Judy Duarte: Family Practice

Alone.

Get a grip, she told herself. It’s only a friendly dinner. And certainly not a date.

Kara struggled with the urge to go home, but then Michael answered the door wearing a pair of jeans, a crisply pressed white shirt and a smile that reached the golden hue of his eyes.

He’d showered. And shaved. His eyes swept over her body in an appreciative caress. “Come in.”

Kara moved into the small cottage. A fire crackled softly in the living room, and the easy sound of something classical played on the stereo.

Just friends. Neighbors.

“Can I pour you a glass of wine?”

Wine?

He flashed her a warm, friendly smile, and she wondered if she’d made more out of the offer than he’d intended.

We’re just newfound friends having dinner. What harm could there be in that?

Dear Reader,

While taking a breather from decorating and gift-wrapping, check out this month’s exciting treats from Silhouette Special Edition. The Summer House (#1510) contains two fabulous stories in one neat package. “Marrying Mandy” by veteran author Susan Mallery features the reunion of two sweethearts who fall in love all over again. Joining Susan is fellow romance writer Teresa Southwick whose story “Courting Cassandra” shows how an old crush blossoms into full-blown love.

In Joan Elliott Pickart’s Tall, Dark and Irresistible (#1507), a hero comes to terms with his heritage and meets a special woman who opens his heart to the possibilities. Award-winning author Anne McAllister gets us in the holiday spirit with The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle (#1508) in which a lone-wolf cowboy finds out he’s a dad to an adorable little boy, then realizes the woman who’d always been his “best buddy” now makes his heart race at top speed! And count on Christine Rimmer for another page-turner in Scrooge and the Single Girl (#1509). This heart-thumping romance features an anti-Santa hero and an independent heroine, both resigned to singlehood and stranded in a tiny little mountain cabin where they’ll have a holiday they’ll never forget!

Judy Duarte returns to the line-up with Family Practice (#1511), a darling tale of a handsome doctor who picks up the pieces after a bitter divorce and during a much-needed vacation falls in love with a hardworking heroine and her two kids. In Elane Osborn’s A Season To Believe (#1512), a woman survives a car crash but wakes up with amnesia. When a handsome private detective takes her plight to heart, she finds more than one reason to be thankful.

As you can see, we have an abundance of rich and emotionally complex love stories to share with you. I wish you happiness, fun and a little romance this holiday season!

Karen Taylor Richman

Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Bob and Betty Astleford, who gave me a strong, loving foundation that became a springboard to reach my dreams. You taught me the values I hold dear and set a fine example of love, marriage and parenthood. I love you, Mom and Dad.

In memory of Regina Ann Ronk, who blessed my life and my writing. Philippians 1:2–3.

An avid reader who enjoys a happy ending, Judy Duarte always wanted to write books of her own. One day, she decided to make that dream come true. Five years and six manuscripts later, she sold her first book to Silhouette Special Edition.

Her unpublished stories have won the Emily and the Orange Rose writing contests, and in 2001, she became a double RWA Golden Heart finalist. Judy credits her success to Romance Writers of America and two wonderful critique partners, Sheri WhiteFeather and Crystal Green, both of whom write for Silhouette.

At times, when a stubborn hero and a headstrong heroine claim her undivided attention, she and her family are thankful for fast food, pizza delivery and video games. When she’s not at the keyboard or in a Walter-Mitty-type world, she enjoys traveling, romantic evenings with her personal hero and playing board games with her kids.

Judy lives in Southern California and loves to hear from her readers. You may write to her at: P.O. Box 498, San Luis Rey, CA 92068-0498. You can also visit her Web site at: www.judyduarte.com.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

“Dr. Harper, now that your wife is in prison, what are your plans?”

Barely out of his black Jag, Michael Harper tensed his jaw, slammed the car door and shoved past a cocky reporter and a heavyset cameraman. Ever since the trial, the press continued to dog him.

Why wouldn’t they leave him alone? The whole damn mess was yesterday’s news, at least as far as he was concerned. He’d been cleared of any wrongdoing, Denise was in prison, and their divorce had been finalized three months ago.

“Just one question, Doc. Has your practice suffered because of the scandal?”

A camera flashed in Michael’s face, and he clenched his fist, fighting an urge to grab the photographic equipment and sling it to the ground. “No comment.”

He strode toward the private stairwell that led from the underground parking garage to his second-floor southern California office, hoping to shake more than the dank odor of concrete, gasoline fumes and exhaust. Why the interest in him? In his practice, his life? He hadn’t done anything, just been an unwitting victim.

The thought of himself as a victim turned his stomach, knotted his gut. Michael Harper, son of the Raleigh-Harpers of Boston. Distinguished graduate of Harvard Medical School. Renowned cardiovascular surgeon. His life had been charmed from birth. Perfect.

Until now.

Damn you, Denise. Michael swung open the metal door and slammed it behind him. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. Sure, the whole sordid mess had taken a toll on him. His former wife who had also been his office manager had carried on a lengthy affair with a high-profile politician. That was tough enough to handle.

But she’d laundered drug money through his office, then made illegal contributions to her lover’s campaign. There’d been a thorough investigation, and Michael had been cleared of any wrongdoing. Still, the embarrassment was hard to live down. Hard to forgive. Impossible to forget.

The press continued to dog him, Dr. Michael Harper, who had nothing to do with any of this. Even those sleazy tabloids had found him a newsworthy topic. Apparently, the public enjoyed hearing about a wealthy surgeon cuckolded by a bad girl and a notorious politician. But quite frankly, he was ready to escape the limelight.

Forever.

When he reached his office, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. He wasn’t sure why he even bothered to come in today. Habit, he supposed, but it wasn’t necessary. Due in part to the depositions and trials, both federal and state, he’d cut back on his patient load until it was nearly nonexistent.

“Michael?” Bertha Williams, his office manager, asked. The woman had come out of retirement to fix the god-awful mess his ex-wife had made of his books. “Is that you?”