The Heiress

The Heiress
Cathy Gillen Thacker

Jack Granger, counselor to the Deveraux shipping empire and totally devoted to the senior Deveraux, has been shadowing the love child of his mentor for nearly a decade. Granger had watched Daisy grow up from a petulant rich girl into a driven young woman with a mission to find her roots–a quest he had long prevented her from ever accomplishing…harboring his desire for her all the while.Both were outcasts searching for redemption and truth in an unforgiving world of wealth and deception. Instead, they found each other…without pretense or promises. But at what cost would they seek the future?

THE DEVERAUX LEGACY LIVES ON!

“Am I getting to you?” Daisy asked.

Jack’s eyes narrowed. Perspiration beaded his temple. “This won’t help your situation.”

Daisy laughed softly. When he didn’t move—didn’t react in any way—she recklessly reached behind her and released the zipper on her sundress.

Jack’s expression grew even grimmer, more forbidding. Although she could tell he wanted her, he was not in the least bit amused by her antics. “Don’t do this,” Jack whispered. His fingers gently encircled her wrist, forcing her hand down. “It wouldn’t help either of us,” he said sternly.

More tired than she could ever say of being told what to do, think, even feel, Daisy replied, “We’ll just see about that.” And before Jack Granger could respond, she stood on tiptoe, wrapped her free hand around the back of his neck, tilted his head down and pressed her lips to his….

Dear Reader,

Have you ever felt that you just didn’t belong somewhere? Or that everyone knew what was really going on behind the scenes but you? Heiress Daisy Templeton has felt that way her entire life. Her intuition tells her there are secrets that have something to do with her adoption into the blue-blooded Templeton clan, and she is determined to discover the truth about her heritage. When she does, it rocks her world. She is a true heir to the Deveraux legacy. Her real mother and real father have been in her life all along!

Jack Granger, on the other hand, knows more than he cares to about his sordid past and wishes fervently he were a member of a family like the Deveraux. That isn’t possible, until he’s given the assignment by his boss Tom Deveraux to keep the beautiful and spirited Daisy safe. A job that soon becomes a lot more personal for Jack.

Daisy doesn’t want Jack around or cleaning up Tom’s mess. But soon their lives are entangled more deeply and irrevocably than they ever could have imagined.

I hope you enjoy this book and the rest of THE DEVERAUX LEGACY as much as I have enjoyed writing all six books. And don’t forget to look for Taking Over the Tycoon, coming in June 2003 from Harlequin American Romance.

Happy reading!

The Heiress

Cathy Gillen Thacker

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cathy Gillen Thacker has published over sixty books, more than fifty with Harlequin American Romance. And with good reason! The family dramas and romantic comedies are very close to her heart. Her books have made numerous appearances on bestseller lists and are published in seventeen languages and thirty-five countries around the world. She lives in North Carolina with her family.

To my darling daughter Sarah—

who understands the “creative process”/art of

storytelling like only another former English lit

major/Web site designer/law student can. Thanks for

listening, kiddo. (A lot!) This one is for you.

CONTENTS

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

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER ONE