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Jodi's Mail-order Man
Julianna Morris
MAIL-ORDER MIX-UPFrom the moment she stepped off the plane and into Donovan Masters's arms, Jodie Richards knew this man whose touch set her soul on fire was the perfect husband for her. But she quickly discovered Donovan wasn't the man she'd come to wed in a mail-order marriage–but her out-of-town fiance's brother!Donovan should have resisted Jodie's welcoming embrace, but he was only a man. Swept into a dream he found strangely compelling, this confirmed bachelor found himself torn between his duty to his irresponsible brother–and his heart's desire!
“About that kiss…”
Jodie began. “I thought you were your brother, so I thought a kiss would be an icebreaker.”
“You don’t want me to tell my brother, is that it?” Donovan asked.
“That isn’t ‘it’ at all. I just didn’t want you thinking I went around kissing strange men like that.”
“I may be frustrated some of the time, but I’m not strange.”
Irritation tensed her jaw. “You know perfectly well what I meant.”
His golden-brown eyes laughed at her. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Would you stop…it’s not a secret.”
“You worry too much. It’s no big deal.”
It’s no big deal. Jodie drew a deep, calming breath into her lungs. It had seemed simple, coming to Alaska. She could give her children a father, build a new life in the place she’d loved as a child.
Simple.
Until she’d mistakenly kissed her fiancé’s brother.…
Dear Reader,
Looking for sensational summer reads? All year we’ve been celebrating Silhouette’s 20th Anniversary with special titles, and this month’s selections are just the warm, romantic tales you’ve been seeking!
Bestselling author Stella Bagwell continues the newest Romance promotion, AN OLDER MAN. Falling for Grace hadn’t been his intention, particularly when his younger, pregnant neighbor was carrying his nephew’s baby! Judy Christenberry’s THE CIRCLE K SISTERS miniseries comes back to Romance this month, when sister Melissa enlists the temporary services of The Borrowed Groom. Moyra Tarling’s Denim & Diamond pairs a rough-hewn single dad with the expectant woman he’d once desired beyond reason…but let get away.
Valerie Parv unveils her romantic royalty series THE CARRAMER CROWN. When a woman literally washes ashore at the feet of the prince, she becomes companion to The Monarch’s Son…but will she ever become the monarch’s wife? Julianna Morris’s BRIDAL FEVER! persists when Jodie’s Mail-Order Man discovers her heart’s desire: the brother of her mail-order groom! And Martha Shields’s Lassoed! is the perfect Opposites Attract story this summer. The sparks between a rough-and-tumble rodeo champ and the refined beauty sent to photograph him jump off every page!
In future months, look for STORKVILLE, USA, our newest continuity series. And don’t miss the charming miniseries THE CHANDLERS REQUEST…from New York Times bestselling author Kasey Michaels.
Happy reading!
Mary-Theresa Hussey
Senior Editor
Jodie’s Mail-Order Man
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
* (#litres_trial_promo)Hannah Gets a Husband #1448
* (#litres_trial_promo)Jodie’s Mail-Order Man #1460
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 (#u417bd740-e849-560d-a53e-ed59d8e54380)
Chapter Two (#u5801b21e-65a8-5a7c-be5a-21de86944565)
Chapter Three (#uc92ecb18-5da1-5c9e-a547-5c3a1efd7c8a)
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)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
“You aren’t going to marry him, not really…Are you, Mom?”
Jodie pulled two suitcases down from the luggage rack, then looked at her eight-year-old son. “This is just a getting-acquainted trip, Tadd. I told you that.”
“Puleeze, the guy’s an accountant.” He slouched deeper in his airplane seat. Tadd said accountant the way some people said ax murderer, and Jodie sighed.
“You were the one who said I should get married again,” she reminded him. “I’m sure you’ll like Mr. Masters if you give him a chance. He’s a friend of your uncle David. They met when David was stationed here in Alaska.”
“I wanted you to marry someone like Dad,” Tadd mumbled, his face rebellious. “Not an accountant.”
Jodie’s heart twinged. She did not want to marry someone like her first husband. Air force pilot Mark Richards had been the most exciting, wonderful thing in her life—until he died in a routine training mission because he was going too fast and taking too many chances.
No, give her someone quiet and settled like a tax accountant. Forget romance; this time she wanted a sensible marriage based on common interests and goals. She didn’t need the heartache.
Jodie unbuckled her daughter’s seat belt. Penny looked up, a sunny smile on her little face. “New daddy, Mama?”
The tight ache in Jodie’s chest eased. Penny embraced life with a joyful exuberance. She didn’t worry or fuss or think about what might have been. And unlike her brother, she was thrilled about the prospect of getting a new father.
“Maybe, sweetheart.”
“Bye, Penny,” said an elderly couple as they edged past them in the airplane aisle. They weren’t the first to say goodbye—half their fellow passengers had stopped to say something before disembarking.
Jodie looked at her daughter and shook her head, laughing. Penny collected new friends the way some people collected baseball cards.
“Come on, munchkin. Let’s get out of here. Go with your brother.”
