One Man's Promise

One Man's Promise
Diana Whitney

Fabulous FathersTHE DADHis daughter was in love–with a dog! Richard Matthews had nothing against Rags, but the dog's owner, lovely C.J.Moray, was another matter. With a charming grin, she tempted him into very unfatherly thoughts….THE DAMSELC.J. saw Richard's struggle with fatherhood, and longed to help. But how?THE FAMILYOnce Richard saw the joy that C.J. brought, he didn't want her to go. Could he convince the wary woman that the best things in life start with two–and go on to four?Fabulous FathersHave more than enough to share!

“Well, I guess I should go,” (#u446599ea-8ff6-5449-b183-e17acf3a8aa5)Letter to Reader (#ufc2211d2-24dd-5d6f-a228-8548ce775355)Title Page (#u32347be0-0711-532c-982e-6885860b51d7)Dedication (#ud024af93-3ac4-55eb-866a-ab57f46f4e56)DIANA WHITNEY (#u3614519b-5ecd-51ff-9776-65204aaf4765)Chapter One (#udbf19b09-b045-5fa3-b55e-76e06f80c218)Chapter Two (#u144a63c2-c6b8-575a-971e-8c7021e9ae71)Chapter Three (#litres_trial_promo)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)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

“Well, I guess I should go,”

Richard said.

“Wait.” C.J. met his gaze, was instantly swept up in the power, the intensity, the heat. It was all she could do to keep herself from touching his freshly shaved chin, from pressing her palm against his face and whispering that there was nothing on earth she wanted more than to spend every evening of her life with him, and only with him.

She forced her thoughts away from that desire. “Umm. Would you like to take some cookies home for your daughter?”

“No,she’s allergic to chocolate.”

“That makes two of us,” C.J. murmured as Richard helped himself to a cookie and took a slow, melting bite.

“Too bad,” he said. “It’s the food of the gods.”

“Yes.” It came out on a sigh. She reached out to wipe a crumb from his lips. “Better than sex.”

Her eyes widened in horror. Had she actually said that out loud?

She had.

Dear Reader,

July brings you the fifth title of Silhouette Romance’s VIRGIN BRIDES promotion. This series is devoted to the beautiful metaphor of the traditional white wedding and the fairy-tale magic of innocence awakened to passionate love on the wedding night. In perennial favorite Sandra Steffen’s offering, The Bounty Hunter’s Bride , a rugged loner finds himself propositioned by the innocent beauty who’d nursed him to health in a remote mountain cabin. He resists her precious gift...but winds up her shotgun groom when her father and four brothers discover their hideaway!

Diana Whitney returns to the Romance lineup with One Man’s Promise, a wonderfully warmhearted story about a struggling FABULOUS FATHER and an adventurous single gal who are brought together by their love for his little girl and a shaggy mutt named Rags. And THE BRUBAKER BRIDES are back! In Cinderella’s Secret Baby, the third book of Carolyn Zane’s charming series, tycoon Mac Brubaker tracks down the poor but proud bride who’d left him the day after their whirlwind wedding, only to discover she’s about to give birth to the newest Brubaker heir....

Wanted: A Family Forever is confirmed bachelor Zach Robinson’s secret wish in this intensely emotional story by Anne Peters. But will marriage-jaded Monica Griffith and her little girl trust him with their hearts? Linda Varner’s twentieth book for Silhouette is book two of THREE WEDDINGS AND A FAMILY. When two go-getters learn they must marry to achieve their dreams, a wedding of convenience results in a Make-Believe Husband...and many sleepless nights! Finally, a loyal assistant agrees to be her boss’s Nine-to-Five Bride in Robin Wells’s sparkling new story, but of course this wife wants her new husband to be a permanent acquisition!

Enjoy each and every Silhouette Romance!

Regards,

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor Silhouette Books

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

One Man’s Promise

Diana Whitney

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

To Rae Lovald, a doggy-mom extraordinaire, who has been so very generous with her kindness and support. Thanks a bunch, hon. Your friendship means so much.

DIANA WHITNEY

says she loves “fat babies and warm puppies, mountain streams and California sunshine, camping, hiking and gold prospecting. Not to mention strong romantic heroes!” She married her own real-life hero twenty years ago. With his encouragement, she left her longtime career as a municipal finance director and pursued the dream that had haunted her since childhood—writing. To Diana, writing is a joy, the ultimate satisfaction. Reading, too, is her passion, from spine-chilling thrillers to sweeping sagas, but nothing can compare to the magic and wonder of romance. She loves to hear from readers. Write to her c/o Silhouette Books, 300 East 42nd Street, 6th floor, New York, NY 10017.

Hi, folks!

No one ever said being a father was easy. I knew it would be tough. I just didn’t how how tough. Of course, my daughter, Lissa, can be a bit difficult at times. Not that I blame her. I mean, so what if she gets a little cranky now and again? It’s not her fault that she’s not like other kids. Lissa has always been fragile. Growing up motherless hasn’t been easy for her, and I suppose I haven’t been quite as strict as I should have been. It’s hard to discipline a child who’s been through so much in her young life. I’ve been worried about her.

But that was before C. J. Moray swirled into our lives with a dazzling smile and a zest for living that just naturally makes a person laugh out loud. C.J. has a way about her, a way of wriggling into a man’s heart before he even knows what hit him.

As for Lissa, well, it seems I don’t understand my daughter as well as I thought. But C.J. understands her all too well.

Oops, I’ve got to go. That nutty dog just crashed his skateboard again.

Sincerely,

Richard Matthews

Chapter One

Dear God, it was him. That hair, those eyes, the cocky strut. It had been so long, so achingly long.

C. J. Moray stomped the brake pedal, twisted the wheel to squeal a sloppy U-turn on the quiet residential street. Rubber burned, tires spun, screeched and hit the curb with a bounce, startling the daylights out of a jogger huffing up the sidewalk.

Jamming the car into Park, she leapt out with her heart in her throat, eyes focused on the one who had been such a huge part of her life for so very, very long.

He hadn’t changed, was just as she remembered. So handsome, so regal, so deliciously wicked.

A young girl was talking to him, smiling, laughing, hugging him with the same affection C.J. herself had once lavished on him. As always, he reveled in the attention, dark eyes intensely focused, riveted on his giggling companion without sparing so much as a glance at the winded jogger.

The panting man bent over, propped his hands on his knees, gaping in astonishment as C.J. joyously rushed forward with open arms to call her beloved’s name.

Perky ears twitched, a furry head swiveled, dark eyes blinked bright and gleaming.

“Rags! Come here, boy, c’mon!”

With a gleeful yelp, thirty pounds of quivering canine excitement sprinted down the sidewalk and bounded into her waiting arms.

Laughing and crying at the same time, C.J. hugged the warm, wriggling body of the animal she had raised from a pup and adored beyond measure. “Oh, Rags—” She sputtered under a frantic assault of wet doggy kisses. “Wait...stop...silly boy!”

When the affectionate assault eased, she felt the lump rise back in her throat, softening her voice to a smoky whisper. “I thought I’d never see you again.”