Natural Born Lawman. Sherryl Woods

      

       Let New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods sweep you away to Texas with this acclaimed tale of bending the rules…

      Texas-born-and-bred lawman Justin Adams had always been a by-the-book kind of guy. Until one day the deputy caught a petty thief in the act of stealing a bottle of baby medicine. And when Justin looked into the imploring eyes of desperate single mother Patsy Langhorn—not to mention those of her feverish little boy—he decided to bend the rules, just a little.

      Patsy Langhorn was wary of men in general, and one who’d sworn to uphold the law should have had her running for cover. But somehow this man had her wondering if maybe the time had come to stop running—if maybe, finally, he was what she’d waited her whole life to find.

      Dear Reader,

      It’s the most festive time of the year! And Special Edition is celebrating with six sparkling romances for you to treasure all season long.

      Those MORGAN’S MERCENARIES are back by popular demand with bestselling author Lindsay McKenna’s brand-new series, MORGAN’S MERCENARIES: THE HUNTERS. Book one, Heart of the Hunter, features the first of four fearless brothers who are on a collision course with love—and danger. And in January, the drama and adventure continues with Lindsay’s provocative Silhouette Single Title release, Morgan’s Mercenaries: Heart of the Jaguar.

      Popular author Penny Richards brings you a poignant THAT’S MY BABY! story for December. In Their Child, a ranching heiress and a rugged rancher are married for the sake of their little girl, but their platonic arrangement finally blossoms into a passionate love. Also this month, the riveting PRESCRIPTION: MARRIAGE medical miniseries continues with an unlikely romance between a mousy nurse and the man of her secret dreams in Dr. Devastating by Christine Rimmer. And don’t miss Sherryl Woods’s 40th Silhouette novel, Natural Born Lawman, a tale about two willful opposites attracting—the latest in her AND BABY MAKES THREE: THE NEXT GENERATION miniseries.

      Just in time for the holidays, award-winning author Marie Ferrarella delivers a Wife in the Mail—a heartwarming story about a gruff widower who falls for his brother’s jilted mail-order bride. And long-buried family secrets are finally revealed in The Secret Daughter by Jackie Merritt, the last book in THE BENNING LEGACY crossline miniseries.

      I hope you enjoy all our romance novels this month. All of us at Silhouette Books wish you a wonderful holiday season!

      Sincerely,

      Karen Taylor Richman

      Senior Editor

       Natural Born Lawman

      Sherryl Woods

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      SHERRYL WOODS

      can’t be far from the sea without getting downright claustrophobic. She’s lived by the ocean on both coasts and now divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida, and her childhood summer home in Colonial Beach, Virginia. She spends much of her time writing books about falling in love and living happily ever after. Natural Born Lawman is her fortieth novel for Silhouette! She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at P.O. Box 490326, Key Biscayne, FL 33149.

       Table of Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

      Letter to Reader

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Adams Family Tree

      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

       Copyright

       Chapter One

      Patsy Longhorn held her fussy two-year-old son in her arms and tried to soothe him back to sleep. He was exhausted, feverish and hungry, had been for most of the day, and she was getting desperate. Driving nonstop with a cranky toddler was beginning to take its toll.

      She hadn’t intended to take another break yet. She’d wanted to put as much distance between herself and Oklahoma as she possibly could today, but she hadn’t been able to ignore Billy’s whimpers a second longer. She’d pulled into a rest stop and taken him out of his car seat, praying that holding him and rocking him a bit would accomplish what her pitiful repertoire of lullabies hadn’t.

      So far it wasn’t working. Worse, he felt warmer, as if his fever had gone up a little more.

      “Come on, sweetie, go to sleep. You’ll feel better after you’ve had a little rest.”

      At least she prayed that was all it would take. She didn’t have money left for medicine and a doctor at this point. Even juice was stretching her tight budget. She’d been giving him sips of cool water and praying that would do the trick.

      Billy shifted restlessly, still whimpering, his dark, dark eyes staring back at her, accusing her. Guilt, never far away, washed over her again.

      Had she made a mistake leaving Will? Was she crazy to have walked out on her marriage? Walked out with only clothes for the baby and herself and a few hundred dollars from the checking account she had opened several months earlier and had kept secret from her husband?

      Though she’d had every right, she hadn’t touched a dime in their joint account for fear Will would accuse her of theft. With her name on the account the wild charge wouldn’t stick, of course, but she hadn’t wanted to give the police any excuses at all to chase after her. It was terrifying enough that Will was likely to go ballistic.

      That, she reminded herself staunchly, was exactly the reason she had left. She’d had no choice. Will’s temper was out of control. He never talked anymore. He shouted, he threw things. A vase had whizzed past her head, just a few nights ago, only inches from making contact. The violence in his eyes had terrified her. He hadn’t hit her or their son yet, but she’d heard enough about abuse to know that it was coming. She wasn’t going to stick around and wait for it, not when each