Sue Swift - His Baby, Her Heart

She had never before understood the attraction between her half sister and Alex. But now she saw that, far from being a chilly Chandler, Alex radiated concern and kindness.

And his unexpected tenderness made her want to…want to…kiss him.

She tore her mind away from the thought. Alex didn’t care about her. He simply wanted this baby. She was merely the vessel.

Closing her eyes, Dena visualized a tiny baby implanting itself inside her. The baby had Alex’s chiseled good looks and a little lock of blond hair. She smiled at the idea of a mini-Alex growing inside her.

But suddenly she wasn’t visualizing baby Alex anymore and was instead thinking about his father. Making love to her.

Dena’s eyes popped open. She was having a romantic fantasy about arctic Alex Chandler?

She must be certifiable!

Dear Reader,

I’m dreaming of summer vacations—of sitting by the beach, dangling my feet in a lake, walking on a mountain or curling up in a hammock. And in each vision, I have a Silhouette Romance novel, and I’m happy. Why don’t you grab a couple and join me? And in each book take a look at our Silhouette Makes You a Star contest!

We’ve got some terrific titles in store for you this month. Longtime favorite author Cathie Linz has developed some delightful stories with U.S. Marine heroes and Stranded with the Sergeant is appealing and fun. Cara Colter has the second of her THE WEDDING LEGACY titles for you. The Heiress Takes a Husband features a rich young woman who’s struggling to prove herself—and the handsome attorney who lends a hand.

Arlene James has written over fifty titles for Silhouette Books, and her expertise shows. So Dear to My Heart is a tender, original story of a woman finding happiness again. And Karen Rose Smith—another popular veteran—brings us Doctor in Demand, about a wounded man who’s healed by the love of a woman and her child.

And two newer authors round out the list! Melissa McClone’s His Band of Gold is an emotional realization of the power of love, and Sue Swift debuts in Silhouette Romance with His Baby, Her Heart, in which a woman agrees to fulfill her late sister’s dream of children. It’s an unusual and powerful story that is part of our THE BABY’S SECRET series.

Enjoy these stories, and make time to appreciate yourselves in your hectic lives! Have a wonderful summer.

Happy reading!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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For my parents,

Sheila and Sheldon Swift,

two extraordinary people

SUE SWIFT

A criminal defense attorney for twenty years, Sue Swift always sensed a creative wellspring bubbling inside her, but didn’t find her niche until attending a writing class with master teacher Bud Gardner. Within a short time, Sue realized her creative outlet was romance fiction. Since she began writing her first novel in November 1996, she’s sold two books and two short stories.

The 2001 president of the Sacramento Chapter of the Romance Writers of America, Sue credits the RWA, its many wonderful programs and the help of its experienced writers for her new career as a romance novelist. She also lectures to women’s and writers’ groups on various topics relating to the craft of writing.

Her hobbies are hiking, bodysurfing and kenpo karate, in which she’s earned a second-degree black belt. Sue and her real-live hero of a husband maintain homes in northern California and Maui, Hawaii. You may write to Sue at P.O. Box 241, Citrus Heights, CA 95611-0241. Or, you can contact her by visiting the author area of our Web site at www.MillsandBoon.co.uk.

Dear Reader,

This letter is about milestones—milestones on the road of life.

I’ve been lucky. All my milestones have been joyous ones: school graduations; the beautiful afternoon in Hawaii when my husband asked me to marry him; our wedding day.

In terms of personal accomplishments, few milestones compare with the day my editor phoned to tell me Silhouette wanted this book for their Romance line. I was delighted to join the Mills & Boon/Silhouette “family” of writers.

Some manuscripts represent months, even years, of struggle. The book you hold in your hands was a pleasure to create. The first draft was written in two months. The birth of Alex and Dena’s story was one of the shortest, happiest labors in history. Certainly His Baby, Her Heart came into the world more easily than did baby Tami, their child.

This book is about a very special baby.

This book, my first for Silhouette, is a very special baby.

I worked hard on His Baby, Her Heart and hope you enjoy the fruit of my labor.

Best wishes,

Prologue

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

Epilogue

“I, Tamara Cohen Chandler, being of sound mind…”

Alex Chandler sat, numbed to the last ritual accompanying his wife’s death. The presence of other family members in the wood-paneled law office receded to the back of his mind. He heard traffic outside the building bustling down Alhambra Boulevard, but the Sacramento rush hour seemed a thousand miles away.

“It is my dearest wish that my husband, Alexander Chandler, and my beloved half sister, Dena Cohen Randolph, cease the animosity between them.”

To Alex’s right, he could see Dena Randolph vainly brush at several dog hairs marring the sleeve of her black jacket. Alex tried to repress his disdain. Why couldn’t the woman ever make herself presentable?

He’d tried to hide his dislike for his sister-in-law from Tamara. Evidently he’d failed.

“I request that Dena act as surrogate mother and carry to term one of my embryos, fertilized by Alexander Chandler.”

“What?” Shock cracked Alex’s leaden wall of grief.

Dena jerked upright, as though zapped with a live cattle prod. “As if I don’t have enough problems already,” she murmured.

Alex reluctantly sympathized. With four-year-old twins and their disappearing father, Dena’s plate was full.

Her green eyes widened with bewilderment. “Did you know this was coming, Alex?”

He shook his head. “Tamara changed her will shortly after she was diagnosed. At the time, I didn’t know what she did, and I didn’t care. I was focused on her chemo, hoping she’d recover.” Alex frowned. He’d worshiped his wife, but knew that sweet, well-meaning Tamara had also been manipulative and very, very smart. What on earth had she planned? Why?

“Well, I…I can’t.” Dena placed a hand on her stomach, as if caressing an imaginary pregnancy. “I know Tamara wanted a baby, but…I just can’t bear a child and then walk away. Not even for Tami. Maybe you can find someone else, Alex.”