Cowboy's Secret Child

Sara Orwig

MARRIAGE - ON HIS TERMSRodeo champion and rancher Jeb Stuart was determined to claim the son his ex-wife had given away, but he hadn't counted on the little boy's love for his charming adoptive mother, Amanda Crockett. Jeb proposed a marriage of convenience for his son's sake, but Amanda soon found that what suited the rugged cowboy's own convenience was to coax her into his bed.Although Amanda knew she should guard her heart, she couldn't resist Jeb's passionate pursuit. During the hot Texas days and the long, sultry nights, her handsome husband taught Amanda to enjoy her own sensuality, but could she teach him to love again?

“We Can’t Live Here Together!”

“We wouldn’t be living together in a sexual way. It would be like living in the same apartment complex,” Jeb explained.

“I don’t think so,” Amanda said. “Suppose you have a date and bring her home for the night. What would you do—introduce me as the mother of your child who just happens to live here, but oh please, ignore her?”

Suddenly a flicker of amusement danced in his dark eyes, and it made him even more appealing.

“I haven’t had a date I wanted to bring home in a long time.”

“That doesn’t mean you won’t in the future. You’re an appealing man,” she admitted, “and I suspect women are easily attracted to you, in spite of your not having a date you ‘wanted to bring home’ lately. That will change.”

Silence stretched until she was compelled to look around. He was sitting still as a statue, studying her intently.

“Maybe you and I should try dating.”

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the world of Silhouette Desire, where you can indulge yourself every month with romances that can only be described as passionate, powerful and provocative!

The always fabulous Elizabeth Bevarly offers you May’s MAN OF THE MONTH, so get ready for The Temptation of Rory Monahan. Enjoy reading about a gorgeous professor who falls for a librarian busy reading up on how to catch a man!

The tantalizing Desire miniseries TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB: LONE STAR JEWELS concludes with Tycoon Warrior by Sheri WhiteFeather. A Native American ex-military man reunites with his estranged wife on a secret mission that renews their love.

Popular Peggy Moreland returns to Desire with a romance about a plain-Jane secretary who is in love with her Millionaire Boss. The hero-focused miniseries BACHELOR BATTALION by Maureen Child continues with Prince Charming in Dress Blues, who’s snowbound in a cabin with an unmarried woman about to give birth! Baby at His Door by Katherine Garbera features a small-town sheriff, a beautiful stranger and the bundle of love who unites them. And Sara Orwig writes a lovely tale about a couple entering a marriage of convenience in Cowboy’s Secret Child.

This month, Silhouette is proud to announce we’ve joined the national campaign “Get Caught Reading” in order to promote reading in the United States. So set a good example, and get caught reading all six of these exhilarating Desire titles!

Enjoy!

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

Cowboy’s Secret Child

Sara Orwig

SARA ORWIG

lives with her husband and children in Oklahoma. She has a patient husband who will take her on research trips anywhere, from big cities to old forts. She is an avid collector of Western history books. With a master’s degree in English, Sara writes historical romance, mainstream fiction and contemporary romance. Books are beloved treasures that take Sara to magical worlds, and she loves both reading and writing them.

With love to Hannah, Rachel and Ellen…and with special thanks to Debra Robertson, Joan Marlow Golan and Maureen Walters. And to Patricia Smith, my new editor and a wish come true…

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

One

On a Monday during the first week of June, Jeb Stuart sat quietly in his car beneath the shade of a tall elm on a residential street in Dallas. He waited, his calm manner belying his chur