The Nanny And Her Scrooge. Deanna Talcott

      What was it about Jared Gillette that made her surrender?

      He had become an uncanny force in her life, stripping her down to nagging thoughts and reckless behavior.

      The reluctance with which he pulled away from their kiss was obvious. “That shouldn’t have happened,” he said firmly. “I live by a strict code of ethics, especially for employers and employees.”

      The intensity in his features, the nerve throbbing along his jaw, told her he wasn’t going to back down.

      “It won’t happen again,” he continued. “It’s obvious we connect on…certain levels, but after my disastrous first marriage I promised myself no commitments, no involvements. I don’t get close to anybody, Nicki. Not even you.”

      Nicki steeled herself, refusing to let him see how much his words hurt. “It must be a horrible way to live, Jared,” she said softly. “Not ever giving anybody, not even yourself, a second chance.”

      “It’s the way I live,” he announced harshly. “And it will be better for both of us, to keep it that way.”

      Dear Reader,

      What are your New Year’s resolutions? I hope one is to relax and escape life’s everyday stresses with our fantasy-filled books! Each month, Silhouette Romance presents six soul-stirring stories about falling in love. So even if you haven’t gotten around to your other resolutions (hey, spring cleaning is still months away!), curling up with these dreamy stories should be one that’s a pure pleasure to keep.

      Could you imagine seducing the boss? Well, that’s what the heroine of Julianna Morris’s Last Chance for Baby, the fourth in the madly popular miniseries HAVING THE BOSS’s BABY did. And that’s what starts the fun in Susan Meier’s The Boss’s Urgent Proposal—part of our AN OLDER MAN thematic series—when the boss…finally…shows up on his secretary’s doorstep.

      Looking for a modern-day fairy tale? Then you’ll adore Lilian Darcy’s Finding Her Prince, the third in her CINDERELLA CONSPIRACY series about three sisters finding true love by the stroke of midnight! And delight in DeAnna Talcott’s I-need-a-miracle tale, The Nanny & Her Scrooge.

      With over one hundred books in print, Marie Ferrarella is still whipping up fun, steamy romances, this time with three adorable bambinos on board in A Triple Threat to Bachelorhood. Meanwhile, a single mom’s secret baby could lead to Texas-size trouble in Linda Goodnight’s For Her Child…, a fireworks-filled cowboy romance!

      So, a thought just occurred: Is it cheating if one of your New Year’s resolutions is pure fun? Hmm…I don’t think so. So kick back, relax and enjoy. You deserve it!

      Happy reading!

      Mary-Theresa Hussey

      Senior Editor

      The Nanny & Her Scrooge

      DeAnna Talcott

      

www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Books by DeAnna Talcott

      Silhouette Romance

      The Cowboy and the Christmas Tree #1125

      The Bachelor and the Bassinet #1189

      To Wed Again? #1206

      The Triplet’s Wedding Wish #1370

      Marrying for a Mom #1543

      The Nanny & Her Scrooge #1568

      DEANNA TALCOTT

      grew up in rural Nebraska, where her love of reading was fostered in a one-room school. It was there she first dreamed of writing the kinds of books that would touch people’s hearts. Her dream became a reality when The Bachelor and the Bassinet, a Silhouette Romance novel, won the National Readers’ Choice award for Best Traditional Romance. That same book also earned a slot as a Romantic Times Magazine nominee for Best Traditional Romance, and was named as one of Romantic Times Magazine’s Top Picks. DeAnna’s third Silhouette Romance novel, To Wed Again?, also won WISRWA’s Readers’ Choice award for Best Traditional Romance.

      DeAnna claims that a retired husband, three children, two dogs and a matching pair of alley cats make her life in mid-Michigan particularly interesting. When not writing, or talking about writing, she scrounges in flea markets to indulge #1 son’s quest for vintage toys, relaxes at #2 son’s Eastern Michigan football and baseball games, and insists, to her daughter, that two cats simply do not need to multiply!

      Dear Reader,

      As the mother of a developmentally disabled child, this book, The Nanny & Her Scrooge, is extraspecial for me. While writing, I realized that Dominique Holliday, my heroine, represents all the wonderful people I have worked with over the years. Dominique has the patience, determination and skill to be both a parent and a friend. Her young charge, Madison, reminds me of the special children I’ve come to know—innocent little souls who merely seek a place to belong with people they can trust.

      I have been looking a long time for a way to thank the people who have come into our lives, offering guidance, help and friendship. It has not been an easy journey, but it has been a remarkable one. Therefore, I dedicate this book to all the children who crave unconditional love and to the people who have the heart to give it.

      I’d like to personally thank Residential Options for making a difference. Thank you Dominique Miller who shares her insight (as well as “loaning” me her first name for my heroine). All the ROI girls who have become part of our extended family deserve a huge thank-you: Beth, Amanda, Jessica, Cindy, Michelle, Amy, Erin, Kelley, Cyndy, Nicki and Wendi.

      From Community Services for the Developmentally Disabled, a special thank-you goes out to Elizabeth E., Pam M., Andrea T. and Lehua B. Without your dedication and perseverance, this book, or any of the other books I’ve written in the past years, would not have been possible.

      To Heartwood School…Karen, Becky, Nels, Dorothy, Barbara, Jean and a host of angels too numerous to mention…you are miracle workers, truly.

      The legacy—and the memory of—Bob Shire will never be forgotten. Or that of his sidekick, Phil B. To Mrs. Sanford and Mimi S., your hearts are fashioned from gold.

      To Beth B., for two decades you’ve listened—I call that a true friend. And to a lovable curmudgeon of a husband and two rascally sons—when the world is upside down, thank you for hanging in there and giving me the time to write.

      Readers, because all these incredible people, my daughter, Afton—like Madison in my story—is moving towards her own happy ending.

      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter