Kate Kelly - To Be a Dad

Ready or not…they’re a family now!

Dusty Carson knows he isn’t exactly father material. But his friendship with single mom Teressa Wilder has recently become a lot more intimate. Now he has less than nine months to prove that he can be the man she needs. And the first step is moving her and her kids in with him.

Except living with kids turns out to be more complicated than he’d thought. Between temper tantrums and toilet training, when is a guy supposed to get a minute to himself—never mind a chance to woo Teressa? This isn’t what Dusty thought he was getting into, but he’ll do whatever it takes to win her over. Even be a parent.

“We’re good together, Teressa.

We could work with that.”

She leaned into him, her body warm and pliant. “It’s not that simple—”

Dusty brought his mouth down on hers again before she could say anything else. What did he have to lose? Maybe he could even convince her they deserved a chance.

He stiffened at the thought. What was he doing? She’d just given him a legitimate out, but he’d been so…consumed with kissing her, he hadn’t been paying attention.

He dropped his arms, noticing with satisfaction her lips were red and swollen. “You’re a great kisser,” she said.

He wiggled his eyebrows, pleased by her compliment. “I have other hidden talents.”

She put her hand on his chest and pushed him back. “There are children in the house.”

“Right. Kids.” And she was the mother of his child, not one of his here-today-gone-tomorrow dates. She deserved respect and consideration. She deserved someone a lot better than him.

Dear Reader Dear Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication 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 EXTRACT Copyright ,

To Be a Dad is Teressa and Dusty’s story. They first appeared as secondary characters in When Adam Came to Town (Mills & Boon Superromance, September 2013), and readers have often asked if I would write their story.

I love both these characters. Teressa is so brave and feisty, and Dusty has the biggest heart in the world, and as I wrote (and rewrote) the story I realized they were much more complex than I’d initially realized. Which, of course, made them more interesting.

It was a pleasure spending time with Teressa and Dusty, as well as revisiting the fishing village of Collina. And before you ask, because readers have commented how they’d love to visit Collina, it’s a fictitious village. The Bay of Fundy is real, though, and it’s possible to find villages similar to Collina by the bay.

I hope you enjoy reading To Be a Dad. I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me through my website, www.katekelly.ca, or email kate@katekelly.ca.

Kate Kelly

To Be a Dad

Kate Kelly

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR About the Author Dedication 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 EXTRACT Copyright

Kate Kelly has had a love affair with books her entire life. Writing came in fits and starts, and she didn’t take it seriously until her forties. Now she can’t get along without it. She finaled in the RWA Golden Heart contest and won the RWA Daphne du Maurier contest. She has the good fortune to live on the east coast of Canada with her husband (the children have flown away). She writes, grows herbs and perennials, and sails when the wind blows her way.

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To my amazing daughters-in-law, Josie and Naomi

To Martina, the best mother-in-law ever

To my sister-in-law, Tina, and my niece, Jennifer

And, as always, to my guys, Adrian, Reed and Rei

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Ready or not…they’re a family now! Dusty Carson knows he isn’t exactly father material. But his friendship with single mom Teressa Wilder has recently become a lot more intimate. Now he has less than nine months to prove that he can be the man she needs. And the first step is moving her and her kids in with him. Except living with kids turns out to be more complicated than he’d thought. Between temper tantrums and toilet training, when is a guy supposed to get a minute to himself—never mind a chance to woo Teressa? This isn’t what Dusty thought he was getting into, but he’ll do whatever it takes to win her over. Even be a parent.

Introduction “We’re good together, Teressa. We could work with that.” She leaned into him, her body warm and pliant. “It’s not that simple—” Dusty brought his mouth down on hers again before she could say anything else. What did he have to lose? Maybe he could even convince her they deserved a chance. He stiffened at the thought. What was he doing? She’d just given him a legitimate out, but he’d been so…consumed with kissing her, he hadn’t been paying attention. He dropped his arms, noticing with satisfaction her lips were red and swollen. “You’re a great kisser,” she said. He wiggled his eyebrows, pleased by her compliment. “I have other hidden talents.” She put her hand on his chest and pushed him back. “There are children in the house.” “Right. Kids.” And she was the mother of his child, not one of his here-today-gone-tomorrow dates. She deserved respect and consideration. She deserved someone a lot better than him.

Dear Reader Dear Reader Dear Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication 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 EXTRACT Copyright , To Be a Dad is Teressa and Dusty’s story. They first appeared as secondary characters in When Adam Came to Town (Mills & Boon Superromance, September 2013), and readers have often asked if I would write their story. I love both these characters. Teressa is so brave and feisty, and Dusty has the biggest heart in the world, and as I wrote (and rewrote) the story I realized they were much more complex than I’d initially realized. Which, of course, made them more interesting. It was a pleasure spending time with Teressa and Dusty, as well as revisiting the fishing village of Collina. And before you ask, because readers have commented how they’d love to visit Collina, it’s a fictitious village. The Bay of Fundy is real, though, and it’s possible to find villages similar to Collina by the bay. I hope you enjoy reading To Be a Dad. I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me through my website, www.katekelly.ca , or email kate@katekelly.ca. Kate Kelly

Title Page To Be a Dad Kate Kelly www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author ABOUT THE AUTHOR About the Author Dedication 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 EXTRACT Copyright Kate Kelly has had a love affair with books her entire life. Writing came in fits and starts, and she didn’t take it seriously until her forties. Now she can’t get along without it. She finaled in the RWA Golden Heart contest and won the RWA Daphne du Maurier contest. She has the good fortune to live on the east coast of Canada with her husband (the children have flown away). She writes, grows herbs and perennials, and sails when the wind blows her way.