The Bachelor Project. Victoria Chancellor

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      Robin Cummings’s Guide to Finding the Perfect Man

      —Date Mr. Wrong for two years.

      —Call off the wedding with barely a moment to spare. Whew!

      —Come to Ranger Springs to lick your wounds and forget about men, then fall into the strong arms of the police chief—who happens to be the most appealing man you’ve ever met.

      —Try to forget about Police Chief Ethan Parker, because you came here to forget about men.

      —Fail miserably.

      —Realize that Ethan Parker is the perfect man for you, even though it may take the rest of your life to convince him you belong together….

      Dear Reader,

      It’s another wonderful month at Harlequin American Romance, the line dedicated to bringing you stories of heart, home and happiness! Just look what we have in store for you….

      Author extraordinaire Cathy Gillen Thacker continues her fabulous series THE LOCKHARTS OF TEXAS with The Bride Said, “Finally!” Cathy will have more Lockhart books out in February and April 2001, as well as a special McCabe family saga in March 2001.

      You’ve been wanting more books in the TOTS FOR TEXANS series, and author Judy Christenberry has delivered! The $10,000,000 Texas Wedding is the not-to-be-missed continuation of these beloved stories set in Cactus, Texas. You just know there’s plenty of romance afoot when a bachelor will lose his huge inheritance should he fail to marry the woman he once let get away.

      Rounding out the month are two fabulous stories by two authors making their Harlequin American Romance debut. Neesa Hart brings us the humorous Who Gets To Marry Max? and Victoria Chancellor will wow you with The Bachelor Project.

      Wishing you happy reading!

      Melissa Jeglinski

      Associate Senior Editor

      The Bachelor Project

      Victoria Chancellor

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      To my wonderful in-laws, Lillian & E. V. Huffstutler.

      Thank you making me part of the family, and for telling those great small-town-Texas stories during Sunday dinner. I love you, Sudie and Dad.

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      While growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, Victoria Chancellor never realized her vivid imagination meant she would someday become a writer. Now married to a Texan and settled in a suburb of Dallas, she thoroughly enjoys creating fictional worlds inhabited by characters who deserve a happy ending. When she’s not writing, Victoria cares for her “zoo” of three cats, two ferrets, two tortoises, a flock of naturalized ring-neck doves and assorted wild animals who wander onto her patio for dinner each night. She would love to receive letters at P.O. Box 852125, Richardson, TX 75085-2125. Please enclose a SASE for reply.

      Books by Victoria Chancellor

      HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

      844—THE BACHELOR PROJECT

      Contents

       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

       Epilogue

      Chapter One

      There! The scratching, bumping noise filtered through the closed, locked windows.

      Robin peered through the mini-blinds into the vast darkness outside the fringe of artificial light. She couldn’t see beyond the large pecan trees to the county road. Having grown up in a Houston highrise, she felt as if she were the only person alive in the Texas Hill Country. Of course, there were other people around—just not very close. She’d noticed a few other houses, perhaps a quarter-mile away, when she’d driven in early this afternoon.

      Floodlights mounted high on the side and back of the residence bathed the lawn and shrubs in a brightness bordering on daylight. Squinting into the shadows, she searched for the source of the suspicious noise she’d heard only moments ago.

      Nothing.

      She’d hoped to see a wild animal running among the rows of clay pots filled with begonias. Or even a loud car driving carelessly on the two-lane road that connected Ranger Springs to nowhere in particular.

      Nothing.

      “There’s no one outside,” she whispered to herself. This comfortable, rural, family home was safe. Her Great-aunt Sylvia’s dear friend Bess wouldn’t have suggested a town rife with criminals or juvenile delinquents. And certainly no one she knew from Houston would be rummaging around outside the house, especially since they didn’t know where she’d run. Why would she tell them, when she didn’t want to