A Forever Family

A Forever Family
Mary J. Forbes

SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME…Meeting handsome Dr. Michael Rowan and his adorable niece was like a one-two punch to Shanna McKay's heart. But while six-year-old Jenni instantly bonded with Shanna, the sexy single dad seemed determined to steer clear of his newest employee.This slight, lovely woman could really lift a five-gallon bucket of oats and gentle horses? And what about the delirious effect she was having on him? Like Michael, Shanna harbored a secret sorrow. But she was willing to see where their slow dance of desire led. Could he go the distance, taking a chance on a woman who could heal them both and, together, create the kind of family they'd always dreamed of?

“I have to go.”

She edged out of his embrace.

“Shanna.”

“No,” she said firmly. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t deny it.”

“I’m not denying anything. I’m saying we are not doing this again. Ever.”

“Why?”

“Because we don’t fit, jive, dance, you name it.”

“Dance?”

“Compatibility, Mike. Admit it. We seldom agree. We live at opposite ends of the social scale. You’re my employer, and—” her voice rose on the last reason “—we don’t even like each other.”

“You don’t like me?”

“I like you,” she said, her heart sore. “Very much.” Too much.

Dear Reader,

We’re smack in the middle of summer, which can only mean long, lazy days at the beach. And do we have some fantastic books for you to bring along! We begin this month with a new continuity, only in Special Edition, called THE PARKS EMPIRE, a tale of secrets and lies, love and revenge. And Laurie Paige opens the series with Romancing the Enemy. A schoolteacher who wants to avenge herself against the man who ruined her family decides to move next door to the man’s son. But things don’t go exactly as planned, as she finds herself falling…for the enemy.

Stella Bagwell continues her MEN OF THE WEST miniseries with Her Texas Ranger, in which an officer who’s come home to investigate a murder fins complications in the form of the girl he loved in high school. Victoria Pade begins her NORTHBRIDGE NUPTIALS miniseries, revolving around a town famed for its weddings, with Babies in the Bargain. When a woman hoping to reunite with her estranged sister finds instead her widowed husband and her children, she winds up playing nanny to the whole crew. Can wife and mother be far behind? THE KENDRICKS OF CAMELOT by Christine Flynn concludes with Prodigal Prince Charming, in which a wealthy playboy tries to help a struggling caterer with her business and becomes much more than just her business partner in the process. Brand-new author Mary J. Forbes debuts with A Forever Family, featuring a single doctor dad and the woman he hires to work for him. And the men of the CHEROKEE ROSE miniseries by Janis Reams Hudson continues with The Other Brother, in which a woman who always contend her handsome neighbor as one of her best friends suddenly finds herself looking at him in a new light.

Happy reading! And come back next month for six new fabulous books, all from Silhouette Special Edition.

Gail Chasan

Senior Editor

A Forever Family

Mary J. Forbes

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

To Gary: You taught me to not only dream, but to believe. To Kristie and Ryan: Your faith in me is astounding. I love you all beyond comprehension.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

Thank you to Dr. Franky Mah for his expertise in emergency and medical care. Any errors are purely mine, not his. Also, a huge thank-you to Cindy Procter-King for hauling me up each time I fell and scraped my writing fingers.

MARY J. FORBES

grew up on a farm in Alberta amidst horses, cattle (Holsteins included), crisp hay and broad blue skies. As a child, she drew and wrote about her surroundings and in sixth grade composed her first story about a lame little pony. Since those days, she has worked as a reporter and photographer on a small-town newspaper and has written and published short fiction.

Today, Mary—a teacher by profession—lives in beautiful British Columbia with her husband and two children. A romantic by nature, she loves working along the ocean shoreline, sitting by the firs on snowy or rainy evenings and two-stepping around the dance floor to a good country song—all with her own real-life hero, of course.

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 One

He looked the way a man would, catching a woman’s scent.

Except he wasn’t a man, but a horse. A red stallion. One that had caught her scent. He raised his angular chin a notch, dark eyes skeptical, as she approached the long, narrow paddock.

His muscled quarter-horse haunches quivered. In arrogant defiance, he tossed his head.

Shanna McKay took another step toward him. Flee or charge, big fella?

She wasn’t afraid. And knew he sensed that.