Montana Daddy
Dr. Rory "Swift Eagle" Oakes could track, tame and treat the orneriest of beasts. But his five-foot-five freckle-faced first love Kristi Kerrigan had inexplicably disappeared from his life six years before, only to return to Grass Valley, Montana, with a new love: a dark-eyed, bronze-skinned little boy the spitting image of his daddy.Rory couldn't deny the passion that blazed anew between him and the mother of his child. Nor could he deny the pain of being deprived of the miracle of his baby's first breath, and the five years of "firsts" that followed. But Kristi and their boy were within reach now, and this time Rory would stop at nothing to ensure these family ties lasted forever….
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She would have to tell Rory the truth about what had happened after their summer together
Except she had tried. And he hadn’t cared enough about her to return her phone calls when she’d desperately needed to talk to him nearly six years ago. His silence had added an exclamation point to their argument about maintaining a long-distance relationship.
She’d lost that battle—in spades.
But she’d won something more precious.
Now the time had come when she had to face up to reality. But first she had to determine what kind of man Rory had become. There was more at stake than her own heart.
She tried to remember another time in her life when her emotions had been so volatile. Or when procrastination had seemed like a perfect solution to whatever dilemma she faced.
Soon—very soon—she would have to tell Rory he had a five-year-old son.…
Dear Reader,
This month Harlequin American Romance delivers favorite authors and irresistible stories of heart, home and happiness that are sure to leave you smiling.
COWBOYS BY THE DOZEN, Tina Leonard’s new family-connected miniseries, premieres this month with Frisco Joe’s Fiancée, in which a single mother and her daughter give a hard-riding, heartbreaking cowboy second thoughts about bachelorhood.
Next, in Prognosis: A Baby? Maybe, the latest book in Jacqueline Diamond’s THE BABIES OF DOCTORS CIRCLE miniseries, a playboy doctor’s paternal instincts and suspicions are aroused when he sees a baby girl with the woman who had shared a night of passion with him. Was this child his? THE HARTWELL HOPE CHESTS, Rita Herron’s delightful series, resumes with Have Cowboy, Need Cupid, in which a city girl suddenly starts dreaming about a cowboy groom after opening an heirloom hope chest. And rounding out the month is Montana Daddy, a reunion romance and secret baby story by Charlotte Maclay.
Enjoy this month’s offerings as Harlequin American Romance continues to celebrate its yearlong twentieth anniversary.
Melissa Jeglinski
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin American Romance
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlotte Maclay can’t resist a happy ending. That’s why she’s had such fun writing more than twenty titles for Harlequin American Romance, Duets and Love & Laughter, plus several Silhouette Romance books, as well. Charlotte is particularly well-known for her volunteer efforts in her hometown of Torrance, California; her philosophy is that you should make a difference in your community. She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, whom they are occasionally allowed to baby-sit. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached at P.O. Box 505, Torrance, CA 90508.
Books by Charlotte Maclay
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
474—THE VILLAIN’S LADY
488—A GHOSTLY AFFAIR
503—ELUSIVE TREASURE
532—MICHAEL’S MAGIC
537—THE KIDNAPPED BRIDE
566—HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE
585—THE COWBOY & THE BELLY DANCER
620—THE BEWITCHING BACHELOR
643—WANTED: A DAD TO BRAG ABOUT
657—THE LITTLEST ANGEL
684—STEALING SAMANTHA
709—CATCHING A DADDY
728—A LITTLE BIT PREGNANT
743—THE HOG-TIED GROOM
766—DADDY’S LITTLE COWGIRL
788—DEPUTY DADDY
806—A DADDY FOR BECKY
821—THE RIGHT COWBOY’S BED*
825—IN A COWBOY’S EMBRACE*
886—BOLD AND BRAVE-HEARTED**
890—WITH VALOR AND DEVOTION**
894—BETWEEN HONOR AND DUTY**
915—WITH COURAGE AND COMMITMENT**
929—AT THE RANCHER’S BIDDING
943—COURTSHIP, MONTANA STYLE
980—MONTANA DADDY
Contents
Chapter One
“I’m going to break my fool neck if somebody doesn’t help me out of this truck!” The penetrating voice of Dr. Justine Beauchamp cut through the chilly afternoon quiet in Grass Valley, Montana.
Across the road from the medical clinic, Rory Swift Eagle Oakes smiled to himself, tugged his black Stetson down more firmly and ambled toward the unfamiliar SUV that had pulled up in front of the old three-story Victorian house. As a kid he’d thought the dormer windows were like eyes and the occupants were watching him.
Now he and the often cantankerous doctor were colleagues of sorts. She took care of the two-legged patients in this northern part of the state, and he handled those with four. Plus a few two-legged birds of prey who fell victim to hunters or tangled with power lines. Doc Justine, for all of her years in this part of the world, didn’t have much interest in rehabilitating injured hawks and eagles. Or wolves and elks, for that matter.
For Rory, that was the best part of his job as a veterinarian.
“You think you could hurry a little?” Doc complained. “I’m tired of being a prisoner in this tin can.”
“I’ll be right there,” came a muted reply from the SUV’s driver.
A couple of days ago, the doctor had slipped on some ice and gone down hard. She’d broken her ankle, which required a trip to Great Falls for surgery. Obviously, someone had brought her back home—a friend from Washington, according to the license plates.
Rory grinned again. He could imagine what a fun two-hour trip from the hospital to Grass Valley that must have been with Doc and her sharp tongue.
