Father For Keeps
KATE SHERIDAN HAD A SECRET One that gurgled and cooed so sweetly, she could never doubt her baby was a God-given gift. Trouble was, the baby's father, Sean Flaherty, hadn't stuck around long enough to know it. Now he was back and still too charming for his - and her - own good… !Kate couldn't turn her back on the father of her child. But, even more important, Sean Flaherty prayed she wouldn't want to, for their long separation had only made him realize that in Kate Sheridan - and the tiny miracle of their daughter - he'd finally found his heart's desire.
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Table of Contents
“I didn’t come all this way to visit for a day or two.”
All the glow from her interaction with the baby had left her face. “How long will you be here?”
Sean’s eyes went to the baby. “As long as it takes to convince you to marry me,” he answered tersely. The minute he said it, he knew it had been a mistake. He’d started out on the right path with the flowers, the gifts for the baby, trying to get her sister, Jennie, on his side. But meeting his daughter had rattled him. Suddenly it had become more important than he’d realized that he be able to stake his claim on her…and on Kate.
Kate made no reply for a long moment. Finally she leaned over, gathered the baby into her arms and stood. “Be prepared for a long stay then, Sean, because I’ll never agree to marry you…!”
Dear Reader,
Entertainment. Escape. Fantasy. These three words describe the heart of Harlequin Historicals. If you want compelling, emotional stories by some of the best writers m the field, look no further.
Ana Seymour made her writing debut in our 1992 March Madness Promotion. Since then she has written eleven historical romances, from Westerns to medieval stories. Critics have described her work as “brilliant,” “enchanting” and “impossible to put down.” Her latest Western, A Father for Keeps, is no exception. It is the stirring reunion romance of a San Francisco heir who returns to Nevada to win back his lost love, who is also the mother of his child. Don’t miss it’
Be sure to look for Robber Bride by the talented Deborah Simmons. The third de Burgh brother, Simon, finds his match in a free-spirited lady who is hiding from her despicable fianc&e2;. In Carolyn Davidson’s Americana tale, The Tender Stranger, a pregnant widow who runs away from her conniving in-laws falls in love with the bounty hunter hired to bring her home.
Award-winning author Ruth Langan returns this month with Rory, the first book in her new medieval series, THE O’NEIL SAGA. In it, an English noblewoman succumbs to the charm of the legendary Irish rebel she is nursing back to health.
Whatever your tastes in reading, you’ll be sure to find a romantic journey back to the past between the covers of a Harlequin Historical®
Sincerely,
Tracy Farrell
Senior Editor
Please address questions and book requests to
Harlequm Reader Service
U S 3010 Walden Ave., PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie Ont. L2A 5X3
ANA SEYMOUR
The strong Scandinavian heritage of Ana Seymour’s native state of Minnesota has contributed to her love of writing stories about family strength and support. She says the idea for books about two sisters came from watching the interaction between her own two daughters, now young adults, who are best friends, as well as sisters. Readers may write to Ana at: P.O. Box 47888, Minneapolis, MN 55447.
For the remarkable Liz and Bill Whitbeck—with affection and gratitude for a lifetime of friendship and support
Vermillion, Nevada
September 1882
The blood drained from Kate Sheridan’s cheeks. Somewhere behind her in the house she could vaguely hear Caroline beginning to fuss, but the cries were not yet strident. She put a hand against the front door frame to steady herself.
“Hello, Kate,” he said simply.
She hadn’t heard the voice for over a year and a half, but the sound of it m her head was as familiar as her own breathing. She knew every contour of his face, every crinkle around those blue eyes. Without looking, she could have traced exactly the strong line of his jaw.
Out on Elm Street a buggy clopped by, the Ban crofts from two doors down. Kate’s eyes were too glazed to see if it was Mr. Bancroft driving or their manservant.
Sean kept his head turned toward her, his expression stiff. After a few more seconds of awkward silence, he said, “I should have written first. Or wired. I’m sorry if I startled you.”
She gripped the wood of the door frame more tightly and drove a splinter into her finger. “Lordy!” she said, pulling her hand away and waving it in irritation.
Sean’s lips turned up in a slight smile.
Kate frowned and finally addressed her visitor.
“What are you smiling about?”
Immediately his expression sobered. “Nothing. I mean.it’s just that you always used to say that when you were riled ‘Lordy!’ It took me back.”
Her wounded finger forgotten, Kim square in the face. The words tumbled out. “Well, you can just let it take you back, Sean Flaherty. You can let it take you all the way back to wherever you disappeared to for the past eighteen months. Because you’re not welcome here. Not here, nor anywhere else in Vermillion, I’d venture to say.”
Sean’s only reply was a wince. He was looking over her shoulder into the house. Caroline was crying in earnest now. Kate could hear Jennie singing to try to calm her, but her sister’s efforts seemed to be having little effect.
