At The Millionaire's Request

At The Millionaire's Request
Teresa Southwick

Mills & Boon Silhouette
When Sean Spencer lost the ability to speak as the result of a terrible accident, his father vowed to do anything to bring him back. Anything. Top of the list was to bring the best speech therapist money could buy to live in his sprawling mansion.Gavin thought that would be the easy part. But he hadn't met M.J. Taylor.She was a woman who had also dealt with tragedy–only her solution was to stop doing what she was born to do: work with young kids. And she thought nothing could change her mind–until Gavin Spencer forced his way into her life.

“You have a reputation as a gifted children’s speech pathologist. But you turned your back on a career….”

“You don’t have any idea!”

“I don’t have to.” Gavin held up a hand. “I’m a father. I’d slay dragons and storm fortresses if it would make my son the way he was. I can’t help him, but you can.”

“Not anymore.”

“I don’t buy that. You got positive results in the past. Why not now?”

“I don’t owe you an explanation.”

“No. That’s true. But the fact is I’m not giving up until I get one.”

M.J. recognized the determination on his dark features. “An explanation? It’s called survival, Mr. Spencer. I simply can’t get wrapped up in a child. I can’t do it anymore.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have the heart. My son took it with him when he died.”

At The Millionaire’s Request

Teresa Southwick

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

TERESA SOUTHWICK

lives with her husband in Las Vegas, the city that reinvents itself every day. An avid fan of romance novels, she is delighted to be living out her dream of writing for Silhouette Books.

To speech-language pathologist Christine Rosenthal who patiently and in great detail answered all my questions about what she does.

To my friend and middle school teacher, Connie Howard, who reminded me that her niece Christine is an SLP.

To my friend and kindergarten teacher, Marilyn Tobin, who was at dinner with Connie and me when grateful parents stopped to thank her for her dedication to their son.

The encounter inspired this book. The three of you are an inspiration to me and all your students in spite of the way it sometimes feels.

Teachers rock!

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

Chapter One

G avin Spencer would make a deal with the devil if it would help his son.

And this just might be hell, he thought, staring at the high school kid with his red-tipped, spiked Mohawk and so many piercings it looked like he’d fallen face-first into a tackle box.

“In the office they said I could find M. J. Taylor here,” he said to the teen sprawled in a student desk.

“Who?”

“Your teacher.”

“You mean, the sub?”

“If M. J. Taylor is your substitute teacher, then yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, that’s who I mean,” Gavin answered, barely holding on to his temper.