âSo itâs a date?â
âIf by âdateâ you mean a mutually agreed upon and strictly platonic social outing intended to cheer up my daughter, then yes.â
JT didnât seem offended. In fact, his lips actually twitched as if he mightâ¦
Yowza. In teir few exchanges, sheâd never seen him truly smile. Now a grin transformed his whole face, making his memorable gray eyes bright with humor.
âItâs a date,â he repeated, giving her one last unreadable look before walking past to tell the kids that heâd see them next weekend.
Kenzie, her legs feeling unsteady, stood listening to her daughterâs exultant whoop of delight and the door closing as JT left.
Had she just received a glimpse of the man heâd once been? Because, despite what sheâd said about not forming attachments at Peachy Acres, she suspected she could very much enjoy getting to know that man.
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to THE STATE OF PARENTHOOD miniseries, Harlequin American Romanceâs celebration of parenthood and place. In this, our 25>th year of publishing great books, weâre delighted to bring you these heartwarming stories that sing the praises of the home state of six different authors, and share the many trials and delights of being a parent.
In A Dad for Her Twins by Tanya Michaels, Kenzie Green is not looking for a new man in her lifeâand her neighbor JT most certainly isnât looking for instant fatherhood. Despite their outlooks, they find themselves thrown together at the end of one steamy Atlanta summerâthanks to a bit of matchmaking by her well-meaning twins!
There are five other books in the series. We hope you didnât miss Tina Leonardâs Texas Lullaby (June â08), Smoky Mountain Reunion by Lynnette Kent (July â08) or Cowboy Dad by Cathy McDavid (August â08). Next month watch for Margot Earlyâs Holding the Baby, a story about a woman who is carrying a child for her sisterâ¦a sister who suddenly decides she no longer wants the baby. Watch for our final book in the series, A Daddy for Christmas by Laura Marie Altom, when we head west to Oklahoma for a family holiday story youâll never forget.
We hope these romantic stories inspire you to celebrate where you liveâbecause any place you raise a child is home.
Wishing you happy reading,
Kathleen Scheibling
Senior Editor Harlequin American Romance
Tanya Michaels started telling stories almost as soon as she could talkâ¦and started stealing her momâs Harlequin romances less than a decade later. In 2003, Tanya was thrilled to have her first book, a romantic comedy, published by Harlequin Books. Since then, Tanya has sold nearly twenty books and is a two-time recipient of a Booksellersâ Best Award, as well as a finalist for the Holt Medallion, National Readersâ Choice Award and Romance Writers of Americaâs prestigious RITA® Award. Tanya lives in Georgia with her husband, two preschoolers and an unpredictable cat, but you can visit Tanya online at www.tanyamichaels.com.
My heartfelt thanks to Kathleen Scheibling for including me in the State of Parenthood series, and all my love to Ryan and Hailey, even if you do keep my life in a perpetual State of Chaos.
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
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
âPeachy Acres is a stupid name,â Drew complained from the backseat.
Thank you, Mr. Optimism. Mackenzie Green, intrepid single mom and owner of a minivan that was older than her nine-year-old twins, sighed inwardly.
Kenzie empathized with her sonâs unhappiness over moving, but his negative commentary was making the four-hour trip from Raindrop, North Carolina, to Atlanta, Georgia, feel like an interminable cross-country trek. Or a voyage in space, she thought, vaguely recalling some old movie promo about no one being able to hear you scream. Too often Kenzie felt as if she were screaming on the inside.
Behind her, Leslie had adopted the prim, emphatic tone that made her sound like a cranky schoolteacher. âIâm sure itâs called Peachy Acres because Georgia is the Peach State,â she informed her brother.
Drew was unimpressed. âKnow-it-all. I hate when you talk like youâre older than me. Weâre the same age!â
âA person doesnât have to be older to be smarter.â
âAll right!â Kenzie took a breath, reminding herself that deep feelings of maternal love prevented her from strapping the kids to the roof for the duration of the trip. Well, maternal love and state laws. âYou two be nice.â
She was always a touch envious when she heard about inseparable twins who dressed alike and finished each otherâs sentences. It would be bliss if her children could just go a day without bickering. Heck, an hourâshe wasnât picky! Tensions were running abnormally high today; the kids had said goodbye to the only home theyâd ever known.