walks on the outside of
the sidewalk, he picks her up whenever possible, and he pays for drinks
and meals. If it makes you feel better, you can think of this as a
business expense I can write off on my taxes.”
Harlow
stared at him for a beat, then nodded. What else could she do? She
didn’t want to like Lowell’s world, but she had to admit it felt good
being there. She’d had doors shut in her face when men had entered ahead
of her and hadn’t held them open. She’d had to pay for her own meals on
dates. And she’d even had an experience when she’d literally almost
been run over by a bus in Seattle because she’d been forced to walk on
the outside of the sidewalk near the curb.
“Okay,” she said.
“Okay,” Lowell said with a small smile. Then he squeezed her hand once more and climbed out.
“Not
a date, not a date,” Harlow chanted to herself quietly as Lowell walked
around his car to come to her side. He opened her door and held out a
hand. Taking a deep breath, Harlow put her hand back in his and allowed
him to help her up and out of the low seat.
He
didn’t let go of her hand once she was standing next to him, though. He
simply shut the car door with his free hand and led her toward the door
of the bar.
Not a date, she told herself once more as Lowell smiled at her and pulled open the heavy wooden door.
Author Biography
Susan Stoker is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling
author. Her series include Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes, SEAL of
Protection, Delta Force Heroes, and Mountain Mercenaries. Married to a
retired Army noncommissioned officer, Stoker has lived all over the
country—from Missouri and California to Colorado and Texas—and currently
lives under the big skies of Tennessee. A true believer in happily ever
after, Stoker enjoys writing novels in which romance turns to love. To
learn more about the author and her work, visit her website, www.stokeraces.com, or find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorsusanstoker.
Social Media Links
Website: http://www.stokeraces.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorsstoker
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Susan_Stoker
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