One Man and a Baby
A MAN COULDN'T FAKE THE EMOTION SHE HEARD IN HIS VOICE…When Rick Capriotti is hired over her as manager on the family horse farm, Ashley Meljac feels betrayed because Rick is a notorious bad boy who has only recently returned to Calhoun Corners. But Ashley's anger dissipates when she discovers he's an ►accidental" father now struggling to raise a baby. As she watches him with the toddler, she wants to believe he's a changed man. And that he's also rgot a place in his heart for her….
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In the final second before Ashley pressed her lips to his, she closed her eyes.
Sensation sizzled through her, but not just from sexual chemistry. The knowledge that she and Rick fit made her bold, curious. What would it be like to be involved with a man who didn’t hesitate to teach her, to consider her an equal, to love her for real, not just for her money?
Putting her hands on Rick’s shoulder, Ashley stepped closer, deepening the kiss.
Dear Reader,
July might be a month for kicking back and spending time with family at outdoor barbecues, beach cottages and family reunions. But it’s an especially busy month for the romance industry as we prepare for our annual conference. This is a time in which the romance authors gather to hone their skills at workshops, share their experiences and recognize the year’s best books. Of course, to me, this month’s selection in Silhouette Romance represents some of the best elements of the genre.
Cara Colter concludes her poignant A FATHER’S WISH trilogy this month with Priceless Gifts (#1822). Accustomed to people loving her for her beauty and wealth, the young heiress is caught off guard when her dutiful bodyguard sees beyond her facade…and gives her a most precious gift. Judy Christenberry never disappoints, and The Bride’s Best Man (#1823) will delight loyal readers as a pretend dating scheme goes deliciously awry. Susan Meier continues THE CUPID CAMPAIGN with One Man and a Baby, (#1824) in which adversaries unite to raise a motherless child. Finally, Holly Jacobs concludes the month with Here with Me (#1825). A heroine who thought she craved the quiet life finds her life invaded by her suddenly meddlesome parents and a man she’s never forgotten and his adorable toddler.
Be sure to return next month when Susan Meier concludes her CUPID CAMPAIGN trilogy and reader-favorite Patricia Thayer returns to the line to launch the exciting new BRIDES OF BELLA LUCIA miniseries.
Happy reading!
Ann Leslie Tuttle
Associate Senior Editor
One Man and a Baby
The Cupid Campaign
For my brothers and sisters and friends.
If you hadn’t endured hours of phone conversations and encouraged me, I wouldn’t be here today.
Books by Susan Meier
Silhouette Romance
Stand-In Mom #1022
Temporarily Hers #1109
Wife in Training #1184
Merry Christmas, Daddy #1192
*In Care of the Sheriff #1283
*Guess What? We’re Married! #1338
Husband from 9 to 5 #1354
*The Rancher and the Heiress #1374
†The Baby Bequest #1420
†Bringing up Babies #1427
†Oh, Babies! #1433
His Expectant Neighbor #1468
Hunter’s Vow #1487
Cinderella and the CEO #1498
Marrying Money #1519
The Boss’s Urgent Proposal #1566
Married Right Away #1579
Married in the Morning #1601
**Baby on Board #1639
**The Tycoon’s Double Trouble #1650
**The Nanny Solution #1662
Love, Your Secret Admirer #1684
Twice a Princess #1758
††Baby Before Business #1774
††Prince Baby #1783
††Snowbound Baby #1791
‡Wishing and Hoping #1819
‡One Man and a Baby #1824
Silhouette Desire
Take the Risk #567
SUSAN MEIER
is one of eleven children, and though she’s yet to write a book about a big family, many of her books explore the dynamics of “unusual” family situations, such as large work “families,” bosses who behave like overprotective fathers or “sister” bonds created between friends. Because she has more than twenty nieces and nephews, children also are always popping up in her stories. Many of the funny scenes in her books are based on experiences raising her own children or interacting with her nieces and nephews. She was born and raised in western Pennsylvania and continues to live in Pennsylvania.
Dear Reader,
This second installment of The Cupid Campaign has bad boy Rick Capriotti meeting his match in Ashley Meljac. Competing for the same job, they set out to exploit each other’s weaknesses. Instead, they find an incredible attraction that seems all wrong but just won’t go away.
Ashley was a great character to create and explore because she’s a strong, determined woman. Taken for half of her inheritance once before, Ashley has something to prove. And if she falls for Rick, she’ll become a laughingstock.
But Rick is handsome, sexy and the best kisser on the planet. He’s also got a secret tucked away that he’ll defend at all costs….
It’s a fun book about serious subjects that made me laugh and cry as I was writing. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Susan Meier
Contents
Chapter One
“If you want the job as manager of Seven Hills Horse Farm, it’s yours.”
Standing in the doorway of her father’s office, Ashley Meljac gaped in horror as her dad offered her job to a man in a black T-shirt and tight-fitting jeans that were molded to a very well shaped backside. She’d asked for the job four years ago and her father had refused because she’d just come home after losing half her trust fund to an opportunist she had married, but he’d promised that she’d get her shot someday. Since then she’d more than proven she’d learned from her marriage mistake and she wasn’t letting her dad off the hook of his promise.
