Vivienne Wallington - Kindergarten Cupids

Mardi shrugged. Bitter memories? Yes…she still felt bitter that her husband had left his family so badly in debt, and equally bitter—more bitter than heartbroken—about his affair with Cain’s wife.

“Look, I’m here because of Benjamin, my son,” Cain said. “Keeping Ben away from Nicky hasn’t worked out. There’s a week left before school starts. If we allow the boys to see each other, a week should be long enough, hopefully, for them to get over their obsession with each other….”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea—”

“You’re being very hard on the boys….” he argued.

She reluctantly agreed. But it wasn’t the memories she was worried about. It had more to do with her obsessions—hers with a tall, handsome, potently attractive man with cobalt eyes named Cain Templar!

Dear Reader,

Summer’s finally here! Whether you’ll be lounging poolside, at the beach, or simply in your home this season, we have great reads packed with everything you enjoy from Silhouette Romance—tenderness, emotion, fun and, of course, heart-pounding romance—plus some very special surprises.

First, don’t miss the exciting conclusion to the thrilling ROYALLY WED: THE MISSING HEIR miniseries with Cathie Linz’s A Prince at Last! Then be swept off your feet—just like the heroine herself!—in Hayley Gardner’s Kidnapping His Bride.

Romance favorite Raye Morgan is back with A Little Moonlighting, about a tycoon set way off track by his beguiling associate who wants a family to call her own. And in Debrah Morris’s That Maddening Man, can a traffic-stopping smile convince a career woman—and single mom—to slow down…?

Then laugh, cry and fall in love all over again with two incredibly tender love stories. Vivienne Wallington’s Kindergarten Cupids is a very different, highly emotional story about scandal, survival and second chances. Then dive right into Jackie Braun’s True Love, Inc., about a professional matchmaker who’s challenged to find her very sexy, very cynical client his perfect woman. Can she convince him that she already has?

Here’s to a wonderful, relaxing summer filled with happiness and romance. See you next month with more fun-in-the-sun selections.

Happy reading!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Silhouette Romance

Claiming His Bride #1515

Kindergarten Cupids #1596

is an Australian living in Melbourne, Victoria, in an area with lots of trees, birds and parkland. She has been happily married to John, her real-life hero, for over forty years and they have a married son and daughter and five grandchildren who provide inspiration for her books. Vivienne worked as a librarian for many years, but was always writing, as well, eventually having a children’s book published. After two more years, she gave up writing for children to concentrate on romance. She has written nineteen Mills & Boon Romance titles under the pseudonym Elizabeth Duke, and is now writing for Silhouette under her real name. Her favorite hobbies are reading, research, family and travel.

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

Epilogue

Watching from the kitchen as her son, Nicky, romped on the back lawn with Scoots, his beloved black Labrador, Mardi Sinclair wondered how she could bear to take her son away from the home and the rambling garden he’d come to love. But she had no choice. The house was sold now, and she had a month to find another place to live—a smaller place in a less expensive area. A house or flat that she could rent, not buy.

But with a five-year-old son, an ailing grandfather and a large, exuberant dog, it wasn’t proving easy.

She caught her breath as she saw her son’s purple-framed glasses go flying as he rolled on the grass with Scoots. Oh, no, please, no, not another pair of broken glasses!

Mardi rushed outside.

But Nicky was already pulling them back on. “They’re not broken, Mummy.” He shot her a triumphant grin as he patted his glasses back into place. He’d hated wearing them at first, but he’d grown used to them, and now wore them with pride.

And Mardi was proud of her brave son. She loved him to pieces. His astigmatism had improved already, and in a few years, if the eye specialist was right, he would be able to throw away his glasses. Perhaps, soon, his infected tonsils would be history, too.

She caught him in her arms and hugged him tight. “That’s good, darling. That’s great.”

“Mummy…” Nicky looked up at her with beseeching gray eyes, the sunlight glinting on his grass-smudged lenses. “Can we ask Ben over to play tomorrow?”

Mardi’s heart wrenched. She’d lost count of the times Nicky had asked about his friend Benjamin Templar since his father had died and the kindergarten had broken up for the long summer holidays. She’d made excuses to him each time. She did so again.

“We have to look for a new home, darling.” She’d tried to explain to him that they couldn’t afford such a big house or garden anymore, now that Daddy had gone to heaven, but it was hard for a five-year-old to understand. “We’ll try to find a house near a nice park or a playground, where you and Scoots can run around.” They were unlikely to have a spacious lawn or even a garden at their new place.

“Can Ben come to the park with us?” Nicky asked.

Mardi sighed. Ben, always Ben. Since the day he’d started at St. Mark’s kindergarten, when they moved into their new home last August, the two boys had been inseparable. Ben, the older by three months and quite a bit taller, had taken on a protective role, shielding Nicky from any taunts and teasing by the other children. And Nicky’s quick mind and easygoing manner had often saved Ben from trouble, drawing the boys closer and cementing their friendship. They’d been looking forward to starting school together this year. Who would look out for her son when he moved to another school?

“Look, why don’t you go and ask Grandpa to have a game of snakes and ladders with you before dinner?” Diversion, Mardi had found, often did the trick in taking Nicky’s mind off Benjamin Templar.

“Grandpa’s having a snooze.”

“Well, it’s time you came in and had a bath anyway,” she said, and frowned as the front doorbell rang. “Oh, heck, who could that be at this hour?” Not the estate agent, she hoped. What a time to want to discuss houses for rent, just as her carrot cake and cottage pie were due to come out of the oven. “Keep an eye on Scoots, Nicky. I’ll just run and see.”