Three Reasons To Wed. Helen Lacey

      

       He looked downright irresistible.

      Propped alongside his daughters in their bed, he was engaged in his nightly ritual of bedtime. The girls were sleepy as he read them a story.

      Marissa took a moment to look at him, so handsome, so sexy.

      She just stepped into the room when one of the girls said, “Daddy, we’ve been thinking.”

      “Thinking about what?” Grady asked.

      “That we’d like to have a new mommy,” she announced, so innocent it tugged at Marissa’s heart. “And if you married Marissa, she’d be our new mommy.”

      The room was so quiet you could hear the proverbial pin drop. That’s all Marissa could think of as the child’s announcement echoed around the room.

      Then blood rushed from her face and she gave a tiny gasp. Grady’s neck snapped around and he looked at her. Stared at her. Through her. Into that place she allowed only him.

      She waited for him to gently tell his daughter that it was impossible. That people only got married when they were in love.

      What he said made her heart pound …

      * * *

      The Cedar River Cowboys: Riding into town with romance on their minds!

      Three Reasons to Wed

      Helen Lacey

      

www.millsandboon.co.uk

      HELEN LACEY grew up reading Black Beauty and Little House on the Prairie. These childhood classics inspired her to write her first book when she was seven, a story about a girl and her horse. She loves writing for Mills & Boon Special Edition, where she can create strong heroes with a soft heart and heroines with gumption who get their happily-ever-after. For more about Helen, visit her website www.helenlacey.com.

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      For my lovely friend Kathi Hillier, One of the best people I know.

      Contents

       Cover

       Introduction

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Epilogue

       Extract

       Copyright

       Chapter One

      Marissa Ellis pulled up outside her aunt’s house in Cedar River and switched off the ignition. The old home looked shabby and tired. Kind of like me. But she quickly pushed the thought aside. For the moment she had more important things to think about than her own complicated situation. Aunt Violet was recovering from a fall and would be in the hospital, then rehab, for at least a month. Which meant Marissa needed to be in South Dakota to look after the small ranch.

      It was the least she could do for the great-aunt who had taken her in following the death of her mother when Marissa was twelve. She’d spent six years living on the ranch. Until she’d finished high school. Until a scholarship meant college. After college, there was an internship at one of the most successful advertising agencies in New York, followed by five years of fourteen-hour days and multimillion-dollar deals. And then there was her husband. Who quickly became her ex-husband.

      Marissa shook herself. There was no point in reliving all that now. She was back...for good.

      The small town sat in the shadow of the Black Hills. It was actually two towns—Cedar Creek and Riverbend—that were separated by a narrow riverbed and a bridge and with a total combined population of a few thousand. A century ago, both had served as the backdrop for a booming silver mining industry. The mines were mostly closed now, with just a couple used as tourist attractions, and finally, after years of negotiating between the local governments, the town would soon be renamed Cedar River.

      Marissa didn’t really care what the town was called. She’d come back many times over the years—to see her aunt. To see her best friend, Liz. To see Liz’s three young daughters. And then to attend Liz’s funeral.

      Never to see Grady.

      He didn’t like her anyhow. And since Liz’s death nearly two and a half years earlier, Grady’s disinterest in Marissa had amplified tenfold. Oh, he was polite and respectful and allowed her to see the girls, but he never encouraged her interactions and always seemed