Donna Clayton - Because of Baby

The miracle of human birth was an unknown. Fern knew enough to understand that it began with a woman…and a man.

She could see only one side of Paul’s face as he gazed down at his daughter. What would it be like to have a child with this oh-so-handsome man? No sooner had the thought entered her head that Fern was besieged with a forceful sensation.

Oh, my! Her thoughts were imposing a transformation. She was going to become human. Right now!

Panic had her winging toward the doorway. She barely got to safety when she changed into flesh and blood.

“Be still my heart,” she whispered.

All this time she’d thought that it had been because of the baby that she had the ability to turn human. But it wasn’t wee Katy at all.

“It’s been Paul all along.”

Dear Reader,

Are you headed to the beach this summer? Don’t forget to take along your sunblock—and this month’s four new heartwarming love stories from Silhouette Romance!

Make Myrna Mackenzie’s The Black Knight’s Bride (SR #1722) the first book in your tote bag. This is the third story in THE BRIDES OF RED ROSE, a miniseries in which classic legends are retold in the voices of today’s heroes and heroines. For a single mom fleeing her ex-husband, Red Rose seems like the perfect town—no men! But then she meets a brooding ex-soldier with a heart of gold.…

In Because of Baby (SR #1723), a pixie becomes so enamored with a single dad and his adorable tot that she just might be willing to sacrifice her days of fun and frivolity for a human life of purpose…and love! Visit a world of magic and enchantment in the latest SOULMATES by Donna Clayton.

Even with the help of family and friends, this widower with a twelve-year-old daughter finds it difficult to think about the future—until a woman from his past moves in down the street. Rest and relaxation wouldn’t be complete without the laughter and love in The Daddy’s Promise (SR #1724) by Shirley Jump.

And while away the last of your long summer day with Make Me a Match (SR #1725) by Alice Sharpe. A feisty florist, once burned by love, is supposed to be finding a match for her mother and grandmother…not falling for the town’s temporary vet! Matchmaking has never been so much fun.

What could be better than greeting summer with beach reading? Enjoy!

Mavis C. Allen

Associate Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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This book is dedicated to Cat, Nan, Jeannie, Terry,

Karen, Kathy, Beth, Pam, Carla, Mary, Ruth, Patricia and

Janis; lovers of pixies, one and all! I’d travel

to the ends of the earth for you…or at least to VA.

I love you loopy ladies, you know I do!

Silhouette Romance

Mountain Laurel #720

Taking Love in Stride #781

Return of the Runaway Bride #999

Wife for a While #1039

Nanny and the Professor #1066

Fortune’s Bride #1118

Daddy Down the Aisle #1162

*Miss Maxwell Becomes a Mom #1211

*Nanny in the Nick of Time #1217

*Beauty and the Bachelor Dad #1223

†The Stand-By Significant Other #1284

†Who’s the Father of Jenny’s Baby? #1302

The Boss and the Beauty #1342

His Ten-Year-Old Secret #1373

Her Dream Come True #1399

Adopted Dad #1417

His Wild Young Bride #1441

**The Nanny Proposal #1477

**The Doctor’s Medicine Woman #1483

**Rachel and the M.D. #1489

Who Will Father My Baby? #1507

In Pursuit of a Princess #1582

††The Sheriff’s 6-Year-Old Secret #1623

††The Doctor’s Pregnant Proposal #1635

††Thunder in the Night #1647

The Nanny’s Plan #1701

Because of Baby #1723

Silhouette Books

The Coltons

Close Proximity

is the recipient of the Diamond Author Award For Literary Achievement 2000 as well as two Holt Medallions. In her opinion, love is what makes the world go ’round. She takes great pride in knowing that, through her work, she provides her readers the chance to indulge in some purely selfish romantic entertainment.

One of her favorite pastimes is traveling. Her other interests include walking, reading, visiting with friends, teaching Sunday school, cooking and baking, and she still collects cookbooks, too. In fact, her house is overrun with them.

Please write to Donna c/o Silhouette Books. She’d love to hear from you!

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

“Quit your messin’ about in there, Fern!”

“Trouble’s brewin’. I can feel it.”

“Leave me be.” Fern waved off the warnings called from the open window of the nursery. She cocked her wings at just the right angle and spiraled into a jaunty somersault that elicited a delighted giggle from the tawny-haired baby in the crib. The child would be taken far from Ireland this morning, and Fern was determined to spend every available second with little Katy.

Just being this close to a human was frowned upon in Sidhe—the Irish fairy world. Actually interacting with the baby—entertaining her with fancy flying maneuvers, whispering rhymes that made her giggle—was strictly against the rules.

But Fern simply couldn’t resist. Babes, and even tots, were pure, their thoughts and perceptions as yet untainted by worldly matters. Because of this, they had no reason not to believe that fairies did exist. Katy’s innocence enabled her to see Fern.

Katy was an extra special baby. Fern took a nosedive and stopped short to plant a sweet kiss on a cheek that was rose-petal soft, then she zipped into the air and spun around to gaze into a pair of wide eyes that glistened with clever imagination. Ah, yes, Katy was just as special as her mother had been.

Ah, Maire. Katy’s mother had been the light of Fern’s life for years. Fern had risked ridicule and chastisement from everyone in Sidhe by befriending Maire. But Fern hadn’t cared.

However, Maire was gone. Long ago she’d left for a place called America. She’d returned sometime later with a husband in tow. An intriguing man with a mesmerizing mahogany gaze. Fern had understood completely how Maire had lost her heart to Paul Roland. Why, Fern herself would have fallen silk booties over wings for him had such a thing not been forbidden to her.

The last time Maire had returned home, her belly had grown round, and Fern had overheard the humans talk about a baby that was soon to arrive.

This year, however, Paul had returned to Ireland without Maire, and Fern had met Katy for the very first time. Fern had wondered about Maire’s absence, but playing with the babe was much more fun than fretting about the unknown. Pixies did their best not to do much worrying.