A Marriage-Minded Man / From Friend to Father. Karen Templeton

      

      Available in June 2010

      from Mills & Boon^® Special Moments™

      The Tycoon’s Perfect Match by Christine Wenger & Their Second-Chance Child by Karen Sandler

      A Marriage-Minded Man by Karen Templeton & From Friend to Father by Tracy Wolff

      An Imperfect Match by Kimberly Van Meter & Next Comes Love by Helen Brenna

      A Bravo’s Honour by Christine Rimmer

      Lone Star Daddy by Stella Bagwell

      Claiming the Rancher’s Heart by Cindy Kirk

      To Save a Family by Anna DeStefano

      A MARRIAGE-MINDED MAN

      “I should retreat now before I make any more of an idiot of myself – ”

      “No, don’t,” Tess said, grabbing Eli’s hand, just to keep him from leaving. Eli grabbed hers back, then tugged her to him, his eyes touching hers for about half a second – barely long enough for a “Wha – ?” to skate through her brain – and lowered his mouth to hers.

      She tensed, then thought, What the hell? and kissed him back, no grappling involved, no body parts touching except lips, the merest suggestion of tongue, their linked hands…and Eli’s strong, rough fingers on the nape of her neck. Whee, doggie. She kissed him back and he kissed her back more and basically she turned into one big quivering mass of goo.

      Just from his lips touching hers? Holy cow.

      When it was over – much too soon – Eli chuckled again, sheepish, and Tess had to grab the railing, she was quivering so badly.

      “This isn’t working, is it?” he said and Tess barked out a laugh.

      “Our staying out of each other’s way? No. Apparently not…”

      FROM FRIEND TO FATHER

      Gone was the work-at-home mum he was used to.

      In her place was a blonde bombshell – slender but with curves in all the right places. And legs that seemed to go on for miles.

      “Is that a new dress?” Reece asked, his voice much hoarser than usual. But he couldn’t do anything about that – the second he’d laid eyes on Sarah, most of the blood had left his head and pooled about three feet south.

      Her cheeks heated and she glanced down, her hand playing uncomfortably in the silky skirt. “It is. I found it at the mall last week, when I was picking up shoes for Rose.”

      “You look good.”

      “Really?” Her smile was tentative.

      “Yeah.” Oh, yeah. Good enough to have his libido leaping to life after nearly a year of complete and total dormancy. And his body was now reminding him – in very uncomfortable detail – just how long it had been since he’d held a woman in his arms.

      A Marriage-Minded Man

      BY

      Karen Templeton

      From Friend

      To Father

      BY

      Tracy Wolff

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      A Marriage-Minded Man

      BY

Karen Templeton

      Karen Templeton is the mother of five sons and living proof that romance and dirty nappies are not mutually exclusive. An Easterner transplanted to Albuquerque, New Mexico, she spends far too much time trying to coax her garden to yield roses and produce something resembling a lawn, all the while fantasising about a weekend alone with her husband. Or at least an uninterrupted conversation.

      She loves to hear from readers, who may reach her online at www.karentempleton.com.

      To Jack,

      for always being there

      even when I’m sure there were times when you

      wondered what on earth you’d gotten into!

      Chapter One

      Crackly leaves darted out of the old pickup’s way as Eli Garrett effortlessly navigated the mountain road, one hand resting lightly on the steering wheel, the other thrumming the dashboard in time to Willie Nelson. Behind him, like backup, ladders and tools and whatnot rattled and rumbled in the truck’s bed.

      Good times, Eli thought as he approached the final, dusk-cloaked curve to his house. He had a check from a thrilled client in his pocket, 007 waiting in his mailbox, and Evangelista Ortega’s chicken enchiladas tucked up all nice and cozy in the aluminum tray on the seat beside him. So the late fall evening stretched before him, gloriously free, nothin’ to do except hang with Mr. Bond and chow down on the best enchiladas this side of Santa Fe. Maybe in all of New Mexico, he mused, cresting the hill—

      “What the hell—!”

      He swerved to avoid the small, ghostlike figure who’d popped up out of nowhere, jogging on the wrong damn side of the road. The figure shrieked, then toppled over into a thicket of brush and chamisa, cussing in a mixture of Spanish and English loud enough to blow poor Willie right off the map.

      All the junk in the truck bed crashed mightily as Eli jerked up short on the shoulder ahead and jumped out. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you!” he yelled, striding toward the figure, already getting to her feet. “You okay?” In the glow from his taillights, she spun around, glaring, and what was left of Eli’s good mood evaporated like smoke in a high wind.

      He froze, unsure of his next move. Recognizing him, Teresa Morales—wrong, Montoya—stiffened, too, a moment before a dry, caustic laugh sprang from her mouth. Eli relaxed. Some.

      “Holy hell, Tess—you trying to give me a heart attack?”

      Swiping dirt, dead leaves and chamisa gunk off her butt, Tess shot him The Look of Death. “Yeah, well,” she said, “you didn’t exactly do my cardiovascular system any favors, either. Crap.” Shoving a headband off her short, wavy hair, she plunked back down in the dirt, inspecting an ugly-ass dark slash on her shin. “Am I bleeding? I can’t see a damn thing in this light.”

      “If I look, you promise not to go after me with a blunt object?”

      Her eyes flashed to his, then back to the cut. “It’s your lucky day—I’m unarmed.”

      “You