The Gentrys: Cal

The Gentrys: Cal
Linda Conrad

After a devastating car accident killed his wife, injured racing celebrity Cal Gentry came home to the family ranch to nurse his wounds and find a nanny for his infant daughter.And when tantalizing, dark-haired angel Bella Fernandez appeared at his door, Cal thought she was the answer to his prayers. He didn't expect the blazing passion that her presence sparked within his soul.But danger had followed the south-of-the-border beauty to the Gentry ranch, where she discovered even greater peril in Cal's sensual embraces. Could the blissful haven of their passion heal Cal and Bella's wounded hearts?

“Bella?”

Cal’s eyes had turned steely gray. “I’ve been standing here in the dark watching the plain because I can feel those coyotes out there… somewhere. I’m afraid I’ve made a mistake bringing you out here.”

Bella looked out through the window into the black night. “Have you seen something?”

He reached up and took hold of her shoulders. “No. But I don’t need that to know they’re out there.” He squeezed her shoulders, as if to push her away. Instead his fingers massaged…caressed. Aroused beyond belief, he said, “Go to bed.”

But his hands stayed where they were. Too close. Too intimate.

Bella threw her arms around his neck. “Take me there.”

Staggered, his blood was racing. He leaned against the kitchen counter to keep himself steady. But he didn’t have a chance to think about it.

“Take me,” she whispered in his ear. “I know you want me. Take me now.”

Dear Reader,

Experience passion and power in six brand-new, provocative titles from Silhouette Desire this July!

Begin with Scenes of Passion (#1519) by New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Brockmann. In this scintillating love story, a pretend marriage turned all too real reveals the torrid emotions and secrets of a former bad-boy millionaire and his prim heiress.

DYNASTIES: THE BARONES continues in July with Cinderella’s Millionaire (#1520) by Katherine Garbera, in which a pretty pastry cook’s red-hot passion melts the defenses of a brooding Barone hero. In Bed with the Enemy, (#1521) by rising star Kathie DeNosky, is the second LONE STAR COUNTRY CLUB title in Desire. In this installment, a lady agent and her lone-wolf counterpart bump more than heads during an investigation into a gun-smuggling ring.

What would you do if you were Expecting the Cowboy’s Baby (#1522)? Discover how a plain-Jane bookkeeper deals with this dilemma in this steamy love story, the second Silhouette Desire title by popular Harlequin Historicals author Charlene Sands. Then see how a brokenhearted rancher struggles to forgive the woman who betrayed him, in Cherokee Dad (#1523) by Sheri WhiteFeather. And in The Gentrys: Cal (#1524) by Linda Conrad, a wounded stock-car driver finds healing love in the arms of a sexy, mysterious nurse, and the Gentry siblings at last learn the truth about their parents’ disappearance.

Beat the summer heat with these six new love stories from Silhouette Desire.

Enjoy!

Melissa Jeglinski

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

The Gentrys: Cal

Linda Conrad

LINDA CONRAD

Born in Brazil to a commercial pilot and his wife, Linda Conrad was raised in south Florida and has been a dreamer and storyteller for as long as she can remember. After her mother’s death a few years ago, she moved from her then-home in Texas to Southern California and gave up her previous life as a stockbroker to rededicate herself to her first love—writing.

Linda and her husband, along with a Siamese-mix cat named Sam, recently moved back to south Florida. She’s been writing contemporary romances for about five years and loves sharing them with readers. She enjoys growing roses, reading cozy mysteries and sexy romances, and driving her little convertible in the sunshine. But most important, Linda loves learning about—and living with—passion.

It makes Linda’s day to hear from readers. Visit with her at www.LindaConrad.com.

For Laurie Jayne (with a y)

You have my love. My respect for everything you face with grace and kindness. And my many thanks for becoming a wonderful adult and a terrific parent. In my whole life, you have been the best gift I ever received. I cherish you.

News Flash: Local Celebrity

Involved in Fatal Accident

Gentry Wells native, Callan A. Gentry, suffered critical injuries last week when a pickup trying to evade Fort Worth police sideswiped his van. Gentry’s wife, Jasmine, and the driver of the pickup were killed in the accident. Gentry’s daughter, four-month-old Kaydie Ann, escaped injury.

A world-renowned stock-car racer and winner of several titles, Gentry inherited a partial ownership in the family ranch twelve years ago after his parents disappeared at sea and were presumed drowned. Gentry graduated from Gentry Wells High School and went on to attend the University of Texas in Austin.

Gentry’s condition continues to be listed as serious. A spokesperson for Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth declined to confirm or deny rumors that he will face permanent disability. Speculation from sports media sources has centered on the possibility that Gentry may be forced to abandon plans of returning to the racing circuit next season.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

One

Two months later: Gentry Ranch, Texas

No doubt about it. Cal Gentry had finally found something he couldn’t handle. He was in way over his head.

He cringed once again at the baby’s wail and wondered why on earth his daughter wouldn’t stop crying? Holding her loosely in one arm, Cal contemplated his options. With his movements restricted by having to use a crutch for a bum knee, the choices were quickly disintegrating.

Cal jiggled the tiny screaming bundle once more and limped back and forth across the front room of the cabin they were temporarily calling home. The solution to quieting his child seemed more elusive than ever, and his head hurt from worrying about her. Soon he would probably drown in her tears.