Wanted: The Perfect Mom
His daughter deserves the bestPolice chief John “Mac” McAndrews is on a mission to find the perfect mother for his daughter. Someone who will stay home, welcome his child after school and bake cookies. Obviously, Holly Hoffman is not that woman. She’s still as feisty, independent and headstrong as she’d been when they were teenagers. And she’s just spent every last dime opening the Wildflower coffee bar. Mac would never ask her to give up her brand-new business. Still, he can’t help dropping by the shop whenever he gets the chance, fanning old flames he should be dousing instead.
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His daughter deserves the best
Police chief John âMacâ McAndrews is on a mission to find the perfect mother for his daughter. Someone who will stay home, welcome his child after school and bake cookies. Obviously, Holly Hoffman is not that woman. Sheâs still as feisty, independent and headstrong as sheâd been when they were teenagers. And sheâs just spent every last dime opening the Wildflower coffee bar. Mac would never ask her to give up her brand-new business. Still, he canât help dropping by the shop whenever he gets the chance, fanning old flames he should be dousing instead.
âDo you remember when we used toââ
ââsled down this hill?â The memory sparked a laugh in Holly. âWe were crazy.â
Leaving the trees behind, Holly stepped into the hayfield at the top of the ridge. Mac followed close behind as she walked to the summit and studied the view before them.
Mac came up beside her. The touch of his shoulder against hers sent an electric shock through her body.
âHolly.â
Holly focused on the mountains in the distance, covered in haze, and ignored the burn where his arm touched hers. âHot today,â she said. âI canât imagine sledding in weather like this, can you? I wonder if the kidsââ
âHolly.â The gruffness in Macâs voice brought her up short, but she refused to meet his eyes.
âMac, I canâtââ
Mac reached out and pulled her closer. âThe girl I knew didnât have canât in her vocabulary.â
First of all, thank you for picking up this book. The journey to publication has been long and I have learned so much in the past few years. All of which goes to prove youâre never too old to learn. Thanks to all who have offered advice and encouragement along the way. Special thanks to the crew at Mills & Boon who worked to bring Wanted: The Perfect Mom to print. This book is my first with Mills & Boon. I am honored to be included in the diverse and talented group of Mills & Boon Heartwarming authors.
This story is about familyâthe one weâre born into and the one we create. Both have tremendous impact on our lives. Family dynamics are a living, growing thing. Sometimes, as in Hollyâs case, there comes a time when our place in the original has morphed into something unrecognizable. Creating a new family seems an impossible dream. Holly must find her way in the unfamiliar territory between the two.
She figures it out. We all do. Eventually.
Enjoy the read.
T.R.
T. R. McCLURE wrote her first story when she was ten years old. A degree in psychology led to a career in human resources. Only after retirement did she pick up her pen and return to fiction. Wanted: The Perfect Mom is her first novel with Harlequin.
T.R. lives in central Pennsylvania with her husband of thirty-seven years. They share their country home with one horse, one cat, four beagles and Sunny the yellow lab. T.R. is always up for travel adventures with her grown twin daughters.
To Grandma McClure, who always had a bag of sugar cookies in the freezer for hungry grandchildren. On lazy summer walks, she shared with me the magic of the touch-me-not flower. Thanks to her for happy childhood memories on the farm.
Contents
ONE SHOT.
Dark, viscous liquid poured into the glass.
With the final drops, golden crema swirled.
Pour into a warmed china mug. Add the perfect measure of aromatic vanilla.
And then the pièce de résistance...perfectly steamed whole milk.
Holly Hoffman stood back from the shiny new commercial espresso machine and let loose a deep sigh as the aroma of fresh ground beans surrounded her. She grabbed a damp cocoa-brown bar towel and wiped the steam wand.
The first vanilla latte purchased in The Wildflower Coffee Bar and Used Book Store was a veritable work of art, as it should be. Holly had been working toward this May 1 opening for six months. Six months of visiting coffee bean suppliers in the Strip District in Pittsburgh, training with the espresso machine company and dealing with her loving but definitely opinionated family.
The shop had been open ten minutes and already the line stretched out the door. Who wouldâve thought so many coffee aficionados lived in the little central Pennsylvania community of Bear Meadows?
As Holly frothed a pitcher of nonfat milk, she looked around the comfortable surroundings created with the help of her sister-in-law, Carolyn. Four brown-and-yellow-plaid armchairs surrounded a low table in the corner. A matching couch and coffee table stretched along the wall lined with bookshelves.
