Cherokee Marriage Dare. Sheri WhiteFeather

      

      AROUND CHI-TOWN

      As the trumpeters blare in the Grand Cathedral halfway around the world, our own Daniel Connelly is about to become crowned king of Altaria. Plans are under way for the coronation, set to take place right after Christmas. All of Chicago’s own royal family, the Connellys, reportedly will be there for the event.

      Including the latest Connelly in the news—Maggie. The youngest Connelly has recently made a splash of her own in the tabloids. Reckless, impetuous Maggie has been seen around town and in—shall we say?—compromising positions with the P.I. on the Connelly case—hard-boiled Cherokee Lucas Starwind. A surprise? Not really. Chicago has come to expect the outrageous from young Maggie.

      But trouble still rages for our most beloved family. The professional hit man arrested last month confessed he had the Connellys in his sights and allegedly detailed an organized-crime smuggling ring targeting the billion-dollar Connelly Corporation. Police are keeping the details close to the vest.

      As Christmas approaches, the paparazzi—including yours truly—will flock to Altaria for the elaborate coronation. The eyes of Chicago will be watching closely, as there is one hit man still at large….

      Dear Reader,

      ’Tis the season to read six passionate, powerful and provocative love stories from Silhouette Desire!

      Savor A Cowboy & a Gentleman (#1477), December’s MAN OF THE MONTH, by beloved author Ann Major. A lonesome cowboy rekindles an old flame in this final title of our MAN OF THE MONTH promotion. MAN OF THE MONTH has had a memorable fourteen-year run and now it’s time to make room for other exciting innovations, such as DYNASTIES: THE BARONES, a Boston-based Romeo-and-Juliet continuity with a happy ending, which launches next month, and—starting in June 2003—Desire’s three-book sequel to Silhouette’s out-of-series continuity THE LONE STAR COUNTRY CLUB. Desire’s popular TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB continuity also returns in 2003, beginning in November.

      This month DYNASTIES: THE CONNELLYS concludes with Cherokee Marriage Dare (#1478) by Sheri WhiteFeather, a riveting tale featuring a former Green Beret who rescues the youngest Connelly daughter from kidnappers. Award-winning, bestselling romance novelist Rochelle Alers debuts in Desire with A Younger Man (#1479), the compelling story of a widow’s sensual renaissance. Barbara McCauley’s Royally Pregnant (#1480) offers a fabulous finale to Silhouette’s cross-line CROWN AND GLORY series, while a feisty rancher corrals the sexy cowboy-next-door in Her Texas Temptation (#1481) by Shirley Rogers. And a blizzard forces a lone wolf to deliver his hometown sweetheart’s infant in Baby & the Beast (#1482) by Laura Wright.

      Here’s hoping you find all six of these supersensual Silhouette Desire titles in your Christmas stocking.

      Enjoy!

      Joan Marlow Golan

      Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

      Cherokee Marriage Dare

      Sheri WhiteFeather

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To the editors on this series, thank you for your hard work and dedication. And to the other authors who made the Connelly family come alive—your emotional and creative support was truly appreciated.

      SHERI WHITEFEATHER

      lives in Southern California and enjoys ethnic dining, summer powwows, and visiting art galleries and vintage clothing stores near the beach. Since her one true passion is writing, she is thrilled to be a part of the Silhouette Desire line. When she isn’t writing, she often reads until the wee hours of the morning.

      Sheri also works as a leather artisan with her Muscogee Creek husband. They have a son, a daughter and a menagerie of pets, including a pampered English bulldog and four equally spoiled Bengal cats. She would love to hear from her readers. You may write to her at: P.O. Box 5130, Orange, California 92863-5130.

      MEET THE CONNELLYS

      Meet the Connellys of Chicago—wealthy, powerful and rocked by scandal, betrayal…and passion!

      Who’s Who in

      CHEROKEE MARRIAGE DARE

      Lucas Starwind—His new “partner” on the case is an innocent who needs protection…and is a woman who threatens his heart.

      Maggie Connelly—The youngest Connelly is never taken seriously…that is, until she embarks upon the seduction of Luke Starwind.

      Rocky Palermo—The professional killer takes pride in his work. Nothing—and no one—keeps him from completing a job.

      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

      One

      Maggie Connelly waited on Luke Starwind’s doorstep. The Chicago wind blew bitter and brisk. She could feel the December air creeping up her spine like icy fingers. A warning, she thought. A prelude to danger.

      Adjusting the grocery bags in her arms, she shifted her stance. Was she getting in over her head? Playing with fire?

      No, she told herself. She had every right to get involved in her family’s investigation. She needed to make a difference, to find closure. Her beloved grandfather was dead, and so was her dashing, handsome uncle. Their lives had been destroyed, and she needed to know why.

      But her biggest stumbling block was Luke. She knew the former Green Beret would try to thwart her efforts.

      Maggie tossed her head. Well, she had a surprise in store for him. She’d uncovered a valuable piece of evidence. And that was her ace in the hole, the card up her sleeve. He couldn’t very well shut her out once she revealed the winning hand fate had dealt her.

      Luke opened the door, but neither said a word.

      Instead, their gazes locked.

      Maggie took a deep breath, forcing oxygen into her lungs.

      The man stood tall and powerfully built. Jet-black hair, combed away from his forehead, intensified the rawboned angles of his face. He possessed a commanding presence, his features strong and determined—high-cut cheekbones, a nose that might have suffered a long-healed break, an unrelenting jaw.

      Luke was a jigsaw puzzle she’d yet to solve, each complicated piece of his personality as confusing as the next. Everything about him rattled her senses, and made her want to touch him. Not just his body, but also his heart.

      His reclusive, shielded heart.

      Did Luke know that he had a romantic side? A masculine warmth hidden beneath that stern, rugged exterior?

      Maggie had asked him to dance at her brother’s wedding reception, and now she could feel every gliding motion, every smooth sultry sway. He’d rubbed his cheek against her temple and whispered a Cherokee phrase,