Substitute Daddy. Kate Welsh

      Brett’s eyes lit with amazement as the baby kicked exactly where he pressed his hand.

      The look on his face was one she knew she’d never forget. Wonder. Joy.

      Brett’s eyes rose to meet Melissa’s, and there was something else written there. It was hot and needy and had nothing whatsoever to do with the baby. Slowly, as if forcing himself, he pulled his hand away.

      The feel of his fingertips just before they broke contact sent a spiraling shaft of desire through her. The pull between them was stronger. She could feel it. She knew he could, too. And though they both fought it and never spoke of it, it grew. But she was as wrong for Brett and his lifestyle as he was for hers. Besides, Brett was never going to be more to the baby than an uncle, and Melissa knew she had to stop hoping things could be different. They couldn’t.

      Could they?

      Dear Reader,

      Not only does Special Edition bring you the joys of life, love and family—but we also capitalize on our authors’ many talents in storytelling. In our spotlight, Christine Rimmer’s exciting new miniseries, VIKING BRIDES, is the epitome of innovative reading. The first book, The Reluctant Princess, details the transformation of an everyday woman to glorious royal—with a Viking lover to match! Christine tells us, “For several years, I’ve dreamed of creating a modern-day country where the ways of the legendary Norsemen would still hold sway. I imagined what fun it would be to match up the most macho of men, the Vikings, with contemporary American heroines. Oh, the culture clash—oh, the lovely potential for lots of romantic fireworks! This dream became VIKING BRIDES.” Don’t miss this fabulous series!

      Our Readers’ Ring selection is Judy Duarte’s Almost Perfect, a darling tale of how good friends fall in love as they join forces to raise two orphaned kids. This one will get you talking! Next, Gina Wilkins delights us with Faith, Hope and Family, in which a tormented heroine returns to save her family and faces the man she’s always loved. You’ll love Elizabeth Harbison’s Midnight Cravings, in which a sassy publicist and a small-town police chief fall hard for each other and give in to a sizzling attraction.

      The Unexpected Wedding Guest, by Patricia McLinn, brings together an unlikely couple who share an unexpected kiss. Newcomer to Special Edition Kate Welsh is no stranger to fresh plot twists, in Substitute Daddy, in which a heroine carries her deceased twin’s baby and has feelings for the last man on earth she should love—her snooty brother-in-law.

      As you can see, we have a story for every reader’s taste. Stay tuned next month for six more top picks from Special Edition!

      Sincerely,

      Karen Taylor Richman

      Senior Editor

      Substitute Daddy

      Kate Welsh

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To my daughter, Heather.

      May you and your hero live happily ever after. Happy first anniversary.

      Mom

      KATE WELSH,

      a lover of all things romantic, has been writing romance for nearly twenty years. She is a three-time finalist and two-time winner of Romance Writers of America’s coveted Golden Heart and was a RITA^® Award finalist in 2000. Substitute Daddy is her first Silhouette Special Edition novel but her tenth published novel.

      Kate lives just outside Philadelphia in Havertown, Pennsylvania, with her husband of over thirty years, her daughter and her Chesapeake Bay retriever, Ecko. And Kali the family cat, who didn’t want a playmate when the puppy moved in two years ago and still doesn’t!

      Dear Reader,

      Every once in a while a scene comes into my head, and if I am lucky a book evolves. The prologue of this book was just such a moment for me and Substitute Daddy was just such a book. I’m so excited to have had such a magical experience evolve into my first book for Silhouette Special Edition.

      As a writer I do a lot of “what if” thinking. I don’t think there is a better way to enrich a story than to insert a few dire “what ifs” to an interesting scene. So I set about upping the heroine’s conflict and added a hero from the other side of the fence. I made him a man in transition and gave him a lot to lose and learn and a lot of love to give.

      And Substitute Daddy was born. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

      Contents

      Prologue

      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

      Chapter Seventeen

      Chapter Eighteen

      Chapter Nineteen

      Chapter Twenty

      Epilogue

      Prologue

      The sky was crying, Melissa Abell thought looking out the window of the funeral parlor. As far as she was concerned, that was the only explanation for the constant downpour of the past few days. A light had gone out of the world and it was in mourning. That light was her vibrant twin sister Leigh and the love Leigh had shared with her husband Gary. Gone. Both gone.

      Melissa’s gaze was drawn once again to the closed oak caskets that held all that was left of Leigh and Gary. She was grateful for those closed coffins. This way she’d remember both of them the way they’d looked when she’d last seen them, happily planning a nursery. She put her hand on her still-flat stomach—a nursery for the baby she still carried for them.

      Melissa looked around at the tasteful room and its profusion of flowers. She should thank Gary’s brother when he arrived for the thoughtfulness of the arrangements.

      And she would.

      Even if it killed her.

      Gary’s immediate family were conspicuous by their absence. She had already stood alone by the caskets for two hours, greeting and accepting condolences from other Costain family members and Gary and Leigh’s friends and acquaintances. As she checked her watch, Melissa heard a commotion at the door. Gary’s brother and parents had finally arrived—just short of the time the service was set to begin. In at least this, she knew his brother, Brett, was innocent. No two brothers had ever been closer.

      Melissa waited until they’d gotten their raincoats off and were ready to parade into the room, then she walked to her seat and signaled the minister to begin the service. If that left the Costains scrambling into the first row, so be it.

      What kind of people were late for their own son’s funeral?

      The minister, a kindly man who’d been Melissa’s support these