Judy Christenberry - Least Likely To Wed

Sinfully handsome. And, like most cowboys, utterly resistant to settling down.

“Good morning, Pete,” she said, keeping her voice cool. “May I help you?” She knew he would refuse, but she didn’t want to be accused of being rude.

He looked over his shoulder as if he thought he was being followed. Then he faced her again. “Uh, yeah, you can,” he replied, much to Kelly’s surprise.

Her surprise turned to panic when he grabbed her by the shoulders, yanked her against him and planted a desperate kiss on her lips. A kiss that lost its desperation as it became passionate, warm, even hot. And completely distracting.

It had been several years since Kelly had been kissed, or even held by a man. She’d vowed never to let a man, in particular a cowboy, get close again. With that thought, she shoved her way out of his arms and slapped him…hard.

Dear Reader,

Brr…February’s below-freezing temperatures call for a mug of hot chocolate, a fuzzy afghan and a heartwarming book from Silhouette Romance. Our books will heat you to the tips of your toes with the sizzling sexual tension that courses between our stubborn heroes and the determined heroines who ultimately melt their hardened hearts.

In Judy Christenberry’s Least Likely To Wed, her sinfully sexy cowboy hero has his plans for lifelong bachelorhood foiled by the searing kisses of a spirited single mom. While in Sue Swift’s The Ranger & the Rescue, an amnesiac cowboy stakes a claim on the heart of a flame-haired heroine—but will the fires of passion still burn when he regains his memory?

Tensions reach the boiling point in Raye Morgan’s She’s Having My Baby!—the final installment of the miniseries HAVING THE BOSS’S BABY—when our heroine discovers just who fathered her baby-to-be…. And tempers flare in Rebecca Russell’s Right Where He Belongs, in which our handsome hero must choose between his cold plan for revenge and a woman’s warm and tender love.

Then simmer down with the incredibly romantic heroes in Teresa Southwick’s What If We Fall In Love? and Colleen Faulkner’s A Shocking Request. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll fall in love all over again with these deeply touching stories about widowers who get a second chance at love.

So this February, come in from the cold and warm your heart and spirit with one of these temperature-raising books from Silhouette Romance. Don’t forget the marshmallows!

Happy reading!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Books by Judy Christenberry

Silhouette Romance

The Nine-Month Bride #1324

*Marry Me, Kate #1344

*Baby in Her Arms #1350

*A Ring for Cinderella #1356

†Never Let You Go #1453

†The Borrowed Groom #1457

†Cherish the Boss #1463

**Snowbound Sweetheart #1476

Newborn Daddy #1511

When the Lights Went Out…#1547

**Least Likely To Wed #1570

has been writing romances for fifteen years because she loves happy endings as much as her readers do. She’s also a bestselling author for Harlequin American Romance, but she has a long love of traditional romances and is delighted to tell a story that brings those elements to the reader. A former high school French teacher, Judy devotes her time to writing. She hopes readers have as much fun reading her stories as she does writing them. She spends her spare time reading, watching her favorite sports teams and keeping track of her two adult daughters.

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

Kelly Hampton looked up, a smile on her face when the bell over the door of Oklahoma Chic jangled. It had been a slow day and she was delighted to welcome a customer.

Her delight disappeared when she saw the customer. Pete Crawford. Lindsay’s brother. As macho a cowboy as ever lived. Sinfully handsome. His broad shoulders, slim hips and cocky grin drew women like bears to honey. And, like most cowboys, utterly resistant to settling down.

“Good morning, Pete,” she said, keeping her voice cool.

“Uh, hi, Kelly. Where’s Lindsay?”

“She’s not coming in until one o’clock.” Lindsay lived on her husband’s ranch outside of Lawton, OK, where their shop was located. Kelly hesitated but finally asked, “May I help you?” She knew he would refuse, but she didn’t want to be accused of being rude. Just because she was allergic to cowboys.

He looked over his shoulder as if he thought he was being followed. Then he faced her again. “Uh, yeah, you can,” he replied, much to Kelly’s surprise.

Her surprise turned to panic when he grabbed her by the shoulders, yanked her against him and planted a desperate kiss on her lips.

A kiss that lost its desperation as it became passionate, warm, even hot. And completely distracting.

It had been several years since Kelly had been kissed, or even held by a man. Her dead husband, a cowboy too, had cheated on her. She’d vowed never to let a man, in particular a cowboy, get that close again. With that thought, she shoved her way out of his arms and slapped him…hard.

“Whoa!” he protested, grabbing her hand as she drew back to unload on him again. “What’s wrong with you, woman?”

“What’s wrong with me? What kind of store do you think this is? Get out of here before I have you arrested!”

“It was just a friendly kiss! No big deal. You don’t have to get all upset.”

“We’ve never been friends, Pete Crawford, so don’t hand me that line. And this is a business, not a—a place where you attack women.”

“Dammit, I didn’t attack you!” he roared, obviously upset by her reaction. Again he looked over his shoulder. He moved a step closer and urgently whispered, “Play along!”

She had no idea what he meant and would have demanded an explanation had the bell over the door not jangled again, hopefully indicating a real customer.

She pasted on a smile and walked around Pete. “Good morning,” she greeted the young woman. “May I help you with anything?”

She and Lindsay, her partner, had enjoyed the praise they’d received for the up-to-date quality of their merchandise and the frequent repeat business they’d done. She didn’t recognize this young lady.

The customer gave her a bored, superior stare before saying, “No, thank you. I don’t see anything to tempt me…except maybe your other customer.” By the time she’d finished, her voice had turned syrupy sweet. “Hi, lover.”