That Loving Touch. Ashley Summers

      Sam Was Concerned, Captivated And Intrigued By The Aura Of Mystery Surrounding His Snowbound Houseguest Letter to Reader Title Page ASHLEY SUMMERS Dedication 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 Copyright

      Sam Was Concerned, Captivated And Intrigued By The Aura Of Mystery Surrounding His Snowbound Houseguest

      And he was dying to touch Carrie—but he knew that she’d be leaving. These thoughts ensnared him in confusion. Dammit, he wanted her gone. And soon, before his brain turned to mush.

      

      Incredibly, she had the power to do that. He could tell himself that she was the same as all other women. But there was something different about Carrie Loving. For one thing, she made him think he was lonely, and he hadn’t even known it until she came along.

      

      She changed things, he admitted grudgingly. Just her presence made the place nicer somehow. Warmer. More homey.

      

      Oh, hell, he thought, disliking where this was taking him. It was just sex, he told himself. She made him hot and bothered, that’s all. But he knew that wasn’t the whole truth....

      Dear Reader,

      

      Merry Christmas from Silhouette Desire—where you’re guaranteed powerful, passionate and provocative love stories that feature rugged heroes and spirited heroines who experience the full emotional intensity of falling in love!

      

      The always-wonderful Cait London is back with this December’s MAN OF THE MONTH, who happens to be one of THE BLAYLOCKS. In Typical Male, a modern warrior hero is attracted to the woman who wants to destroy him.

      

      The thrilling Desire mimseries TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB concludes with Lone Star Prince by Cindy Gerard. Her Royal Princess Anna von Oberland finally reunites with the dashing attorney Gregory Hunt who fathered her child years ago.

      

      Talented Ashley Summers returns to Desire with That Loving Touch, where a pregnant woman becomes snowbound with a sexy executive in his cabin. The everpopular BACHELOR BATTALION gets into the holiday spirit with Marine under the Mistletoe by Maureen Child. Star-Crossed Lovers is a Romeo-and-Juliet-with-a-happyending story by Zena Valentine. And an honorable cowboy demands the woman pregnant with his child marry him in Chnsty Lockhart’s The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby.

      

      Each and every month, Silhouette Desire offers you six exhilarating journeys into the seductive world of romance. So make a commitment to sensual love and treat yourself to all six for some great holiday reading this month!

      

      Enjoy!

      

      Joan Marlow Golan

      Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

      Please address questions and book requests to.

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      That Loving Touch

      Ashley Summers

      

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ASHLEY SUMMERS

      is an incurable romantic who lives in Texas, in a house that overflows with family and friends. Her busy life revolves around the man she married thirty years ago, her three children and her handsome grandson, Eric. Formerly the owner and operator of a landscaping firm, she also enjoys biking, aerobics, reading and traveling.

      Here’s to the gang at the ole swimming hole:

      Mary Bowers

      Ione White Ginny Johnson Jewell Wright And our peerless leader, Debbie Clayton

      One

      Her slim shoulders hunched against the biting wind, Carrie Loving plodded through the black December night with only the beam of a flashlight to guide her. She was trying to reach her rented cottage on Ohio’s beautiful Lake Prince John, but her car had skidded into a ditch half a mile from her destination. She’d stepped out into the icy waters of the half-frozen ditch and her ankle boots squished with each step.

      The small duffle bag she carried contained a change of clothes and toiletries, but no dry shoes. Shivering, she pushed strands of damp, red hair back into her parka. Maybe leaving the car was foolish, she thought. But there wasn’t anything else she could do. She’d been warned that the cluster of cottages comprising the Blue Heron Fishing Camp was deserted this close to Christmas. That didn’t bother her; she was twenty-eight, not some young twit who jumped at shadows, she told herself stoutly. After months of emotional turmoil, the promise of peace and quiet helped soothe the misgivings she had about coming here.

      The flashlight beam wobbled as a wave of dizziness threatened her balance. Carrie grabbed an overhanging limb to steady herself. She was freezing, yet inside, she felt on fire. Her green eyes ran hot with tears. That damn flu, she thought furiously, it’s come back. And I’m stranded out here in the middle of nowhere!

      “Oh God,” she whispered, assailed by fear and doubt. She was divorced, alone, and nearly four months pregnant.

      The dizziness passed. Carefully releasing her supportive tree limb, she started walking again, her gaze glued to the compellant little world of the flashlight’s beam. She ignored the nausea spiraling through her like a miniature whirlwind. She’d already discovered that morning sickness could strike at any time.

      In a few short months she’d be a parent. A single parent.

      Carrie acknowledged her fear of caring for a baby alone. But the baby mustn’t know it. A baby must have complete confidence in its mother. “Don’t worry, my love,” she murmured, spreading a gloved hand over the quilted fabric covering her stomach. “I’ll take care of us.”

      As if mocking her brave assertion, another wave of dizziness hit her. She waited it out, then slowly began moving again. According to her directions, the road followed the perimeter of the lake, with