Cindy Kirk - Merry Christmas, Cowboy!

The desire flickering in his suddenly dark depths told her Santa was having some naughty thoughts of his own. The realization gave her the courage she needed to wrap her arms around his neck. “I’ve always wanted to kiss a man with a beard.”

“That’s one Christmas wish that’s easy to fulfill.” Without warning Seth’s mouth closed over hers. His hands splayed against her back and he pulled her as tight as his overstuffed belly would permit.

Waves of desire washed over Lauren and she gave in to the moment, until an excited voice cut through the passionate fog.

“Daddy, Daddy, come quick,” Dani called from the doorway. “Santa is kissing Miss Lauren.”

Dear Reader,

Every author has books that are special to them. Some of my personal favorites are ones that involve children, especially little girls. This is probably because I have a daughter of my own. Children add their own special flavor to a book because, as we all know, you can never tell what’s going to come out of their mouths!

But in a romance, children serve another purpose, as well. How the hero (in this case, Seth) relates to his daughter, Dani, tells us a lot about him. To me, there is nothing more sexy and appealing than a man who is a good father.

In falling in love with Seth and choosing eventually to make her life with him, Lauren is also choosing to make her life with Dani. It was important to me to show she would be not only a good wife to Seth, but a good mother to Dani. When I ended this book, I had no doubts these three were perfectly matched and would have a wonderful future together.

That’s why I love writing for Special Edition. These are stories about real people finding their happily-ever-after. Seth and Lauren and Dani found theirs. I hope you find yours, too!

Warmest regards,

Cindy Kirk

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CINDY KIRK

has loved to read for as long as she can remember. In first grade she received an award for reading one hundred books. Growing up, summers were her favorite time of the year. Nothing beat going to the library, then coming home and curling up in front of the window air conditioner with a good book. Often the novels she read would spur ideas and she’d make up her own story (always with a happy ending). When she’d go to bed at night, instead of counting sheep, she’d make up more stories in her head. Since selling her first story to Harlequin Books in 1999, Cindy has been forced to juggle her love of reading with her passion for creating stories of her own…but she doesn’t mind. Writing for Special Edition is a dream come true. She only hopes you have as much fun reading her books as she has writing them!

Cindy invites you to visit her Web site at www.cindykirk.com.

To Patience Smith.

I can’t believe it’s been ten years since you bought

my first book. Working with you this past decade has

been pure pleasure. I’ve learned so much from you.

You’re knowledgeable, professional but also great fun.

I can’t wait to see what the next ten years bring!

To Shana Smith,

editorial assistant, for all your work on this book. I very

much appreciated your insightful comments. You have

a great future ahead of you in the publishing business!

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

Epilogue

“Are you asking me to move in with you?” Lauren Van Meveren placed the cup on her kitchen counter and stared at the handsome rancher.

Seth Anderssen, known in Sweet River, Montana, for his quick wit, didn’t miss a beat. “I guess I am. ’Cept we’ll have separate rooms and you’ll be there to tend to my daughter’s needs, not mine.”

Only when he chuckled did Lauren realize how her question actually sounded. She swallowed a groan. For an intelligent woman on the verge of earning her PhD in psychology, sometimes she could be amazingly inept.

“I knew that.” She met his gaze and shrugged, the cool response at odds with her rapidly beating heart. “We don’t have that kind of relationship. We’ve never even kissed.”

“That could easily be remedied.” His eyes took on an impish gleam and she caught a glimpse of the boy who’d once dropped a frog down the front of his sister’s dress.

“True.” Lauren kept her tone deliberately light. “Pressing lips together isn’t that difficult.”

“Is that all you think kissing is?”

Lauren thought of the few men she’d kissed. Ones with brilliant minds who appealed to her intellectual side. Ones with a sexual magnetism who appealed to her physical side. “It can be, more or less, depending on the man.”

Though she had the feeling with Seth it would be more. Since she’d moved to Sweet River five months ago, the way Lauren viewed him had changed dramatically. He was no longer simply the trustworthy older brother of her good friend Anna, the guy she’d met her freshman year in college when he’d driven to Denver to move his sister into the dorm.

At thirty-two, the widower and doting father of one was a well-respected rancher and head of the local cattlemen’s association. He was a man who—despite his own obligations—had gone out of his way to help her find subjects for her dissertation research. And with his dark blond hair, scintillating blue eyes and superbuff body, he was, hands down, the hottest guy in Yellowstone County.

However, unlike other single women in Sweet River, Lauren didn’t have happily-ever-after designs on him. Seth’s roots in this ranching community ran deep. And no matter how much she’d enjoyed her stay, it didn’t take an IQ of one hundred and sixty to know she’d never be able to realize her dreams here.

“Forget about kissing for a minute,” Seth said. “Will you do it, Lauren?”

Do it? Her eyes widened in surprise before she shook herself and jolted herself back to reality. “Hmm?”

“Will you move in and help me take care of Dani?” His tone was low, persuasive and sexy as hell.

The air between them thickened. Beams of light spilled through the lace curtains, turning Seth’s hair to spun gold. The dark blue depths of his eyes beckoned, tempting Lauren to step off the firm shore of complete control to a place where she could be over her head in seconds. His cologne teased her nostrils, the woodsy scent making her feel warm and tingly inside.

Lauren wanted nothing more than to say yes. But she’d never acted impulsively and she wasn’t about to start now.

“I understand the predicament you’re in, what with your housekeeper being too old to care for an injured child and all.” Lauren instinctively slipped into the calm rational tone she used when counseling patients. “However, taking care of a seven-year-old for three weeks is a huge responsibility.”

Disappointment skittered across Seth’s face and Lauren stifled a groan. Instead of reassuring him, her words had caused him to jump to the wrong conclusion. “I’m not saying that I won’t—”

“You don’t have to beat around the bush. If you don’t want to help us, just say so.” He rocked back on his heels and blew out a harsh breath. “I know she can be a handful, even when she’s well, but with a broken leg and arm—”