Undercover Nanny

Undercover Nanny
Wendy Warren

MARY POPPINS–P.I.?Private investigator D.J. Holden lived by the one rule she learned from her boss and foster father: Never go undercover. But when she discovered that his agency was in trouble, she accepted a job to investigate Maxwell Lotorto, the wayward grandchild of a demanding woman and heir to a grocery fortune….And became Daisy June, nanny extraordinaire.What D.J. didn't expect was for her first undercover job to turn into something more–a passion for Max and for his family unlike anything she'd ever known. But when Max learned the truth about his supernanny's true identity, would her duplicity ruin a chance at true love?

“Welcome home,” Max said from the corner. “You’re fired.”

Slapping her hand over her mouth, D.J. gasped. “I didn’t realize I had a curfew! If I’d known I could have told you to… stick it in your ear.”

“Nice talk. They teach you that in nanny school?”

“What are you so upset about?” D.J. demanded to know. “Did your girlfriend leave early?”

An expression of such clear disdain crossed Daisy’s face that Max’s attitude took a sudden swing…for the better.

Hell, he loved it when she did that—tossed her head like a a sassy colt and gave him her best “I couldn’t care less” look. Because that’s when he knew she did care.

Dear Reader,

Well, it’s September, which always sounds like a fresh start to me, no matter how old I get. And evidently we have six women this month who agree. In Home Again by Joan Elliott Pickart, a woman who can’t have children has decided to work with them in a professional capacity—but when she is assigned an orphaned little boy, she fears she’s in over her head. Then she meets his gorgeous guardian—and she’s sure of it!

In the next installment of MOST LIKELY TO…, The Measure of a Man by Marie Ferrarella, a single mother attempting to help her beloved former professor joins forces with a former campus golden boy, now the college…custodian. What could have happened? Allison Leigh’s The Tycoon’s Marriage Bid pits a pregnant secretary against her ex-boss who, unbeknownst to him, has a real connection to her baby’s father. In The Other Side of Paradise by Laurie Paige, next up in her SEVEN DEVILS miniseries, a mysterious woman seeking refuge as a ranch hand learns that she may have more ties to the community than she could have ever suspected. When a beautiful nurse is assigned to care for a devastatingly handsome, if cantankerous, cowboy, the results are…well, you get the picture—but you can have it spelled out for you in Stella Bagwell’s next MEN OF THE WEST book, Taming a Dark Horse. And in Undercover Nanny by Wendy Warren, a domestically challenged female detective decides it’s necessary to penetrate the lair of single father and heir to a grocery fortune by pretending to be…his nanny. Hmm.

It could work….

So enjoy, and snuggle up. Fall weather is just around the corner….

Happy reading!

Gail Chasan

Senior Editor

Undercover Nanny

Wendy Warren

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

This one is for the Ladies of Love—Ginger Kentzell, Darla Lukenbaugh and Susan Lute—fellow writers, sisters, soul mates. How did we get so lucky? I love you, Ladies!

WENDY WARREN

lives with her husband, Tim, a dog, a cat and their recent—and most exciting!—addition, baby daughter Elisabeth, near the Pacific Northwest’s beautiful Willamette River. Their house was previously owned by a woman named Cinderella, who bequeathed them a gardenful of flowers they try desperately (and occasionally successfully) not to kill, and a pink General Electric oven, circa 1958, that makes the kitchen look like an I Love Lucy rerun.

A two-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s RITA

Award for Best Traditional Romance, Wendy loves to read and write the kind of books that remind her of the old movies she grew up watching with her mom—stories about decent people looking for the love that can make an ordinary life heroic. Wendy was an Affaire de Coeur finalist for Best Up and Coming Romance Author of 1997. When not writing, she likes to take long walks with her dog, settle in for cozy chats with good friends and sneak tofu into her husband’s dinner. She always enjoys hearing from readers, and may be reached at P.O. Box 1208, Ashland, OR 97520.

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 Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter One

Wham!

Daisy June Holden slammed her fist into a stomach so dense it nearly broke her knuckles. Her victim jerked, but that was all. D.J. danced back, whirled and shot a roundhouse kick to his head.

Take that.

He never flinched.

Feet shuffling expertly, she ducked out of the way of a retaliatory punch and narrowed angry eyes at her assailant. You’re goin’ down.

His smirk pissed the hell out of her. She dove at him, throwing two unforgiving shots to his rib cage, an uppercut to the jaw and the final blow—a cruel, cruel strike to his groin.