Crystal Green - His Arch Enemy's Daughter

He looked at her, his eyes boring into her soul.

Ashlyn allowed her own gaze to skim over the sheriff’s hard body. Maybe being arrested by this lawman wouldn’t be such a horrible thing.

She grinned, her heart beating a little faster. Wouldn’t her rich father kill her if she got involved with blue-collar Sam Reno, foster brother of the man who’d nearly ruined her family?

Then again, Sam Reno had his own powerful reasons for hating her kin.

And he probably would arrest her if he could read her thoughts….

Dear Reader,

Spring is a time for new beginnings. And as you step out to enjoy the spring sunshine, I’d like to introduce a new author to Silhouette Special Edition. Her name is Judy Duarte, and her novel Cowboy Courage tells the heartwarming story of a runaway heiress who finds shelter in the strong arms of a handsome—yet guarded—cowboy. Don’t miss this brilliant debut!

Next, we have the new installment in Susan Mallery’s DESERT ROGUES miniseries. In The Sheik & the Virgin Princess, a beautiful princess goes in search of her long-lost royal father, and on her quest falls in love with her heart-meltingly gorgeous bodyguard! And love proves to be the irresistible icing in this adorable tale by Patricia Coughlin, The Cupcake Queen. Here, a lovable heroine turns her hero’s life into a virtual beehive. But Cupid’s arrow does get the final—er—sting!

I’m delighted to bring you Crystal Green’s His Arch Enemy’s Daughter, the next story in her poignant miniseries KANE’S CROSSING. When a rugged sheriff falls for the wrong woman, he has to choose between revenge and love. Add to the month Pat Warren’s exciting new two-in-one, My Very Own Millionaire—two fabulous romances in one novel about confirmed bachelors who finally find the women of their dreams! Lastly, there is no shortage of gripping emotion (or tears!) in Lois Faye Dyer’s Cattleman’s Bride-To-Be, where long-lost lovers must reunite to save the life of a little girl. As they fight the medical odds, this hero and heroine find that passion—and soul-searing love—never die….

I’m so happy to present these first fruits of spring. I hope you enjoy this month’s lineup and come back for next month’s moving stories about life, love and family!

Best,

Karen Taylor Richman

Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Tonya: You were one of Earth’s brightest angels.

We miss you.

lives in San Diego, California, where she has survived three years as an eighth-grade teacher of Humanities. She’s especially proud of her college-bound AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) students who have inspired her to persevere.

When Crystal isn’t writing romances, she enjoys reading, creating poetry, overanalyzing movies, risking her life during police ride-alongs, petting her parents’ Maltese dogs and fantasizing about being a really good cook.

During school breaks, Crystal spends her time becoming readdicted to her favorite soap operas and traveling to places far and wide. Her favorite souvenirs include travel journals—the pages reflecting everything from taking tea in London’s Leicester Square to backpacking up endless mountain roads leading to the castles of Sintra, Portugal.

THE KANE’S CROSSING GAZETTE

Spencer Socialite Meets Her Match?

by Verna Loquacious, Town Observer

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood grapevine!

Though our cozy hamlet has suffered from a dry spell as of late, I believe I’ve come upon a veritable sea of gossip.

Ashlyn Spencer, great-great-great-granddaughter of our beloved town founder, Kane Spencer, has been seen on the arm of the new sheriff, Sam Reno. Now, I have to tell you, I’m a tad stunned by this news. For those of you who haven’t been keeping up with current—or even ancient—events, Sheriff Reno grew up in these parts, and has recently returned to reunite with his foster brother, Nick Cassidy.

There’s been a flood of bad blood between those rich-as-Croesus Spencers and the blue-collar Renos, especially after the factory accident—the one that killed poor Sam’s father, bless his soul.

Land sakes, you’d think our socialite Spencer wouldn’t dare disappoint Daddy by dating the low-born Sheriff Reno. But, like you, folks, I do love a good star-crossed tale….

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

Epilogue

Ashlyn Spencer was in a real fix this time.

“Emma, why don’t you put away that shotgun?” she asked while backing out of the insect-buzzed porch light and into the shadows. She felt erased, almost safe in the darkness cast by Mrs. Trainor’s roof.

The older woman’s outline didn’t budge from the screened door. “I’ll be darned if you play any April Fool’s jokes on Trainor property, Miss Spencer. You, me and my sawed-off friend will wait right here until the sheriff comes.”

Ashlyn wanted to speak up in her defense, to tell Emma that she wasn’t playing any pranks tonight—hadn’t played any for a long time now. In fact, this bundle of crisp one-hundred-dollar bills she held in her hand was sticking to her palm with the urgency of a cat clinging to a curtain for safety.

Right about now, they were all victims of worst-case-scenario shotgun nightmares.

“Emma, I—”

A deep voice rumbled over her protestations. “Lower your gun, Emma.”

Ashlyn could hear the woman’s sigh of relief, even through a screen mashed with Kentucky flies and a trace of dandelion down.

The sheriff and his boots thumped their way up the stairs, onto the porch. “You put that firearm away, Emma?”

A heavy clicking sound from behind the older woman’s door made Ashlyn start from her hiding place. Was Emma Trainor cocking the gun?

Ashlyn jolted backward and smashed right into the new sheriff, his chest as broad and as hard as a wall. Not literally, but it felt like so many hard bricks piled together—enough to make her see stars.

She turned to him, blinking, the towering shadow of the sheriff’s body eclipsing the moonlight with a heavy jacket. The stars blurring her sight settled into one dull glint on his broad chest. A lifeless, silvery badge.

Fleeting images of Sheriff Carson, the old law of Kane’s Crossing, flashed through her mind. He’d liked to give her a hard time for the way she’d run around town, getting into her share of mischief. And her father had paid the sheriff well to keep his daughter in line.

But Sheriff Carson had passed away a short time ago, and a new lawman had taken his place just last month. A man who’d been appointed by the prominent citizens of Kane’s Crossing.

Sam Reno had returned to town. The same man who’d been the object of Ashlyn’s star-in-the-eyes fantasies, her Teen Beat dreams.

She gulped and subtly tried to stand behind him, just in case Emma was aiming in her direction.

The other woman stepped onto the porch, and Ashlyn felt her face heat up when she realized that the “click” had merely been the screened door opening.

Emma nodded to the sheriff. “Thanks for answering so fast. I heard an intruder out here and found Ashlyn Spencer lurking around my door.”