Tadd took his sister’s hand, leading the two-year-old down the aisle and out of the plane. As they stepped into the terminal, Jodie looked around, searching for the man whose picture she’d studied a hundred times.
There he is.
At least she thought it was him. The man standing a few yards away seemed different—more defined than his photograph, more mature and sensual than she’d imagined he would be. Her heart beat faster.
Just nerves, she rationalized. She’d never been a mail-order bride before. Even now she could hardly believe she was doing anything so unconventional. Anyway, she should feel attracted to her future husband, even if she wasn’t in love with him. There was nothing wrong with warmth and a pleasant tingle, as long as they were mixed with mutual respect.
Right?
Gritting her teeth, Jodie put a brake on her thoughts. She was mentally babbling, something that happened when she got nervous.
The man straightened and locked gazes with her for a long minute. He seemed to be waiting for something and Jodie wondered if he was feeling the same quick rush of awareness.
“That’s him,” Tadd muttered. “The accountant.”
Penny dropped her brother’s hand. “Daddy,” she shrieked happily. She ran full tilt at the stranger and threw her arms around his leg.
A startled expression crossed his face. “Well…hello, there.” He disengaged Penny’s grip on his thigh and lifted her in his arms. She patted his cheek and gave him a noisy kiss.
Jodie smiled. Maybe her daughter had the right idea. Rather than standing around waiting for an awkward introduction, she should just give him a kiss and see what happened.
Putting the suitcases on the ground, Jodie stepped closer. A long time ago she’d been just as impulsive as Penny, just as enthusiastic about life. She drew on those memories now, to give her courage.
“Hi,” she murmured. Warm, golden brown eyes looked at her, equal amounts of surprise and question in their depths. “I’m glad to finally meet you.”
Before she could think better of it, Jodie slid her hand behind the back of his head and tugged. After a split second of hesitation, his firm lips moved over hers. There was a faint flavor of mint and coffee in the kiss and she instinctively drew a breath.
It was good, almost too good. The shiver that went to her tummy had nothing to do with fear. She’d dated a few times in the past year, but none of those men had made her feel a tenth this much response. Maybe it was a good omen.
Or maybe she should be scared out of her socks.
A second later he lifted his head and stared into her face. “I—uh.” He cleared his throat. “I’m afraid I’m not who you think.”
She’d kissed a perfect stranger?
Heat burned Jodie’s cheeks and she stepped back quickly. “I’m terribly sorry. You look just like…that is, I was expecting…Never mind. Come here, munchkin,” she said, holding her arms out to Penny. Unfortunately her daughter was clinging to the man’s neck like a limpet.
“Don’t apologize. I always enjoy kissing a beautiful woman, and I got lucky today with two of them,” he murmured, turning his head to give Penny a light kiss on her cheek.
“Oh.” The compliment flustered Jodie. “That’s nice, but we’re supposed to be meeting someone. Let go of him, Penny.”
“Daddy,” Penny insisted.
“No, this isn’t Daddy…er, Cole. Remember, we—we’re just here to visit,” she stuttered, non-plussed with both embarrassment and confusion. This whole thing had to sound insane to a stranger, and she wasn’t too sure it didn’t sound insane to her as well.
“No, my daddy.” Ninety-nine percent of the time Penny was sweetly good-natured, but in the remaining one percent she was pure stubbornness.
“It’s complicated,” she said to the man, feeling she should explain why her daughter thought a stranger was her daddy.
“It usually is.” Donovan looked at his brother’s bride-to-be and swore silently. How could Cole put him in a position like this? Okay, so Cole had gotten a last-minute chance to join a climb on Mount McKinley. Surely the arrival of his prospective wife was a little more important.
As for the youngsters? As usual, Cole had left out a few details—like the fact Jodie Richards would be arriving with a couple of kids.
Donovan surveyed Jodie again, fighting an edgy, masculine awareness. She was slim and not too tall, with the lithe, supple grace of a cat. A green silk blouse and skirt outlined her feminine curves to perfection. For all her cool elegance, he could sense the fire burning beneath her polished surface—a fire he shouldn’t have any interest in exploring. If only she hadn’t kissed him. Then he wouldn’t feel so…uncomfortable.
Shocked at the direction of his thoughts, Donovan cleared his throat. “Actually, I’m Cole’s brother, Donovan Masters,” he explained belatedly. “Pleased to meet you.”
Her eyes blinked. “I thought Cole would be here.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a long story. I’ll explain on the way.”
“On the way? Where are we going?”
Doubt had replaced the embarrassed flush in her face, and Donovan sighed. Cole owed him big-time for this favor. Of course, only Cole would write to a woman he’d never met, then propose marriage after a few letters.
“Uh…let’s get a cup of coffee,” Donovan murmured. “I’ll explain everything.” He glanced at the child in his arms and the solemn boy at Jodie’s elbow. “You guys feel like a milk shake?”
The little girl nodded emphatically. She was a mirror image of her mother, from the cat-green eyes to the gold silk of her hair.
“Obviously you’ve already met Penny,” Jodie said quickly. She urged the dark-haired boy forward. “And this is my son, Tadd.”
