The Rancher's Hand-Picked Bride. Elizabeth August

      “That’s Gwen Murphy standing there, Jess reminded himself. She’d rather slug a man than kiss him.

      But with her hair all sleep mussed and her curves in that old cotton robe that showed more leg than he guessed she was aware of, she looked sexier than any woman in the flimsiest negligee.

      “You’re still here,” Gwen grumbled.

      “I told you I’d see you through your recent loss.”

      “Not necessary,” Gwen replied. But, suddenly light-headed, she slumped against the doorjamb.

      Jess reached her and lifted her into his arms. Her robe opened more, and he realized she was wearing little or nothing under it. Arousal threatened again.

      Gwen yanked her robe around her and rasped, “Put me down.”

      He must be crazy to be attracted to her, Jess thought. He liked his women soft and sweet.

      While tangling with Gwen…would be like tangling with a cougar!

      Dear Reader,

      Spring cleaning wearing you out? Perk up with a heart-thumping romance from Silhouette Romance. This month, your favorite authors return to the line, and a new one makes her debut!

      Take a much-deserved break with bestselling author Judy Christenberry’s secret-baby story, Daddy on the Doorstep (#1654). Then plunge into Elizabeth August’s latest, The Rancher’s Hand-Picked Bride (#1656), about a celibate heroine forced to find her rugged neighbor a bride!

      You won’t want to miss the first in Raye Morgan’s CATCHING THE CROWN miniseries about three royal siblings raised in America who must return to their kingdom and marry. In Jack and the Princess (#1655), Princess Karina falls for her bodyguard, but what will it take for this gruff commoner to win a place in the royal family? And in Diane Pershing’s The Wish (#1657), the next SOULMATES installment, a pair of magic eyeglasses gives Gerri Conklin the chance to do over the most disastrous week of her life…and find the man of her dreams!

      And be sure to keep your eye on these two Romance authors. Roxann Delaney delivers her third fabulous Silhouette Romance novel, A Whole New Man (#1658), about a live-for-the-moment hero transformed into a family man, but will it last? And Cheryl Kushner makes her debut with He’s Still the One (#1659), a fresh, funny, heartwarming tale about a TV show host who returns to her hometown and the man she never stopped loving.

      Happy reading!

      Mary-Theresa Hussey

      Senior Editor

      The Rancher’s Hand-Picked Bride

      Elizabeth August

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Books by Elizabeth August

      Silhouette Romance

      Author’s Choice #554

      Truck Driving Woman #590

      Wild Horse Canyon #626

      Something So Right #668

      The Nesting Instinct #719

      Joey’s Father #749

      Ready-Made Family #771

      The Man from Natchez #790

      A Small Favor #809

      The Cowboy and the Chauffeur #833

      Like Father, Like Son #857

      The Wife He Wanted #881

      *The Virgin Wife #921

      *Haunted Husband #922

      *Lucky Penny #945

      *A Wedding for Emily #953

      *The Seeker #989

      †The Forgotten Husband #1019

      †Ideal Dad #1054

      †A Husband for Sarah #1067

      The Bridal Shower #1091

      *A Father’s Vow #1126

      *A Handy Man To Have Around #1157

      The Rancher and the Baby #1187

      *The Determined Virgin #1229

      Paternal Instincts #1265

      The Bride’s Second Thought #1288

      Marrying O’Malley #1386

      Truly, Madly, Deeply #1404

      A Royal Mission #1446

      Slade’s Secret Son #1512

      The Rancher’s Hand-Picked Bride #1656

      Silhouette Special Edition

      One Last Fling! #871

      *The Husband #1059

      Silhouette Intimate Moments

      Girls’ Night Out #880

      Logan’s Bride #950

      Silhouette Books

      Jingle Bells, Wedding Bells 1994

      “The Forever Gift”

      36 Hours

      Cinderella Story

      ELIZABETH AUGUST

      lives in western North Carolina with her husband, Doug. They have three grown sons. She began writing romances soon after their youngest was born.

      After a bout with cancer, she has learned to relax and enjoy life more. To this end, she has taken up golf. She says her game could use a great deal of improvement, but the beauty of the mountain courses takes her mind off of her bad shots.

      Elizabeth has published under the pseudonym of Betsy Page for Harlequin.

      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven