Dear Reader,

Writing the final book in my long-running The Protectors series was a bittersweet experience. In all, counting the three prequels, Dying for You is the 30th book about the men and women of the Dundee Private Security & Investigation team, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Sam Dundee, the owner of the agency, came to life as a minor secondary character in my first Silhouette Intimate Moments novel, This Side of Heaven and showed up in two other books, Paladin's Woman and The Outcast. By that time, I realized that Sam not only needed a story of his own, but his agents could be heroes of their own books. The original The Protectors books were released as a trilogy, but the books were so popular that I was asked to write more about the Dundee agents. I discovered that one of my favorite fantasies—woman in jeopardy being paired with a big, strong protector—was undoubtedly a favorite of many readers. These men were trained to protect, ready to lay their lives on the line, but were unprepared for the power of love.

After Sam retired as the agency's CEO, hard-as-nails Ellen Denby took over the job and appeared in many of the books before she became the heroine of my second Silhouette Single Title novel, On Her Guard. Several other female agents followed in Ellen's footsteps, proving themselves the equal of any man. When Ellen retired, former FBI agent Sawyer McNamara took over and has remained the CEO through numerous books. From Ellen's book on, sparks flew between Sawyer and Dundee agent, Lucie Evans. These two shared a past that had created smoldering animosity between them, and yet Sawyer wouldn't fire Lucie and she would not quit the agency. Speculation among other Dundee agents ran high, and although no one knew the source of their bitter hatred, everyone realized the sexual tension between these two was explosive. Readers contacted me, asking about Lucie and Sawyer, and as the years passed, the reader response to these two characters became overwhelming. Eventually, I knew that it was only fitting that Lucie and Sawyer's story be the final book in the series.

For readers who have asked about Cara Bedell and Bain Desmond, as well as Daisy Holbrook and Geoff Monday—their love stories will conclude in Dying for You. And I brought back Sam Dundee and his wife Jeannie in the happily-ever-after epilogue.

These books began in the Silhouette Intimate Moments line, crossed over to the Desire line and later expanded into Silhouette Single titles and HQN. Writing The Protectors series has been a true labor of love, and ending the series is like saying goodbye to an old and dear friend. But if I or my readers want to revisit this series, all we will have to do is open any one of the 30 books and dive into a world of romance, adventure, and excitement.

Warmest regards,

Beverly Barton