A Bride In Waiting

A Bride In Waiting
Sally Carleen

ON THE WAY TO A WEDDING…THE SUBSTITUTE BRIDEDr. Lucas Daniels viewed his bride-to-be's temporary disappearance with exasperation, fondness and resignation. After all, she felt the same way about him! Then a beautiful stranger strolled into town, looking exactly like his fianceé. In order to avoid upsetting their families, Lucas asked Sara Martin to stand in as the missing bride. But now he was wondering which bride to marry….Sara had been searching for a family, and now her wishes had come true. Not only did she have wonderful parents, but the look of love in her pretend groom's eyes warmed her heart. But when the clock struck twelve, would it end her fairy-tale dream or give her a true happily ever after?Long-lost twins discover their perfect grooms!

Sara. (#u6017fc46-ff88-5f64-82bd-6e2601b37a2e)Letter to Reader (#u9be5630e-969b-550f-9419-bdaa4bc9c93a)Title Page (#u2ad0f941-2d07-5faa-ad3f-38a47db6babd)Dedication (#u0a604f9b-c5e4-5841-b086-bbd2f57c5b50)About the Author (#u45e19ab7-6b4e-5890-bcdc-b52238bab23e)Chapter One (#ucc380f78-44c3-5609-9a50-c9ddfbb0c077)Chapter Two (#ubcd0d1bc-e1a4-537f-ad84-fece09806c76)Chapter Three (#uedf7dc81-2ddc-5610-bab8-02ee70aacbb1)Chapter Four (#u6334aae1-096c-5bef-9ea9-1a90c48fe80f)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)Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Sara.

From the first time Lucas had seen her, he’d known she couldn’t be Analise, because Analise had never turned his brain to mush while sending his hormones skyrocketing.

Okay, he was attracted to Sara. Very attracted. And he liked her. Admired her. Respected her. Wanted to take care of her and make her happy.

But he wasn’t in love.

He couldn’t be in love.

He refused to be in love.

But every time he closed his eyes, Sara’s face appeared. And no matter how hard he tried to convince himself it was really Analise’s face, he didn’t believe himself.

Dear Reader,

In May 2000 Silhouette Romance will commemorate its twentieth anniversary! This line has always celebrated the essence of true love in a manner that blends classic themes and the challenges of romance in today’s world into a reassuring, fulfilling novel. From the enchantment of first love to the wonder of second chance, a Silhouette Romance novel demonstrates the power of genuine emotion and the breathless connection that develops between a man and a woman as they discover each other. And this month’s stellar selections are quintessential Silhouette Romance stories!

If you’ve been following LOVING THE BOSS, you’ll be amazed when mysterious Rex Barrington III is unmasked in I Married the Boss! by Laura Anthony. In this month’s FABULOUS FATHERS offering by Donna Clayton, a woman discovers His Ten-Year-Old Secret. And opposites attract in The Rancher and the Heiress, the third of Susan Meier’s TEXAS FAMILY TIES miniseries.

WRANGLERS & LACE returns with Julianna Morris’s The Marriage Stampede. In this appealing story, a cowgirl butts heads—and hearts—with a bachelor bent on staying that way. Sally Carleen unveils the first book in her exciting duo ON THE WAY TO A WEDDING... with the tale of a twin mistaken for an M.D.’s Bride in Waiting! It’s both a blessing and a dilemma for a single mother when she’s confronted with an amnesiac Husband Found, this month’s FAMILY MATTERS title by Martha Shields.

Enjoy the timeless power of Romance this month, and every month—you won’t be disappointed!

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

A Bride in Waiting

Sally Carleen

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

For Lynda Powell Cilwick, who believed in Sara long before I did.

SALLY CARLEEN,

the daughter of a cowboy and a mail-order bride, has romance in her genes. Factor in the grandfather in 1890s Louisiana who stole the crowd at political rallies by standing on a flatbed wagon and telling stories, and it’s no surprise she ended up writing romance novels.

Sally, a hard-core romantic who expects life and novels to have happy endings, is married to Max Steward, and they live in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, with their large cat, Leo, and their very small dog, Cricket. Her hobbies are drinking Coca-Cola and eating chocolate, especially Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream. Sally loves to hear from her readers; P.O. Box 6614, Lee’s Summit, MO 64064.

Chapter One

Steam hissed from under the hood of Lucas Daniels’s silver Mercedes.

Muttering a curse, he slammed a fist against the steering wheel then yanked the traitor of a car to the side, into a parking space on Main Street—smack in the middle of downtown Briar Creek, Texas, on a Saturday afternoon.

Great. He could get out right here and make an announcement to the whole town rather than waiting for them to hear it via the gossip line. Skip the middleman. Maybe the news would travel fast enough that he wouldn’t have to be the one to tell his future in-laws, who were doubtless waiting at the church.

Analise Brewster will not be attending her own wedding rehearsal because she has skipped town. Make that skipped town, exclamation point since Analise’s note announcing that fact oozed exclamation points. And why not? She talked in exclamation points.

Both Lucas and Analise’s father, Ralph, had thought marriage would curb her impulsiveness, bring out a sense of responsibility, but so far the engagement hadn’t done much in that direction.

Her parents, especially her mother, were going to be very upset, as they always were when she got out of their sight for longer than a few minutes. They were overly protective and Analise was overly independent, a bad combination.

With another vehement curse, he climbed out into the east Texas summer day. The June sun beat down from above while heat rose from the street in waves to assault him from below. Though at this point he really couldn’t tell how much of that heat came from the sun and how much from his own anger.

He reached for the hood and burned his fingers on the hot metal. “Damn!” He bit back the rest of the litany of swearwords he’d have liked to run through.

A big hand clapped him on the back. “Got a problem, Lucas, my boy?”

My boy. After six years of practice, he was still a boy, still the new doctor...still Wayne Daniels’s son, accepted only because Ralph Brewster had taken him into his established practice. This new scandal wasn’t likely to increase anybody’s confidence in him. Lucas turned toward the smiling face. “You could say that, Herb.”

“Need a ride somewhere?”

Lucas plowed his fingers through his hair. He might as well tell Herb the truth and get it over with. Briar Creek was a small town. If, by chance, there was one person here that he didn’t know, Analise’s family did. Soon everybody would know about Analise’s latest escapade.

“Yeah,” he said. “Thanks. I could use a ride to the Methodist church over on Grand.”

“Getting ready for that big wedding, huh? I just saw Analise walking down Wyandotte.”

“What?”

Herb chuckled. “Reckon she’s gonna be late to your shindig, like she’s late to everything else. That’s our Analise.”

Lucas grabbed Herb’s arm. “Just now? You saw her just now?”

“Well, as long ago as it took me to drive one block. I wasn’t driving very fast, of course. I’m not in any hurry.”

“Which direction was she going?” .

Herb pointed up the street. “That way.”

Lucas whirled and charged in the direction Herb indicated. “Thanks!” he said over his shoulder.