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 of 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.
***
About the Book
Title: Defending Harlow
Author: 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.
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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