Barbara Leigh - The Surrogate Wife

Cover Page

Excerpt She was pinned beneath his body and could not get away. After a few moments she stopped struggling. “Let me up,” she said, laughing. “We’ll both be soaked.” She opened her eyes, blinking the snow from her lashes. When she looked into his face, so close to her own, she could see a new expression in his eyes. An expression Meagan had never seen before. “Josh? What is it? Have I made you angry?” “Dang it, Meagan, do you know how pretty you are with your cheeks all red, your eyes so bright and your lips all red and shiny and just waiting like a juicy winter apple to be tasted?” He gave a little sob deep in his throat and knew in that moment that all the judges and courts in the world couldn’t stop him. If he couldn’t taste those sweet lips, he’d surely die…!

Dear Reader Dear Reader, This month we’re celebrating love “against all odds” with these four powerful romances! Since her debut with Harlequin in 1991 with To Touch the Sun, Barbara Leigh has written several more historical novels, but none of her previous romantic leads have had to overcome the kind of obstacles that Josh and Meagan do in The Surrogate Wife. Meagan is wrongfully convicted of murdering Josh’s wife, and is sentenced to hang. In a moment of mercy, the judge orders her to a life of servitude to Josh, a single father in the Carolinas of 1790. So when the flame of love ignites between them, it’s a matter of life or death that they keep it hidden… The Midwife by Carolyn Davidson is the poignant story of a midwife who agrees to help out a stern farmer with his newborn after his wife dies in labor. They marry for convenience, yet later find a deep love, despite the odds. And don’t miss Lady of the Knight by the talented Tori Phillips, about a courtly knight who buys a “soiled dove” and wagers that he can pass her off as a lady in ten days’ time. Yet the more difficult charade lies in hiding his feelings for her! Keep a hankie nearby while reading about past lovers Lily and Tristan in Catherine Archer’s medieval novel, Winter’s Bride. Long thought dead, the now amnesiac Lily is hired to care for Tristan’s daughter— her daughter. Love shines anew as Lily’s memory slowly dawns… Whatever your tastes in reading, you’ll be sure to find a romantic journey back to the past between the covers of a Harlequin Historicals® novel. Sincerely, Tracy Farrell Senior Editor Please address questions and book requests to: Harlequin Reader Service U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269 Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

Title Page The Surrogate Wife Barbara Leigh www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author BARBARA LEIGH Born and raised in Nebraska, Barbara Leigh lived on both coasts before settling in California. She loves to write, read, travel and tramp through mansions, museums, ghost towns and castles. If it’s old, there is bound to be a story there somewhere. Barbara raised her family under the premise that there are only two gifts you can give your children: one gift is roots, the other, wings. So now that the children have grown up and flown the coop, Barbara shares life with her one-and-only husband, a bodacious cat, a precocious dog, her collection of Artists’ dolls, the diverse activities of fifteen assorted grandchildren, and a vivid imagination.

Dedication To Vivian Doering

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

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Copyright

After a few moments she stopped struggling. “Let me up,” she said, laughing. “We’ll both be soaked.”

She opened her eyes, blinking the snow from her lashes. When she looked into his face, so close to her own, she could see a new expression in his eyes. An expression Meagan had never seen before.

“Josh? What is it? Have I made you angry?”

“Dang it, Meagan, do you know how pretty you are with your cheeks all red, your eyes so bright and your lips all red and shiny and just waiting like a juicy winter apple to be tasted?” He gave a little sob deep in his throat and knew in that moment that all the judges and courts in the world couldn’t stop him.

If he couldn’t taste those sweet lips, he’d surely die…!

Dear Reader,

This month we’re celebrating love “against all odds” with these four powerful romances!

Since her debut with Harlequin in 1991 with To Touch the Sun, Barbara Leigh has written several more historical novels, but none of her previous romantic leads have had to overcome the kind of obstacles that Josh and Meagan do in The Surrogate Wife. Meagan is wrongfully convicted of murdering Josh’s wife, and is sentenced to hang. In a moment of mercy, the judge orders her to a life of servitude to Josh, a single father in the Carolinas of 1790. So when the flame of love ignites between them, it’s a matter of life or death that they keep it hidden…

The Midwife by Carolyn Davidson is the poignant story of a midwife who agrees to help out a stern farmer with his newborn after his wife dies in labor. They marry for convenience, yet later find a deep love, despite the odds. And don’t miss Lady of the Knight by the talented Tori Phillips, about a courtly knight who buys a “soiled dove” and wagers that he can pass her off as a lady in ten days’ time. Yet the more difficult charade lies in hiding his feelings for her!

Keep a hankie nearby while reading about past lovers Lily and Tristan in Catherine Archer’s medieval novel, Winter’s Bride. Long thought dead, the now amnesiac Lily is hired to care for Tristan’s daughter— her daughter. Love shines anew as Lily’s memory slowly dawns…

Whatever your tastes in reading, you’ll be sure to find a romantic journey back to the past between the covers of a Harlequin Historicals® novel.

Sincerely,

Tracy Farrell

Senior Editor

Please address questions and book requests to:

Harlequin Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269 Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Born and raised in Nebraska, Barbara Leigh lived on both coasts before settling in California. She loves to write, read, travel and tramp through mansions, museums, ghost towns and castles. If it’s old, there is bound to be a story there somewhere.

Barbara raised her family under the premise that there are only two gifts you can give your children: one gift is roots, the other, wings. So now that the children have grown up and flown the coop, Barbara shares life with her one-and-only husband, a bodacious cat, a precocious dog, her collection of Artists’ dolls, the diverse activities of fifteen assorted grandchildren, and a vivid imagination.

To Vivian Doering

“We find the defendant, Meagan Anne Reilly, guilty of murder.”

The jury foreman stared at the floor as he spoke, and jumped noticeably when the judge slammed his gavel down on the top of the big oak desk. There was no other sound in the schoolhouse that served as a courtroom, except for the nervous buzzing of the flies and the tiny gasp of the young woman who stood before the judge.