Mckinley's Miracle

Mckinley's Miracle
Mary Kate Holder

HE WAS THE KIND OF MAN MOTHERS WARNED THEIR DAUGHTERS ABOUT….Clayton McKinley was as rugged as the Australian Outback and sexy as sin with his ranch-bronzed skin and knee-weakening smile that no woman could resist. Until Lucy Warner moved in next door…Caring and independent, Lucy resolved to give her foster children a new start in Cable Creek. Her plans didn't include her charming neighbor wreaking havoc in her life and making her dream of things she had no right to want. Still, when trouble arose, Clayton's arms offered both refuge and help–for a time. But the true miracle would occur if this feisty woman ended up winning the confirmed bachelor for good!

Clayton smiled. “Are you afraid of me?”

Lucy trembled involuntarily as his low, sexy drawl skittered up her spine. She tried to ignore the sensation, meeting his gaze with what she hoped was a withering glare.

“In your dreams,” she retorted.

“Oh, you’ll be there,” Clayton replied easily. “I’m going to be seeing a lot of you, Lucy Warner.” He reached out and, soft as a whisper, stroked her cheek, mesmerized by the silkiness he met and by the way she became immobile with…

What was that in her eyes? Panic?

Clayton backed away, realizing he’d have to go very slowly with this particular woman.

“It won’t matter if you hide behind your kids and try to avoid me,” he said gently. “I plan to get close to you, and we’re going to be good together—that’s a promise.”

He grinned his sexy grin. “And a McKinley always keeps his promises.”

Dear Reader,

Get Caught Reading. It sounds slightly scandalous, romantic and definitely exciting! I love to get lost in a book, and this month we’re joining the campaign to encourage reading everywhere. Share your favorite books with your partner, your child, your friends. And be sure to get caught reading yourself!

The popular ROYALLY WED series continues with Valerie Parv’s Code Name: Prince. King Michael is still missing—but there’s a plan to rescue him! In Quinn’s Complete Seduction Sandra Steffen returns to BACHELOR GULCH, where Crystal finally finds what she’s been searching for—and more….

Chance’s Joy launches Patricia Thayer’s exciting new miniseries, THE TEXAS BROTHERHOOD. In the first story, Chance Randell wants to buy his lovely neighbor’s land, but hadn’t bargained for a wife and baby! In McKinley’s Miracle, talented Mary Kate Holder debuts with the story of a rugged Australian rancher who meets his match.

Susan Meier is sure to please with Marrying Money, in which a small-town beautician makes a rich man rethink his reasons for refusing love. And Myrna Mackenzie gives us The Billionaire Is Back, in which a wealthy playboy fights a strong attraction to his pregnant, single cook!

Come back next month for the triumphant conclusion to ROYALLY WED and more wonderful stories by Patricia Thayer and Myrna Mackenzie. Silhouette Romance always gives you stories that will touch your emotions and carry you away….

Be sure to Get Caught Reading!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor

McKinley’s Miracle

Mary Kate Holder

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

To my parents, Henry and Mary Holder, who taught me

that anything is possible and whose love and support

lifted me high enough to touch my dream.

MARY KATE HOLDER

has lived all her life in Cowra, central eastern New South Wales. Though romance writing takes up a lot of her time, she also finds pleasure in cross-stitch, cooking, drawing and finding homes for stray animals. She resides with two dogs and two cats, who all guard their own part of the house diligently and would probably complain about her love of country music played often and loud…if they could speak. Though she enjoys the peace and quiet of country life, this hasn’t cured her of the travel bug, and she hopes to be setting off very soon to travel overseas.

Dear Reader,

I have always loved words, their power, their splendor, the depths of emotion they can stir. But when I received the call from Silhouette telling me they wanted to buy my novel, I could not find words to describe how it felt. How does one describe a dream come true? Eight years ago I sat down to write a romance novel and began a long journey filled with many lessons. Along the way I had the support of my parents, family, friends and authors I loved to read who were never too busy to write back to me with words of encouragement and advice. I hope you enjoy reading about Clayton and Lucy. Writing their story was a joy for me, and being able to share it with you is a wonderful feeling. To me happy endings are like dreams. They become impossible only when we stop reaching for them.

Best wishes,

Contents

Chapter One (#u7e164327-c924-5736-a906-5120858c5290)

Chapter Two (#uc1387945-e12f-5121-88f5-5d2805acc001)

Chapter Three (#u1c1aa0df-5dee-590e-b057-0b266ee3f093)

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)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter One

Clayton McKinley was about to order his second beer when the door to the Roadhouse opened and she walked in. He hadn’t seen her around before, but in Cable Creek, Australia, there were no strangers, just people you hadn’t met. She made her way slowly through the crowd. She was dressed to blend in. Tennis shoes. Blue jeans. Grey sweatshirt. Hair pulled into a ponytail. But the shoes were worn and old. The jeans were faded and snug, drawing his attention to her slim hips and shapely curves. The sweatshirt skimmed high, rounded breasts, the sleeves pushed almost to her elbows. The clip holding her chestnut hair in place was plain gold. She stopped suddenly, her hands drawn into fists at her sides. Seconds later she moved with lightning speed toward the bar. He watched, every muscle in his body tense and alert, a second beer forgotten as she squared her shoulders and walked right up to the meanest man in town.

“Gerry Anderson?”

Around them everything stopped, a testament to the anger in her voice and the unabashed curiosity of the Saturday-night patrons. Someone pulled the plug on the jukebox. Conversations fell to whispers and then ceased altogether. Every eye in the place was on the slender five-foot-three woman and the burly six-foot man she faced. Gerry turned around, dismissing her with a smirk. Clayton counted that as his first mistake.

“You got the name right, sweetie. What can I do for you?”

She stepped closer to her colossal opponent not even sparing a glance for the two men flanking him. “This is about what I will do to you the next time you bully one of my children.”

Gerry laughed. “Your kids? I heard they were strays nobody else wanted.” He shook his head. “You should go back where you came from. We don’t want your kind here.”

She pinned him with a look that could have laid ice on the Simpson Desert in the middle of summer. “They are under my care, Mr. Anderson. That makes them my children. Max is just thirteen years old and thanks to you he spent the last two hours in the emergency ward.”