Prince Charming's Child. Jennifer Greene

      Like Sleeping Beauty, he’d wakened her from a sound sleep the night their child was conceived. Letter to Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Copyright

      Like Sleeping Beauty, he’d wakened her from a sound sleep the night their child was conceived.

      Only, instead of a happily-ever-after, he’d aroused her awareness of all the things in her life that were missing.

      

      Nicole was terribly afraid that she’d fallen in love with him. He wasn’t the man she’d worked with all these months. He was someone else. He was a mysterious, compelling lover who invoked incredibly strange and powerful feelings when he kissed her. He made her feel safe and frightened at the same time. Somehow he’d gotten her talking as if they were going to be parenting the baby together. Somehow it didn’t seem that hard to imagine herself married to Mitch, waking up to him every morning, sharing their baby’s life, sharing their own life when the lights went off every night.

      

      That’s how the damn man made her feel. Like those things were possible....

      

      

      HAPPILY EVER AFTER:

      Your favorite fairy tales freshly told, with all the passion you’ve ever craved.

      Dear Reader.

      

      The joys of summer are upon us—along with some July fireworks from Silhouette Desire!

      

      The always wonderful Jennifer Greene presents our July MAN OF THE MONTH in Prince Charming’s Child. A contemporary romance version of Sleeping Beauty this title also launches the author’s new miniseries, HAPPILY EVER AFTER, inspired by those magical fairy tales we loved in childhood. And ever-talented Anne Marie Winston is back with a highly emotional reunion romance in Lovers’ Reunion. The popular miniseries TEXAS BRIDES by Peggy Moreland continues with the provocative story of That McCloud Woman. Sheiks abound in Judith McWilliams’s The Sheik’s Secret, while a plain Jane is wooed by a millionaire in Jan Hudson’s Plain Jane’s Texan. And Barbara McCauley’s new dramatic miniseries, SECRETS!, debuts this month with Blackhawk’s Sweet Revenge.

      

      We’ve got more excitement for you next month—watch for the premiere of the compelling new Desire miniseries THE TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB. Some of the sexiest, most powerful men in the Lone Star State are members of this prestigious club, and they all find love when they least expect it! You’ll learn more about THE TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB in our August Dear Reader letter, along with an update on Silhouette’s new continuity, THE FORTUNES OF TEXAS, debuting next month.

      

      And this month, join in the celebrations by treating yourself to all six passionate Silhouette Desire titles.

      

      Enjoy!

      

      Joan Marlow Golan

      Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

      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

      Jennifer Greene

      Prince Charming’s Child

      

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      JENNIFER GREENE

      

      sold her first book in 1980, and has written more than fifty category romances. She has worked as a teacher, counselor and personnel manager, and has a degree from Michigan State in English and psychology. She lives near Lake Michigan with her husband, two children and their two-hundred-pound Newfound-land Moose.

      

      Known for her warm, sensitive characters, Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the RWA Silver Medallion in 1984 and Lifetime and Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Tunes Magazine. In 1998 she entered the RWA Hall of Fame after winning her third RITA.

      To my readers,

      

      As a girl, I inhaled every fairy tale I could get my hands on, but I became exasperated with them when I grew up. The romantic nature of the stories is wonderful, but the woman was always sitting back, counting on the guy to rescue her, rarely lifting a finger to help herself—nothing I can imagine today’s woman would tolerate.

      

      This story is the start of the HAPPILY EVER AFTER trilogy for Silhouette Desire...but each romance has a “today’s woman” twist on the old fairy-tale fantasies. Sleeping Beauty was always one of my favorites, but in this tale, when my hero wakes up Sleeping Beauty, is he ever sorry. My prince opens a Pandora’s box of trouble, for her and him both. If he thought he was going to win a happily-ever-after that easily, my heroine’s about to teach him otherwise.

      

      I hope you enjoy Prince Charming’s Child, and the next two to come!

      One

      Since Nicole hadn’t been near a man’s bed in four years, she chuckled when she heard the results of the pregnancy test.

      “I’m sure someone’ll be happy to hear that, but it can’t be me. Trust me—you’re either looking at another patient’s file or the test results are wrong.”

      Conceivably the nurse practitioner had heard words of denial from her patients before, because her prompt answer sounded prepared. “There’s always a margin for error with the tests, but that’s why we back them up with a physical. You’re about two and a half months along, Ms. Stewart, and I can see that you obviously weren’t expecting this pregnancy. If you need to talk to someone about your options—”

      Nicole’s smile disappeared faster than smoke when she realized the nurse was serious. “I’m thirty-two, not some irresponsible sixteen-year-old. I know what my options are—and my responsibilities. You don’t understand. This isn’t a matter of being surprised by an unexpected