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Callie, Get Your Groom
Julianna Morris
NO MORE NICE GIRL.Spirited Callie Webster was done staying home on Saturday nights–alone. Now was the time to be a little bad. Just enough to win the heart of the man she'd dreamed of since childhood. But first he had to notice her. Michael Fitzpatrick couldn't believe the changes in innocent Callie. Suddenly she was dating every available man in Alaska–and forcing him to act like a protective big brother. But "brotherly" wasn't what he was feeling! Heck, despite his marriage-resistant tendencies, Michael was imaging how much fun staying home every night with Callie could be!
“We should get better acquainted,”
Mike said, a boyish grin curving his mouth. “We’ve never really done anything together, not even when we were kids. We don’t even know each other well.”
Hallelujah, Callie cheered silently. Maybe he’d stop dismissing her as the sweet but annoying kid sister type. “At least you know I won’t steal the silver,” she teased.
“True.”
To her amazement, Mike reached out and brushed errant strands of hair from her forehead. He was so close, Callie could smell the warm, masculine scent of him, and a piercing ache went through her body. She’d like to cuddle…feel welcome to slide into his arms and put her head on his chest.
She wanted to marry the man, for heaven’s sake! Ever since she’d been a girl…
Callie, Get Your Groom
Hannah Gets A Husband
Jodie’s Mail-Order Man
Dear Reader,
March roars in in grand style at Silhouette Romance, as we continue to celebrate twenty years of publishing the best in contemporary category romance fiction. And the new millennium boasts several new miniseries and promotions…such as ROYALLY WED, a three-book spinoff of the cross-line series that concluded last month in Special Edition Arlene James launches the new limited series with A Royal Masquerade, featuring a romance between would-be enemies, in which appearances are definitely deceiving….
Susan Meier’s adorable BREWSTER BABY BOOM series concludes this month with Oh, Babies! The last Brewster bachelor had best beware—but the warning may be too late! Karen Rose Smith graces the lineup with the story of a very pregnant single mom who finds Just the Man She Needed in her lonesome cowboy boarder whose plans had never included staying. The delightful Terry Essig will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone with The Baby Magnet, in which a hunky single dad discovers his toddler is more of an attraction than him—till he meets a woman who proves his ultimate distraction.
A confirmed bachelor finds himself the solution to the command: Callie, Get Your Groom as Julianna Morris unveils her new miniseries BRIDAL FEVER! And could love be What the Cowboy Prescribes…in Mary Starleigh’s charming debut Romance novel?
Next month features a Joan Hohl/Kasey Michaels duet, and in coming months look for Diana Palmer, and much more. It’s an exciting year for Silhouette Books, and we invite you to join the celebration!
Happy Reading!
Mary-Theresa Hussey
Senior Editor
Callie, Get Your Groom
Julianna Morris
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Books by Julianna Morris
Silhouette Romance
Baby Talk #1097
Family of Three #1178
Daddy Woke Up Married #1252
Dr. Dad #1278
The Marriage Stampede #1375
* (#litres_trial_promo)Callie, Get Your Groom #1436
JULIANNA MORRIS
has an offbeat sense of humor, which frequently gets her into trouble. She is often accused of being curious about everything…her interests ranging from oceanography and photography to traveling, antiquing, walking on the beach and reading science fiction. Choosing a college major was extremely difficult, but after many changes she earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science.
Julianna’s writing is supervised by a cat named Gandalf, who sits on the computer monitor and criticizes each keystroke. Ultimately, she would like a home overlooking the ocean, where she can write to her heart’s content—and Gandalf’s malcontent. She’d like to share that home with her own romantic hero, someone with a warm, sexy smile, lots of patience and an offbeat sense of humor to match her own. Oh, yes…and he has to like cats.
Contents
Chapter One (#ub7fc5ec0-2908-5224-a197-a7d104f4a820)
Chapter Two (#uf63c37ff-badd-5e33-8266-227fc510856b)
Chapter Three (#uaa7a1d4d-bfa1-538c-8fd1-cf04f7a4d08f)
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)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
I’m late.
Michael Fitzpatrick cursed as he turned into the Kachelak airfield, gravel spinning beneath the wheels of his Dodge Dakota. Across the airfield he saw the small Cessna, and two people still standing in the plane’s shadow.
A wry smile curved Mike’s mouth. It was fairly obvious the pilot was flirting with the woman, and the woman was flirting right back. He’d have to warn his sister that Donovan Masters was an infamous ladies’ man.
“Hey, sis!” he called, jumping from the Dakota and striding toward the couple. “Sorry I’m late. I got held up.”
But it wasn’t until Mike was within ten feet of the plane that he realized the diminutive female definitely wasn’t his sister…not unless she’d shrunk several inches and colored her hair to a riotous chestnut.
“Oh, hi,” the woman said, casually glancing at him as he approached. “Surprise. It’s me, Callie.”
Callie Webster? Mike shook his head. What was prim-and-proper Callie doing in Alaska? He circled around the wing…and suddenly his jaw dropped so hard it practically hit the airfield tarmac.
Prim-and-proper?
“Uh…Callie,” he said stupidly, staring at the skimpy red tube top barely confining her breasts. A whole lot of creamy skin was exposed above and below that narrow band of red—which only seemed to draw attention to the lush curves within.
“Yup.” She’d been leaning against the plane, but now she vaulted forward and threw her arms around his neck for a hug. “It’s great to see you. Gosh, it’s been a long while.”
