I Do! I Do!
Bachelor Daddy Takes a Bride!San Antonio, Texas Ladies, hang your heads and cry! One of the Lone Star state's most elusive bachelors has been hooked. Rancher Mason Blackstone, recently awarded temporary custody of his bubbly baby nieces, is tying the know with pretty Maitland Maternity nurse Gina Kennedy.Folks wonder if this is true love, or if Mason's just out to keep those adorable twins. Only time will tell if his new "missus" can tame the wrangler into a suitable husband and daddy. We'll all be waiting to see what happens next!
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You are cordially invited
to the wedding of
Mason Blackstone
& Gina Kennedy
Reception hosted by Megan Maitland,
founder of Maitland Maternity Hospital
In attendance will be Lily and Daisy Blackstone, soon-to-be adopted daughters of the bride and groom!
Harlequin American Romanceâs
MAITLAND MATERNITY series continues with Jacqueline Diamondâs delightful I Do! I Do!
I Do! I Do!
Jacqueline Diamond
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jacqueline Diamond was born in Menard, Texas, a small town in the region in which the fictional Blackstone Bar Ranch is located. Her father, Maurice, was the townâs doctor and made house calls to ranches.
In October 2000, Harlequin Duets will publish her book Designer Genes. Itâs set in the fictional town of Nowhere Junction, in the same area of Texas.
Jackie now makes her home in Southern California and likes to hear from readers at P.O. Box 1315, Brea, CA 92822.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Mason BlackstoneâA rancher doesnât go from herding cows to changing diapers overnightânot without the right woman by his side.
Gina KennedyâThe virginal nurse had a crush on the sexy rancher. Sheâd do anything to be his wifeâincluding agree to a temporary marriage.
Daisy and Lily BlackstoneâOrphaned newborn twins, they found a good home with their uncle Mason. But would they be able to grow up in his loving care?
Margaret and Stuart WaldmanâMasonâs sister and brother-in-law wanted to adopt the baby girls for the wrong reasons.
Megan MaitlandâThe founder of Maitland Maternity opened up her familyâs home to host a very special weddingâ¦.
Contents
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
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter One
When she got to the clinic, he might be waiting. Or on his way, driving from his ranch in the pickup truck.
Gina Kennedyâs step quickened as she hurried down Mayfair Avenue in the early morning quiet. Her shift in the intermediate-care nursery didnât start for half an hour. What was her hurry?
His dark eyes would warm when he came in. The other nurses would sneak glances at him, but his smile would be for Gina alone.
On a humid July day like this, Austin, Texas, felt more like the Old South than the Wild West. Gina could feel her hair wilting, even though the full heat wouldnât hit for hours yet.
She glanced at her reflection in a shop window. The straight, light-blond hair that brushed the tops of her shoulders was a bit damp, but holding its own thanks to a heavy dose of mousse.
Critically, she examined the way the nurseâs uniform clung to her figure. Gina knew that some of her friends envied her narrow waistline and well-proportioned bust, but sheâd always wished she were taller. Tall enough to measure up to a big, brooding man.
He exuded power. It wasnât only the intensity of his gaze, but the way he dwarfed everyone around him.
Yet he handled those tiny babies with such incredible tenderness that she couldnât help wondering what kind of lover he would be.
Gina gripped her purse strap. Why on earth was she daydreaming about Mason Blackstone? This was the first time in her twenty-nine years that sheâd fantasized about a man. Why did it have to be someone beyond her reach?
From the Austin Eats Diner, the smell of bacon, pancakes and maple syrup wafted toward her. Gina smiled. She would like to see Mason tackle a meal like that. No doubt heâd make short work of it.
To maintain her trim figure, she stuck to cereal or whole-wheat toast for breakfast. Still, she liked to see a man eat, a man who earned his Texas-size appetite through old-fashioned hard work.
Masonâs ranch was a two-hour drive northwest of here, heâd told her. Most nights during the past two months, heâd made the trip back there to ensure that everything was functioning properly.
Once in a while, though, he stayed over at a hotel in Austin. Heâd never suggested that they get together after hours, which, Gina told herself, was a good thing. The two of them were wildly ill-suited. Besides, it would be inappropriate as long as she was caring for his premature twin nieces.
She would like to see him polish off a steak and potatoes just once, though. The possibility that he might choose her for dessert sent a small thrill down her spine.
Foolish make-believe, thatâs what she was indulging in. A rough-and-ready guy like Mason needed a sturdy ranch woman who knew one end of a horse from the other. Once he took the little orphaned girls home, he would have nothing in common with a sheltered, daydreaming neonatal nurse whose brief relationships with men always ended when she refused to hop into bed with them.
Gina walked alongside the sweeping front driveway that led to the Maitland Maternity Clinic. After graduating from nursing school at the University of Texas here in Austin, she was lucky to have landed a job at the modern, family-run facility that served rich and poor women alike.
