Commander's Little Surprise
A precious reminder of her one fall from grace…Baranovian royal Victoria Bernard's cherished daughter had the same dimple and sparkling eyes as her father, a man forever forbidden to Victoria. She should never have seen him again–except she was assigned to diplomatic duty at Lieutenant Commander Dan O'Hara's JAG post! She only hoped Dan would not recognize her…Dan was a commander with a five-year plan, with marriage and kids far off in the future. But something about Victoria reminded him of the mystery woman with whom he'd spent one tantalizing night. It was crazy to think this off-limits royal might be her. Honor demanded he walk away–until he saw Victoria's baby girl, and his five-year plan became five seconds to fatherhood!
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“What will it take to make you forget me?”
“You’re not a woman a man can easily forget,” Dan said.
From the first time she’d met Dan again, she’d known she had to make a choice. A choice between the man whom, against all reason, she seemed to have fallen in love with, and the respectful life she’d made for herself.
She had to force herself to speak. “You must forget you ever met me.”
She glanced at the desk—and realized the photo of her and her daughter was missing! She glanced wildly around the room.
“I assume you’re looking for this.” Dan drew the missing photograph from his tuxedo jacket.
Victoria stared at the photo and felt her world turn over.
“It isn’t really me you’ve been afraid of all along,” Dan went on. “You’re afraid I’ll find out I’m your baby’s father.”
Dear Reader,
Happy New Year! January is an exciting month here at Harlequin American Romance. It marks the beginning of a yearlong celebration of our 20th anniversary. Come indulge with us for twelve months of supersatisfying reads by your favorite authors and exciting newcomers, too!
Throughout 2003, we’ll be bringing you some not-to-miss miniseries. This month, bestselling author Muriel Jensen inaugurates MILLIONAIRE, MONTANA, our newest in-line continuity, with Jackpot Baby. This exciting six-book series is set in a small Montana town whose residents win a forty-million-dollar lottery jackpot. But winning a fortune comes with a price and no one’s life will ever be the same again.
Next, Commander’s Little Surprise, the latest book in Mollie Molay’s GROOMS IN UNIFORM series, is a must-read secret-baby and reunion romance with a strong hero you won’t be able to resist. Victoria Chancellor premieres her new A ROYAL TWIST miniseries in which a runaway prince and his horse-wrangling look-alike switch places. Don’t miss The Prince’s Cowboy Double, the first book in this delightful duo. Finally, when a small Alaskan town desperately needs a doctor, there’s only one man who can do the job, in Under Alaskan Skies by Carol Grace.
So come join in the celebrating and start your year off right—by reading all four Harlequin American Romance books!
Melissa Jeglinski
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin American Romance
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After working for a number of years as a logistics contract administrator in the aircraft industry, Mollie Molay turned to a career she found far more satisfying—writing romance novels. Mollie lives in Northridge, California, surrounded by her two daughters and eight grandchildren, many of whom find their way into her books. She enjoys hearing from her readers and welcomes comments. You can write to her at Harlequin Books, 300 East 42nd St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017.
Books by Mollie Molay
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
560—FROM DRIFTER TO DADDY
597—HER TWO HUSBANDS
616—MARRIAGE BY MISTAKE
638—LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
682—NANNY & THE BODYGUARD
703—OVERNIGHT WIFE
729—WANTED: DADDY
776—FATHER IN TRAINING
799—DADDY BY CHRISTMAS
815—MARRIED BY MIDNIGHT
839—THE GROOM CAME C.O.D.
879—BACHELOR-AUCTION BRIDEGROOM
897—THE BABY IN THE BACK SEAT
938—THE DUCHESS & HER BODYGUARD*
947—SECRET SERVICE DAD*
954—COMMANDER’S LITTLE SURPRISE*
Personal Connections
SWM 30, 6’2” blonde with blue eyes desperately seeking petite, twenty-something SWF for love and laughter Are you the green-eyed, Baronovian beauty with whom I shared an unforgettable moonlit night of passion in the palace gardens last summer? Please let me know I wasn’t dreaming! DOH
Contents
Prologue
Dan O’Hara couldn’t sleep. Jet lag had finally gotten the better of him.
Wide-awake, he paused in his pacing to gaze out the floor-to-ceiling palace windows at the manicured gardens that stretched into the distance. Under the dim light of the crescent moon, trees and bushes were decorated with streamers and lanterns in honor of the upcoming festivities. A three-tiered water fountain, in which tinkling cascades of water tumbled from the mouths of unicorns, occupied the center of the lawn. In the distance he caught sight of a well-tended maze. Nestled in its center was the silhouette of a white gazebo.
Dan blinked. If he didn’t know better he would have thought that before him there was a fairy-tale setting in a fairy-tale country. He’d never even heard of Baronovia before his friend and fellow JAG lawyer, Commander Wade Stevens, had fallen in love with Duchess Mary Louise—better known to him as May Baron. In two days he was to be the best man at their wedding.
He’d taken off his suit jacket and tie, and was starting to unbutton his shirt when drifting clouds passed over the moon. He was about to turn away when he caught a glimpse of a slight, shadowy feminine figure slip out of the palace. To his bemusement, she was wearing a filmy white robe and white slippers. Her long chestnut hair flowed freely down her back almost to her waist. Enchanted, he moved closer to the window and watched as she stopped to gaze up at the moon. Moments later she raised her arms over her head to the moon, twirled around, then lowered her arms to her chest. It looked as if she was trying to draw the moon down to her. He found himself smiling in sympathy at the gesture.
