Gayle Kaye - Daddyhood

Cover Page

Excerpt “Who are you, Sabrina Moore?” “Maybe you shouldn’t want to know.” Gabe was sure that was true. He shouldn’t try to open Pandora’s box. He might never get Sabrina put back inside, where she couldn’t wreak havoc with his senses, stir his hormones—make him want what he shouldn’t have. When her voice came, it was low. And soft. And very, very sexy. “I’m not really a puzzle, you know. What you see is what I am.” “And what is that?” “I’m a student of research. I like things clear and concise.” He leaned forward, searching her eyes. “What about Sabrina, the woman? What does she like?”

Dear Reader Dear Reader, Love is always in the air at Silhouette Romance. But this month, it might take a while for the characters of May’s stunning lineup to figure that out! Here’s what some of them have to say: “I’ve just found out the birth mother of my son is back in town. What’s a protective single dad to do?”—FABULOUS FATHER Jared O’Neal in Anne Peters’s My Baby, Your Son “What was I thinking, inviting a perfect—albeit beautiful—stranger to stay at my house?”—member of THE SINGLE DADDY CLUB, Reece Newton, from Beauty and the Bachelor Dad by Donna Clayton “I’ve got one last chance to keep my ranch but it means agreeing to marry a man I hardly know!”—Rose Murdock from The Rancher’s Bride by Stella Bagwell, part of her TWINS ON THE DOORSTEP miniseries “Would you believe my little white lie of a fiancé just showed up—and he’s better than I ever imagined!” —Ellen Rhoades, one of our SURPRISE BRIDES in Myrna Mackenzie’s The Secret Groom “I will not allow my search for a bride to be waylaid by that attractive, but totally unsuitable, redhead again!”—sexy rancher Rafe McMasters in Cowboy Seeks Perfect Wife by Linda Lewis “We know Sabrina would be the perfect mom for us—we just have to convince Dad to marry her!”—the precocious twins from Gayle Kaye’s Daddyhood Happy Reading! Melissa Senate 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 Daddyhood Gayle Kaye www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dedication To my brother, my friend, Gary Sondergard— thanks for sharing my childhood. And to my own little charmers, Diane and Cathy, who inspired this book. Love and hugs.

About the Author GAYLE KAYE had a varied and interesting career as an R.N. before finally hanging up her stethoscope to write romances. She indulges this passion in Kansas City, Missouri, where she lives with her husband and one very spoiled poodle. Her first romance in 1987 reached the finals of the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest When she’s not writing, she loves to travel or just curl up with a good book.

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Copyright

“Maybe you shouldn’t want to know.”

Gabe was sure that was true. He shouldn’t try to open Pandora’s box. He might never get Sabrina put back inside, where she couldn’t wreak havoc with his senses, stir his hormones—make him want what he shouldn’t have.

When her voice came, it was low. And soft. And very, very sexy.

“I’m not really a puzzle, you know. What you see is what I am.”

“And what is that?”

“I’m a student of research. I like things clear and concise.”

He leaned forward, searching her eyes. “What about Sabrina, the woman? What does she like?”

Dear Reader,

Love is always in the air at Silhouette Romance. But this month, it might take a while for the characters of May’s stunning lineup to figure that out! Here’s what some of them have to say:

“I’ve just found out the birth mother of my son is back in town. What’s a protective single dad to do?”—FABULOUS FATHER Jared O’Neal in Anne Peters’s My Baby, Your Son

“What was I thinking, inviting a perfect—albeit beautiful—stranger to stay at my house?”—member of THE SINGLE DADDY CLUB, Reece Newton, from Beauty and the Bachelor Dad by Donna Clayton

“I’ve got one last chance to keep my ranch but it means agreeing to marry a man I hardly know!”—Rose Murdock from The Rancher’s Bride by Stella Bagwell, part of her TWINS ON THE DOORSTEP miniseries

“Would you believe my little white lie of a fiancé just showed up—and he’s better than I ever imagined!” —Ellen Rhoades, one of our SURPRISE BRIDES in Myrna Mackenzie’s The Secret Groom

“I will not allow my search for a bride to be waylaid by that attractive, but totally unsuitable, redhead again!”—sexy rancher Rafe McMasters in Cowboy Seeks Perfect Wife by Linda Lewis

“We know Sabrina would be the perfect mom for us—we just have to convince Dad to marry her!”—the precocious twins from Gayle Kaye’s Daddyhood

Happy Reading!

Melissa Senate

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

To my brother, my friend, Gary Sondergard— thanks for sharing my childhood. And to my own little charmers, Diane and Cathy, who inspired this book. Love and hugs.

had a varied and interesting career as an R.N. before finally hanging up her stethoscope to write romances. She indulges this passion in Kansas City, Missouri, where she lives with her husband and one very spoiled poodle. Her first romance in 1987 reached the finals of the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest

When she’s not writing, she loves to travel or just curl up with a good book.

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

“Is not”

“Dad…!”

The twins were fighting again. Gabe Lawrence took the cake he was baking for their sixth birthday out of the oven. It was to be a three-tiered job, with lots of fluffy icing between the layers.

But as he flopped the round layer pans onto the kitchen countertop, he sighed at the sinkholes in the center of each. He probably should have bought a cake. But he was determined to be a hands-on dad.

Was this penance for the years he hadn’t been?

He took off the oven mitts, tossing them beside the sorry cake layers, and went to settle his daughters’ dispute.

“Dad, she’s got my Barbie and won’t give it back,” Hannah said the moment he stepped into the playroom, the one that used to be his home office.

“It’s my Barbie. Nana gave it to me—just me!” Heather retaliated, at which time each girl grabbed a leg and pulled, snapping the poor doll’s legs like a wishbone.

That really set up a howl.

“Okay, princesses, stop your crying and I’ll see if I can…perform doll surgery. Okay?”

That brought a snuffle and a sob and wide-eyed hopefulness from each girl.

“Then she can’t play with it anymore. Isn’t that right, Dad?” Hannah said.

“No one will be playing with Barbie,” he informed them. “She’ll need about six weeks to convalesce.”

Maybe in that time he would have decided which twin had ownership.