About the Author
Writing steamy yet sweet compassionate stories of fate that are wonderfully romantic, Tamara Ferguson is the multi-award winning, #1 international and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR of the Tales of the Dragonfly Romance Suspense Series, the Kissed By Fate Series, the Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Series, the Daydreams & Dragonflies Sweet Romance Series, and the Tales From Dragonfly Pointe Short Story Series.
Since 2015, she’s won over 30 awards in for her series titles, including the Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals from Readers’ Favorite.
A member of the RWA, the Authors' Billboard and the Independent Authors' Book Network, her stories have been included in several #1 bestselling anthologies.
Since she remains a full-time caregiver for an autistic son (along with a bunch of adopted pets!), you can usually find Tammy working at home, where she spends a lot of time not completing her numerous home improvement projects, because she's writing or helping author friends promote their books on twitter.
Two Hearts Surrendered
Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Romance Book 1
An Excerpt
2018 Top Shelf Finalist
2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Award Military Fiction Winner
2016 New Apple Romance Selection For Excellence In Publishing
2016 IAN Book Of The Year Finalist
2016 Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Award Finalist
Prologue
His eyes scoped out the beach as he struggled to reach the pathway from the parking lot, steering away from the crowd. Following the trail to the very edge of the sand, Luke stumbled over moss and patchy grass, until he found shelter under a canopy of scrubby pines bordering the park.
He groaned, when he finally dropped down to the sand. His stepdad had really done a number on him this time–the pain was pretty intense. Resting his shoulder gingerly against the trunk of one of the pines, he sighed. It was such a hassle, having to constantly be on his guard–especially when he was always having to come up with excuses for teachers, explaining why he was missing so much school.
Luke grimaced. And hiding the welts and bruises? It was becoming nearly impossible–since a couple of the idiots in his class had decided to say something to his counselor, after seeing Luke without a shirt on in the locker room. Everything was beginning to catch up with him, he realized, as his eyes filled with tears.
But he was way too old to cry, he decided. With a shaking hand, he swiped away his tears.
He got a whiff of the smell of popcorn, as it drifted through the air from the nearby concession stand–and his stomach growled. Damn, that smelled good. Luke took in a deep ragged breath as he focused his attention on the crowded beach. That little Callahan girl was at it again, making the rounds. With her white-blonde hair and deep-blue eyes, she sure was a pretty little thing. And, man, what a personality–he was guessing she was only about six-years old. Even at thirteen, Luke knew he’d been cursed with a bad reputation. And ever since he’d acquired that tat, not to mention the scar that ripped through the side of his face, most little kids, and nearly all of his classmates, seemed to be scared of him–like he was someone out of a horror flick.
But not her. She reminded him a little of his younger sister, Cassie. Just remembering Cassie made him cry a little harder.
For some crazy reason, Luke had always been drawn to this beach. Probably because deep inside he knew—all the stories and superstitions were true—Dragonfly Pointe was magic. It was the only place in this world where he seemed to feel alright. Here, he could forget about the deep, dark problems in his life, and chill out just long enough to recharge before returning home.
Home? He snorted. He hadn’t had a home for a very long time, he realized, as he began dozing off.
An hour later, when Luke began to slowly awaken, he felt like something was off. Studying his surroundings, he turned his eyes to the far end of the beach, where sixteen-year old Dan Callahan was standing amidst a group of his friends. Although her twin brother Jeff was playing with some kids in the sand nearby, Kelly Callahan was nowhere in sight.
Luke gazed across the sand to the lake. Suddenly noticing a pair of arms flailing, far out in the water, he jumped up to his feet, glancing quickly over at the abandoned lifeguard station. Where in the hell was the lifeguard? Racing across the sand, and whipping his shirt off from over his head, Luke cringed as the scabs from the welts crisscrossing his back ripped open. Barely noticing the pain, he slipped off his sneakers and began to plow through the water, until he was deep enough to begin swimming.
After what seemed like forever, he was finally close enough to Kelly to pull her into his arms. It appeared that he’d reached her just in time.
“It’s okay–I’ve got you, Princess,” he reassured her, as he began treading water. Luckily, she was light as a feather, because it took a few moments to calm her down, while she coughed and spit out water.
“I’m sorry,” she said, still sputtering. Clinging more tightly, Kelly wrapped her arms over his shoulders. “I’m never supposed to go swimming by myself,” she said, in a shaky voice.
“Well, at least you’ll probably never do it again,” Luke said calmly. He was beginning to feel light-headed. He’d already been exhausted after biking five miles just to reach Dragonfly Pointe. Plus, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually had something to eat. “I need to get you back to the shore, Princess.” Prying arms loose, that were wrapped like an octopus over his shoulders, he stared into sapphire blue eyes, filled
