Her Kind of Hero Read online

  He saved her life...

  But he’s not the hero she expects

  Dana Sothern has finally found the man who rescued her as a teen. But when she tries to thank Matt Rodriguez, instead he challenges her to volunteer at his youth camp. The experience brings Matt and Dana closer. But away from the camp, the reformed bad boy’s and the corporate lawyer’s worlds are far apart. Can they bridge the gap between them?

  Dana dived under the water, coming up inches away from him.

  Her teeth were chattering as Matt drew her close. He held her against him until she stopped shivering, then gently eased her back far enough to be able to lower his face to hers. Her lips were soft and full and sweet.

  She pulled back abruptly and gave an embarrassed laugh. “I’m ready to get out.”

  Matt watched her jump through the water onto the shore where she bent down to get her towel. By the time he waded to the beach she’d spread out the blanket.

  Matt hoped his impulsive kiss wouldn’t change the easygoing connection that had sprung up between them. He liked this slow unfolding of common interests and shared experiences and didn’t want to jeopardize it.

  But Dana’s life had been cushioned from the hard realities of the lives of many in Chicago. How would she react to the real Matt Rodriguez? Would he still be a hero in her eyes?

  Dear Reader,

  Her Kind of Hero is my second Heartwarming and my thirteenth Harlequin romance novel. I call it my “lucky” thirteen because I feel lucky to have the opportunity to write stories of people connecting with one another, with family and community.

  But this book is particularly special to me. When my children were young and before I returned to full-time work, I was involved in a number of community organizations as a volunteer and a board member. Those experiences were enriching and gave me an appreciation of the importance of community work not only at the local level, but to society as a whole.

  This book is special for me in another way, too. The frightening incident that brought my heroine, Dana Sothern, together with her hero, Matt Rodriguez, was partially based on a news article and a long-ago personal experience of mine. I speculated how a narrow escape, such as the one Dana and Matt had, might lead to a new direction in a person’s life. For Dana and Matt, the repercussions and personal revelations of a terrifying moment on a subway platform led to new beginnings for both of them. And also to something totally unexpected—love.

  Enjoy the read!

  Janice Carter

  Her Kind of Hero

  Janice Carter

  Writing has been a passion for Janice Carter from a young age, but her “second” career after teaching didn’t officially start until she took a romance-writing course at a local community college. The story she began then became her debut novel, a Harlequin Intrigue. Janice says she’s been very lucky to be able to do what she enjoys most—writing about the connections between people and their families; in other words, how we find love and romance.

  Books by Janice Carter

  Harlequin Heartwarming

  For Love of a Dog

  Visit the Author Profile page at www.Harlequin.com for more titles.

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  For Sybil Jean Best, with much love.

  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

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  EXCERPT FROM REUNITED WITH THE COWBOY BY CLAIRE McEWEN

  CHAPTER ONE

  MATT RODRIGUEZ DIDN’T bother reading the article. The headline wasn’t auspicious—No Home for Group Home. Another neighborhood protest that was certain to sabotage another project that was meant to help the community. There’d been a time when he’d thought those two words—neighborhood and community—were synonymous, but his experiences over the past few years had shown that it wasn’t true in the real world. He sighed and closed the laptop. Bad timing for his funding proposal to the city of Chicago for the drop-in center and the camp.

  He stroked the top of his head, rubbing against the bristles of new hair growth. Two weeks ago, he’d decided to aim for a more conservative look. He thought it would help bolster his image as a solid representative of the community instead of an activist who might—heaven forbid!—shake the pillars of the very community he hoped to improve. For all, not just some. Whatever It Took was his motto. The new look was simply another incarnation in a series for Mateo “Matt” Rodriguez.

  There was a sharp tap on his office door before it swung open. “Hey, Matt? Got a sec?” Sandro Garcia, Matt’s childhood buddy, stood in the doorway.

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “Maria finished the city funding proposal and submitted it online but when she tried to print it...”

  Matt groaned. “Not again.” They’d been tolerating their malfunctioning printer for weeks now, putting off the decision to replace it. Not that printers were pricey, but the budget was tight. “Okay, have her get a new one out of petty cash.”

  “Here or in the city?”

  “Whatever’s convenient for her. I’m sure there’s a discount warehouse kind of place here.”

  “In Willow Springs?”

  Matt heard the scoff in Sandro’s voice. “Just take care of it, okay?”

  The door closed quietly behind Sandro and Matt took a deep breath. Alienating his small crew, especially his best friend, wasn’t going to solve his money problems. And it sure as heck wasn’t going to improve his personal problems either. He glanced down at his cell phone. His mother had promised to let him know as soon as she and Rosie, Matt’s sister, left the hospital. The appointment was more than an hour ago so they should be finished by now. He wished that he’d been more insistent on going with them.

