Finding A Family
Ranch hunk Hank Brownlee wanted only two things from his new housekeeper–companionship for his grieving father and some stick-to-your-ribs country cooking. What he got was something altogether different."Matron" he'd hired sight unseen turned out to be a blonde dynamo and a single mom. True, Maggie Woodward was a widow and she sure could cook, but she was also young and beautiful! And it wasn't long before Maggie and her little tyke had Hank's world turned upside down and his heartstrings twisted all around their dainty fingers….Now all Hank had to do was convince his wary little widow that happily-ever-after was worth the risk!
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Hank Brownlee felt betrayed…
He ground his teeth in frustration as he listened to his father babble on in praise about the new housekeeper. He’d pleaded with his father to eat, to talk, to smile and he was never able to get a peep out of the old man. Now, this impostor had invaded his home and seemingly won his father’s heart.
Hank ripped open the door and entered his house with every intention of firing the phony widow.
“I didn’t hire you,” Hank said with a snarl as he entered the laundry room.
Maggie Woodward straightened. Her trim figure was shown off to perfection in snug-fitting jeans and a T-shirt, not that Hank noticed, of course.
“I beg your pardon,” Maggie said.
“I didn’t hire you. I hired Maggie, the older lady in the picture,” he said indignantly.
“Oh…” Maggie said, nodding in understanding. “The woman in the picture was my aunt. She was standing beside me in the picture I sent you.”
“I had no intention of hiring someone like…you. You’ll just have to leave.”
But as soon as Hank said those words, he knew he would live to regret them….
Dear Reader,
What does romance mean to you? Sure, it could be sharing a candlelit dinner or strolling hand in hand on a spring day. But to me it’s even the smallest of gestures that tells you the person you think hangs the sun and the moon finds you equally unforgettable. As a lifelong romantic who met her future husband nearly twenty years ago, I’m delighted to be heading up Silhouette Romance. These books remind me that no matter what challenges the day has held, finding true love is one of life’s greatest rewards.
Bestselling author Judy Christenberry kicks off another great month with Finding a Family (SR #1762). In this sweet romance, a down-to-earth cowboy goes “shopping” for the perfect woman for his father but instead finds himself the target of Cupid’s arrow! Watch the sparks fly in Melissa McClone’s Blueprint for a Wedding (SR #1763) when a man who has crafted the perfect blueprint for domestic bliss finds himself attracted to an actress who doesn’t believe in happy endings. This month’s “Cinderella” is a feisty Latina, as Angie Ray continues Silhouette Romance’s commitment to offering modern-day fairy tales in The Millionaire’s Reward (SR #1764). Part of the SOULMATES series, Moonlight Magic (SR #1765) by Doris Rangel features a vacationing nurse who falls for a handsome stranger with a particularly vexing habit of vanishing into thin air.
And be sure to stay tuned for next month’s exciting lineup when reader favorites Raye Morgan and Carol Grace return with two classic romances.
Ann Leslie Tuttle
Associate Senior Editor
To my daughter, Christina, for her support, assistance and
ideas. Without her, this book would never have been written.
Books by Judy Christenberry
Silhouette Romance
The Nine-Month Bride #1324
*Marry Me, Kate #1344
*Baby in Her Arms #1350
*A Ring for Cinderella #1356
†Never Let You Go #1453
†The Borrowed Groom #1457
†Cherish the Boss #1463
**Snowbound Sweetheart #1476
Newborn Daddy #1511
When the Lights Went Out… #1547
**Least Likely To Wed #1570
Daddy on the Doorstep #1654
**Beauty & the Beastly Rancher #1678
**The Last Crawford Bachelor #1715
Finding a Family #1762
Silhouette Books
The Coltons
The Doctor Delivers
A Colton Family Christmas
“The Diplomat’s Daughter”
Lone Star Country Club
The Last Bachelor
JUDY CHRISTENBERRY
has been writing romances for over fifteen years because she loves happy endings as much as her readers do. She’s a bestselling author for Harlequin American Romance, but she has a long love of traditional romances and is delighted to tell a story that brings those elements to the reader. A former high school French teacher, Judy devotes her time to writing. She hopes readers have as much fun reading her stories as she does writing them. She spends her spare time reading, watching her favorite sports teams and keeping track of her two adult daughters.
Contents
Chapter One
“Hank? You mooning over some girl?” Larry had to repeat his query before his boss realized that he’d asked him a question.
“What did you say, Larry?”
“I asked if you’re mooning over some female? You’re sure not paying attention to the cows today.” Larry expected a funny answer. He and the boss bantered back and forth all the time.
Instead, he got a serious answer accompanied by concern on Hank’s face. “I’m worrying about Dad.”
“What’s wrong with the old boss? Is he sick?” Larry crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.
Hank Brownlee shrugged his shoulders. Life had changed since his mother had died last year. “I—I think he’s depressed.”
“Well, hell, Hank, his wife died. Of course he’s sad.”
“But that was over a year ago. I’m sad, too, when I think about Mom, but it’s time to move on.” Only his father hadn’t. The older Brownlee had turned the ranch over to Hank and didn’t seem to care what Hank did with the spread. He never asked about anything. He just sat and stared out the window. He wouldn’t even eat if Hank didn’t come in at night and cook.
