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Diagnosis: Expecting Boss's Baby
Jacqueline Diamond
IN LOVE WITH THE BOSS…AND PREGNANT WITH HIS BABY!Irony didn't begin to describe it! Natalie Winford, secretary for an infertility clinic, had become pregnant after one night of lovemaking with her sexy boss, Dr. Patrick Barr. Natalie planned to keep her baby's paternity quiet, not wanting to pressure the good doctor into an obligatory declaration of marriage. But trying to remain aloof around a man who sent her pulse racing proved more difficult than the battles against water gain and pickle cravings combined. And Patrick's affection for her hadn't seemed to lessen, but to grow, as sure as the baby grew in her womb. But when he found out about Natalie's little secret, would he be stung by betrayal–or be bitten by the love bug?Babies of Doctors' Circle: Special deliveries straight to the heart!
“Dr. Rourke asked me to drop off some prenatal vitamins for Natalie.
“I was downstairs at the lab, so I just popped up.”
“I’m sorry?” Patrick couldn’t make sense of the nurse’s explanation. Why would Natalie be collecting someone else’s prenatal vitamins?
“We didn’t have any when she came in.”
“When she came in?” he repeated, feeling as if he’d missed some vital point.
It was six weeks since he’d made love to Natalie. And he had used protection.
Natalie might have consulted with Dr. Rourke for a routine physical. But there was no reason for the obstetrician to send over prenatal vitamins unless…
…his secretary was pregnant.
Special deliveries straight to the heart!
Diagnosis: Expecting Boss’s Baby
(HAR #962, 3/03)
Prescription: Marry Her Immediately
(HAR #971, 5/03)
Prognosis: A Baby? Maybe
(HAR #978, 7/03)
Dear Reader,
This month we have a wonderful lineup of stories, guaranteed to warm you on these last chilly days of winter. First, Charlotte Douglas kicks things off with Surprise Inheritance, the third installment in Harlequin American Romance’s MILLIONAIRE, MONTANA series, in which a sexy sheriff is reunited with the woman he’s always loved when she returns to town to claim her inheritance.
Next, THE BABIES OF DOCTORS CIRCLE, Jacqueline Diamond’s new miniseries centered around a maternity and well-baby clinic, premieres this month with Diagnosis: Expecting Boss’s Baby. In this sparkling story, an unforgettable night of passion between a secretary and her handsome employer leads to an unexpected pregnancy.
Also available this month is Sweeping the Bride Away by Michele Dunaway. A bride-to-be is all set to wed “Mr. Boring” until she hires a rugged contractor who makes her pulse race and gives her second thoughts about her upcoming nuptials. Rounding things out is Professor & the Pregnant Nanny by Emily Dalton. This heartwarming story pairs a single dad in need of a nanny for his three adorable children with a woman who is alone, pregnant and in need of a job.
Enjoy this month’s offerings as Harlequin American Romance continues to celebrate twenty years of publishing the best in contemporary category romance fiction. Be sure to come back next month for more stories guaranteed to touch your heart!
Melissa Jeglinski
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin American Romance
Diagnosis: Expecting Boss’s Baby
Jacqueline Diamond
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jacqueline Diamond comes from a long line of babies. In addition, her father was the doctor who delivered her. At the time, he was a country doctor in Menard, Texas, and later went on to become a psychiatrist in Louisville, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennessee. Jackie now lives in Orange County, California, with her husband, two sons and two formerly stray cats. You can write to Jackie at P.O. Box 1315, Brea, CA 92822, or by e-mail at JDiamondfriends@aol.com (mailto:JDiamondfriends@aol.com).
Books by Jacqueline Diamond
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
79—THE DREAM NEVER DIES
196—AN UNEXPECTED MAN
218—UNLIKELY PARTNERS
239—THE CINDERELLA DARE
270—CAPERS AND RAINBOWS
279—GHOST OF A CHANCE
315—FLIGHT OF MAGIC
351—BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS
406—OLD DREAMS, NEW DREAMS
446—THE TROUBLE WITH TERRY
491—A DANGEROUS GUY
583—THE RUNAWAY BRIDE
615—YOURS, MINE AND OURS
631—THE COWBOY AND THE HEIRESS
642—ONE HUSBAND TOO MANY
645—DEAR LONELY IN L.A….
674—MILLION-DOLLAR MOMMY
687—DADDY WARLOCK
716—A REAL-LIVE SHEIKH
734—THE COWBOY AND THE SHOTGUN BRIDE
763—LET’S MAKE A BABY!
791—ASSIGNMENT: GROOM!
804—MISTLETOE DADDY
833—I DO! I DO!
855—DADDY, M.D.
875—KISS A HANDSOME STRANGER
889—SURPRISE, DOC! YOU’RE A DADDY!
913—THE IMPROPERLY PREGNANT PRINCESS
962—DIAGNOSIS: EXPECTING BOSS’S BABY * (#litres_trial_promo)
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
435—AND THE BRIDE VANISHES
512—HIS SECRET SON
550—CAPTURED BY A SHEIKH
Contents
Chapter One (#uad381b3d-0103-5d9f-a8dc-e85ec6661111)
Chapter Two (#u4f8eb307-3e70-5c85-923d-aa7e0d20e19e)
Chapter Three (#u6535955f-9730-5f80-b23f-97ae6dd238fc)
Chapter Four (#u7aba0e6f-93e0-5066-91a7-d7e350c3b750)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
Natalie Winford knew she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. She didn’t regret a minute of it.
Rum punch, she thought. They could both blame it on the rum punch, if they had to blame it on anything.
Outside, she heard the harbor water slap lightly at the yacht. Here in the master cabin, a stray sunbeam through the porthole burnished Patrick Barr’s tanned skin to molten gold as he lay amid the tangled sheets.
Natalie never wanted to move again. She yearned to lie forever in Patrick’s arms, suspended in this magic interval after making love.
“Nat?” he murmured.
“Right here.” At such close range, she was acutely aware of the man’s lime-scented cologne and the well-proportioned build that testified to his high-school and college days as a competitive diver. Playfully she ran her hand across the muscles of his shoulders and back, relishing their sculpted power.
Until now, she’d only been able to dream about touching him. For five years, she’d answered his phone calls, sorted his mail, scheduled his appointments and fantasized about him from a distance. Until today.
When Patrick first took over as administrator of the Doctors Circle Clinic and Birthing Center from his disorganized predecessor, Natalie had been relieved to work for a man she respected. Over the years, her feelings had developed into intense admiration.
Now she drank in every detail of the man in bed beside her. She treasured his strong, sensitive nose and the two pucker lines between his intelligent brown eyes. She cherished his thick brown hair, although it was a little too long because, as usual, he’d been too busy to stop by a barbershop.
Patrick seemed to be making his own assessment of Natalie, she noticed as his gaze trailed from her breasts up to her soft lips. “You always look terrific, but the view is even better without clothes,” he said. After a moment’s reflection, he added ruefully, “On the other hand, I’m afraid we jumped into this situation without thinking.”
“If you’re about to say you wish we hadn’t done this, I’ll kick you out of bed,” Natalie said.
He flashed a warm, masculine smile. “I couldn’t possibly regret it. But…”
“I know.” She sighed. “My behavior hardly meets your high standards.”
Patrick ran his hand through his already rumpled hair. “You haven’t done anything wrong. I’m the one who needs to set a good example for the community.”
Until she met her boss, Natalie hadn’t known anyone could be so hard on himself or so exacting with his staff. She wished she’d been raised with the same insistence on honesty and integrity, but not everyone had the advantage of two stable parents with high ideals.
