Man of the Hour. Patricia Kay

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      “I’m okay,” Glynnis said.

      She didn’t look okay. She looked like hell. Tired, pale, and worried. Despite this, she looked younger than she had the day before, beautiful in no makeup, her hair tied back in a ponytail.

      “I’m just so scared,” she said.

      “I know you are,” Dan said. “That’s one of the reasons I came by—to tell you that it may take a while, but we’ll find your daughter.”

      Impulsively he got up and walked over to where she sat. Reaching down, he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Then he did something he knew he shouldn’t. He put his arms around Glynnis and held her while she cried.

      Holding her trembling body, Dan silently repeated his pledge. He would find this woman’s daughter and bring her safely home…if it was the last thing he ever did.

      Dear Reader,

      Well, the lazy days of summer are winding to an end, so what better way to celebrate those last long beach afternoons than with a good book? We here at Silhouette Special Edition are always happy to oblige! We begin with Diamonds and Deceptions by Marie Ferrarella, the next in our continuity series, THE PARKS EMPIRE. When a mesmerizing man walks into her father’s bookstore, sheltered Brooke Moss believes he’s her dream come true. But he’s about to challenge everything she thought she knew about her own family.

      Victoria Pade continues her NORTHBRIDGE NUPTIALS with Wedding Willies, in which a runaway bride with an aversion to both small towns and matrimony finds herself falling for both, along with Northbridge’s most eligible bachelor! In Patricia Kay’s Man of the Hour, a woman finds her gratitude to the detective who found her missing child turning quickly to…love. In Charlie’s Angels by Cheryl St. John, a single father is stymied when his little girl is convinced that finding a new mommy is as simple as having an angel sprinkle him with her “miracle dust”—until he meets the beautiful blonde who drives a rig called “Silver Angel.” In It Takes Three by Teresa Southwick, a pregnant caterer sets her sights on the handsome single dad who swears his fatherhood days are behind him. Sure they are! And the MEN OF THE CHEROKEE ROSE series by Janis Reams Hudson concludes with The Cowboy on Her Trail, in which one night of passion with the man she’s always wanted results in a baby on the way. Can marriage be far behind?

      Enjoy all six of these wonderful novels, and please do come back next month for six more new selections, only from Silhouette Special Edition.

      Gail Chasan

      Senior Editor

      Man of the Hour

      Patricia Kay

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      This book is dedicated, with many thanks, to Colleen Thompson—terrific writer, knowledgeable reader and great friend.

      PATRICIA KAY,

      formerly writing as Trisha Alexander, is the USA TODAY bestselling author of more that thirty contemporary romances. She lives in Houston, Texas. To learn more about her, visit her Web site at www.patriciakay.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

      “Mommy, I thirsty!”

      “Me, too! I wanna go home.”

      Glynnis March glanced down at her tired children. Michael, her seven-year-old, and Olivia, her three-year-old, looked mutinous.

      “I’m sorry,” she said as patiently as she could, considering the fact her head was pounding and all she wanted to do was to go home, too. “I know you’re both tired. Five more minutes, okay? Mommy just needs to buy one more Christmas present, then we’ll go to the food court.”

      “And get french fries?” Michael said.

      Normally, Glynnis didn’t allow the children to eat fast food, but desperate times called for desperate measures. “Yes, french fries and a soft drink you can take to the car and have while we’re driving home, all right?”

      Michael, skeptical, frowned. “You promise?”

      “I promise.”

      With an expression that pierced her because it was one she’d seen on his father’s face many times, Michael looked down at his sister and said, “Just five minutes, Livvy. Mommy promised.”

      “Fibe minutes?” Olivia frowned in concentration, putting out four fingers one by one.

      Glynnis couldn’t help it; she chuckled and pulled out Olivia’s thumb. “Five, honey. One, two, three, four, five.”

      Olivia counted along with her mother and then grinned, her dimples deep and adorable. “Fibe.”

      Michael didn’t smile. He was too old to be distracted. Glynnis knew she was pushing her luck. But Corinne’s Closet had cashmere sweaters at half price—something she hadn’t known until she’d seen the sign in the window—and she knew if she didn’t go in and get one now, they’d be gone by the time she was able to come back to the mall. And a green cashmere sweater would be the perfect gift for her sister-in-law, Sabrina.

      Praying the children would last long enough for her to snag the sweater, Glynnis—children in tow—entered the shop. She nearly turned around and walked out when she saw how many women were ahead of her. It was a mob scene. But she wanted that sweater for Sabrina.

      Maneuvering through the crowd, she spied the sweater section. It wasn’t easy, but she managed to work her way to the table where the sale sweaters were stacked. Oh, good, she thought, seeing that there were several different shades of green. She especially liked the mossy shade, which would be a perfect complement to Sabrina’s eyes.

      “Glynnis! Fancy seeing you here.”

      Glynnis whirled at the sound of the Scottish accent. As she’d thought, Isabel McNabb, head of the creative writing program at Ivy Community College, where Glynnis taught art and art history, stood grinning at her. “Hi, Isabel. Yeah, I’m braving the madding crowd.”

      “Isn’t it just.” Isabel pushed back a strand of wayward blond hair. “But my mum is coming tomorrow, and I still haven’t bought anything for her. So here I am.”

      “Mommy! Come on!” Michael tugged his hand away from Glynnis’s grip.

      Glynnis looked down at her unhappy son. His dark eyes, another reminder of his father, were accusatory. “Honey,” she began.

      “I wanna go. You promised.”

      “You pomised,” Olivia echoed, her tongue not able to navigate her Rs very well. She, too, started trying to release herself.

      Glynnis hefted Olivia into her arms. “Isabel, I’m sorry. I can’t talk. I’ve got to get one of those sweaters and get out of here or my kids are going to have a meltdown.”

      Isabel nodded. Lowering her voice, she said, “See why I have no desire for the little darlings?”

      Glynnis grinned. Isabel’s