Joan Pickart: Accidental Family

“You might regain your memory before we’re able to—” Patty started.

“Shh. We’re living in the moment, remember? And in this moment at hand I’m going to kiss you again before Sarah Ann and Tucker wake up from their naps.”

“Good idea.”

The kiss ignited all the heat and passion of the one before, but now there was more. There was a sense of anticipation of what was yet to come intertwined with the desire.

There was a depth of understanding, of rightness, of knowing they would cherish this gift they had given themselves, and the memories of all they would share. They were in a place where neither of them had been before.

And it was good.

Dear Reader,

Well, June may be the traditional month for weddings, but we here at Silhouette find June is busting out all over—with babies! We begin with Christine Rimmer’s Fifty Ways To Say I’m Pregnant. When bound-for-the-big-city Starr Bravo shares a night of passion with the rancher she’s always loved, she finds herself in the family way. But how to tell him? Fifty Ways is a continuation of Christine’s Bravo Family saga, so look for the BRAVO FAMILY TIES flash. And for those of you who remember Christine’s JONES GANG series, you’ll be delighted with the cameo appearance of an old friend….

Next, Joan Elliott Pickart continues her miniseries THE BABY BET: MACALLISTER’S GIFTS with Accidental Family, the story of a day-care center worker and a single dad with amnesia who find themselves falling for each other as she cares for their children together. And there’s another CAVANAUGH JUSTICE offering in Special Edition from Marie Ferrarella: in Cavanaugh’s Woman, an actress researching a film role needs a top cop—and Shaw Cavanaugh fits the bill nicely. Hot August Nights by Christine Flynn continues THE KENDRICKS OF CAMELOT miniseries, in which the reserved, poised Kendrick daughter finds her one-night stand with the town playboy coming back to haunt her in a big way. Janis Reams Hudson begins MEN OF CHEROKEE ROSE with The Daddy Survey, in which two little girls go all out to get their mother a new husband. And don’t miss One Perfect Man, in which almost-new author Lynda Sandoval tells the story of a career-minded events planner who has never had time for romance until she gets roped into planning a party for the daughter of a devastatingly handsome single father. So enjoy the rising temperatures, all six of these wonderful romances…and don’t forget to come back next month for six more, in Silhouette Special Edition.

Happy Reading!

Gail Chasan

Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For my daughters

is the author of over eighty-five novels. When she isn’t writing, Joan enjoys reading, gardening and attending craft shows on the town square with her young daughter, Autumn. Joan has three all-grown-up daughters and three fantastic grandchildren. Joan and Autumn live in a charming small town in the high pine country of Arizona.

Dear Reader,

It is time to once again bid farewell to the MacAllister family. They came into my life and yours for the first time in 1995 with Angels and Elves, Forrest and Jillian’s story, which introduced the ever-growing MacAllister clan.

Now, as we leave the MacAllisters to get on with their happy lives, Forrest and Jillian are grandparents, their triplet girls all having found true love.

I want to thank all of you who have written to me over the years to say you were enjoying the MacAllister series as well as my other books. I can’t begin to tell you how much those letters mean to me.

Will the MacAllisters be back to visit you in the future? I really don’t know. Only time will tell if they start whispering in my ear, urging me to share what has transpired as yet another generation grows into adulthood.

I hope you enjoy Patty and David’s story as they deal with dark painful pasts that threaten to keep them from stepping into the sunshine of a future they might share together.

Thank you again for your continued support.

Warmest regards,

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

Patty Clark maneuvered her eight-year-old compact car through Ventura’s heavy going-to-work traffic. It was a picture-perfect September day, and the glowing California sun in a brilliant blue sky dotted with puffy clouds promised to warm the chilly morning.

In the back seat, three-week-old Sophia slept peacefully in her secured carrier despite the fact that her three-year-old brother Tucker was chanting with the volume set on high.

“Sarah Ann, Sarah Ann, Sarah Ann,” Tucker yelled happily. “I’m gonna see my bestis friend Sarah Ann. Right, Mommy? We gets to go to Fuzzy Bunny and I can play with Sarah Ann, Sarah Ann, Sarah Ann.”

“Yes, that’s right, Tucker,” Patty said, laughing. “We’re going to the day-care center today, but remember it’s just this one time because Mommy doesn’t work there anymore. They need my help because they don’t have enough caregivers right now to take care of you busy bees.”

“And I gets to play with Sarah Ann,” Tucker shouted.

“Hush, sweetheart,” Patty said. “You’ll wake Sophia and she’ll probably cry all the way to the Fuzzy Bunny. We don’t want that to happen.” She paused. “Tucker, it’s been a little more than three weeks since we went to the center every day. We don’t know for certain that Sarah Ann still goes there. I don’t want you to be disappointed if you can’t play with her.”

“She’ll be there,” Tucker said, bouncing his hands on his booster seat. “Her daddy bringed her all the time. Remember?”

“Yes, that’s true,” Patty said, “but Sarah Ann started coming to the center only two weeks before we stopped going. Maybe her daddy doesn’t bring her anymore.”

“Yes, he does,” Tucker said, frowning. “I know he does. Sarah Ann likes being at the Fuzzy Bunny and her daddy smiled at her ’cause she likes it. I’m going to play with Sarah Ann, Sarah Ann, Sarah Ann.”

Patty tuned out Tucker’s excited mantra, realizing that her son was not going to accept the fact that his “bestis friend” might not be at the Fuzzy Bunny that morning.

Her daddy smiled at her.

Tucker’s words echoed in Patty’s mind as her thoughts drifted back to the two weeks that David Montgomery had brought his daughter to the center before Patty had left to give birth to Sophia.

Oh, yes, she mused, the handsome-beyond-belief Mr. Montgomery had, indeed, smiled at his daughter before leaving her in the morning and when he picked her up at precisely 5:45 p.m. He did not, however, share that smile with any of the caregivers, nor take a moment to say the standard “Have a nice day” to the staff. His focus had been on Sarah Ann and that was that.

Except… Well, yes, there had been that very brief exchange between herself and David Montgomery on her last day at the center.