Elizabeth Heiter | Hero Material

What makes a compelling hero, someone who’s not just drool-worthy because of his killer smile and his bulging biceps, but a man who really deserves a strong heroine? For me, that answer can usually be summed up in what the hero is willing to sacrifice for others. And Cole Walker, the hero of my upcoming Harlequin Intrigue book, POLICE PROTECTOR, is the ultimate hero.

Taken away from his birth family when he was just two years old because of severe neglect, Cole grew up in the system. Tossed from one foster home to the next, he learned early how to take care of himself and never to rely on anyone else. But in one of those homes, two younger boys – Andre Diaz and Marcos Costa, the heroes of the other books in my trilogy – looked up to him like a real older brother. And Cole formed his own family. When he was kicked out of the system at eighteen, with nothing – no adult support system, nowhere to live, no financial safety net – he vowed to build a home so his brothers wouldn’t face the same fate.

And he did. Cole took on two jobs to support himself and when Andre and Marcos also aged out of the system, he was there waiting with a home for each of them. He helped put both his brothers through college and took a job at the police station, working his way up to detective, where he could continue to help others.

So, when his coworker – and the star in quite a few of Cole’s fantasies – Shaye Mallory is the target of a gunman, Cole doesn’t have to think about it. He just reacts, promising to keep her safe. He’s also determined to resist his attraction, because he’s sure he’s not good enough for smart, educated Shaye, who comes from a big, close-knit family and deserves the kind of life he’s sure he can’t provide.

But as hard as Cole tries to resist her, Shaye has other plans for this police detective…

You can find out what happens in POLICE PROTECTOR, the second book in The Lawmen: Bullets and Brawn series. The trilogy began with BODYGUARD WITH A BADGE (Andre’s story) and continues with SECRET AGENT SURRENDER (Marcos’s story). You can find out more about all three at my website.