The Rancher And The Nanny

Caroline Cross

Livestock? John MacLaren had all the answers. But little girls? On that subject he was clueless. What did an orphan know about creating a home, especially for a delicate child like Lissy? He needed help. And help came…in the most unexpected, most unforgettable form. Eve Chandler. Years before, he'd wanted her with a vengeance, but 'Princess' hadn't seemed to think him worthy. Now the tables had turned, and she was working for him. Yet Eve was so much more than a nanny. With her encouragement, Lissy was blossoming…and John's icy reserve was melting. But once Eve recovered her lost riches, would John's warm, willing lover remain by his side?

If Having Eve Around Would Make Things Better, He Could Handle His Feelings—Couldn’t He?

As for his unfortunate physical attraction to her…big deal. It wasn’t his way to let his feelings cloud his judgment, or his desires dictate his actions. And he certainly wasn’t a stranger to deprivation. He’d lived most of his life without the sort of things—such as a home or family or even a close companion—that other people took for granted. He could handle himself.

As quickly as that, his mind was made up. For Lissy’s sake, he’d do it. He’d hire Eve to be her nanny.

And to hell with his gut, which was already warning him that Ms. Chandler was going to be nothing but trouble.

And that he was making a big mistake.

Dear Reader,

Silhouette is celebrating its 20

anniversary throughout 2000! So, to usher in the first summer of the millennium, why not indulge yourself with six powerful, passionate, provocative love stories from Silhouette Desire?

Jackie Merritt returns to Desire with a MAN OF THE MONTH who’s Tough To Tame. Enjoy the sparks that fly between a rugged ranch manager and the feisty lady who turns his world upside down! Another wonderful romance from RITA Award winner Caroline Cross is in store for you this month with The Rancher and the Nanny, in which a rags-to-riches hero learns trust and love from the riches-to-rags woman who cares for his secret child.

Watch for Meagan McKinney’s The Cowboy Meets His Match—an octogenarian matchmaker sets up an ice-princess heiress with a virile rodeo star. The Desire theme promotion THE BABY BANK, about sperm-bank client heroines who find love unexpectedly, concludes with Susan Crosby’s The Baby Gift. Wonderful newcomer Sheri WhiteFeather offers another irresistible Native American hero with Cheyenne Dad. And Kate Little’s hero reunites with his lost love in a marriage of convenience to save her from financial ruin in The Determined Groom.

So come join in the celebration and start your summer off on the supersensual side—by reading all six of these tantalizing Desire books!

Enjoy!

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

The Rancher and the Nanny

Caroline Cross

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

CAROLINE CROSS

always loved to read, but it wasn’t until she discovered the romance genre that she felt compelled to write, fascinated by the chance to explore the positive power of love in people’s lives. Winner of the prestigious Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for Best Short Contemporary, she’s also been thrilled to win the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Desire, as well as a W.I.S.H. Award. She grew up in central Washington State, attended the University of Puget Sound and now lives outside of Seattle, where she tries to work at home despite the chaos created by two telephone-addicted teenage daughters and a husband with a fondness for home-improvement projects. The Rancher and the Nanny marks her tenth book for Silhouette. Caroline would love to hear from her readers. She can be reached at P.O. Box 5845, Bellevue, Washington, 98006.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

One

The shiny black pickup rocketed down the Bar M’s gravel drive, raising a plume of dust in its wake.

Poised before the ranch house’s ba