The Princess And The Cowboy. Martha Shields

      Dear Reader,

      Compelling, emotionally charged stories featuring honorable heroes, strong heroines and the deeply rooted conflicts they must overcome to arrive at a happily-ever-after are what make a Silhouette Romance novel come alive. Look no further than this month’s offerings for stories to sweep you away.…

      In Johnny’s Pregnant Bride, the engaging continuation of Carolyn Zane’s THE BRUBAKER BRIDES, an about-to-be-married cattle rancher honorabl claims another woman—and another man’s baby—as his own. This month’s VIRGIN BRIDES title by Martha Shields shows that when The Princess and the Cowboy agree to a marriage of convenience, neither suspects the other’s real identity…or how difficult not falling in love will be! In Truly, Madly, Deeply, Elizabeth August delivers a powerful transformation tale, in which a vulnerable woman finds her inner strength and outward beauty through the love of a tough-yet-tender single dad and his passel of kids.

      And Then He Kissed Me by Teresa Southwick shows the romantic aftermath of a surprising kiss between best friends who’d been determined to stay that way. A runaway bride at a crossroads finds that Weddings Do Come True when the right man comes along in this uplifting novel by Cara Colter. And rounding out the month is Karen Rose Smith with a charming story whose title says it all: Wishes, Waltzes and a Storybook Wedding.

      Enjoy this month’s titles—and keep coming back to Romance, a series guaranteed to touch every woman’s heart.

      Mary-Theresa Hussey

      Senior Editor

      The Princess and the Cowboy

      Martha Shields

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To Debra Dixon, my friend and mentor.

      Special thanks to Dr. Stephen W. Pruitt, Professor of Finance at the University of Memphis, for help with financial information.

      MARTHA SHIELDS

      grew up telling stories to her sister to pass time on the long drives to their grandparents’ house. Since she’s never been able to stop dreaming up characters, she’s thrilled to share her stories with a wider audience. Martha lives in Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband, teenage daughter and a cairn “terror” who keeps trying to live up to his Toto ancestry. Martha has a master’s degree in journalism and works at a local university.

      You can keep up with Martha’s new releases via her web site, which can be reached via the Harlequin/Silhouette author page at www.romance.net.

      Dear Reader,

      VIRGIN BRIDE. Such a notion may seem archaic in today’s world, and virginity irrelevant. Virgins older than eighteen are regarded as rare at best and bizarre at worst.

      Yet…think of the strength of character it takes to remain a virgin. Graphic sex is depicted blatantly on television, in movies—even in commercials. On top of this, the peer pressure urging a young woman to lose her innocence is enormous.

      Even so, VIRGIN BRIDES do still exist. There are young women who believe in themselves so strongly, who are so committed to the family they one day will have, that they resist all the pressures today’s world exerts. It’s this kind of strength, this kind of courage that makes women heroines.

      To all of the women who are or will be or once were VIRGIN BRIDES, I salute you!

      Love to all,

      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

      Epilogue

      Chapter One

      “You’ve got to help me find a husband!”

      Princess Joséphene Eugénie Béatrix Marguerite Isabeau Francoeur didn’t try to hide the desperation in her voice as she locked the bedroom door of her American friend, Melissa Porter, behind them. She didn’t want to chance Madame Savoie—the dragon lady who doubled as her maid—walking in on them.

      The princess had visited Melissa often enough here at the prosperous Porter ranch outside Auburn, California to feel at home in any room in the two-story house, but Melissa’s room was where they’d been solving their problems for over ten years. She was counting on that now.

      When she turned, however, her redheaded friend’s green eyes were wide with shock. “Husband? I’m the one who’ll have a husband, Josie. You’re here for my wedding, remember? Maid of honor. That ring a bell?”

      Josie. Though she’d thought of herself by the nickname ever since Melissa first used it when they became roommates at an exclusive British boarding school, her friend was the only one who called her that. The sound felt good in her ears—like she’d come home.

      But home was half a world away. Slightly larger than Martha’s Vineyard, her tiny island country—officially called the Principality of Montclaire—lay in the Mediterranean, a hundred and thirty-eight kilometers off the southern coast of France.

      “No, my mind is still where it always was.” Josie sat on the king-size bed and tucked a leg underneath her. “What’s more, he has to be rich—I’m talking in the Forbes top five hundred—and we have to find him before your wedding. I can’t go home until I’m married.”

      “Find a filthy-rich husband? In five days? For a princess? Are you nuts?” Melissa plopped onto her bed. “All right, spill it. What’s Bonifay done this time?”

      Gilbert Bonifay was the chief minister of Montclaire. Richelieu in modern clothing.

      “He’s found an ancient law, made by Louis Francoeur himself. It seems my ancestor’s son was fonder of men than women, if you understand my meaning. Prince Louis passed the law to force him to marry, to secure heirs to the throne.”

      “What is this law?” Melissa asked.

      “Heirs to the throne have to marry by their twenty-fifth birthday.”

      Melissa’s jaw dropped. “That’s only three weeks away. Why hasn’t Bonifay brought this up before now?”

      “He says it’s because Montclaire’s economy is in such shambles—which it is. But I think it’s mostly so he can exercise his control over me.”

      “I bet he already has a husband picked out for you, doesn’t he?”

      Josie swallowed hard, but it didn’t rid her of the bitter taste in her mouth when she thought of her fiancé. “His name is Alphonse Picquet. He’s the fifth richest man in France. He prides himself on having worked his way up in Marseille from an arrimeur… What is the word in English?”

      Melissa wrinkled her nose. “Stevedore.”

      Josie grabbed her friend’s hand. “He’s older than my father, Melissa. He’s big and fat and bald and ugly—and he’s going to ruin Montclaire.”

      “Ruin it? How?”

      “One of the shepherds overheard his men talking at