His Pretend Wife

His Pretend Wife
Lisette Belisle

A SHAM MARRIAGE…When a near-fatal accident landed loner Jack Slade in the hospital, Abby had only claimed to be his wife to keep her promise to him. Besides, Jack needed her, and she was determined to stay until he was healed. But would her heart recover when it was time to leave?THAT WAS ALL TOO REALJack knew better than to get involved with elegant Miss Abigail Pierce. For their marriage was only a pretense, wasn't it? The kisses they shared didn't mean anything; the fact that his icy heart was beginning to thaw didn't matter. Except that he wished Abby would stop being his temporary wife…and become his permanent soul mate.

“I think you’re terrified of letting me into your life.”

Jack’s mouth tightened. “In case you haven’t noticed, you are in my life. I didn’t have much choice in the matter, you barged right in and took over.”

“And you hate that,” Abby replied.

“Maybe I resented it at first.”

“And now?”

“This argument is going nowhere.” He cut her off. “Your mother wanted to know what my intentions are toward you.”

“And what did you tell her?” Abby’s smooth brow furrowed.

“I told her we were just friends.” Jack took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I’m not sure she believed me.”

Jack was no longer sure he believed it himself, either.

Dear Reader,

Your best bet for coping with April showers is to run—not walk—to your favorite retail outlet and check out this month’s lineup. We’d like to highlight popular author Laurie Paige and her new miniseries SEVEN DEVILS. Laurie writes, “On my way to a writers’ conference in Denver, I spotted the Seven Devils Mountains. This had to be checked out! Sure enough, the rugged, fascinating land proved to be ideal for a bunch of orphans who’d been demanding that their stories be told.” You won’t want to miss Showdown!, the second book in the series, which is about a barmaid and a sheriff destined for love!

Gina Wilkins dazzles us with Conflict of Interest, the second book in THE MCCLOUDS OF MISSISSIPPI series, which deals with the combustible chemistry between a beautiful literary agent and her ruggedly handsome and reclusive author. Can they have some fun without love taking over the relationship? Don’t miss Marilyn Pappano’s The Trouble with Josh, which features a breast cancer survivor who decides to take life by storm and make the most of everything—but she never counts on sexy cowboy Josh Rawlins coming into the mix.

In Peggy Webb’s The Mona Lucy, a meddling but well-meaning mother attempts to play Cupid to her son and a beautiful artist who is painting her portrait. Karen Rose Smith brings us Expecting the CEO’s Baby, an adorable tale about a mix-up at the fertility clinic and a marriage of convenience between two strangers. And in Lisette Belisle’s His Pretend Wife, an accident throws an ex-con and an ex-debutante together, making them discover that rather than enemies, they just might be soul mates!

As you can see, we have a variety of stories for our readers, which explore the essentials—life, love and family. Stay tuned next month for six more top picks from Special Edition!

Sincerely,

Karen Taylor Richman

Senior Editor

His Pretend Wife

Lisette Belisle

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

With special thanks to my editor Stephanie Maurer and my friends at SRWA who share the dream.

LISETTE BELISLE

believes in putting everything into whatever she does, whether it’s a nursing career, motherhood or writing. While balancing a sense of practicality with a streak of adventure, she applies that dedication in creating stories of people overcoming the odds. Her message is clear—believe in yourself, and believe in love. She is the founder and past president of the Saratoga chapter of Romance Writers of America. Canadian-born, she grew up in New Hampshire and currently lives in upstate New York with her engineer husband, Frank.

She’d love to hear from her readers. She can be reached at P.O. Box 1166, Ballston Lake, NY 12019.

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

Epilogue

Chapter One

No one would miss him.

Jack Slade had never felt so alone. He stared up at a small patch of deep-blue sky surrounded by snow-capped pine trees. The sky felt closer. He was climbing to meet it, but something weighed him down.

He wasn’t ready to go yet.

How odd to discover he wanted to live, just as he was about to die. He started to laugh, but wound up choking. God, it hurt to breathe. That had him worried. He’d probably cracked a couple of ribs, but that didn’t explain the knife-like pain in his chest. Exposed to the bitter cold, he wondered how long he could survive.

Hours?