The Consummate Cowboy. Sara Orwig

      “I Need You,” He Whispered. Letter to Reader Title Page About the Author Acknowledgments 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 Copyright

      “I Need You,” He Whispered.

      Emily looked into his dark eyes and knew that never in her life had she been wanted this way.

      

      “I’m going home tomorrow, Zach.”

      

      “We have tonight,” he answered. He picked her up and carried her to the family room, where he closed the door and slipped the bolt in place.

      

      He eased her down and with a powerful sweep of his arms he yanked off his T-shirt and tossed it aside, muscles rippling. She inhaled deeply. She saw his intention as he bent his head to kiss her, and she did not want to stop him. She sensed the vulnerability in him and she wanted to give to him, to make him feel complete. At the same time, she didn’t want to go home with a broken heart. It was a fleeting thought, whisked away by his fingers and his mouth and his body. This moment she was willing to risk all....

      Dear Reader,

      

      August predictably brings long steamy days...and hot sensuous nights. And this month Silhouette Desire spotlights the kind of pure passion that can erupt only in that sizzling summer climate.

      

      Get ready to fall head over heels for August’s MAN OF THE MONTH, a sexy rancher who opens his home (and his heart?) to a lost beauty desperately hoping to recover her memory in A Montana Man by Jackie Merrit. Bestselling author Cait London continues her hugely popular miniseries THE TALLCHIEFS with Rafe Palladin: Man of Secrets. Rafe is an irresistible takeover tycoon with a plan to acquire a Tallchief lady. Barbara McMahon brings readers the second story in her IDENTICAL TWINS! duo—in The Older Man an exuberant young woman is swept up by her love and desire for a tremendously gorgeous, much older man.

      

      Plus, talented Susan Crosby unfolds a story of seduction, revenge and scandal in the continuation of THE LONE WOLVES with His Seductive Revenge. And TEXAS BRIDES are back with The Restless Virgin by Peggy Moreland, the story of an innocent Western lady tired of waiting around for marriage—so she lassos herself one unsuspecting cowboy! And you’ve never seen a hero like The Consummate Cowboy, by Sara Orwig. He’s all man, allaround ornery and all-out tempted...by his ex-wife’s sister!

      

      I know you’ll enjoy reading all six of this sultry month’s brandnew Silhouette Desire novels by some of the most beloved and sexy authors of romance.

      

      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

      Sara Orwig

      The Consummate Cowboy

      

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      SARA ORWIG

      

      is a national bestselling author with six Romantic Times awards, including Love and Laughter and a Career Achievement Award for Contemporary Fiction. Sara’s books have been translated into more than twenty languages, and she loves getting letters from readers around the world. An avid reader, Sara loves her native Oklahoma with its hot summers and gardening opportunities. Jalapeño peppers are the latest specialty that Sara and husband, David, are growing. The yard is filled with plants and the house is filled with books, as well as some people very special to Sara.

      Thanks to Pat Froehle and to Debra Robertson

      Prologue

      “Things cannot get worse,” Emily Stockton said aloud. Later she would remember her foolhardy prediction. She turned off the faucets, stepped out of the shower and wrapped her red hair in a towel. Exhausted from working a ten-hour day at the office of Chicago Charities, she dried quickly and yanked on a short blue cotton nightgown. As she slipped it over her head, she heard the ring of the phone.

      “Oh, no!” She could imagine Meg Dodson calling about the adoption they had been working on for weeks. She hurried to the phone and picked up the receiver, bracing for more upheaval and Meg’s panicky voice. An unintelligible and hysterical female voice ran words together.

      “Meg? Slow down. I can’t understand you at all.”

      “Emily, it’s me—Amber. I’m in desperate trouble. Help me. You’ve got to help me. He’s after me—”

      “Amber?” Emily frowned in shock, trying to remember the last time she had talked to her sister. She shook her head, wondering what Amber’s latest predicament was. Her sister had already gone through two husbands and was now married to the third.

      “You’ve got to help me. I know you’ll come, but please be careful. If he knows you’re going to help me, you’ll be in danger. I’ve got to get away from him—”

      “Who’s him? Raimundo? Zach Durham?” Amber’s current husband and most recent ex seemed the logical possibilities. The first had long ago disappeared from Amber’s life.

      “You know how tough Zach is and how he hates me. Stay away from him!”

      “Amber, you’re not making sense. Who’s after you?”

      “I’ve got to go. I think he’s here. I’m in New Mexico. Up north. I’ll call you—”

      The phone clicked, and Emily stared at the receiver. “Damn,” she said, half tempted to hang up, go to bed, and forget all about Amber and her problems. Her sister had been in trouble all of Emily’s life. Yet Amber sounded more frightened than ever before. With a sigh of resignation, Emily knew she would have to do something. No matter what kind of jams her family got themselves into, she always felt compelled to stand by them.