Lauren Nichols - Accidental Father

“Is that a yes?” he gasped, breaking from the kiss and burying his face in her hair. “If we go into this with our eyes open, there won’t be any disappointments. We can give Kylie the family she needs, and we can enjoy this chemistry between us forever.”

But chemistry tended to blur reasonable thought.

Sarah paused to sift through Jake’s entire speech, trying to recall something close to the words a woman needed to hear from the man she loved….

Yes, he loved their daughter…but Jake didn’t love her, and the last thing she needed was another sham of a marriage….

Dear Reader,

As Silhouette Books’ 20 thanniversary continues, Intimate Moments continues to bring you six superb titles every month. And certainly this month—when we begin with Suzanne Brockmann’s Get Lucky—is no exception. This latest entry in her TALL, DARK & DANGEROUS miniseries features ladies’ man Lucky O’Donlon, a man who finally meets the woman who is his match—and more.

Linda Turner’s A Ranching Man is the latest of THOSE MARRYING MCBRIDES!, featuring Joe McBride and the damsel in distress who wins his heart. Monica McLean was a favorite with her very first book, and now she’s back with Just a Wedding Away, an enthralling marriage-of-convenience story. Lauren Nichols introduces an Accidental Father who offers the heroine happiness in THE LOVING ARMS OF THE LAW. Saving Grace is the newest from prolific RaeAnne Thayne, who’s rapidly making a name for herself with readers. And finally, welcome new author Wendy Rosnau. After you read The Long Hot Summer, you’ll be eager for her to make a return appearance.

And, of course, we hope to see you next month when, once again, Silhouette Intimate Moments brings you six of the best and most exciting romance novels around.

Enjoy!

Leslie J. Wainger

Executive Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

This is a story about family,

and I’ve been blessed with the very best.

For my children, Mike, Colette and Laurie, and the wonderful

people who love them. Stephanie, Matt and Bob.

And for the sweetest grandkids in the world,

Nicholas, Lexi and Lena.

And always, for Mike.

I love you all.

fell in love with Montana nearly two decades ago when she and her husband took their three children out West to see “cattle country.” Montana has owned a chunk of her heart ever since. In addition to writing novels, Lauren’s romance and mystery short stories have appeared in several leading magazines. She counts her family and friends as her greatest treasures. When she’s not with them, this Pennsylvania author is either writing, trying unsuccessfully to give up French vanilla cappuccino or traveling with her husband, Mike.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Epilogue

“Be right there!” Sarah Harper gave up looking for her favorite spatula, then shoved the electric mixer to the back of the countertop, handed her two-year-old daughter an icing-covered beater and hurried to answer the doorbell.

If the caller wanted to sell her encyclopedias or a vacuum cleaner he was in big trouble. A hundred cookies sat on the kitchen’s butcher-block work island waiting to be frosted, there were more in the oven, and Sarah was running behind. She’d been rushing ever since returning to town after spending two weeks caring for her aunt, who’d had surgery.

Dazzling Montana sunshine spilled through the screen as she opened the pretty Victorian’s inside door and squinted up at the tall man on the porch. As her eyes adjusted to the morning’s brightness, she got a quick impression of faded jeans, a blue plaid shirt and good shoulders on a lean, rangy frame.

Suddenly, shock razed Sarah’s nerve endings, and all thoughts of her catering business, wedding cookies, mini quiches and sherbet punch vanished in a rush of panic. Quickly, she schooled her expression—tried to pretend she didn’t remember the cowboy on the porch. But as she watched his cordial smile fade and saw stunned recognition rise in his eyes, she knew pretending was a waste of time. He knew her too.

Sarah took a deep breath and swallowed. “Hello, Jake.”

“Hello, Sarah,” he said in the same hesitant tone. “It’s been a long time.”

“Yes,” she replied nervously. “Yes, it has.”

His voice was as deep as she remembered, yet the faint lines beside his dark blue eyes were a mystery, since she couldn’t say if they’d been there before. But the moon over Cotton Creek had left her with a memory of high cheekbones, rugged features and collar-length dark hair. Now she could see that it wasn’t just dark, but as black as the Stetson tugged low on his forehead.

Like those eyes, his hair color came as no surprise. She’d kissed those colors good morning every day for the past twenty-eight months…tucked those colors in every night.

“For-forgive me,” she stammered, tugging the inside door nearly shut behind her. “I’m usually a little more together than this. It’s just that…you’re the last person I expected to see when I opened the door.”

“Same here,” he murmured, still assessing her uncertainly. “You said you were leaving Comfort.”

She’d said a lot of things that night, none of which she wanted to remember. “Do you need directions?”

His gaze narrowed curiously. “Directions?”

Sarah nodded, praying that Kylie would stay in the kitchen with her tiny muffins and tea set. “Yes. If you didn’t expect to see me, then that must mean you’re looking for someone else.” She drew a deep breath and released it on a tremble. “Doesn’t it?”

“I’m not sure. Why are you so nervous?”

“I’m not,” she said, startled by his bluntness.

The last man she’d slept with glanced, frowning, into the front lawn where Sarah’s fancy sign read Miss Lillian’s Bed and Breakfast. When he faced her again, their past was in his eyes. Though, how could he not think about it? Beneath her apprehension and embarrassment, even she was having a hard time keeping her memories at bay. They’d been wild together.

“Sarah, I apologize if this makes you uneasy, but I really need a room. Just until I can find an apartment.”

Dear God.

“For now, I’m staying at the motel outside of town,” he continued. “But rooming here would be more convenient. It’s closer to my office.”

She managed to find her voice. “Your office?”

“Yes. In a nutshell, I’ve been hired to finish your ex-sheriff’s term. I guess you haven’t heard.”

“No. I—I’ve been away.”

“I see. Well, I’ll be here until January. Longer if I like the town and the town likes me.” He nodded at the door she guarded so resolutely. “Would it be all right if I came in and looked around? I’d like to see your rooms.”

No! No, he couldn’t! “I’m sorry,” she blurted, “but I don’t have any rooms available right now. And I don’t think anyone else in town takes in boarders.”

“Then the vacancy sign out front is a mistake?” His mouth thinned grimly. “Maybe I should be talking to Miss Lillian.”