Julianna Morris - Jodi's Mail-order Man

Jodie began. “I thought you were your brother, so I thought a kiss would be an icebreaker.”

“You don’t want me to tell my brother, is that it?” Donovan asked.

“That isn’t ‘it’ at all. I just didn’t want you thinking I went around kissing strange men like that.”

“I may be frustrated some of the time, but I’m not strange.”

Irritation tensed her jaw. “You know perfectly well what I meant.”

His golden-brown eyes laughed at her. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Would you stop…it’s not a secret.”

“You worry too much. It’s no big deal.”

It’s no big deal. Jodie drew a deep, calming breath into her lungs. It had seemed simple, coming to Alaska. She could give her children a father, build a new life in the place she’d loved as a child.

Simple.

Until she’d mistakenly kissed her fiancé’s brother.…

Dear Reader,

Looking for sensational summer reads? All year we’ve been celebrating Silhouette’s 20th Anniversary with special titles, and this month’s selections are just the warm, romantic tales you’ve been seeking!

Bestselling author Stella Bagwell continues the newest Romance promotion, AN OLDER MAN. Falling for Grace hadn’t been his intention, particularly when his younger, pregnant neighbor was carrying his nephew’s baby! Judy Christenberry’s THE CIRCLE K SISTERS miniseries comes back to Romance this month, when sister Melissa enlists the temporary services of The Borrowed Groom. Moyra Tarling’s Denim & Diamond pairs a rough-hewn single dad with the expectant woman he’d once desired beyond reason…but let get away.

Valerie Parv unveils her romantic royalty series THE CARRAMER CROWN. When a woman literally washes ashore at the feet of the prince, she becomes companion to The Monarch’s Son…but will she ever become the monarch’s wife? Julianna Morris’s BRIDAL FEVER! persists when Jodie’s Mail-Order Man discovers her heart’s desire: the brother of her mail-order groom! And Martha Shields’s Lassoed! is the perfect Opposites Attract story this summer. The sparks between a rough-and-tumble rodeo champ and the refined beauty sent to photograph him jump off every page!

In future months, look for STORKVILLE, USA, our newest continuity series. And don’t miss the charming miniseries THE CHANDLERS REQUEST…from New York Times bestselling author Kasey Michaels.

Happy reading!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Silhouette Romance

Baby Talk #1097

Family of Three #1178

Daddy Woke Up Married #1252

Dr. Dad #1278

The Marriage Stampede #1375

*Callie, Get Your Groom #1436

*Hannah Gets a Husband #1448

*Jodie’s Mail-Order Man #1460

has an offbeat sense of humor, which frequently gets her into trouble. She is often accused of being curious about everything…her interests ranging from oceanography and photography to traveling, antiquing, walking on the beach and reading science fiction. Choosing a college major was extremely difficult, but after many changes she earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science.

Julianna’s writing is supervised by a cat named Gandalf, who sits on the computer monitor and criticizes each keystroke. Ultimately, she would like a home overlooking the ocean, where she can write to her heart’s content—and Gandalf’s malcontent. She’d like to share that home with her own romantic hero, someone with a warm, sexy smile, lots of patience and an offbeat sense of humor to match her own. Oh, yes…and he has to like cats.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

“You aren’t going to marry him, not really…Are you, Mom?”

Jodie pulled two suitcases down from the luggage rack, then looked at her eight-year-old son. “This is just a getting-acquainted trip, Tadd. I told you that.”

“Puleeze, the guy’s an accountant.” He slouched deeper in his airplane seat. Tadd said accountant the way some people said ax murderer, and Jodie sighed.

“You were the one who said I should get married again,” she reminded him. “I’m sure you’ll like Mr. Masters if you give him a chance. He’s a friend of your uncle David. They met when David was stationed here in Alaska.”

“I wanted you to marry someone like Dad,” Tadd mumbled, his face rebellious. “Not an accountant.”

Jodie’s heart twinged. She did not want to marry someone like her first husband. Air force pilot Mark Richards had been the most exciting, wonderful thing in her life—until he died in a routine training mission because he was going too fast and taking too many chances.

No, give her someone quiet and settled like a tax accountant. Forget romance; this time she wanted a sensible marriage based on common interests and goals. She didn’t need the heartache.

Jodie unbuckled her daughter’s seat belt. Penny looked up, a sunny smile on her little face. “New daddy, Mama?”

The tight ache in Jodie’s chest eased. Penny embraced life with a joyful exuberance. She didn’t worry or fuss or think about what might have been. And unlike her brother, she was thrilled about the prospect of getting a new father.

“Maybe, sweetheart.”

“Bye, Penny,” said an elderly couple as they edged past them in the airplane aisle. They weren’t the first to say goodbye—half their fellow passengers had stopped to say something before disembarking.

Jodie looked at her daughter and shook her head, laughing. Penny collected new friends the way some people collected baseball cards.

“Come on, munchkin. Let’s get out of here. Go with your brother.”

Tadd took his sister’s hand, leading the two-year-old down the aisle and out of the plane. As they stepped into the terminal, Jodie looked around, searching for the man whose picture she’d studied a hundred times.

There he is.

At least she thought it was him. The man standing a few yards away seemed different—more defined than his photograph, more mature and sensual than she’d imagined he would be. Her heart beat faster.

Just nerves, she rationalized. She’d never been a mail-order bride before. Even now she could hardly believe she was doing anything so unconventional. Anyway, she should feel attracted to her future husband, even if she wasn’t in love with him. There was nothing wrong with warmth and a pleasant tingle, as long as they were mixed with mutual respect.

Right?

Gritting her teeth, Jodie put a brake on her thoughts. She was mentally babbling, something that happened when she got nervous.