A Diamond For Kate. Moyra Tarling

      “You want to offer me a job?” Kate asked, staring at Marsh in disbelief at his words. Letter to Reader Title Page About the Author Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Copyright

      “You want to offer me a job?” Kate asked, staring at Marsh in disbelief at his words.

      “It’s only for a day or two at the most. I’d very much appreciate it if you could see your way to helping me out.” Marsh’s tone was warm and persuasive. “I’m not asking for myself. I’m asking for my daughter.”

      

      Kate heard his underlying cry for help, and she could see his anxiety. She knew she should tell Marsh she couldn’t work for him for any price, but the words stuck in her throat. She didn’t belong in his world—never had and never would. Still, his home had always touched a chord somewhere deep inside her. It was the only place that had ever made Kate feel like she was coming home.

      

      “So will you be coming home with us, Kate?”

      

      “Yes, I’m coming,” Kate said, unable to find it in her heart to say no.

      Dear Reader,

      

      The end of the century is near, and we’re all eagerly anticipating the wonders to come. But no matter what happens, I believe that everyone will continue to need and to seek the unquenchable spirit of love...of romance. And here at Silhouette Romance, we’re delighted to present another month’s worth of terrific, emotional stories.

      

      This month, RITA Award-winning author Marie Ferrarella offers a tender BUNDLES OF JOY tale, in which The Baby Beneath the Mistletoe brings together a man who’s lost his faith and a woman who challenges him to take a chance at love...and family. In Charlotte Maclay’s charming new novel, a millionaire playboy isn’t sure what he was Expecting at Christmas, but what he gets is a very pregnant butler! Elizabeth Harbison launches her wonderful new theme-based miniseries, CINDERELLA BRIDES, with the fairy-tale romance—complete with mistaken identity!—between Emma and the Earl.

      

      In A Diamond for Kate by Moyra Tarling, discover whether a doctor makes his devoted nurse his devoted wife after learning about her past... Patricia Thayer’s cross-line miniseries WITH THESE RINGS returns to Romance and poses the question:

      Can The Man, the Ring, the Wedding end a fifty-year-old curse? You’ll have to read this dramatic story to find out! And though The Millionaire’s Proposition involves making a baby in

      Natalie Patrick’s upbeat Romance, can a down-on-her-luck waitress also convince him to make beautiful memories...as man and wife? Enjoy this month’s offerings, and look forward to a new century of timeless, traditional tales guaranteed to touch your heart!

      Mary-Theresa Hussey

      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

      A Diamond for Kate

      Moyra Tarling

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MOYRA TARLING

      

      was born and raised in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was there that she was first introduced to and became hooked on romance novels. In 1968, she immigrated to Vancouver, Canada, where she met and married her husband. They have two grown children. Empty-nesters now, they enjoy taking trips in their getaway van and browsing in antique shops for corkscrews and button-hooks. But Moyra’s favorite pastime is curling up with a great book—a romance, of course! Moyra loves to hear from readers. You can write to her at P.O. Box 161, Blaine, WA 98231-D161.

      Chapter One

      “It’s Dr. Diamond!” Nurse Kate Turner exclaimed, instantly recognizing the unconscious man the ambulance crew had just wheeled in. Even though she hadn’t seen him in ten years, she’d have known Marsh anywhere. His indelibly handsome image was etched in her memory.

      “Who?” asked the first attendant, as he maneuvered the stretcher into the first trauma room.

      “Dr. Marshall Diamond,” Kate repeated. “Mercy Hospital’s new chief of staff.”

      Ever since Kate had heard the news several weeks ago that Marshall Diamond had been hired as the new chief of staff for Mercy Hospital, she’d wondered if she was the only one in town who wasn’t cheering his return or rolling out the red carpet.

      “What have we here?” Dr. Tom Franklin, head of the Emergency Department, asked as he joined them.

      “Car accident victim,” the attendant replied. “A teenage driver ran the red light at Cutter’s Junction and rammed into the driver’s side of this guy’s car. He’s got a head injury, possible fracture of the left arm and various cuts and bruises. Nurse here says the victim is one of yours, a Dr. Diamond.”

      “My God! She’s right,” Dr. Franklin said in a shocked voice. “Okay, team. On the count of three let’s move him over.”

      Kate and the other staff members in the room lifted Marsh from the stretcher to the hospital bed.

      An array of emotions swept through Kate as her gaze once more came to rest on Marsh’s bloodied face. She focused her scattered thoughts and proceeded to clean the facial injuries, wiping away the blood seeping from a deep cut just below his hairline.

      “That looks nasty,” Dr. Franklin commented. “And there’s a swelling above his right eye. He must have hit the steering wheel,” he added as he studied the wound. “That cut will definitely need stitching. Has he regained consciousness at all?”

      “Yes, but only for a few seconds,” the attendant replied. “He was disoriented and mumbling something about his daughter. She was belted into the passenger seat and appeared to be all right. He took the brunt of the collision.”