Caroline Anderson - Special Deliveries - A Baby With Her Best Friend - Rumour Has It / The Secret in His Heart / A Baby Between Friends

Special Deliveries: A Baby With Her Best Friend

Rumour Has It

Maureen Child

The Secret in His Heart

Caroline Anderson

A Baby Between Friends

Kathie DeNosky

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Cover

Title Page Special Deliveries: A Baby With Her Best Friend Rumour Has It Maureen Child The Secret in His Heart Caroline Anderson A Baby Between Friends Kathie DeNosky www.millsandboon.co.uk

Rumour Has It Rumour Has It Maureen Child

Excerpt Amanda would not be scared off by a big, gorgeous sheriff with eyes as cold as a winter wind. “If you think you’re worrying me, you’re wrong,” she said. Nathan stared at her. “I don’t want you worried. I don’t want you at all.” Direct hit, she thought as an icy fist slammed into her chest and squeezed her heart. But she wouldn’t let him see it. “I don’t want you, either, Nathan. I’m not that young girl anymore, dazzled because Nathan Battle noticed her—” He grabbed her, yanked her close and kissed her with a fierce desperation that was fueled by desire and anger, all twisted up together. She could feel it in him as she felt it in herself. Past and present tangled together and memories as thick as honey on a winter morning. But those memories were swamped by all of the new sensations coursing through her.

About the Author To Rosemary Rangel EstradaWe really miss you, neighbour! MAUREEN CHILD writes for the Harlequin Desire line and can’t imagine a better job. A seven-time fnalist for a prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA ® Award, Maureen is an author of more than one hundred romance novels. Her books regularly appear on bestseller lists and have won several awards, including a Prism Award, a National Readers’ Choice Award, a Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence and a Golden Quill Award. She is a native Californian but has recently moved to the mountains of Utah.

Dedication To Rosemary Rangel Estrada We really miss you, neighbor!

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

The Secret in His Heart

Praise

About the Author

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

A Baby Between Friends

Excerpt

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Epilogue

Copyright

Maureen Child

“If you think you’re worrying me, you’re wrong,” she said.

Nathan stared at her. “I don’t want you worried. I don’t want you at all.”

Direct hit, she thought as an icy fist slammed into her chest and squeezed her heart. But she wouldn’t let him see it. “I don’t want you, either, Nathan. I’m not that young girl anymore, dazzled because Nathan Battle noticed her—”

He grabbed her, yanked her close and kissed her with a fierce desperation that was fueled by desire and anger, all twisted up together. She could feel it in him as she felt it in herself. Past and present tangled together and memories as thick as honey on a winter morning.

But those memories were swamped by all of the new sensations coursing through her.

To Rosemary Rangel EstradaWe really miss you, neighbour!

MAUREEN CHILDwrites for the Harlequin Desire line and can’t imagine a better job.

A seven-time fnalist for a prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA ®Award, Maureen is an author of more than one hundred romance novels. Her books regularly appear on bestseller lists and have won several awards, including a Prism Award, a National Readers’ Choice Award, a Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence and a Golden Quill Award. She is a native Californian but has recently moved to the mountains of Utah.

To Rosemary Rangel Estrada

We really miss you, neighbor!

Amanda Altman’s back in town .

It was all anyone could talk about and Nathan Battle was getting pretty damn sick of it. Nothing he hated more than being at the center of a gossip tornado. He’d already lived through it once, years ago. Of course, he’d escaped the worst of it by moving to Houston and burying himself in the police academy and then his job.

Wouldn’t work this time. He’d built his place here. He wasn’t going anywhere. Mostly because Nathan Battle didn’t run. So he’d just have to ride this mess out until the town found something new to chew on.

But that was life in Royal, Texas. A town too small to mind its own business and too big to have to repeat the same gossip over and over again.

Even here, he thought, in the hallowed halls of the Texas Cattleman’s Club, Nathan couldn’t escape the talk—or the speculation. Not even from his best friend.

“So, Nathan,” Chance asked with a knowing grin, “you see Amanda yet?”

Nathan looked at the man sitting opposite him. Chance McDaniel owned McDaniel’s Acres, a working dude ranch and hotel just south of town. The man had built the place from the ground up on property he’d inherited from his family, and he’d done a hell of a job.

Chance’s blond hair was cropped short, but he still couldn’t get the wave out of it no matter how he tried. His green eyes were amused and Nathan shook his head, knowing that he was the source of his friend’s amusement.

“No.” One word. Should be concise enough to get his message across. And maybe it would have worked with anyone else. Of course, Nathan told himself wryly, it wouldn’t be nearly enough to get Chance to back off. They’d been friends for too long. And nobody knew how to get to you better than a best friend.

“You can’t ignore her forever,” Chance mused, taking a sip of his scotch.

“It’s worked so far,” Nathan told him and lifted his own glass for a drink.

“Sure it has,” Chance said, muffling a laugh. “That’s why you’ve been such a cool, calm guy the last couple of weeks.”

Nathan narrowed his eyes on his friend. “Funny.”

“You have no idea,” Chance agreed, lips twitching. “So, Sheriff, if you’re avoiding the Royal Diner these days, where are you getting your coffee?”

His fingers tightened on the heavy, old crystal. “The gas station.”

Now Chance didn’t bother to hide his laughter. “You must be desperate if you’re drinking the swill Charlie brews down there. You know, maybe it’s time you learned how to make decent coffee yourself.”

“And maybe it’s time you let this go,” Nathan told him. Irritating is what it was, he thought. His whole damn routine had been splintered when Amanda moved back home to Royal. Used to be he started off his day with a large coffee and maybe some eggs at the diner. Amanda’s sister, Pam, always had his coffee ready for him when he walked in. That was a routine a man could count on. But since Amanda blew back into his world, he’d had to make do with Charlie’s disgusting coffee and a packaged sweet roll.