Lissa Manley - The Baby Chronicles

“We kissed at sun Mountain. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t think I was trying to…rekindle something, that’s all.”

The thought of rekindling anything with Colleen filled Aiden with a raging heat he did his best to ignore. “Hey, I’m on the same page. The last thing I want is to relive our history.”

She scowled, creating cute creases between her eyebrows. “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”

He stared at her. “I’m sorry if that sounded cold, but both of us know that we need to keep our distance.”

Colleen nodded, wishing he didn’t look so yummy in his khakis and polo shirt that displayed his well-muscled arms so wonderfully. His masculine scent teased her.

Oh, how she wanted to snuggle close to him and have him wrap his strong, capable arms—

She cut that rogue thought off, reminding herself that she wasn’t here to wish herself back into Aiden’s life….

Dear Reader,

I’ve put together a list of Silhouette Romance New Year’s resolutions to help you get off to a great start in 2004!

• Play along with our favorite boss’s daughter’s mischievous, matchmaking high jinks. In Rules of Engagement (#1702) by Carla Cassidy, Emily Winters—aka the love goddess—is hoping to unite a brooding exec and feisty businesswoman. This is the fifth title in Silhouette Romance’s exclusive, six-book MARRYING THE BOSS’s DAUGHTER series.

• Enjoy every delightful word of The Bachelor Boss (#1703) by the always-popular Julianna Morris. In this modern romantic fairy tale, a prim plain Jane melts the heart of a sexy playboy.

• Join the fun when a cowboy’s life is turned inside out by a softhearted beauty and the tiny charge he finds on his doorstep. Baby, Oh Baby! (#1704) is the first title in Teresa Southwick’s enchanting new three-book miniseries IF WISHES WERE… Stay tuned next month for the next title in this series that features three friends who have their dreams come true in unexpected ways.

• Be sure not to miss The Baby Chronicles (#1705) by Lissa Manley. This heartwarming reunion romance is sure to put a satisfied smile on your face.

Have a great New Year!

Mavis C. Allen

Associate Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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This book is dedicated to my very own babies,

Laura and Sean, who have grown up letting Mom write.

Thanks for taking care of yourselves and for being so

enthusiastic about my writing career. You two are

the best kids a mom could ever ask for.

Books by Lissa Manley

Silhouette Romance

The Bachelor Chronicles #1665

The Bridal Chronicles #1689

The Baby Chronicles #1705

LISSA MANLEY

has been an avid reader of romance since her teens and firmly believes that writing romances with happy endings is her dream job. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her college-sweetheart husband of nineteen years, Kevin, two children, Laura and Sean, and two feisty toy poodles named Lexi and Angel, who run the household and get away with it. She has a degree in business from the University of Oregon, having discovered the joys of writing well after her college years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, crafting, attending her children’s sporting events and relaxing at the family vacation home in the Oregon coast.

Lissa loves to hear from her readers. She can be reached at P.O. Box 91336, Portland, OR 97291-0336, or at http://lissamanley.com.

MEMO

Colleen—The Beacon will be running a feature entitled THE BABY CHRONICLES. This new story will include pictures of cute babies coupled with your copy.

I’m assigning you to this story.

To give the feature a unique edge, I’ll be bringing in a freelance photographer. You’ll meet him as soon as he’s back in town, and you’ll find out about the exciting plans he has for this article. [Be nice to him…or else.]

Congratulations on your new assignment.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Colleen Stewart shifted uneasily on the hard chair across from her editor’s large, metal desk, holding back a ragged sigh.

Cold, hard dread inched through her. She had to find a way to get out of writing this article. She would never, ever be able to write “The Baby Chronicles” without letting all of those smiling, cooing, bald little toothless angels turn her heart to mush.

Mush she didn’t need.

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Joe said, yanking his stained yellow-and-red tie loose. “All you have to do is write about cute babies. Piece of cake.”

Cute babies a piece of cake? Hardly. “Joe, I turned down this assignment a week ago,” she said, deliberately excluding the reason she’d talked her way out of the job in the first place. Joe would laugh his head off. “Nothing has changed. I still don’t want to do it. Can’t you get someone else?”

He waved a hand in the air. “No can do. Rudy left town for a family emergency and Christy has her hands full covering the budget cuts at the school district. You’re it.”

Colleen bit her lip. “What about Angela?”

“On maternity leave.”

“Steve?”

“I fired him this morning.”

She flinched but kept at it, leaning forward. “Zack?”

“You’re it, Colleen.” He pulled his bushy, gray eyebrows together and scowled. “What’s the big deal, anyway? Just supervise the shoot and write the story, all right?”

She’d love to tell Joe why this seemingly harmless assignment was a big deal for her. But she couldn’t. Joe was a hard-line journalist and a traditional family man from way back. He would never understand her need to stay away from things like endearing babies, cute little animals, large, close-knit families and nice, lovable men. She’d learned long ago that there was no sense in hanging around things she could never have.

Things that made her ache inside.

She opened her mouth to refuse, but Joe’s ice-hard glare stopped her and she clamped her lips closed. Further argument was useless. She prided herself on her ability to get through tough situations with strength and self-control, just as she’d made it through her neglected childhood all by herself. She’d write this article while remaining unengaged and unfazed by the undoubtedly adorable babies. She had to. Her job as a reporter at the Beacon and her protected little world here in Portland, Oregon, depended on it.

“Anything else?” she asked, trying to sound up-beat. She glanced out the window, hoping the blue-skied, puffy-clouded summer day would cheer her up.

“Yeah, actually there is one more thing. We’re bringing in a freelance photographer for this spread.”

A psychological cloud moved across the sun. Her gut tightened. Ever since she’d been shuffled through the foster-care system, meeting knew people always made her feel off balance and vulnerable. “Really? Why?”