Pat Warren - Daddy By Surprise

“Will you read me a story, Daddy?” Emily asked.

Daddy. It was the first time she’d called him that, and the feeling that flooded Devin stunned him. Like a fist to the solar plexus. He’d used the word himself in his thoughts, but somehow, hearing it from her made it more real, more special.

Devin opened his arms and Emily climbed up onto his lap, settling her head just under his chin. She smelled like her peach-scented bubble bath, all warm and fragrant. He gazed into green eyes as familiar as his own. The shadows of fatigue were gone from her cheeks, the sadness had disappeared from her eyes and she no longer woke during the night, crying for her mother. She also had the sweetest smile, he decided, as he opened the book.

Of course she would. She was his daughter.

Dear Reader,

It’s going to be a wonderful year! After all, we’re celebrating Silhouette’s 20th anniversary of bringing you compelling, emotional, contemporary romances month after month.

January’s fabulous lineup starts with beloved author Diana Palmer, who returns to Special Edition with Matt Caldwell: Texas Tycoon. In the latest installment of her wildly popular LONG, TALL TEXANS series, temperatures rise and the stakes are high when a rugged tycoon meets his match in an innocent beauty—who is also his feisty employee.

Bestselling author Susan Mallery continues the next round of the series PRESCRIPTION: MARRIAGE with Their Little Princess. In this heart-tugging story, baby doctor Kelly Hall gives a suddenly single dad lessons in parenting—and learns all about romance!

Reader favorite Pamela Toth launches Special Edition’s newest series, SO MANY BABIES—in which babies and romance abound in the Buttonwood Baby Clinic. In The Baby Legacy, a sperm-bank mix-up brings two unlikely parents together temporarily—or perhaps forever.…

In Peggy Webb’s passionate story, Summer Hawk, two Native Americans put aside their differences when they unite to battle a medical crisis and find that love cures all. Rounding off the month is veteran author Pat Warren’s poignant, must-read secret baby story, Daddy by Surprise, and Jean Brashear’s Lonesome No More, in which a reclusive hero finds healing for his heart when he offers a single mom and her young son a haven from harm.

I hope you enjoy these six unforgettable romances and help us celebrate Silhouette’s 20th anniversary all year long!

Best,

Karen Taylor Richman

Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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This book is dedicated to Perry and Ginny Huellmantel,

old friends and traveling companions, with affection

Books by Pat Warren

Silhouette Special Edition

With This Ring #375

Final Verdict #410

Look Homeward, Love #442

Summer Shadows #458

The Evolution of Adam #480

Build Me a Dream #514

The Long Road Home #548

The Lyon and the Lamb #582

My First Love, My Last #610

Winter Wishes #632

Till I Loved You #659

An Uncommon Love #678

Under Sunny Skies #731

That Hathaway Woman #758

Simply Unforgettable #797

This I Ask of You #815

On Her Own #841

A Bride for Hunter #893

Nobody’s Child #974

*A Home for Hannah #1048

*Keeping Kate #1060

Daddy’s Home #1157

Stranded on the Ranch #1199

Daddy by Surprise #1301

Silhouette Romance

Season of the Heart #553

Silhouette Intimate Moments

Perfect Strangers #288

Only the Lonely #605

*Michael’s House #737

Stand-In Father #855

Silhouette Books

Montana Mavericks

Outlaw Lovers #6

PAT WARREN,

mother of four, lives in Arizona with her travel agent husband and a lazy white cat. She’s a former newspaper columnist whose lifetime dream was to become a novelist. A strong romantic streak, a sense of humor and a keen interest in developing relationships led her to try romance novels, with which she feels very much at home.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

If there was one thing Molly Shipman hated it was arriving anywhere late. The kitchen clock indicated that she had exactly seven minutes to get to her appointment with Della Bailey, her friend, Trisha’s, mother and the owner of a roomy duplex on a quiet residential street in south Scottsdale. She’d gotten up at six just so she wouldn’t have to rush. Of course, if she hadn’t dripped orange juice on her blouse, necessitating a change, or broken a nail opening the coffee can, she’d have had time to spare. As it was, she had to fly.

Stuffing the last bite of toast in her mouth, she grabbed her large canvas bag before racing down the outside stairs of her apartment building. She unlocked the door of her eight-year-old Honda and got in, wondering why she ever bothered to lock it. Nobody but the truly desperate would steal old battered Bessie.

Sending up a silent prayer, Molly turned the key in the ignition and breathed a sigh of relief when the tired old engine wheezed into life. Just two more paychecks and she’d have enough saved to take old Bess in for a much-needed tune-up.

Whipping out of the parking lot, she turned onto Thomas and headed east. If only this rental would turn out to be perfect, or nearly perfect, Molly mused. According to Trisha, who waitressed alongside Molly at the Pan Handle Café, the recently vacated house with an upper and a lower apartment had just had a face-lift consisting of fresh paint and new carpeting. Mrs. Bailey, who lived next door and used the income from several such homes to supplement her Social Security, always kept up her properties.

The mid-April sun was already quite warm as Molly made a right turn, her mind racing. Since learning that her apartment building was converting to condos, she’d given notice and been searching for a place not too far from her job because old Bess couldn’t be counted on for long daily trips. Good rentals at reasonable rates were hard to find and the lower unit sounded ideal. She was sick of the three flights of stairs she’d had to climb several times a day for the past three years. Molly hoped no one else had spotted the For Rent sign and beaten her to the punch. Reminders of the early bird getting the worm buzzed through her anxious thoughts.

A quick glance at her watch told Molly she was only a few minutes late as she swung onto Cactus Lane. As she completed the turn, a noisy Harley came zooming around the bend behind her. The driver wasn’t wearing a helmet, she noticed in the rearview mirror, his dark hair shifting in a soft morning breeze.

Slowing, she turned into the drive of number 9430 where, thankfully, the sign was still in the lawn. The two-story stucco house with its southwestern style, red-tiled roof was set back from the street leaving room for a small lawn and several old cottonwood trees that provided much-needed shade. Mrs. Bailey was waiting on the porch and raised her hand in a wave. Molly turned off the engine and got out. But before she could take a step, the Harley pulled in alongside the Honda, blocking her path.