Expecting at Christmas

Expecting at Christmas
Charlotte Maclay

IN THE FAMILY WAY…When lovely Loretta Santana signed on as Griffin Jones's temporary butler, the wealthy playboy discovered he suddenly had a few unexpected problems. One: his petite new butler was a she. Two: she was pregnant. Three: she was eight months pregnant and soon to be a single mom….All Loretta had wanted was to earn a month's fair wages before her Christmas delivery arrived–until she fell for her debonair employer's considerable charms. And it didn't help that the wedding-wary bachelor's protective instincts lurched into overdrive–but could Loretta convince the acting daddy-to-be to take on that role for a lifetime?

Loretta’s hand clasped her midsection, her eyes wide. (#ub101bdd7-d5b2-5bf8-a6c1-65ebb547290f)Letter to Reader (#u5e972c6a-80a7-5d22-adc7-46a6aa833032)Title Page (#ua72415e0-ab55-5ea7-9a90-bce338435fa8)Dedication (#u065b0f55-eb6a-5284-ad3d-c20d40360577)About the Author (#ub21f5c1c-74d4-5a7a-9b16-c0c188745ce9)Chapter One (#uf16233ed-6cb5-5975-9969-ed8f5ac961ec)Chapter Two (#u5a46a049-eb8b-5b7a-b4b9-1f0583673921)Chapter Three (#u68b54663-384a-5289-9bde-8d98e6dcc467)Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Loretta’s hand clasped her midsection, her eyes wide.

Panic whipped through Griffin. “Are you having the baby?”

Shaking her head, Loretta took Griffin’s hand and planted it on her swollen belly. “She—or he—just kicked me. Here, feel.”

The heat of her body scorched his hand. He wanted to pull back, but she held him there. And then the baby kicked.

To actually feel the movement, to imagine a tiny foot pressing against his hand, touched him in a way he certainly hadn’t expected. An odd lump formed in his throat. He gazed into Loretta’s liquid-brown eyes, and they wouldn’t let him go. At some gut level, Griffin wanted to pledge he’d be there to take care of this baby, but he couldn’t do that. He wasn’t a family man.

With a force of will, he broke the connection between them and stepped back. He was not going to get involved with this woman or her baby.

Except that he already was....

Dear Reader,

The end of the century is near, and we’re all eagerly anticipating the wonders to come. But no matter what happens, I believe that everyone will continue to need and to seek the unquenchable spirit of love...of romance. And here at Silhouette Romance, we’re delighted to present another month’s worth of terrific, emotional stories.

This month, RITA Award-winning author Marie Ferrarella offers a tender BUNDLES OF JOY tale, in which The Baby Beneath the Mistletoe brings together a man who’s lost his faith and a woman who challenges him to take a chance at love...and family. In Charlotte Maclay’s charming new novel, a millionaire playboy isn’t sure what he was Expecting at Christmas, but what he gets is a very pregnant butler! Elizabeth Harbison launches her wonderful new theme-based miniseries, CINDERELLA BRIDES, with the fairy-tale romance—complete with mistaken identity!—between Emma and the Earl.

In A Diamond for Kate by Moyra Tarling, discover whether a doctor makes his devoted nurse his devoted wife after learning about her past... Patricia Thayer’s cross-line miniseries WITH THESE RINGS returns to Romance and poses the question: Can The Man, the Ring the Wedding end a fifty-year-old curse? You’ll have to read this dramatic story to find out! And though The Millionaire’s Proposition involves making a baby in Natalie Patrick’s upbeat Romance, can a down-on-her-luck waitress also convince him to make beautiful memories...as man and wife?

Enjoy this month’s offering, and look forward to a new century of timeless, traditional tales guaranteed to touch your heart!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor, Silhouette Romance

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

Expecting at Christmas

Charlotte Maclay

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

For my great-nephew—wear your name proudly!

CHARLOTTE MACLAY

has always enjoyed putting words on paper. Until recently, most of these words have been nonfiction, including a weekly newspaper column, which has recruited nearly twenty thousand volunteers in the past twenty years for some four hundred different local nonprofit organizations.

When she is not urging people to get involved in their community, Charlotte divides her time among writing, volunteering for her favorite organizations (including Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America), trying not to mother two married daughters and sharing her life in Southern California with her own special hero, Chuck.

Dear Santa,

It’s been a long time since I’ve written a list to you, but this year, maybe because the baby will be here soon and it will be his or her first Christmas, there are a few things I would wish for to make this holiday just perfect.

1) For my brother Roberto, a new tow truck for his business

2) My brother Marco could sure use some new pizza pans to replace the banged-up ones he uses at his restaurant

3) Nothing pleases dear Aunt Louisa more than skeins of tatting yam, so I’d wish for a basket of yarn for her that magically would never get empty

4) Now I know my cousin Brenna would love a mini second honeymoon with her husband....

5) And as for me, I don’t want much for Christmas—but with all my heart I wish for a healthy baby with ten fingers, ten toes and an adorable smile. That would do me just fine.

Of course, if I were being totally honest, I’d want a daddy for my baby—and a husband for me. But I don’t suppose I’d ever find one in your pack. Still, there’s no harm in asking....

Merry Christmas.

Love,

Loretta Santana

Chapter One

Getting a job was always difficult. Landing one when you were eight months pregnant counted as a miracle.

Loretta Santana smoothed her hair back as she heard her new employer’s car cross the narrow wooden bridge at the bottom of Topanga Canyon Road and navigate the circular drive in front of his house.

She’d never actually been a butler before, though she’d taken an accelerated class at the Westside Butler Academy just last week in order to qualify for this position. And, true, her black suit, which she wore with a neat little bow tie, might have been a bit odd to order in a maternity size. But she was determined she’d keep this job until she became eligible for insurance benefits with the temporary agency that had hired her. She only needed one hundred and twenty more hours to her credit—three weeks—and she could sign up. Her baby wasn’t due for another four weeks and one day, the week after Christmas.

Instinctively she slid her hand across her distended belly. Both she and Isabella’s baby would need the medical benefits.

Anxiety had her gnawing at her lower lip as she opened the front door, standing back so Griffin Jones wouldn’t get a full-length look at her right off. Her nerves were certainly frazzled. When she got past this hurdle, she’d have to take a megadose of vitamin E to stabilize her ions and get her yin and yang back in balance.

With the easy strides of an athlete, Griffin mounted the steps two at a time. His suit jacket hung open and his power tie was loose around his collar. He came to an abrupt halt at the front door.

“Well, well, well,” he drawled. A wicked smile curled amazingly sensual lips. “What have we got here?”

“Loretta Santana, sir. Your temporary butler.”

He glanced past her into the rustic entry with its warm wood paneling and subdued lighting. “What did you do with Rodgers, sweetheart?”

“I believe he’s en route to London, sir.”