  “No, Mati,” his mother, Esperanza, had said, patting his forearm. “Rosie and I can manage just fine. We’re taking a cab.”

  She was too proud. Matt could relate—pride had always been one of his greatest flaws. He’d choked on it far too many times in his life. At least, he had after that day. Before then, pride had been a badge of honor. It had governed much of his life, propelling him to words and actions he regretted years later. But after that day, his pride had been slowly whittled away. First, with the army in Iraq and then struggling through college for his youth worker diploma. The years working for various nonprofit community groups before establishing KidsFirst and lastly, Camp Hope, were even more humbling. All of which was a good thing. Too much pride was definitely counterproductive. His post-teenage incarnation had taught him that and he’d devoted many hours since his teens—and that day—ridding his mind of it.

  But he wished now he’d gone with his family. Esperanza was getting the diagnosis from the gamut of tests she’d endured and Rosie was there to provide support, though Matt knew their roles would be reversed. Navigating with canes, as Rosie was doing at the moment because she was out of remission, was challenging. It would b
e his mother helping Matt’s younger sister.

  The cell phone screen lit up. Matt grabbed it, reading the first few lines of the banner. All finished now. Tired and on our way home. Not to worry.

  He tapped in his mother’s number, but the call went to her voice mail. Perhaps she was helping Rosie into the taxi. Or maybe they were in it and on the way home. Esperanza had funny ideas about using cell phones in public. I’m not having people listen in on my private phone conversations, she always insisted.

  Then text, Mama.

  She’d waved a hand. Too much trouble. All those little buttons. And on it went, their endless debate that always made Rosie laugh and Matt raise his shoulders in exasperation.

  Matt tried again, getting through this time. There was a muffled hello, followed by a blast of static which he assumed came from Esperanza’s hand over the phone as she told Rosie—and likely the cabbie, too—that it was Mati on the line. Finally, his mother said, “We’re almost home, Mati.”

  “How did it go? What did the doctor say?”

  The silence told him more than Esperanza did. “We’ll talk about it later. Come for dinner. I made posole this morning.”

  She didn’t need to dangle his favorite soup to get him home for a meal this time. Whatever news she had was best heard face-to-face.

  “Okay, Ma, I’ll see you later. Take care.” Matt placed the phone on his desk and turned to stare out the window. The trees would eventually be in leaf, blocking his view of the lake. Spring was on its way in mid-April and with it, the second year of Camp Hope. He’d named it after his mother, because in spite of all the troubles in Esperanza’s life, she never lost hope for better times. Matt’s father died when Matt was eleven and Esperanza was pregnant with Rosie. In the years after that, Rosie was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and Matt had a teenage flirtation with crime. Now Matt prayed his mother had enough hope left in her for whatever she and the family were about to face.

  There was another knock on the door. “Come in,” Matt said. Sandro peeked around the door and Matt sighed, “Look, I didn’t mean to snap earlier.”

  “Yeah, sure, forget about it.” Sandro came into the office.

  Matt doubted Sandro had gained more than an inch or even a pound since tenth grade but the shoulder-length hair was gone, exchanged for the shaved look, and the small goatee certainly hadn’t been around when the two had been teenagers growing up on the South Side. Sandro’s tentative nature was the same though, and his tendency was to let Matt take the lead. In spite of Matt’s efforts to inspire more independence in his best friend—brothers in all but blood as they’d always boasted—Sandro seemed content to let Matt guide the way. And Matt had to admit, maybe that hadn’t been such a bad thing. Sandro had followed his lead, moving away from the gang they’d almost joined and instead signing up for the army with him.

  “My mom got her test results today.”

  “Oh man. And?”

  “Don’t know yet. She wouldn’t tell me over the phone.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “They’re on their way home now. I was thinking of packing it in for the day.”

  “Do it. Maria’s already left. She’s picking up the printer on her way home.”

  “Okay. How much did you authorize?”

  “A hundred. We can always reimburse any extra.”

  “Okay. Great. So, are you on your way, too?”

  “Uh, soon. Got some emails to send out. You know, replies to some of our queries about the project. Also, I have to meet the drywallers tomorrow at nine for the new sleep cabin. And you’re supposed to go over next month’s schedule with Kristen at the center.”

  “Right. Did the electrical get done today?”

  “Just about. He’s finishing up tomorrow.”

  Matt thought for a minute, his mind still spinning from the phone call. “Okay. I’ll email Kristen to confirm our meeting, unless there’s a problem...you know...with my mom.”

  “Hey, don’t get ahead of yourself. One step at a time.”

  “You’re right. Thanks for that, buddy.” Sandro had always been good at calming him down.

  After Sandro left, Matt checked his email again to see if there’d been any word about his request to give a presentation about the camp at a Willow Springs town council meeting. His KidsFirst organization had a one-year lease from the council for the site at Maple Lake, with the understanding that the lease would be extended. The council had even given permission to renovate the existing sleeping cabin and build another—projects funded by KidsFirst.

