The Baby Season. Alice Sharpe

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      What a sweet, tiny package a baby was,

      Roxanne decided. How soft and adorable.

      Roxanne found her lips puckering of their own accord, and she kissed the baby’s downy head. The child stirred, and reluctantly Roxanne put her back into the crib.

      But somewhere in her chest she felt her heart constrict, and she wasn’t sure why.

      Was there some kind of kismet at work at Jake’s ranch? Had fate brought her here, to this man and his motherless child, at this particular time and surrounded her with newborn life in order to remind her of something? Something that her old life was missing?

      “I get the point,” she whispered, “I think I understand.…”

      Dear Reader,

      This June—traditionally the month of brides, weddings and the promise of love everlasting—Silhouette Romance also brings you the possibility of being a star! Check out the details of this special promotion in each of the six happily-ever-afters we have for you.

      In An Officer and a Princess, Carla Cassidy’s suspenseful conclusion to the bestselling series ROYALLY WED: THE STANBURYS, Princess Isabel calls on her former commanding officer to help rescue her missing father. Karen Rose Smith delights us with a struggling mom who refuses to fall for Her Tycoon Boss until the dynamic millionaire turns up the heat! In A Child for Cade by reader favorite Patricia Thayer, Cade Randall finds that his first love has kept a precious secret from him.…

      Talented author Alice Sharpe’s latest offering, The Baby Season, tells of a dedicated career woman tempted by marriage and motherhood with a rugged rancher and his daughter. In Blind-Date Bride, the second book of Myrna Mackenzie’s charming twin duo, the heroine asks a playboy billionaire to ward off the men sent by her matchmaking brothers. And a single mom decides to tell the man she has always loved that he has a son in Belinda Barnes’s heartwarming tale, The Littlest Wrangler.

      Next month be sure to return for two brand-new series—the exciting DESTINY, TEXAS by Teresa Southwick and the charming THE WEDDING LEGACY by Cara Colter. And don’t forget the triumphant conclusion to Patricia Thayer’s THE TEXAS BROTHERHOOD, along with three more wonderful stories!

      Happy Reading!

      Mary-Theresa Hussey

      Senior Editor

      The Baby Season

      Alice Sharpe

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      This book is dedicated to all the babies in my life: those in the past, those right now and those to come. I love you all.

      Books by Alice Sharpe

      Silhouette Romance

      Going to the Chapel #1137

      Missing: One Bride #1212

      Wife on His Doorstep #1304

      Prim, Proper… Pregnant #1425

      The Baby Season #1525

      Silhouette Yours Truly

      If Wishes Were Heroes

      ALICE SHARPE

      met her husband-to-be on a cold, foggy beach in Northern California. One year later they were married. Their union has survived the rearing of two children, a handful of earthquakes registering over 6.5, numerous cats and a few special dogs, the latest of which is a yellow Lab named Annie Rose. Alice and her husband now live in a small rural town in Oregon, where she devotes the majority of her time to pursuing her second love, writing.

      Alice loves to hear from readers. You can write her at P.O. Box 755, Brownsville, OR 97327. SASE for reply is appreciated.

      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Epilogue

      Chapter One

      After three grueling hours, the hike Roxanne Salyer had approached as a means of finding help revealed itself for what it really was: a trek into an inferno.

      She should have stayed near her car instead of taking off on foot. Not inside, but near it.

      Her car, the victim of the successful attempt to avoid running over a rabbit, was far behind her now, gobbled up by the California desert. Roxanne knew it was up to her to save herself, and if she had to do it wearing half a wilted linen suit and sandals never intended to tackle sand, then so be it.

      All in all, not an auspicious beginning to her quest.

      A niggling little voice in the back of her head balked at the word quest and inserted instead fool’s errand.

      “Oh, give it a rest,” she told that voice as she scanned miles and miles of rolling sandy hills and hazy distant mountains. Sporadic poles strung with wire announced the possibility of civilization, but it sure wasn’t visible from where she stood. No buildings, no phone booths, no nothing.

      Didn’t anyone ever drive down this blasted road?

      For the first time, fear, and not just annoyance, prickled her overheated skin. People were known to die out in the desert. It happened.

      She should have worn less impressive and more durable clothing; she should have carried more water; she should have been prepared.

      A