Clayton's Made-Over Mrs.. Sandra Steffen

      Table of Contents

       Cover Page

       Title Page

       Excerpt

Dear Reader

       Dedication

       About the Author

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Copyright

      Clayton’s Made-Over Mrs.

      Sandra Steffen

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

       “Who’d marry an ornery cuss like you anyway?”

      “I was sort of hoping you would.”

      

      Mouth gaping, Melody stared at Clayton for a full five seconds. She’d been dreaming of marrying this man for as long as she could remember, had imagined his wedding proposal at least a thousand times. Not once in all her imaginings had he ever used the words sort of.

      He flashed her his lazy, sexy grin one more time. Just when her knees were starting to melt along with her resolve, he said, “By the way, do you have any cream and sugar?”

      

      She thought about hitting him over the head with one of the trays, but she didn’t see much sense in denting a perfectly usable item.

      

      “What do you say, Mel?”

      

      Since Melody didn’t have much except her diner and her pride, she untied her apron and slapped it on the counter before stalking toward the door. “I say get your own darned cream and sugar.”

      Dear Reader,

      What a special lineup of love stories Silhouette Romance has for you this month. Bestselling author Sandra Steffen continues her BACHELOR GULCH miniseries with Clayton’s Made-Over Mrs. And in The Lawman’s Legacy, favorite author Phyllis Halldorson introduces a special promotion called MEN! Who says good men are hard to find?! Plus, we’ve got Julianna Morris’s Daddy Woke up Married—our BUNDLES OF JOY selection—Love, Marriage and Family 101 by Anne Peters, The Scandalous Return of Jake Walker by Myrna Mackenzie and The Cowboy Who Broke the Mold by Cathleen Galitz, who makes her Silhouette debut as one of our WOMEN TO WATCH.

      I hope you enjoy all six of these wonderful novels. In fact, I’d love to get your thoughts on Silhouette Romance. If you’d like to share your comments about the Silhouette Romance line, please send a letter directly to my attention: Melissa Senate, Senior Editor, Silhouette Books, 300 E. 42nd St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017. I welcome all of your comments, and here are a few particulars I’d like to have your feedback on:

      1) Why do you enjoy Silhouette Romance?

      2) What types of stories would you like to see more of? Less of?

      3) Do you have favorite authors?

      Your thoughts about Romance are very important to me. After all, these books are for you! Again, I hope you enjoy our six novels this month—and that you’ll write me with your thoughts.

      

      Regards,

      

      Melissa Senate

      Senior Editor

      Silhouette Books

      Please address questions and book requests to:

      Silhouette Reader Service

      U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

      Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

      For Ann Green

      After all these years, all our experiences, all our wisdom,

      the only thing we know for sure is that we still don’t have a clue. Thanks, friend.

       SANDRA STEFFEN

      Creating memorable characters is one of Sandra’s favorite aspects of writing. She’s always been a romantic, and is thrilled to be able to spend her days doing what she loves—bringing her characters to life on her computer screen.

      

      Sandra grew up in Michigan, the fourth of ten children, all of whom have taken the old adage “Go forth and multiply” quite literally. Add to this her husband, who is her real-life hero, their four school-age sons who keep their lives in constant motion, their gigantic cat, Percy, and her wonderful friends, in-laws and neighbors, and what do you get? Chaos, of course, but also a wonderful sense of belonging she wouldn’t trade for the world.

       Chapter One

      “Evenin’, Mel.”

      For an instant everything inside Melody McCully went perfectly still. She recognized Clayton Carson’s voice; more than anything, she recognized what it did to her, darn it all. In the second or two it took to recover her equilibrium, she pushed her hair out of her face and turned around. “The diner’s closed, Clayt.”

      He ambled closer, sidestepping the tables she’d already cleaned off, coming to a stop on the other side of the counter where a handful of regulars would be ordering up breakfast in less than twelve hours. He surveyed the room the way he always did, leaning back on his heels, his fingers hooked through the belt loops of well-worn jeans. “Do you have any coffee left?”