The Millionaire and the Mum

Patricia Kay

LOVE IS ABOUT SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. SOME MEN FALL, BUT SURVIVORS LIKE ME DON'T.–Jack Stockwell's thoughts on loveMercenary Jack Stockwell's secret mission was twofold: 1) Find out if the Stockwells had swindled Beth Johnson's ancestors out of their fortune, and 2) Get out with his heart intact. The strong, earthy widow and her two children stirred the dark shadows of his soul–and left traces of hope. But Jack had to resist her sweet temptation–and shackle himself to caution. For Beth would soon discover that her lover was actually her worst enemy–a Stockwell. At the shock of this revelation, would she seek the ultimate revenge…or let love settle the score?

If the walls of Stockwell Mansion could talk…

We’d say good riddance to that curmudgeon Caine Stockwell. He’s thrown his last crystal vase against us, that’s for sure! When Caine was alive he did nothing but make piles of money and mountains of mischief. And it’s beginning to look like that money and that mischief are very close cousins…. The Stockwell siblings recently uncovered some damning papers…documents that seem to verify that a Stockwell ancestor bilked his neighbors, the Johnsons, of their valuable land—fine Texas property oozing with black gold! Well, thank goodness the mean gene didn’t pass down to any of this generation of Stockwells. They’re all anxious to discover the truth and set things straight.

And no better man for the job than mercenary Jack Stockwell. He banished himself from his notorious family years ago, but is back for a last call of duty. Under an assumed name, he’s working on Beth Johnson’s storm-ravaged rose farm in order to dig up the dirt on the dirt. Seems Jack can’t quite keep his attention on the ground, however—his mind’s swirling with tantalizing thoughts of Beth!

In the search for their long-lost mother, the Stockwell siblings find a sister, too! But she barely steps foot in Texas when she’s kidnapped—and rescued by a Prince Charming rancher in The Cattleman and the Virgin Heiress, SE #1393, by Jackie Merritt, available May 2001, only from Silhouette Special Edition.

Dear Reader,

When Patricia Kay was a child, she could be found hiding somewhere…reading. “Ever since I was old enough to realize someone wrote books and they didn’t just magically appear, I dreamed of writing,” she says. And this month Special Edition is proud to publish Patricia’s twenty-second novel, The Millionaire and the Mom, the next of the STOCKWELLS OF TEXAS series. She admits it isn’t always easy keeping her ideas and her writing fresh. What helps, she says, is “nonwriting” activities, such as singing in her church choir, swimming, taking long walks, going to the movies and traveling. “Staying well-rounded keeps me excited about writing,” she says.

We have plenty of other fresh stories to offer this month. After finding herself in the midst of an armed robbery with a gun to her back in Christie Ridgway’s From This Day Forward, Annie Smith vows to chase her dreams…. In the next of A RANCHING FAMILY series by Victoria Pade, Kate McDermot returns from Vegas unexpectedly married and with a Cowboy’s Baby in her belly! And Sally Tyler Hayes’s Magic in a Jelly Jar is what young Luke Morgan hopes for by saving his teeth in a jelly jar…because he thinks that his dentist is the tooth fairy and can grant him one wish: a mother! Also, don’t miss the surprising twists in Her Mysterious Houseguest by Jane Toombs, and an exciting forbidden love story with Barbara Benedict’s Solution: Marriage.

At Special Edition, fresh, innovative books are our passion. We hope you enjoy them all.

Best,

Karen Taylor Richman

Senior Editor

The Millionaire and The Mom

Patricia Kay

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

PATRICIA KAY

has had a lifelong love affair with books and has always wanted to be a writer. She also loves cats, movies, the ocean, music, Broadway shows, cooking, traveling, being with her family and friends, Cajun food, “Calvin and Hobbes” and getting mail. Patricia and her husband have three grown ch