The Heiress Bride. Laurey Bright

      He could have sworn that when he first kissed her, she’d almost opened up to him, at least physically.

      Then she’d stalked off without a word. Banged down the shutters in his face. And but for an occasional brief, unwitting chink, she’d kept them down ever since.

      If she thought he’d back off, she could think again. She’d thrown out a challenge, and he’d never refused one in his life. One day he’d make her acknowledge that this unsettling desire to touch, to explore, to know, wasn’t all on his side.

      She might be the boss’s daughter, heiress to Kingsley’s little kingdom, but she’d learn that sex was the great leveler. When it came down to it, a naked princess was like any other woman without her clothes….

      Dear Reader,

      Calling all royal watchers! This month, Silhouette Romance’s Carolyn Zane kicks off our exciting new series, ROYALLY WED: THE MISSING HEIR, with the gem Of Royal Blood. Fans of last year’s ROYALLY WED series will love this thrilling four-book adventure, filled with twists and turns—and of course, plenty of love and romance. Blue bloods and commoners alike will also enjoy Laurey Bright’s newest addition to her VIRGIN BRIDES thematic series, The Heiress Bride, about a woman who agrees to marry to protect the empire that is rightfully hers.

      This month is also filled with earth-shattering secrets! First, award-winning author Sharon De Vita serves up a whopper in her latest SADDLE FALLS title, Anything for Her Family. Natalie McMahon is much more than the twin boys’ nanny—she’s their mother! And in Karen Rose Smith’s A Husband in Her Eyes, the heroine has her eyesight restored, only to have haunting visions of a man and child. Can she bring love and happiness back into their lives?

      Everyone likes surprises, right? Well, in Susan Meier’s Married Right Away, the heroine certainly gives her boss the shock of his life—she’s having his baby! And Love Inspired author Cynthia Rutledge makes her Silhouette Romance debut with her modern-day Cinderella story, Trish’s Not-So-Little Secret, about “Fatty Patty” who comes back to her hometown a beautiful swan—and a single mom with a jaw-dropping secret!

      We hope this month that you feel like a princess and enjoy the royal treats we have for you from Silhouette Romance.

      Happy reading!

      Mary-Theresa Hussey

      Senior Editor

      The Heiress Bride

      Laurey Bright

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Books by Laurey Bright

      Silhouette Romance

      Tears of Morning #107

      Sweet Vengeance #125

      Long Way from Home #356

      The Rainbow Way #525

      Jacinth #568

      The Mother of His Child #918

      Marrying Marcus #1558

      The Heiress Bride #1578

      Silhouette Special Edition

      Deep Waters #62

      When Morning Comes #143

      Fetters of the Past #213

      A Sudden Sunlight #516

      Games of Chance #564

      A Guilty Passion #586

      The Older Man #761

      The Kindness of Strangers #820

      An Interrupted Marriage #916

      Silhouette Intimate Moments

      Summers Past #470

      A Perfect Marriage #621

      LAUREY BRIGHT

      has held a number of different jobs, but has never wanted to be anything but a writer. She lives in New Zealand, where she creates the stories of contemporary people in love that have won her a following all over the world. Visit her at her Web site, http://www.laureybright.com.

      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

       Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter One

      It was a humid summer evening, and the annual Waikura Clarion Christmas party was in full swing.

      Checking that the guests were enjoying themselves, Alysia paused in the doorway of the big front lounge.

      Her father, wine glass in hand, held forth to a respectful circle of his employees. Spencer Kingsley was a big man, and his confident stance, rich baritone voice and command of language ensured that people listened to him.

      Only one person had let his attention stray; Chase Osborne, the chief reporter, stared absently into his glass.

      As Alysia stood watching, Chase raised his dark head and looked directly at her with unblinking green-brown eyes under emphatic black brows. He gave her a courteous nod, then his gaze left her as her father threw back his head in laughter, echoed by the rest of the group.

      Chase’s firmly delineated mouth moved only a fraction of an inch at one corner before he downed the remainder of his drink.

      He had scarcely noticed Alysia, despite the green chiffon designer dress that exposed the smooth skin of her arms and shoulders, complemented her fine, fair hair, and emphasized eyes the same clear light green as the pendants in her ears, carved from translucent New Zealand inanga jade.

      Her eyes were her best feature, though when she was younger she’d thought green a wishy-washy color, longing for a more positive blue or brown.

      Once she had horrified her father by using a strawberry rinse in her hair. Now she occasionally had her hairdresser use highlights in the winter to give it a bit of life.

      She was no great beauty,