The Bride Said, 'Surprise!'. Cathy Thacker Gillen

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      “My mommy never kissed anyone before,” little Jeremy said, blinking hard as if he still couldn’t believe his eyes

      The way Luke looked at her then made Meg flush to the roots of her hair. With as much dignity as possible, she extricated herself from Luke’s arms. “Jeremy, for heaven’s sake. That is not the kind of information Luke needs to know!” Meg reprimanded him firmly.

      Jeremy shrugged and happily continued to broadcast what he knew. “Well, it’s true,” he blurted out. “I’ve never seen you kiss a guy before.” He propped his hands on his hips, perplexed. “How come you’re kissing him?”

      Dear Reader,

      It’s February—the month of love. And what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a Harlequin American Romance novel.

      This month’s selection begins with the latest installment in the RETURN TO TYLER series. Prescription for Seduction is what Darlene Scalera offers when sparks fly between a lovely virgin and a steadfast bachelor doctor. The Bride Said, “Surprise!” is another of Cathy Gillen Thacker’s THE LOCKHARTS OF TEXAS, and is a tender tale about a secret child who brings together two long-ago lovers. (Watch for Cathy’s single title, Texas Vows: A McCabe Family Saga, next month from Harlequin Books.)

      In Millie Criswell’s charming new romance, The Pregnant Ms. Potter is rescued from a blizzard by a protective rancher who takes her into his home—and into his heart. And in Longwalker’s Child by Debra Webb, a proud Native American hero is determined to claim the child he never knew existed, but first he has to turn the little girl’s beautiful guardian from his sworn enemy into his loving ally.

      So this February, treat yourself to all four of our wonderful Harlequin American Romance titles. And in March, look for Judy Christenberry’s Rent a Millionaire Groom, the first book in Harlequin American Romance’s new promotion, 2001 WAYS TO WED.

      Wishing you happy reading,

      Melissa Jeglinski

      Associate Senior Editor

      Harlequin American Romance

      The Bride Said, “Surprise!”

      Cathy Gillen Thacker

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Cathy Gillen Thacker is a full-time wife/mother/author who began typing stories for her own amusement during “nap time” when her children were toddlers. Twenty years and more than fifty published novels later, Cathy is almost as well-known for her witty romantic comedies and warm family stories as she is for her ability to get grass stains and red clay out of almost anything, her triple layer brownies and her knack for knowing what her three grown and nearly grown children are up to almost before they do! Her books have made numerous appearances on bestseller lists and are now published in seventeen languages and thirty-five countries around the world.

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter One

      “How much longer do you think you can keep avoiding me?” Luke Carrigan demanded early Thursday morning.

      Meg Lockhart was so startled to see the attractive young family physician striding into her backyard, she nearly dropped her sanding block. Determined not to let his unexpected presence or the deceptively easy-going, all-male way he moved get to her, Meg rocked back on her heels and looked over at him. It was only seven in the morning, but, freshly showered and shaved, Dr. Luke Carrigan looked more than ready to take on the day and any challenge—including her—that came his way.

      Privately wishing he weren’t so smart, sexy and intuitive as all get out where she was concerned, Meg ignored the sudden pounding of her heart and looked into his golden-brown eyes with all the directness she could muster. “I’ve spoken to you,” Meg said stiffly, wondering how Luke had known she had the day off and was planning to use it to refinish an old wooden park bench for her backyard, then deciding she didn’t want to know if there was matchmaking going on.

      “Only at the hospital,” Luke corrected her grimly, moving closer yet. “And only when absolutely necessary. And then only about hospital business.”

      Meg refused to feel guilty for avoiding Luke and his three adorable little girls at her sister’s wedding the day before. She had only been doing what she had to do, which was keep Luke and her five-year-old son, Jeremy, well apart. “So?” Meg kept her eyes trained on his ruggedly handsome face. She did not want to think about how sexy Luke looked in faded jeans that clung to his lean hips and muscular thighs and a sage-green polo shirt that showed off his broad shoulders, flat stomach and trim waist. Any more than she wanted to fall prey to his charming smile.

      “So we were friends, Meg,” Luke reminded her gently. He shoved a hand through his neatly cut sandy-blond hair and, still regarding her patiently, hunkered down next to her, his muscular, jean-clad knee nudging her bare thigh.

      “At least until…”

      Meg took a deep, bracing breath and resumed sanding the old wooden slats with a vengeance, rubbing away the splinters the way she wished she could erase the problems of the past. “I don’t want to talk about this,” she said firmly, breathing in his woodsy aftershave. She moved back slightly, so their bodies were no longer touching. “Jeremy could wake up and overhear.”

      “And realize we were once the very best of friends?” Luke stayed right where he was and continued to regard her in that approachable, guy-friend way that had gotten to her the way no Casanova moves ever could have. “At least—” Luke’s voice dropped another notch “—until we slept together.”

      Memories of the two of them, their bodies intimately entwined, cascaded over her like a waterfall on a hot summer day. Her heart and mind filled with the passion they had shared, Meg cast a glance over her shoulder at the cottage behind her. She turned back to him, her eyes roving over his tall, solidly built frame and broad, powerful shoulders before coming to rest once again on the arrestingly handsome contours of his face. “I had hoped we would never have to discuss this.” As she had hoped—by her silence—that he would have gotten the message.

      Luke took her wrist in hand and tugged her to her feet. “And all I’ve ever wanted to do is talk about it,” he countered softly, meaningfully, reluctantly letting go of her wrist, “and tell you how very sorry I am I let things get out of control that way.”

      Meg sighed. “I am as much to blame for what happened that night as you are, Luke.” Hindsight and maturity had combined to show her that.

      “I don’t think so,” Luke replied in a clipped tone, heavy with self-reproach.

      Meg had to tilt her head back to see his face. Both his height—at six-five he had a good eight inches on her—and his closeness were disconcerting to her. As was her potent reaction to his sheer physical attractiveness. Every time she was near him, her heart beat a little faster, her senses got a little sharper and the loneliness she’d felt since their friendship abruptly ended became more acute. And yet, how could she regret the mistake that had ended their friendship, knowing how that night had changed her life for all eternity?

      “You didn’t know what you were doing,