Making Babies. Wendy Warren

      “I would like you to be the father of my children.”

      Thunder roared. Cymbals crashed. Trumpets blared.

      And that was only what was going on in Mitch’s head. He’d had no idea he’d react this way until Elaine spoke the fateful words.

      “There’s no point in marrying beforehand, because neither of us is interested in getting married to begin with.”

      Mitch felt his brow dip into frown territory. That was news to him. “Go on.”

      “I think the best approach is to wait. See if I get pregnant and if I do, then and only then explore marriage.” She paused for his reaction. “I just thought it would be a good idea not to put so much pressure on each other. You have to make love something like every other day for seven days to increase the odds of getting pregnant.”

      “It does sound like a lot of hard work,” he mused. He reached for his scone and buttered it.

      “Fortunately I’m a workaholic.”

      Dear Reader,

      It’s October, the time of year when crisper temperatures and waning daylight turns our attention to more indoor pursuits—such as reading! And we at Silhouette Special Edition are happy to supply you with the material. We begin with Marrying Molly, the next in bestselling author Christine Rimmer’s BRAVO FAMILY TIES series. A small-town mayor who swore she’d break the family tradition of becoming a mother before she becomes a wife finds herself nonetheless in the very same predicament. And the father-to-be? The very man who’s out to get her job….

      THE PARKS EMPIRE series continues with Lois Faye Dyer’s The Prince’s Bride, in which a wedding planner called on to plan the wedding of an exotic prince learns that she’s the bride-to-be! Next, in The Devil You Know, Laurie Paige continues her popular SEVEN DEVILS miniseries with the story of a woman determined to turn her marriage of convenience into the real thing. Patricia Kay begins her miniseries THE HATHAWAYS OF MORGAN CREEK, the story of a Texas baking dynasty (that’s right, baking!), with Nanny in Hiding, in which a young mother on the run from her abusive ex seeks shelter in the home of Bryce Hathaway—and finds so much more. In Wrong Twin, Right Man by Laurie Campbell, a man who feels he failed his late wife terribly gets another chance to make it up—to her twin sister. At least he thinks she’s her twin…. And in Wendy Warren’s Making Babies, a newly divorced woman whose ex-husband denied her the baby she always wanted, finds a willing candidate—in the guilt-ridden lawyer who represented the creep in his divorce!

      Enjoy all six of these reads, and come back again next month to see what’s up in Silhouette Special Edition.

      Take care,

      Gail Chasan

      Senior Editor

      Making Babies

      Wendy Warren

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      For my daughter,

       Elisabeth Elana Laura Blough, link to the past and the future, key to joy in the present. Your daddy and I adore you.

      “Our hearts spoke your name, and God heard.”

      WENDY WARREN

      lives with her husband, Tim, a dog, a cat and their recent—and most exciting!—addition, baby daughter Elisabeth, near the Pacific Northwest’s beautiful Willamette River. Their house was previously owned by a woman named Cinderella, who bequeathed them a gardenful of flowers they try desperately (and occasionally successfully) not to kill, and a pink General Electric oven, circa 1958, that makes the kitchen look like an I Love Lucy rerun.

      A two-time recipient of Romance Writers of America’s RITA^® Award for Best Traditional Romance, Wendy loves to read and write the kind of books that remind her of the old movies she grew up watching with her mom—stories about decent people looking for the love that can make an ordinary life heroic. Wendy was an Affaire de Coeur finalist for Best Up and Coming Romance Author of 1997. When not writing, she likes to take long walks with her dog, settle in for cozy chats with good friends and sneak tofu into her husband’s dinner. She always enjoys hearing from readers, and may be reached at P.O. Box 1208, Ashland, OR 97520.

      Elaine’s Fertility Goddess Shake

      1 cup plus 2 tbsp of the best chocolate or vanilla-caramel ice cream you can find

      ½ cup organic soy milk, regular or vanilla—chilled

      1 small ripe banana

      1 tbsp organic peanut, almond or cashew butter

      1 couch

      1 romance novel

      Put 1 cup ice cream into a blender. Put 2 tbsp into your mouth. Add ½ cup soy milk (to the blender) then the banana and nut butter. Process until smooth. Pour into a tall, frosted glass.

      Sit on the couch, pick up your novel, sip your drink and think sexy thoughts. You’ll be a goddess in no time.

      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 Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Epilogue

      Chapter One

      Pencil erasers tasted like gum mixed with sand. Elaine Lowry knew this for a fact because she’d just chewed through one while staring at a large flat appointment book lying open on the desk in front of her.

      For two days each week, Elaine worked in the outer office of Harold J. Gussman, D.D.S. She did the dentist’s filing and stuffed envelopes for the “Come-In-We’ll-Make-You-Smile” six-month checkup reminders he sent to his patients.

      She’d been working here part-time for five years. Just yesterday, she’d walked the two blocks to Office Max on her lunch hour to buy one of those little plastic water bottles with the sponge tips so she could sponge the envelopes instead of having to lick them all.

      Five years, and she’d finally made the switch from tongue to sponge.

      It just showed how she felt about change. If she’d been in charge of the pilgrims, the citizenry of the United States would be huddled around Plymouth Rock to this day.

      Pushing heavy brown bangs off her forehead, Elaine rubbed a spot of tension over her right eyebrow and sighed. It was difficult to respond to life’s little challenges.

      Take, for instance, right now.

      She was covering for Sue, Dr. Gussman’s receptionist, who had slipped out for a potty break. In looking at the appointment book a minute ago, Elaine had seen that Steph Lowry would be coming in at four-fifteen for a tooth bonding.

      Steph Lowry.

      Steph. Short for “Stephanie.”

      Lowry. Short for “the vacuous,