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New Arrivals: Surprise Baby for Him: The Cattleman's Adopted Family / The Soldier's Homecoming / Marriage for Baby
Melissa McClone
Barbara Hannay
DONNA ALWARD
THE CATTLEMAN'S ADOPTED FAMILYA baby of their own. Tall, rangy and gorgeous, Seth Reardon sets Amy Ross’s nerves rattling. She’s come all this way to tell him he is the father of her best friend’s baby. Could this be the family Amy has dreamed of… ?THE SOLDIER'S HOMECOMINGJonas Kirkpatrick left town to be a soldier without ever looking back. But Shannyn saw him every day in her little girl’s eyes… Six years later, Jonas comes home, to discover a child and the only woman he has ever loved.MARRIAGE FOR BABYJared and Kate are separated when they find themselves guardians of an orphaned baby. The one hitch is, for them to be guardians, they have to stay married! Can this tiny baby help Jared and Kate fall in love again?
The child he never knew…until now!
SURPRISE BABY FOR HIM
BARBARA HANNAY
DONNA ALWARD
MELISSA McCLONE
New Arrivals: Surprise Baby for Him
The Cattleman’s Adopted Family
Barbara Hannay
The Soldier’s Homecoming
Donna Alward
Marriage for Baby
Melissa McClone
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Table of Contents
Cover (#uf1bc40f6-e844-5044-9705-4ab7a30eaf4d)
Title Page (#ub51af375-b313-5506-ade2-0ee5c48a7790)
The Cattleman’s Adopted Family (#u7bf6d1fa-3ccf-50be-aec1-9b876e0f7523)
About the Author (#u2fe5ab25-69f2-5ce2-92d5-1b7e17f611e4)
PROLOGUE (#u1e911fd0-bf3e-5c9b-b270-9698794fc0a8)
Chapter One (#u0502bbb1-60e2-5e23-92d3-db50e52d8d11)
Chapter Two (#u69379ebf-24ca-5c83-b4df-0d4d1f235d7f)
Chapter Three (#u5d04d99a-7433-56f8-a137-147380a85326)
Chapter Four (#u055c7401-9328-56b9-b3b0-f4751ceaebfa)
Chapter Five (#ubd469fc5-859d-5fd7-867f-b3fbc4502efc)
Chapter Six (#u9c2d4fe1-b5a0-5b37-b0af-4a4c4ca07a46)
Chapter Seven (#ub61d043e-977c-5fb9-8668-f85d0815d16f)
Chapter Eight (#u23e2ceab-88ad-5f9b-ab3f-e411c5f07d06)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
The Soldier’s Homecoming (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)
Dedication (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
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)
Marriage for Baby (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)
Dedication (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
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)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
The Cattleman’s Adopted Family (#ulink_b21ad7c9-c737-5067-9863-33acf027ca56)
BARBARA HANNAY was born in Sydney, educated in Brisbane, and has spent most of her adult life living in tropical North Queensland, where she and her husband have raised four children. While she has enjoyed many happy times camping and canoeing in the bush, she also delights in an urban lifestyle—chamber music, contemporary dance, movies and dining out. An English teacher, she has always loved writing and now, by having her stories published, she is living her most cherished fantasy. Visit www.barbarahannay.com (http://www.barbarahannay.com).
PROLOGUE (#ulink_0b8b412d-e70c-5a19-96ef-52df0b86b2f4)
AT FIRST, when Amy saw two policemen at the ballroom’s grand entrance, she felt no more than mild curiosity. She didn’t dream they were about to turn her life upside down.
She was way too excited to entertain such dark thoughts. For weeks, she’d been on tenterhooks planning tonight’s high-gloss corporate launch. Its success or failure rested almost entirely on her shoulders, and she was relieved that everything was turning out well.
‘Love it, love it, love it!’ her ecstatic clients cheered.
As far as they were concerned, Amy hadn’t put a foot wrong. They were thrilled with the venue she’d found on Melbourne’s Southbank. They were especially thrilled with the video walls that showed off their brilliant new range of environmentally friendly lighting systems.
Amy was equally pleased with the way she looked tonight. She’d dieted for three weeks to squeeze into her divinely chic, but frighteningly expensive little black dress. She’d paid another outrageous sum at a trendy salon in Chapel Street to have glamorous blonde highlights added to her rather ordinary, pale brown hair.
Now, with the addition of killer high heels and her grandmother’s diamond earrings, she’d received oodles of compliments about both the launch party and her appearance. Tonight it was clear—in Melbourne’s competitive, pressurecooker world of marketing and corporate events, Amy Ross had arrived!
But before she could take her first celebratory sip of her champagne cocktail, she saw the deepening sombreness on the policemen’s faces.
Why on earth were they here?
Surely they must have come to the wrong function. At any moment they would move on.
But no, the older of the two men approached the doorman and Amy saw the look of concern on his face. She felt a cold ripple of anxiety. Hastily, she scanned the crowded ballroom, searching the sea of guests. Could a criminal be lurking in their midst?
Her stomach tightened as she glanced to the doorway again. The doorman was turning.
He pointed directly at Amy.
Oh, God.
The glass in her hand shook, spilling wine onto her gorgeous new dress. Dismayed, she set it down. Any second now, the policemen would come marching into the very centre of this ballroom, and she had visions of the guests falling silent, eyes agog as they stepped aside to make a wide path for the blue uniformed men.
Amy knew she mustn’t let that happen.
Sending her clients a brave thumbs-up gesture, she started off across the vast expanse of highly polished floor, knees knocking, thoughts racing and skidding through distressing possibilities.
Had she accidentally invited one of Melbourne’s infamous gangland criminals to this party?
Or was this personal? Was she the policemen’s target? Had her car been towed away?
Had something happened to her parents? Please, no!
Her stomach gave another sickening lurch as she drew closer to the grim-faced men, but she forced a smile. ‘Good evening, gentlemen. How can I help you?’
The older policeman nodded to her gravely. ‘Are you Miss Amy Ross?’
‘Yes.’
‘You live at Unit 42, 67 Grange Street, Kew?’
‘Y-yes.’ Oh, cringe. Had she forgotten to turn off the iron? Had her flat burned down?
‘We’ve been informed that you organised this event and sent out the invitations. Is that correct?’
Amy gulped. ‘That’s right.’
‘Could we speak with you privately, please?’
She couldn’t hide her alarm any longer. ‘W-what’s the matter?’
‘We’re making enquiries, Miss Ross. We don’t want to cause any unnecessary fuss, so, if you could just come this way, please?’
Enquiries. Surely this was a euphemism to cover all kinds of awfulness?
