Roxann Delaney - Rachel's Rescuer

Lucas had thought when the mother and child arrived at his ranch.

Now he groaned at the innocence of the word. Trouble didn’t even begin to describe what he was in for.

He could still hear her soft voice echoing through his mind, floating down from the spare room upstairs where she and the little boy were settling in for the night. And his body still hummed from her sweet scent.

It had been a while—a long while—since he’d reacted so swiftly to any woman. But Lucas had ignored that warning—so he hadn’t even noticed the approaching storm about to snow them in together.

Hell, she wasn’t even pretty. Not in the usual ways—the things men looked for in a woman. Her floppy sweatshirt wasn’t hiding anything remotely voluptuous.

Lucas grunted his displeasure. She and the boy didn’t belong here.

A woman was nothin’ but…trouble.

Dear Reader,

You asked for more ROYALLY WED titles and you’ve got them! For the next four months we’ve brought back the Stanbury family—first introduced in a short story by Carla Cassidy on our eHarlequin.com Web site. Be sure to check the archives to find Nicholas’s story! But don’t forget to pick up Stella Bagwell’s The Expectant Princess and discover the involving story of the disappearance of King Michael.

Other treats this month include Marie Ferrarella’s one hundredth title for Silhouette Books! This wonderful, charming and emotional writer shows her trademark warmth and humor in Rough Around the Edges. Luckily for all her devoted readers, Marie has at least another hundred plots bubbling in her imagination, and we’ll be seeing more from her in many of our Silhouette lines.

Then we’ve got Karen Rose Smith’s Tall, Dark & True about a strong, silent sheriff who can’t bear to keep quiet about his feelings any longer. And Donna Clayton’s heroine asks Who Will Father My Baby?—and gets a surprising answer. No Place Like Home by Robin Nicholas is a delightful read that reminds us of an all-time favorite movie—I’ll let you guess which one! And don’t forget first-time author Roxann Delaney’s debut title, Rachel’s Rescuer.

Next month be sure to return for The Blacksheep Prince’s Bride by Martha Shields, the next of the ROYALLY WED series. Also returning are popular authors Judy Christenberry and Elizabeth August.

Happy reading!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

With bunches of love to the Ditzy Chix, who kept at me

until it happened. Thank you. And to my four lovely

daughters, who make my life the best.

lives on a farm in south-central Kansas and is the mother of four daughters. The 1999 Maggie Award winner spent many hours spinning tales while driving a wheat truck to the grain elevator during harvest. Though she and her family are no longer actively farming, their current menagerie of dogs, cats and one lop-eared rabbit named Rudy manages to keep them busy. A theater buff, Roxann once established a community theater in her hometown, and both acted in and directed the productions, as well as serving on the board of directors. But writing is her first love, and she’s thrilled to have followed her yellow brick road to the land of Silhouette Romance.

Dear Reader,

Like many of you, I’m a mom. And like most moms, I know my four daughters well. When I told them I’d sold my first book, their reactions were varied, as I’d expected. But whether it was a simple “That’s nice, Mom,” from the oldest or “I’m going to be a writer, just like you!” from the youngest, they all enjoyed sharing in the champagne-toast celebration. Somehow, I knew they would. That’s the way moms are. They think that’s magic. We know better.

Magic. That’s the word that comes to mind when I think of what writers refer to as “The Call.” Those magical words “We’d like to buy your book” can be likened only to hearing the doctor say, “Congratulations! You’re pregnant!” With one sentence, the world becomes a strange but beautiful place. Then, like pregnancy, we wait to actually see our “baby” born, when we hold the book in our hands. The joy is indescribable, even for a writer.

So curl up in your favorite reading spot and hold my “baby.” May it bring you laughter, may it bring a tear, but most of all, may it bring you joy.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Squinting into the crimson glare quickly disappearing behind the building clouds of an approaching winter storm, Lucas Callahan watched twin columns of dust race along the usually deserted ranch road.

“What the hell—”

Releasing the small calf he’d just tagged, he stood in silence and watched the first of two cars come to a dirt-spewing halt, missing the fence in front of the sprawling two-story house by inches. A woman climbed from the older model, red sports car, panic written all over her. She stood frozen to the spot when the tan cruiser of the county sheriff stopped, nearly crashing into her car.

Sheriff Ben Tatum climbed out of his vehicle and slammed his hat on his head. He strode forward, badge bouncing on his barrel chest. Coming to a stop directly in front of the woman, he planted his fists on his hips, legs spread wide. “Lady, what the hell do you think you’re doin’?”

Lucas stepped back into the deepening shadow of the barn and waited. From his vantage point, he could clearly see the scene unfolding in the yard, even though the sun continued its slow descent, and the sky had begun to darken. He wanted to hear what the woman had to say, but he didn’t want to be seen. Ben would handle the stranger better than he could. The two men had known each other all their lives, being born a few days apart, thirty-two years earlier.

“I…you…” She tugged at the hem of a too large sweatshirt, her nervous glance sweeping past Ben and lingering on her car. Squaring her shoulders, she faced him and lifted her chin. “I guess I’m lost.”

Ben knuckled back the brim of his hat. “Don’t you know you should pull over when an officer attempts to stop you?”

Her chin went up another notch, and she stiffened. “What did I do wrong?”

“Nothin’.” Ben walked around to the back of her car and leaned down.

The woman took a faltering step to follow, but brought herself up short when he straightened, a license plate in his hand. Her mouth opened once, then snapped shut.

He rounded the fender and held out the tag. “This was just flappin’ in the breeze, about to fall off. Drivin’ around without plates will get you in trouble, even here in Montana.”

“You came after me with your lights flashing because my license tag was loose?”

Ben’s stern countenance deepened to a frown. “So you did see me behind you. Next time an officer attempts to stop you, you stop.”

Her head lowered. “Yes, sir.”

Impatient to get back to his chores before dark settled in and the storm put a halt to the work, Lucas stepped out of the shadows. “I’ve got some plate screws.”

The woman jumped, and her hand flew to her throat. “How long have you been there?” she demanded.

Lucas took three strides in her direction and stopped at the corral fence. “Long enough.”

Brilliant blue eyes narrowed. “And what does that mean?”

Lucas sucked in a breath at the sight of those eyes. “I saw you flyin’ up the road.”

She tugged on her shirt again, her nervous gaze going to the car for the second time. “I was lost.”