Raye Morgan - Instant Dad

Cover Page

Excerpt There, On The Birth Certificate, Was His Name, Drey Angeli. He stared at it, hardly breathing. He could erase it with the stroke of a key. No one was looking. It would take only seconds and he could wipe out the record, make sure no one ever knew. He glanced back into the nursery, craned his head to see baby Calli’s bed. The only things visible from this angle were her little fists waving in the air. His heart lurched and he shook his head, looking back at the screen. No. He wouldn’t erase his name. He was Calli’s father, and no one would ever be able to take that away from him.

Dear Reader Dear Reader, Happy holidays from the staff at Silhouette Desire! As you can see by the special cover treatment this month, these books are our holiday gifts to you. And each and every story is so wonderful that I know you’ll want to buy extras to give to your friends! We begin with Jackie Merritt’s MAN OF THE MONTH, Montana Christmas, which is the conclusion of her spectacular MADE IN MONTANA series. The fun continues with Instant Dad, the final installment in Raye Morgan’s popular series THE BABY SHOWER. Suzannah Davis’s Gabriel’s Bride is a classic—and sensuous—love story you’re sure to love. And Anne Eames’s delightful writing style is highlighted to perfection in Christmas Elopement. For a story that will make you feel all the warmth and goodwill of the holiday season, don’t miss Kate Little’s Jingle Bell Baby. And Susan Connell begins a new miniseries—THE GIRLS MOST LIKELY TO…—about three former high school friends who are now all grown up in Rebel’s Spirit. Look for upcoming books in the series in 1997. Happy holidays and happy reading from AND THE STAFF OF SILHOUETTE DESIRE 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 Instant Dad Raye Morgan www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author RAYE MORGAN favors settings in the West, which is where she has spent most of her life. She admits to a penchant for Western heroes, believing that whether he’s a rugged outdoorsman or a smooth city sophisticate, he tends to have a streak of wildness that the romantic heroine can’t resist taming. She’s been married to one of those Western men for twenty years and is busy raising four more in her Southern California home.

Prologue

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Copyright

He stared at it, hardly breathing.

He could erase it with the stroke of a key. No one was looking. It would take only seconds and he could wipe out the record, make sure no one ever knew. He glanced back into the nursery, craned his head to see baby Calli’s bed. The only things visible from this angle were her little fists waving in the air. His heart lurched and he shook his head, looking back at the screen.

No. He wouldn’t erase his name. He was Calli’s father, and no one would ever be able to take that away from him.

Dear Reader,

Happy holidays from the staff at Silhouette Desire! As you can see by the special cover treatment this month, these books are our holiday gifts to you. And each and every story is so wonderful that I know you’ll want to buy extras to give to your friends!

We begin with Jackie Merritt’s MAN OF THE MONTH, Montana Christmas, which is the conclusion of her spectacular MADE IN MONTANA series. The fun continues with Instant Dad, the final installment in Raye Morgan’s popular series THE BABY SHOWER.

Suzannah Davis’s Gabriel’s Bride is a classic—and sensuous—love story you’re sure to love. And Anne Eames’s delightful writing style is highlighted to perfection in Christmas Elopement. For a story that will make you feel all the warmth and goodwill of the holiday season, don’t miss Kate Little’s Jingle Bell Baby.

And Susan Connell begins a new miniseries—THE GIRLS MOST LIKELY TO…—about three former high school friends who are now all grown up in Rebel’s Spirit. Look for upcoming books in the series in 1997.

Happy holidays and happy reading from

AND THE STAFF OF SILHOUETTE DESIRE

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

favors settings in the West, which is where she has spent most of her life. She admits to a penchant for Western heroes, believing that whether he’s a rugged outdoorsman or a smooth city sophisticate, he tends to have a streak of wildness that the romantic heroine can’t resist taming. She’s been married to one of those Western men for twenty years and is busy raising four more in her Southern California home.

THE INVITATIONS ARE OUT

“Why do they call them baby showers, anyway?”

Sara Parker looked up from the last of the invitations she was addressing. “I don’t know. Maybe because they are a celebration where you shower the baby with gifts.”

“Hmm.” Jenny Kirkland sounded skeptical. Leaning back in her chair, she patted her rounded belly. “I just hope this little one arrives in time for the shower you’re having. It’ll be fun for you to show all your friends your new baby.”

Sara glanced at where her sister’s hand was placed, an uneasy mixture of love and envy filling her eyes. If only she were the one who was pregnant instead of Jenny, this would all seem more natural. But no matter —the baby Jenny was carrying would soon be hers. It was the waiting that was so hard.

“You’re invited too, you know,” she said with a quick smile.

Jenny laughed. “I don’t think so. Baby showers and a bunch of women getting together to play games and drink green punch are not exactly my sort of scene.”

Sara knew she was only being honest. Jenny could usually be found wherever the music was the loudest and the men the handsomest. It was amazing that Sara had been able to convince her to spend all these months gestating a baby and she knew Jenny was champing at the bit to get back into the action on the singles scene.

“Only a couple more weeks,” she told her softly as she put the stamp on the last envelope. “Not long at all.”

Jenny stared at her for a moment, her green eyes rebellious. But she didn’t express what she was thinking. Instead, she sighed and said, “Let’s go over it again. If it’s a girl, I’ll name her Calli. If it’s a boy, I’ll name him Christopher. Is that it?”

Sara nodded. Those were the names they had decided upon between them. Jenny had been particularly keen on the boy’s name and that made Sara wonder.

“Was his name Christopher?” she asked casually, still sealing envelopes.

Jenny looked up, startled. “Whose name?”

“You know who I mean. The baby’s father.”

Jenny rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Let’s not get sentimental about this.” She tossed her red hair back over her shoulder, then glanced at her sister’s face and softened when she saw the look in her eyes. “Oh, forget about it, Sara. You don’t want to know who the father was. It’s better left alone.”