Amy Fetzer - Wife For Hire

When a man needs the touches only a woman can provide…he turns to Wife, Inc.!

In Wife for Hire (SD#1305) by Amy J. Fetzer, all irresistibly sexy rancher Nash Rayburn needed was a temporary caretaker for his two young daughters. But when Hayley Albright came to the rescue with her special brand of cooking and caring, the single dad had a hard time keeping his mind on business and off the beautiful woman sharing his home.

Dear Reader,

This Fourth of July, join in the fireworks of Silhouette’s 20th anniversary year by reading all six powerful, passionate, provocative love stories from Silhouette Desire!

July’s MAN OF THE MONTH is a Bachelor Doctor by Barbara Boswell. Sparks ignite when a dedicated doctor discovers his passion for his loyal nurse!

With Midnight Fantasy, beloved author Ann Major launches an exciting new promotion in Desire called BODY & SOUL. Our BODY & SOUL books are among the most sensuous and emotionally intense you’ll ever read. Every woman wants to be loved…BODY & SOUL, and in these books you’ll find a heady combination of breathtaking love and tumultuous desire.

Amy J. Fetzer continues her popular WIFE, INC. miniseries with Wife for Hire. Enjoy Ride a Wild Heart, the first sexy installment of Peggy Moreland’s miniseries TEXAS GROOMS. This month, Desire offers you a terrific two-books-in-one value—Blood Brothers by Anne McAllister and Lucy Gordon. A British lord and an American cowboy are look-alike cousins who switch lives temporarily…and lose their hearts for good in this romance equivalent of a doubleheader. And don’t miss the debut of Kristi Gold, with her moving love story Cowboy for Keeps—it’s a keeper!

So make your summer sizzle—treat yourself to all six of these sultry Desire romances!

Happy Reading!

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

www.millsandboon.co.uk

AMY J. FETZER

was born in New England and raised all over the world. She uses her own experiences in creating the characters and settings for her novels. Married nineteen years to a United States Marine and the mother of two sons, Amy covets the moments when she can curl up with a cup of cappuccino and a good book.

For my friend and publicist,

Terri Farrell.

For pep talks via e-mail, Godiva and slugging through some of the worst titles in recorded history. For those clever ideas and keeping on top of my promotion so I focus on my writing. For those little surprises that arrive when I need them the most. For making me always feel important, and your quirky sense of humor. You’ve been a tremendous help, Ter.

Now aren’t you glad I talked you into this job?

Thanks.

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

River Willow Plantation

Aiken, South Carolina

She had a rubber chicken stuck in the grillwork of her car.

The webbed feet flopped with every bump, the chicken looking as if it was being strangled and fried for supper, with all the smoke coming from the exhaust.

Nash Rayburn’s lips twitched with amusement. “At least she has a sense of humor,” he muttered to himself, then glanced down at his daughters. They were grinning widely. A good sign, he thought, nudging his hat back and bracing his shoulder on the porch post. He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops.

This was his wife for hire?

The dust-covered car rattled to a stop about twenty yards away and choked for a full twenty seconds after she shut the engine off and climbed out. Nash felt an instant pull in his gut the moment shapely bare legs first appeared and touched the ground.

Strike one. She was pretty. No, downright adorable, reminding him of a fairy in a story his mama told him when he was a kid. Her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, she had gleaming short dark-red hair and a body that was graceful and voluptuous. That pull tightened in places he didn’t want to acknowledge.

Strike two.

He’d told the agency he didn’t want anyone who’d distract the ranch hands. Now a petite full-breasted slim-hipped woman was coming straight toward him. And her Cadillac walk was so sexy he had the urge to cover his daughters’ eyes. Damn. A scoop-neck navy blue T-shirt, a short denim skirt and a pair of high heeled sandals had never looked that good on his late wife.

“Oh, goody, she’s not old,” Kim said as if it was a crime to be over ten. “She can play games with us.”

Nash glanced down at his twin girls. “Mrs. Winslow plays games.”

The two made faces at him. “Board games and stuff. She just watches us mostly,” Kate said, looking at the woman. “She looks nice, huh, Daddy?”

Breathtaking, he thought, and hoped his voice didn’t show it. “Yes, peanut, very nice.”

Ten yards away, the woman’s steps slowed to a stop, and Nash felt suddenly uneasy, a sense of familiarity hitting him. His gaze swept over her, searching for a connection.

“Nash?”

His blood froze and he straightened. He’d know that voice anywhere. Hayley Albright. His Hayley. “What are you doing here?”

She cocked one hip, her fingers tightening on the strap of a beat-up leather handbag slung on her shoulder. “If this is Katherine’s idea of a joke, I don’t like it.”

“Me, neither.” Nash’s insides twisted, his heart pressing against his ribs. Seven years ago he’d loved this woman. And seven years ago he’d betrayed that love and married another. He could never tell her why. Never. Yet one look at her and every cell in his body reacted, screaming for her. His blood grew hot and heavy in his veins as he stepped off the porch, walking toward her. It had always been like that, so good it was almost painful to be near her. She was the kind of woman who made heads turn as much for her confidence as for her beauty. The kind who made you smile just because she smiled.

The kind he’d wanted to marry.

Hayley felt memories of her past flow back as he neared, meshing with the old pain. She tried to push them aside, tried to gather her composure, but he was looking at her the way he had years ago. As if he wanted to devour her whole. It made her knees weak. She wanted to turn back to her car and drive away to avoid opening this part of her past again. It hurt too much. When he approached and stopped directly in front of her, the urge to throw herself into his arms made her eyes sting. It made her see that even if she told herself she was over him, she wasn’t. Not by a long shot. Out of sight didn’t mean out of mind—or heart. And if she stayed, she’d be in trouble.

Then he plucked off her sunglasses.

She snatched them back and met his gaze head on, searching for the man she once loved.

“You’re working for Katherine’s company?”

“A girl’s got to make a living.”

His lips flattened to a thin line. “What about your dream to be a doctor?”

She hitched up her handbag and said, “Still there. I just finished my internship. After a two-week break, I’ll go back to St. Anthony’s Hospital to begin my residency.”

“That’s great.” His smile was slight, bitter, and Hayley felt as if she’d been kicked in the stomach. Her need to be a doctor and his need to have her abandon her goal in order to be his wife had torn holes in their love and sent him into the arms of another woman.

“Somehow I don’t think that’s what you really mean,” she said.

His gaze narrowed. “I never wanted you to fail, Hayley.”