Man, Wife And Little Wonder

Man, Wife And Little Wonder
Robin Nicholas

JUNE BRIDESBundles of JoySometimes small packages can lead to the biggest surprises!THE BAD BOYJohnny Tremont had once worn rebellion and recklessness as ruggedly as his black leather jacket. But now he was father figure to his young, needy niece, and he was determined to do right by her, no matter what it took.THE BRIDEWhat it took was the hand of a childhood friend Grace Marie Green. Marriage to this pert, upstanding beautician would guarantee him custody of her namesake, Gracie, and would give his little girl the perfect maternal role model…for a little while.THE BUNDLE OF JOYBut Johnny hadn't realized what an amazing effect a desirable wife and a darling little wonder could have on a man like him….Celebrate a month of joyful marriages with Silhouette Romance!

“She wakes up at night crying.” (#u6c43db9b-7ef7-5a4b-bf9d-36a85a6dc246)Letter to Reader (#u22ec0c87-9d8a-587e-a2ba-e543932e71d0)Title Page (#uc7e8c105-eeb7-5d21-bba4-40fe9cd2cb5d)Dedication (#u06a8e2c4-7482-57d5-a595-a16bb1fcba15)Acknowledgments (#u0699afb2-8cbe-5283-8bf6-fbe7e3d30110)About the Author (#ud113ac39-f073-5aef-a9dc-47ff36398147)Letter to Reader (#u0e7afd7d-e006-5290-92ab-efe86f78f628)Chapter One (#uc2e7ed99-bad3-5f3d-af40-bd0189b0e456)Chapter Two (#u5b1cbe4d-dea8-5ef7-8868-39149fb02cf9)Chapter Three (#ub3e8eb5d-80bd-5b42-8919-a0501c059a0f)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)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

“She wakes up at night crying.”

Johnny spoke as if the image his words conjured pained him. He turned to her then, more serious than she’d ever seen him. “I realize we won’t have one of those one-in-a-million kind of marriages, Grace, but we’ve got friendship going for us, haven’t we?”

His blue eyes were intent, warming her clear to that place in her heart that had always been just for him. She recognized the yearning inside her, just as she saw quite clearly that Johnny knew no such feeling, that because of his parents, he had no true concept of what love was.

He reached out and tentatively covered her hand with his. “I know it’s asking a lot. But I’m asking for Gracie’s sake. Will you marry me?”

Hadn’t she seen right away that Johnny would do anything for Gracie?

Even marry her.

And Grace said softly, “Yes.”

Dear Reader,

Traditionally June is the month for weddings, so Silhouette Romance cordially invites you to enjoy our promotion JUNE BRIDES, starting with Suzanne Carey’s Sweet Bride of Revenge. In this sensuously powerful VIRGIN BRIDES tale, a man forces the daughter of his nemesis to marry him, never counting on falling in love with the enemy....

Up-and-comer Robin Nicholas delivers a touching BUNDLES OF JOY titled Man, Wife and Little Wonder. Can a denim-clad, Harleyriding bad boy turn doting dad and dedicated husband? Find out in this classic marriage-of-convenience romance! Next, Donna Clayton’s delightful duo MOTHER & CHILD continues with the evocative title Who’s the Father of Jenny’s Baby? A woman awakens in the hospital to discover she has amnesia—and she’s pregnant! Problem is, two men claim to be the baby’s father—her estranged husband...and her husband’s brother!

Granted: Wild West Bride is the next installment in Carol Grace’s BEST-KEPT WISHES series. This richly Western romance pairs a toughened, taut-muscled cowboy and a sophisticated city gal who welcomes his kisses, but will she accept his ring? For a fresh spin on the bridal theme, try Alice Sharpe’s Wife on His Doorstep. An about-to-be bride stops her wedding to the wrong man. only to land on the doorstep of the strong, silent ship captain who was to perform the ill-fated nuptials.... And in Leanna Wilson’s latest Romance, His Tomboy Bride, Nick Latham was supposed to “give away” childhood friend and bride-to-be Billie Rae—not claim the transformed beauty as his own!

We hope you enjoy the month’s wedding fun, and return each and every month for more classic, emotional, heartwarming novels from Silhouette Romance.

Enjoy!

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor Silhouette Romance

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

Man, Wife And Little Wonder

Robin Nicholas

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

To Marilyn Sue Lemmon for her generous support of my

career, and for giving me the kind of encouragement only

another writer can give.

SPECIAL THANKS

To attorney-at-law and fellow author Lauren Phelps for her help with the legal technicalities.

ROBIN NICHOLAS

lives in Illinois with her husband, Dan, and their son, Nick. Her debut book, The Cowboy and His Lady, was part of the successful Silhouette Romance CELEBRATION 1000 promotion. Her current BUNDLES OF JOY feature is her third book for the line, and her fourth Romance novel will be available in the fall of 1998.

Dear Reader,

Having a book chosen for the BUNDLES OF JOY promotion is a very special occasion for me. My son, Nick, is certainly the greatest joy of my life. Through Nick and his cousins, Beth, Kris, Katie, Kyle, Nicholee and Garrett, Shandee and Micah, Justin and Lauren, I have found a constant source of pride, inspiration, laughter and love.

BUNDLES OF JOY celebrates the belief that the wonder of a child can bring to light the love between a man and a woman. I invite you to celebrate that belief with me, as well, in the story of Johnny, Grace and little Gracie in Man, Wife and Little Wonder.

I hope you enjoy the book.

Sincerely,

Chapter One

He was back.

Grace Marie Green tightened her grip on the open door to the Grace Marie Salon. A hot August breeze fanned her face while ribbons of heat rose from the glossy black and silver motorcycle parked diagonally at the curb. Straddling the bike, looking much like the teenage boy she’d once secretly worshiped, was Johnny Tremont.

Johnny pulled off dark glasses and took in his surroundings. Grace caught the gleam in his blue eyes as he removed his helmet, freeing his thick black hair. He stared straight into her green eyes, seeming to absorb all the changes of the past ten years in a matter of seconds. Then, flashing the smile that had once convinced her to let him siphon gas for his Harley from her daddy’s John Deere, he said, “Gracie needs a haircut. And I need you to marry me.”

The noonday heat hit her full in the face and Grace braced herself with a hand on the door frame. She felt almost faint. And she thought she’d just heard Johnny say he needed her to marry him. It had to be this hot weather, causing some kind of hallucination....

Her heart caught as a small body leaned from behind Johnny’s back, a child clad in pink T-shirt and jeans and wearing a pink and black helmet that probably cost more than a year’s worth of spiral perms. Johnny lifted the helmet from the child’s head, revealing dark hair and blue eyes. She knew without a doubt that this pretty child of four was Johnny’s niece, and her namesake, little Gracie.

“Is now okay?”

Johnny’s innocent voice drifted over her, as the sun slanted down, casting a deceptive halo over his gleaming black hair. Grace drew a deep breath. Johnny had said Gracie needed a haircut. She had only imagined the rest. Though it was Monday and the salon was officially closed, she said automatically, “Now is fine.”

“We can talk about getting married afterward,” Johnny said.

That feeling of faintness assailed Grace again.

It hadn’t been a hallucination....

Johnny dismounted and lifted Gracie, carrying the child past her, making brief but potent contact as his arms and legs and hips touched hers, his breath whisking her bangs across her forehead. Grace thought how little her life had changed over the years. But as Johnny brushed by, she could sense a change in the air.

Grace shut the door. What was going on here? Why had Johnny, who had always seen her as a pesky second sister, said such a thing? Hearing the words she’d once dreamed of hearing as an awkward teen only made her angry with him now.