The Bride's Second Thought. Elizabeth August

      Peter closed his eyes and pictured himself carrying Ellen to his bed.... Letter to Reader Title Page About the Author Letter to Reader Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Copyright

      Peter closed his eyes and pictured himself carrying Ellen to his bed....

      Suddenly the word virgin flashed into his mind. For a moment, the male animal in him reveled at the thought of being the first man to possess her. Then a chill of reality swept over him. Did he want that responsibility? Ellen had waited a long time for Mr. Right. Peter couldn’t take her in a moment of weakness....

      

      He stepped back, releasing her completely.

      

      “I told you that you were safe here. And I’m a man of my word. You came here a virgin. You’ll leave here as one.” Before she had time to respond, he headed back to the loft. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, he admitted. And he knew he would never have the strength to do it again....

      Dear Reader,

      

      This month, Romance is chock-full of excitement. First, VIRGIN BRIDES continues with The Bride’s Second Thought, an emotionally compelling story by bestselling author Elizabeth August. When a virginal bride-to-be finds her fiancé with another woman, she flees to the mountains for refuge...only to be stranded with a gorgeous stranger who gives her second thoughts about a lot of things....

      

      Next, Natalie Patrick offers up a delightful BUNDLES OF JOY with Boot Scootin’ Secret Baby. Bull rider Jacob “Cub” Goodacre returns to South Dakota for his rodeo hurrah, only to learn he’s still a married man...and father to a two-year-old heart tugger. BACHELOR GULCH, Sandra Steffen’s wonderful Western series, resumes with the story of an estranged couple who had wed for the sake of their child...but wonder if they can rekindle their love in Nick’s Long-Awaited Honeymoon.

      

      Rising star Kristin Morgan delivers a tender, sexy tale about a woman whose biological clock is booming and the best friend who consents to being her Shotgun Groom. If you want a humorous—red-hot!—read, try Vivian Leiber’s The 6’2”. 200 lb. Challenge. The battle of the sexes doesn’t get any better! Finally, Lisa Kaye Laurel’s fairy-tale series, ROYAL WEDDINGS, draws to a close with The Irresistible Prince, where the woman hired to find the royal a wife realizes she is the perfect candidate!

      

      In May, VIRGIN BRIDES resumes with Annette Broadrick, and future months feature titles by Suzanne Carey and Judy Christenberry, among others. So keep coming back to Romance, where you’re sure to find the classic tales you love, told in fresh, exciting ways.

      

      Enjoy!

      Joan Madow Golan

      Senior Editor, Silhouette Romance

      Please address questions and book requests to:

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      The Bride’s Second Thought

      Elizabeth August

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      ELIZABETH AUGUST

      

      lives in western North Carolina with her husband, Doug, and her three boys, Douglas, Benjamin and Matthew. She began writing romances soon after Matthew was born. She’s always wanted to write.

      

      Elizabeth does counted cross-stitching to keep from eating at night. It doesn’t always work. “I love to bowl, but I’m not very good. I keep my team’s handicap high. I like hiking in the Shenadoahs, as long as we start up the mountain so the return trip is down rather than vice versa.” She loves to go to Cape Hatteras to watch the sun rise over the ocean. Elizabeth August has also published under the pseudonym Betsy Page.

      Dear Reader,

      

      I have been called old-fashioned and naive. I’ll accept old-fashioned because in many ways I am...at least as defined by the modern media. I confess, I saved myself for marriage, and my family has always come first.

      

      As for being naive, I am not. Considering the threats to one’s health and the possibility of an unexpected pregnancy, I considered my choice to remain chaste a rational one. Certainly a safe one. And, because I am the person I am, it was the right emotional choice for me. Other women have made a different choice, and it has worked out just as well for them. And I am happy for them.

      

      To those of you reading this letter, my hope is that you will listen to your heart and mind and do what’s best for you. And I sincerely wish each and every one of you a long and happy life.

      

      Best,

      Chapter One

      “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” Ellen Reese muttered to herself. “Decisions made at 2:00 a.m. should always be reevaluated in the light of day.”

      Of course she’d had all day to think, but she’d been too angry and hurt. The truth was she hadn’t wanted to think. Now she was in trouble and had no one to blame but herself.

      When she’d left Boston this morning, the sky had been clear. Halfway through New Hampshire, fresh snow had begun to fall but she hadn’t stopped. For a foolish reason that had seemed rational at two in the morning, she’d vowed to keep driving until she’d crossed the Canadian border. So she’d continued north through the mountainous terrain, concentrating on the beauty of the white-blanketed wilderness and trying to block out the scene that had sent her on this journey.

      She’d reasoned that she didn’t have to worry about a few