Caroline Cross - Gavin's Child

Cover Page

Excerpt “Mama! You’re Squishing Me!” Mama? Gavin frowned, a V forming between his brows. His gaze skated over Annie, stopping at her slender hands, which were clasped together to support the child’s weight. A chased silver-on-gold wedding band stood out starkly on one slim finger. A ring he himself had slipped on. His gaze shot back to her pale face, to the stark panic she couldn’t disguise. And suddenly it all fit. The ring, her distress, the little boy’s bright blue eyes and familiar grin… Familiar because it was the spitting image of his, seen captured in photos and reflected in mirrors for his entire thirty-four years.

Dear Reader Dear Reader, Cowboys and cops…sexy men with a swagger…just the kind of guys to make your head turn. That’s what we’ve got for you this month in Silhouette Desire. The romance begins when Taggart Jones meets his match in Anne McAllister’s wonderful MAN OF THE MONTH, The Cowboy and the Kid. This is the latest in her captivating CODE OF THE WEST miniseries. And the fun continues with Mitch Harper in A Gift for Baby, the next book in Raye Morgan’s THE BABY SHOWER series. Cindy Gerard has created a dynamic hero in the very masculine form of J. D. Hazzard in The Bride Wore Blue, book #1 in the NORTHERN LIGHTS BRIDES series. And if rugged rascals are your favorite, don’t miss Jake Spencer in Dixie Browning’s The Baby Notion, which is book #1 of DADDY KNOWS LAST, Silhouette’s new cross-line continuity. (Next month, look for Helen R. Myers’s Baby in a Basket as DADDY KNOWS LAST continues in Silhouette Romance!) Gavin Cantrell is sure to weaken your knees in Gavin’s Child by Caroline Cross, part of the delightful BACHELORS AND BABIES promotion. And Jackie Merritt—along with hero Duke Sheridan—kicks off her MADE IN MONTANA series with Montana Fever. Heroes to fall in love with—and love scenes that will make your toes curl. That’s what Silhouette Desire is all about. Until next month—enjoy! All the best. Senior Editor Please address questions and book requests to: Silhouette 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 Gavin’s Child Caroline Cross www.millsandboon.co.uk

Caroline Cross CAROLINE CROSS grew up in eastern Washington State, where she acquired a love of books and horses, long summer days and wide-open spaces. Although she was an inveterate reader, it wasn’t until after the birth of her second child that she discovered the magic of contemporary romance fiction. Fascinated by the opportunity to write about what interests her most—people, and why they behave as they do—she began her first book and has been writing ever since. She now lives outside Seattle with her husband, two daughters and an everexpanding collection of pets.

Dedication To Pat Teal—savvy friend and wise counselor And to Melinda, Susan and Sandi—three of the brightest, nicest— most irreverent —friends anyone could have. Thanks guys.

Prologue

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Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Preview

Copyright

Mama? Gavin frowned, a V forming between his brows. His gaze skated over Annie, stopping at her slender hands, which were clasped together to support the child’s weight. A chased silver-on-gold wedding band stood out starkly on one slim finger.

A ring he himself had slipped on.

His gaze shot back to her pale face, to the stark panic she couldn’t disguise.

And suddenly it all fit.

The ring, her distress, the little boy’s bright blue eyes and familiar grin…

Familiar because it was the spitting image of his, seen captured in photos and reflected in mirrors for his entire thirty-four years.

Dear Reader,

Cowboys and cops…sexy men with a swagger…just the kind of guys to make your head turn. That’s what we’ve got for you this month in Silhouette Desire.

The romance begins when Taggart Jones meets his match in Anne McAllister’s wonderful MAN OF THE MONTH, The Cowboy and the Kid. This is the latest in her captivating CODE OF THE WEST miniseries. And the fun continues with Mitch Harper in A Gift for Baby, the next book in Raye Morgan’s THE BABY SHOWER series.

Cindy Gerard has created a dynamic hero in the very masculine form of J. D. Hazzard in The Bride Wore Blue, book #1 in the NORTHERN LIGHTS BRIDES series. And if rugged rascals are your favorite, don’t miss Jake Spencer in Dixie Browning’s The Baby Notion, which is book #1 of DADDY KNOWS LAST, Silhouette’s new cross-line continuity. (Next month, look for Helen R. Myers’s Baby in a Basket as DADDY KNOWS LAST continues in Silhouette Romance!)

Gavin Cantrell is sure to weaken your knees in Gavin’s Child by Caroline Cross, part of the delightful BACHELORS AND BABIES promotion. And Jackie Merritt—along with hero Duke Sheridan—kicks off her MADE IN MONTANA series with Montana Fever.

Heroes to fall in love with—and love scenes that will make your toes curl. That’s what Silhouette Desire is all about. Until next month—enjoy!

All the best.

Senior Editor

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette 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

grew up in eastern Washington State, where she acquired a love of books and horses, long summer days and wide-open spaces. Although she was an inveterate reader, it wasn’t until after the birth of her second child that she discovered the magic of contemporary romance fiction. Fascinated by the opportunity to write about what interests her most—people, and why they behave as they do—she began her first book and has been writing ever since. She now lives outside Seattle with her husband, two daughters and an everexpanding collection of pets.

To Pat Teal—savvy friend and wise counselor

And to Melinda, Susan and Sandi—three of the

brightest, nicest— most irreverent —friends anyone could have. Thanks guys.

Someone was watching him.

Gavin Cantrell paused as he reached for the six-pack of beer. A prickle of primitive awareness crept up his broad, powerful back. It was so strong that he had to fight an uneasy urge to roll his shoulders.

Instead, he stood as still as a statue and tried to pinpoint the source of the feeling. First he narrowed his eyes against the artificial brightness of the fluorescent lights overhead. Next he blocked out the insistent voice on the grocery store’s PA system, which was requesting that shoppers be on the lookout for a missing toddler.

He eased back, two hundred and ten pounds of muscled aggression, and took a long look around.

The aisle was deserted.

Well, hell. There’s nobody here but you, Rambo.

The tension slowly drained out of him, and a wash of heat worked its way up his neck. He shook his head. How much longer was it going to take for the overactive defense mechanisms he’d learned at Colson to fade? How long before he stopped seeing enemies in every shadow and threats around every bend? Another month? A year? Ten?

He raked a hand through his dark hair and let loose a sigh of disgust. All right, so he’d overreacted. It was no big deal. He was just tired—and hot, sweaty and hungry after thirteen hours working full-out on the Ebersoles’ new house. His foot ached from the beam an apprentice carpenter had inadvertently dropped on it. And his shoulders stung because he’d foolishly worked barechested under the hot June sun.