Automatically his arms had risen to catch her, and almost as instinctively he pushed her away. “Why are you dressed like that?” he demanded, then realized it wasn’t any of his business. “The weather isn’t warm enough to…er…need something so…cool.”
“It’s summer.”
She shrugged her shoulders and he gulped. The tube top seemed glued in place, but that wasn’t reassuring. And he wasn’t the only one staring at Callie’s bustline. Donovan was looking, as well. Mike ground his teeth—business partner or not, Donovan had better watch it. Callie and his sister had been friends all through childhood and he felt the same protective instincts for Callie that Elaine would have aroused in him.
Mike peeled off his outer flannel shirt and handed it to Callie. “Here. You’ll be eaten by mosquitoes.”
She slung the shirt over her arm. “Thanks, but I never get bitten,” she said cheerfully.
His brown eyes narrowed in warning. “Callie, we have over twenty-five varieties of mosquitoes up here. Put the damn thing on.”
“Why, Mike,” she said, hurt tingeing her voice. “That isn’t polite. You haven’t even said hello.”
“Hello. What are you doing here?”
Callie glanced at Donovan and shrugged again. “Mike and I grew up together—he’s just like a brother. They’re never glad to see you, either.”
Donovan’s face gleamed with amusement. “Don’t pay him any attention. I’m delighted, and so is everyone else in the company. Mike doesn’t count.”
She grinned and a dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth. “You’re sweet.”
“Sure,” Mike muttered. Sweet wasn’t an appellation he would have attached to his partner, especially when it came to any female under ninety. As for Callie…He looked at her again, unable to believe his eyes. It wasn’t just her clothing, it was the way she acted—confident and sexy and pretty damned sure of herself.
And she still wasn’t wearing his shirt.
The last time he’d seen Callie Webster was over a year ago, on one of his rare trips home to Washington. Following their holiday tradition, the entire family had gone to the midnight candlelighting service on Christmas Eve. Callie had been playing the organ in a voluminous choir robe, with her long hair pulled into its customary braid.
The picture-perfect preacher’s daughter.
After the service he’d said “hello,” returned her quick hug, then promptly forgotten about her. After all, she was his sister’s friend, and they’d both been a terrible nuisance when he was growing up. The fact that he’d gotten a lot closer to Elaine since reaching adulthood didn’t change things.
“Callie,” Mike said insistently—he needed to get some control back into the situation. “Where is Elaine?”
“Oh…” She waved her hand. “I realize she offered to be your office manager for the summer, but she’s awfully busy. It isn’t easy for her to just pick up and leave like that, you know.”
“I know, but—”
“And since I didn’t have any special plans for the summer, she asked me to take her place,” Callie said, blithely disregarding the interruption.
“I see.” A hint of Mike’s reaction must have shown on his face, because she bristled.
“I’m perfectly capable of managing an office,” she snapped.
“I’m sure you are,” he said diplomatically. “But church work isn’t the same as handling clients and taking cargo orders—or coordinating flight schedules and following up on billings, for that matter.”
“I’ll consider it a challenge.” She tossed her head, sending her hair flying. Fiery strands covered her bare shoulders with a lacy pattern of light, and worse…it clung to her breasts, caught by static electricity to the red cotton knit. He groaned, hardly able to believe he was fixated—however briefly—on Callie Webster’s body.
She was an innocent. A sweet kid who took care of her saintly father and taught Sunday school. She wouldn’t be able to deal with their tough customers, or anything else in the air-transit business. Moreover, Alaska wasn’t an easy place to live, even in summer. He’d have to spend most of his time taking care of her.
Mike thought hard, trying to recall what Elaine had told him about Callie’s sheltered life in Crockett. “But what will your father do? I know how much he depends on your help. He probably can’t manage without you…or neither can the church, for that matter.”
She didn’t look concerned. “Pop is fine. And the church finally got enough money to renovate. With all the plaster dust and construction right now, they won’t even miss me.”
Besides, I don’t plan on going back, Callie added silently. And blinked.
She couldn’t tell Mike that she planned to stay in Alaska, could she? He’d run the opposite direction if he knew she wanted to get married. Of course, it wasn’t very honest not telling him the truth.
I don’t care, Callie told her conscience crossly.
If she couldn’t vamp Mike, then she’d find someone else. She was tired of being the quiet, dutiful preacher’s kid who behaved the way everyone expected. This was a new-and-improved Callie Webster. A woman of mystery. Bold. Provocative. Daring. A woman who knew what she wanted, and went out to get it.
Everybody knew Alaska was full of single men. It was an ideal place to change her image.
Right.
Mike wouldn’t know what had hit him.
“I think Callie will be wonderful,” Donovan said, warm approval in his tone and eyes.
“You would,” Mike grumbled.
“Thanks,” Callie said to Donovan, ignoring the other man as though he were an irritating gnat. “We’re going to get along great. I’m glad you picked me up in Anchorage—Mike probably would have left me at the airport.”
“I aim to please, ma’am.”
“Look, Callie, this won’t work,” Mike interrupted. “There’s no place to stay in Kachelak. The motels are too expensive and there aren’t any rentals.”
Callie plastered an innocent look on her face. “But I thought Elaine was going to stay with you.”
“Yeah. Well…that was the original plan. But you’re not Elaine.”
You’d better believe it, buster. She didn’t intend to be treated like a bothersome kid sister. Not anymore. “I don’t understand, I wouldn’t be any trouble.”
“That isn’t the poin—”
