A Marriage Made In Joeville

A Marriage Made In Joeville
Anne Eames

SCANDALOUS COWBOY!When Ryder Malone announced his plans to marry an older, frail-looking brothel owner with a fatherless little boy, Savannah Smith knew something wasn't right in Joeville, Montana. The bride-to-be aside, how had a sexy loner - long-estranged from his own family - become devoted to a kid that wasn't his?All Savannah knew was that Ryder had been the husband of her dreams since high school. And considering that he'd introduced her to the wonders of passion mere nights before his shocking announcement, the only woman Ryder was walking down the aisle with was Savannah!THE MONTANA MALONES: Three sexy brothers whose lips are sealed with their secrets… 'til passion pries 'em loose.

“Ryder Doesn’t Know Who I Really Am,” (#ub5a100d1-a733-5883-88ad-c4f7142503e9)Letter to Reader (#u61396ae4-f08a-507e-aeb6-31fefccf83bc)Title Page (#ud643d5f0-7e51-559b-a9ed-5fd07f006ce1)Dedication (#u1de953c7-3f70-580c-b99e-d7400acd1f70)About the Author (#ue283a128-becf-5a2c-be97-401c21d6d1ae)Letter to Reader (#u69e95ad5-bd17-5f86-a327-ed67e7391968)Prologue (#ued685c58-2b6d-514e-8d47-72d03076513e)Chapter One (#u563fb15a-872c-5ecb-94dd-451586175491)Chapter Two (#u0e022a22-9973-55e6-ab4c-2ce28d9423e7)Chapter Three (#u50154134-c955-57ea-b605-57cc88afe170)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)Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

“Ryder Doesn’t Know Who I Really Am,”

Savannah said between sobs to Hannah, the Malone family housekeeper, as Ryder’s announcement rang in her ears. I’m proud to introduce my fiancée....

“I’ve loved Ryder since high school, but I looked different back then, and he doesn’t recognize me. And just two nights ago we’d...we’d—Oh, Hannah...I thought he cared about me—” Embarrassed, Savannah stopped and the sobs came faster.

The housekeeper had sucked in air with each new revelation, her eyes wide and her hand covering her mouth. “Savannah, you’ve got to tell the man the truth—everything. That...woman can’t make my Ryder happy. You mark my words—a mistake has been made. And a mistake can be fixed. You just hush those sobs, miss.”

Savannah forced a small smile, a tiny ray of hope in her heart.

Dear Reader,

A book from Joan Hohl is always a delight, so I’m thrilled that this month we have her latest MAN OF THE MONTH, A Memorable Man. Naturally, this story is chock-full of Joan’s trademark sensuality and it’s got some wonderful plot twists that are sure to please you!

Also this month, Cindy Gerard’s latest in her NORTHERN LIGHTS BRIDES series, A Bride for Crimson Falls, and Beverly Barton’s “Southern sizzle” is highlighted in A Child of Her Own. Anne Eames has the wonderful ability to combine sensuality and humor, and A Marriage Made in Joeville features this talent.

The Baby Blizzard by Caroline Cross is sure to melt your heart this month—it’s an extraordinary love story with a hero and heroine you’ll never forget! And the month is completed with a sexy romp by Diana Mars, Matchmaking Mona.

In months to come, look for spectacular Silhouette Desire books by Diana Palmer, Jennifer Greene, Lass Small and many other fantastic Desire stars! And I’m always here to listen to your thoughts and opinions about the books. You can write to me at the address below.

Enjoy! I wish you hours of happy reading!

Lucia Macro

Senior Editor

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 Marriage Made In Joeville

Anne Eames

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

To the most beautiful Savannah of all.

ANNE EAMES

joined Romance Writers of America in 1991 and set a five-year goal: to sell her first novel. A year ahead of schedule, Anne sold Two Weddings and a Bride, followed quickly by You’re What?! and Christmas Elopement. As a bonus, her debut novel landed on the USA Today bestseller list the same day that Silhouette bought her fourth novel, A Marriage Made in Joeville.

