The Playboy & Plain Jane

The Playboy & Plain Jane
Leanne Banks

Boston hunk Nicholas Barone could hardly believe one-year-old Molly was his daughter.The sexy businessman was committed only to his extended Italian family, to their business - Baronessa Gelati - and to short-term relationships with gorgeous socialites. Then one pintsized female turned his priorities upside down. Enter Gail Fenton, nanny extraordinaire.Within days she had a cranky Molly smiling; within a few sleepless nights, she had a frustrated Nicholas fantasizing. Bewitched by a virgin. Vexed by the girl next door. Man-about-town Nicholas was in serious trouble, for unlike his former lovers, who wanted only his money or his name, Gail wanted his heart.

January’s menu

BARONESSA GELATI

in Boston’s North End

In addition to all our regular flavors of Italian gelato, this month we are featuring:

A six-foot-tall scoop of prime Italian man

When his heart was broken two years ago, Nicholas Barone vowed never to fall in love again. But even the firstborn son of the Barone dynasty can’t control destiny.

A cherry-topped dollop of all-American girl

Gail Fenton had lived up to the moniker, but now she wanted to see how the other half lived. Armed with self-help magazines and faulty confidence, she set out to find the seductress living within.

Deep, rich helping of Barones

With their long, colorful history, the Barones are one of Boston’s most famous families. Their three-generation gelato business has attained Fortune 500 status, but for the eight Barone heirs, the family’s true legacy is love and honor.

Buon appetito!

Dear Reader,

Get your new year off to a sizzling start by reading six passionate, powerful and provocative new love stories from Silhouette Desire!

Don’t miss the exciting launch of DYNASTIES: THE BARONES, the new 12-book continuity series about feuding Italian-American families caught in a web of danger, deceit and desire. Meet Nicholas, the eldest son of Boston’s powerful Barone clan, and Gail, the down-to-earth nanny who wins his heart, in The Playboy & Plain Jane (#1483) by USA TODAY bestselling author Leanne Banks.

In Beckett’s Convenient Bride (#1484), the final story in Dixie Browning’s BECKETT’S FORTUNE miniseries, a detective offers the protection of his home—and loses his heart—to a waitress whose own home is torched after she witnesses a murder. And in The Sheikh’s Bidding (#1485) by Kristi Gold, an Arabian prince pays dearly to win back his ex-lover and their son.

Reader favorite Sara Orwig completes her STALLION PASS miniseries with The Rancher, the Baby & the Nanny (#1486), featuring a daredevil cowboy and the shy miss he hires to care for his baby niece. In Quade: The Irresistible One (#1487) by Bronwyn Jameson, sparks fly when two lawyers exchange more than arguments. And great news for all you fans of Harlequin Historicals author Charlene Sands—she’s now writing contemporary romances, as well, and debuts in Desire with The Heart of a Cowboy (#1488), a reunion romance that puts an ex-rodeo star at close quarters on a ranch with the pregnant widow he’s loved silently for years.

Ring in this new year with all six brand-new love stories from Silhouette Desire….

Enjoy!

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

The Playboy & Plain Jane

Leanne Banks

Special thanks to Marilyn Puett

for being the silver lining in a dark cloud.

This book is dedicated to all the wanna-be girl jocks.

I’m right there with you!

LEANNE BANKS,

a bestselling author of romance, lives in her native Virginia with her husband, son and daughter. Recognized for both her sensual and humorous writing with two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times, Leanne likes creating a story with a few grins, a generous kick of sensuality and characters that hang around after the book is finished. Leanne believes romance readers are the best readers in the world because they understand that love is the greatest miracle of all. You can contact Leanne online at leannebbb@aol.com or write to her at P.O. Box 1442, Midlothian, VA 23113. A SASE for a reply would be greatly appreciated.

Meet the Barones of Boston—

an elite clan caught in a web of danger, deceit…and desire!

Who’s Who in

THE PLAYBOY & PLAIN JANE

Nicholas Barone— An American through and through—but his Italian blood runs hot. Nicholas was raised to honor family and strive for perfection. But the successful bachelor’s not a gentleman 100% of the time, much to the delight of Boston’s eligible women….

Gail Fenton— A virgin—but, she fears, not for long. Not when her new employer, Nicholas, oozes sensuality. She claims to be immune, but she’s soon caught between decadent urges and good sense….

Carlo and Moira Barone— As parents of eight grown sons and daughters, they’re professional worriers. But when it comes to matters of the heart, no one knows better than these two, whose love defied all the odds.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven