Montana Daddy. Charlotte Maclay

      She would have to tell Rory the truth about what had happened after their summer together

      Except she had tried. And he hadn’t cared enough about her to return her phone calls when she’d desperately needed to talk to him nearly six years ago. His silence had added an exclamation point to their argument about maintaining a long-distance relationship.

      She’d lost that battle—in spades.

      But she’d won something more precious.

      Now the time had come when she had to face up to reality. But first she had to determine what kind of man Rory had become. There was more at stake than her own heart.

      She tried to remember another time in her life when her emotions had been so volatile. Or when procrastination had seemed like a perfect solution to whatever dilemma she faced.

      Soon—very soon—she would have to tell Rory he had a five-year-old son.…

      Dear Reader,

      This month Harlequin American Romance delivers favorite authors and irresistible stories of heart, home and happiness that are sure to leave you smiling.

      COWBOYS BY THE DOZEN, Tina Leonard’s new family-connected miniseries, premieres this month with Frisco Joe’s Fiancée, in which a single mother and her daughter give a hard-riding, heartbreaking cowboy second thoughts about bachelorhood.

      Next, in Prognosis: A Baby? Maybe, the latest book in Jacqueline Diamond’s THE BABIES OF DOCTORS CIRCLE miniseries, a playboy doctor’s paternal instincts and suspicions are aroused when he sees a baby girl with the woman who had shared a night of passion with him. Was this child his? THE HARTWELL HOPE CHESTS, Rita Herron’s delightful series, resumes with Have Cowboy, Need Cupid, in which a city girl suddenly starts dreaming about a cowboy groom after opening an heirloom hope chest. And rounding out the month is Montana Daddy, a reunion romance and secret baby story by Charlotte Maclay.

      Enjoy this month’s offerings as Harlequin American Romance continues to celebrate its yearlong twentieth anniversary.

      Melissa Jeglinski

      Associate Senior Editor

      Harlequin American Romance

      Montana Daddy

      Charlotte Maclay

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Charlotte Maclay can’t resist a happy ending. That’s why she’s had such fun writing more than twenty titles for Harlequin American Romance, Duets and Love & Laughter, plus several Silhouette Romance books, as well. Charlotte is particularly well-known for her volunteer efforts in her hometown of Torrance, California; her philosophy is that you should make a difference in your community. She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, whom they are occasionally allowed to baby-sit. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at P.O. Box 505, Torrance, CA 90508.

      Books by Charlotte Maclay

      HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

      474—THE VILLAIN’S LADY

      488—A GHOSTLY AFFAIR

      503—ELUSIVE TREASURE

      532—MICHAEL’S MAGIC

      537—THE KIDNAPPED BRIDE

      566—HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE

      585—THE COWBOY & THE BELLY DANCER

      620—THE BEWITCHING BACHELOR

      643—WANTED: A DAD TO BRAG ABOUT

      657—THE LITTLEST ANGEL

      684—STEALING SAMANTHA

      709—CATCHING A DADDY

      728—A LITTLE BIT PREGNANT

      743—THE HOG-TIED GROOM

      766—DADDY’S LITTLE COWGIRL

      788—DEPUTY DADDY

      806—A DADDY FOR BECKY

      821—THE RIGHT COWBOY’S BED*

      825—IN A COWBOY’S EMBRACE*

      886—BOLD AND BRAVE-HEARTED**

      890—WITH VALOR AND DEVOTION**

      894—BETWEEN HONOR AND DUTY**

      915—WITH COURAGE AND COMMITMENT**

      929—AT THE RANCHER’S BIDDING

      943—COURTSHIP, MONTANA STYLE

      980—MONTANA DADDY

      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 Fourteen

      Chapter One

      “I’m going to break my fool neck if somebody doesn’t help me out of this truck!” The penetrating voice of Dr. Justine Beauchamp cut through the chilly afternoon quiet in Grass Valley, Montana.

      Across the road from the medical clinic, Rory Swift Eagle Oakes smiled to himself, tugged his black Stetson down more firmly and ambled toward the unfamiliar SUV that had pulled up in front of the old three-story Victorian house. As a kid he’d thought the dormer windows were like eyes and the occupants were watching him.

      Now he and the often cantankerous doctor were colleagues of sorts. She took care of the two-legged patients in this northern part of the state, and he handled those with four. Plus a few two-legged birds of prey who fell victim to hunters or tangled with power lines. Doc Justine, for all of her years in this