Anne and her engineer husband, Bill, live in southeastern Michigan, and share a blended family of five—two hers (Tim and Tom), two his (Erin and David) and one theirs (an adorable miniature dachshund, Punkin).

Dear Reader,

When I first embarked on this trilogy set in Montana, I nearly panicked. The closest I’d ever been to this state was watching Legends of the Fall (and even then I noticed more of Brad Pitt than the scenery)! So the research began, and soon I had videos and maps and beautiful photo books strewn all over my office. Before I realized what was happening, I’d fallen in love with an area I had barely thought about previously. And the next thing I knew, my husband, Bill, and I were on a plane headed for Bozeman, Montana, with a string of bed-and-breakfast reservations covering points east and south. I hope in reading my next three stories, you will experience some of the beauty and grandeur we enjoyed during our travels through this truly awesome state.

In book one of The Montana Malones, you will meet Ryder and Savannah, once high school best friends, reunited after twelve years of separation. (You might want a box of tissues handy for this one.) Also in this book, you’ll get to know the rest of the family: brothers Shane and Joshua, and their father, Maxwell Malone, a semiretired orthopedic surgeon with secrets of his own that are interwoven into all three books. And then there’s Hannah, the cantankerous housekeeper, plus Bucking Horse, a member of the Crow tribe who lives on the ranch and manages to wield his influence over more than the horses that he trains.

I hope you enjoy The Montana Malones and that these people become as real to you as they have become to me.

I love to hear from readers! So for those who write and enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope, I will send along a little surprise. In the meantime, a special “thank you” to each and every one of you for taking my books to the USA Today bestseller list. It’s loyal readers like yourself who have made another dream come true.

Warmest regards,

Anne Eames

Write c/o: 4217 Highland Road #252

Waterford, MI 48328

Prologue

“A lotta good it did to save myself, huh?” Savannah folded a pair of jeans and slapped them into her suitcase. “All these years of waiting for the right guy and another one bites the dust.” She flung a couple of sweatshirts in the general vicinity of the bed.

Jenny leaned against the doorjamb and crossed her arms. “At least the wedding invitations weren’t sent out yet.”

Savannah stopped packing and dropped cross-legged on the braided oval rug. “He could have told me a long time ago there was someone else.” She shook her head, feeling the familiar sting of betrayal.

“You told me you weren’t sure he was the one, anyway. So why the long face?”

Savannah bowed her head, the heat of a sudden blush traveling up her neck. She stole a peek at Jenny’s cocked eyebrow, then lowered her gaze again. “Because now I’m the dumpee, not the dumper.” And after a lifetime of self-doubts, she still felt like that frumpy little fat girl of her youth, regardless of her metamorphosis.

“I’d prefer to think you made the decision and he simply forced your hand.” Jenny’s tone softened as she pushed off the jamb and moved closer. “All things considered, isn’t it for the best?”

Savannah glanced up and caught Jenny’s tender look. “I guess so.” Then with more enthusiasm, she added, “You’re right, as usual.”

Jenny nodded her head and knelt down. “Smart girl.” After a brief reflection, she tugged at Savannah’s arm and pulled them both to their feet.

“Come on, kiddo. That was over a month ago. No point beating yourself up over it again.” She wrapped an arm around Savannah’s shoulder and ushered her to the white wicker love seat angled in the corner of the room. They sat sideways on overstuffed chintz cushions, tucked their legs beneath them and eyed each other.

“Tell me, Jen. Have you ever been passionately in love? You know, the kind of goose-bumpy feeling whenever he walks into a room, or brushes a part of you accidentally?”

Jen looked away with exaggerated wistfulness, then back in a flash. “No.”

“Never?”

“Passionately in lust? Oh, yeah. But not what you’re talking about.”