Mary Starleigh - What The Cowboy Prescribes...

In fact, she felt practiced and confident kissing him. She didn’t care that Steve Hartly was completely and positively wrong for her in every way. She kissed him with all she had, refusing to harbor any negative thoughts.

Too soon he pulled away, leaving her lips bare and wanting. Meg’s heart thumped against her chest. Steve made her feel womanly and out of control all at the same time.

Why had she returned his kiss with such fervor? She needed him to help her, not kiss her. If she could get him to practice medicine again, he could save her clinic. She wanted to keep everything aboveboard—shove her physical needs out of the way.

Hoping to clear her mind, she breathed in the rich, thick morning air. Even in her confusion she knew one thing.

She wanted to understand Steve Hartly.

Dear Reader,

March roars in in grand style at Silhouette Romance, as we continue to celebrate twenty years of publishing the best in contemporary category romance fiction. And the new millennium boasts several new miniseries and promotions…such as ROYALLY WED, a three-book spinoff of the cross-line series that concluded last month in Special Edition Arlene James launches the new limited series with A Royal Masquerade, featuring a romance between would-be enemies, in which appearances are definitely deceiving.…

Susan Meier’s adorable BREWSTER BABY BOOM series concludes this month with Oh, Babies! The last Brewster bachelor had best beware—but the warning may be too late! Karen Rose Smith graces the lineup with the story of a very pregnant single mom who finds Just the Man She Needed in her lonesome cowboy boarder whose plans had never included staying. The delightful Terry Essig will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone with The Baby Magnet, in which a hunky single dad discovers his toddler is more of an attraction than him—till he meets a woman who proves his ultimate distraction.

A confirmed bachelor finds himself the solution to the command: Callie, Get Your Groom as Julianna Morris unveils her new miniseries BRIDAL FEVER! And could love be What the Cowboy Prescribes… in Mary Starleigh’s charming debut Romance novel?

Happy Reading!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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To Susan McKeague Karnes, Liz Lounsbury, Tina Oldham and Donna Smith, fellow writers, who challenge, inspire and support.

Silhouette Romance

What the Cowboy Prescribes… #1437

Silhouette Yours Truly

The Texan and the Pregnant Cowgirl

born in North Carolina, is a ninth-generation Southerner. She claims her Southern background is where she acquired her love of romance. “I adore creating characters who are brave, honorable and find true love.”

She writes full-time, teaches English and creative writing part-time at a small Texas college and mentors high school students. Her husband, a pilot, reads all her romances. They have one daughter.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

“Sunshine needs a doctor.”

Meg Graham jumped at the desperate words and her heart thumped hard against her ribs. Cal Bradford’s scared face stared back at her. She stood and grabbed her medical bag. “Who is it?”

“Erin Waldron.”

Meg pushed past Cal, sprinted out of her office and clinic, and down the sidewalk to the Sunshine Café.

Out of breath, weary, and fighting a feeling of dread, she pulled the door open and rushed into the restaurant. A stranger was kneeling beside Erin. The man’s dark gaze was filled with concern and he was patting the healthy but frightened child.

Meg steadied herself by inhaling deeply.

“Listen, little guy, you choked because you didn’t take your time chewing.”

The man’s compassionate tone filled Meg with relief.

Erin nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“Thank you.” Sue Waldron was standing close by her son. “Erin and I were on our way to get feed for his horse…and we just stopped…thank you so much.”

Sue’s voice broke, and Meg slid an arm around her shoulders.

The stranger stood and gazed down at Meg. He towered over her. “Erin’ll be fine. I’ve checked him.”

“Come on, Erin, we’d better get home,” Sue said.

Mother and son collected their belongings and headed for the door. Erin turned around and waved. “Thanks, mister.”

A smile and deep emotion graced the man’s face for a quick moment, then vanished.

Meg gripped one of the Sunshine’s red plastic chairs. “I can’t thank you enough. I’m Meg Graham, Jackson’s only doctor.” She stepped forward and extended her hand.

“No problem.” He nodded, shook her hand quickly, then turned and walked to his table. After placing a few bills by his check, he shrugged into his jacket and headed for the door.

“Hey, wait a minute. I’d like to know your name,” Meg called as she crossed the room.

As if not hearing her, he opened the door, stepped outside and pulled it closed behind him. Meg stared at the door for a moment, then grabbed the knob. She yanked it open and walked out into the Texas sunshine.

The man pivoted back toward her. Furrows gnarled his forehead and a look of pure aggravation darkened his handsome face. Chestnut hair, the color of a wild horse she’d ridden once, was combed back from his forehead. A black turtleneck accented his tanned skin and was tucked neatly into new jeans that had been pressed to a knife’s edge.

Her hand found his arm, and the rich, soft cashmere of his jacket. “At least tell me your name so I can thank you properly. Are you a doctor?”

“I was.”

“And your name?”

“Steve Hartly.”

His dark, smoky voice wove a spell around her. “Are you just passing through Jackson?” she pressed.

“I stopped for lunch.”

The color of his eyes, like dark Texas earth, again reflected the strong emotion she’d seen inside the café, when he was comforting the child.

Meg’s hand dropped to her side and she took an exhausted breath. “Thanks for stepping in and helping Erin.”

Steve studied her for a moment, then jammed his hands into his pockets. “You’re welcome. But there’s no need to thank me. It was a simple procedure.”

Before she could say anything else, he turned to leave.

Her hand flew to his arm again. At the touch, his biceps hardened, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

He turned back. “I need to get going.”

Meg caught a glimpse of their reflections in the mirrorlike, plate-glass window. Steve was at least a head taller, and the painted yellow heart on the café’s sign was accenting both their shimmering images.