  Last year Camp Hope had been only a day camp. That worked, since it was a half-hour-or-so bus ride from Chicago. But the kids had loved it so much, and Matt had heard from a lot of them that they’d like to stay. Matt understood perfectly. Some of them were returning to extreme situations and almost all of them had begun to feel the positive effects of the country, the social bonding that came in a setting of trees, water and birds. It was a simple but vital formula for healing and inspiring.

  Except he’d just received notice from the council that the lease renewal was being reviewed. That left their new year up in the air, not to mention the money they’d already spent with the understanding that the renewal was a given. Matt sighed, rubbing his fingers through the new crop of hair. He had to stay positive, for the sake of his staff as well as the kids. He refreshed his inbox again, hoping for a message he knew hadn’t yet arrived. Everything in the community service sector moved at a snail’s pace.

  But there was still time. Camp Hope wasn’t scheduled to start until school let out but Matt was hoping they could bus kids to the camp for a few weekends in late May and early June, before the official opening. The visits would be a test run for the actual operation throughout the summer.

  Normally he used the short commute back to the city to plan for the next day, but now Matt’s mind was swirling with thoughts of the immediate future—his mother’s, Rosie’s and even his. By the time he turned onto his mother’s street in Pilsen, Matt figured his heart rate was way too high for a healthy thirty-seven-year-old man. He paused outside the bungalow he’d helped his mother purchase after Rosie’s diagnosis. Last summer, he and Sandro had built the ramp and installed grab bars throughout the house when it seemed her condition might deteriorate. Matt took a deep breath, knowing he’d have to hide his anxiety from his mother, and went inside.

  Esperanza was standing at the stove, stirring the pot of posole, while Rosie sat at the table slicing corn bread. She smiled up at him as he entered the small room.

  “Hey, punk,” Matt said, tousling her hair.

  Rosie pushed his hand away and grinned up at him. “Hope you’re hungry. Ma made enough for—”

  “The proverbial army?”

  “As always.”

  “Leftovers tomorrow and no cooking. What’s there to complain about?” scolded Esperanza as she ladled out bowls of the soup.

  They ate quickly, with no mention of the test results. Matt knew his mother wouldn’t spoil their enjoyment of a good meal with serious talk.

  The posole was as delicious as always and Matt felt no compunction about taking a container of it home. Rosie shooed them out of the kitchen, insisting on cleaning up. If she could still commute downtown every day for her job, albeit sometimes by special transit or taxi, she could do dishes.

  Matt followed his mother into the small living room and sat beside her on the sofa. She took his hand, looked him in the eye and said, without a quaver in her voice, “It’s breast cancer, but stage two. So not to worry, everything will be all right.”

  He stared at her, his hand gripping hers as he waited for his breath to return. He tried to speak but she stopped him.

  “I’m tired, Mati. It’s been a long day and I need some time to let all this sink in. You and I...and yes, Rosie...will talk on the weekend. Okay?” She patted his cheek
with her free hand. “Go home now. I know it’s been a long day for you, too.”

  “Mom—”

  “Shhh. I know you love me. I know you’ll do whatever you have to whenever you have to.” She released him, stood up and headed for the kitchen.

  Matt sat for a moment longer, waiting for his vision to clear, then took his soup from the hallway table and quietly left the house. He didn’t trust himself to go back into the kitchen. When he got into his car, he lowered his head onto the steering wheel and wept.

  Much later that night, when he finally surrendered any hope of sleep, he thought of that day. Of the girl. She popped into his head, the way she had off and on over the years, as a blur of images. A scream. A figure flying. He couldn’t recall her face, but he’d never forgotten her eyes, the terror in them. Sometimes he wondered, What if? What if that day hadn’t happened? What if he hadn’t done what he did? Most of all, what if he’d turned back? Gone to her and found out her name.

  One month later

  DANA DRIED HER hands on the folded terry cloth square and dropped it into the wicker basket beneath the sink. She ran her fingertips around the waistband of her gray linen skirt, checking that her white silk blouse was tidily tucked inside, and devoted another few seconds to the mirror, turning her head from side to side. Any potential stray wisps of her naturally curly hair were firmly in place, tightly wound into the small chignon at the base of her neck. She reached into her purse on the marble vanity for her tube of concealer and applied another coating to the dark circles beneath her eyes. A touch of lipstick followed by one last study of her reflection and she was set.

  She cast one last glance at Mega Corps’s executive washroom before exiting into the hallway leading to the boardroom. As she reached the door, the CEO’s executive assistant called out, “Miss Sothern? I’m about to get the refreshments for the coffee break. What beverage can I get you?”

  Dana hesitated. Another coffee might rev her up too much. “Mineral water, if you have it, please. Tap will do otherwise.”