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Tick Tock Goes The Baby Clock
Julianna Morris
After thirty-two chaste, lonely years, Annie James longed for a man in her bed and a baby in her arms. And now that her biological clock was ticking loudly, she was hoping her pal Max Hunter could help her land a husband.But from their first "practice" good-night kiss, Annie found herself falling maddeningly in love with Max–the most marriage-res/sfanf man in town!Marriage was out of the question for Max Hunter. Now he just had to convince sweet, lovable Annie that she'd make some lucky man a perfect bride just as she was. And if he could just let her out of his arms long enough, he might remember why that man couldn't be him!
“I just wondered…what should I do about good-night kisses?”
“What?” Max replied with a scowl.
“A good-night kiss,” Annie repeated. “How soon is it all right to kiss your date?”
“Don’t think so much about it,” Max advised brusquely. “A first kiss isn’t such a big deal anymore…. Let it be spontaneous.”
“Oh. Like this, you mean?” An impish smile curved Annie’s mouth. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
As kisses went, it was one of the most innocent he’d ever received, but it hiked up Max’s temperature more than he’d thought possible. Suddenly he didn’t want Annie trying any of those innocent kisses on any man but him!
Dear Reader,
I hope the long hot summer puts you in the mood for romance—Silhouette Romance, that is! Because we’ve got a month chock-full of exciting stories. And be sure to check out just how Silhouette can make you a star!
Elizabeth Harbison returns with her CINDERELLA BRIDES miniseries. In His Secret Heir, an English earl discovers the American student he’d once known had left with more than his heart.…And Teresa Southwick’s Crazy for Lovin’You begins a new series set in DESTINY, TEXAS. Filled with emotion, romance and a touch of intrigue, these stories are sure to captivate you!
Cara Colter’s THE WEDDING LEGACY begins with Husband by Inheritance. An heiress gains a new home—complete with the perfect husband. Only, he doesn’t know it yet! And Patricia Thayer’s THE TEXAS BROTHERHOOD comes to a triumphant conclusion when Travis Comes Home.
Lively, high-spirited Julianna Morris shows a woman’s determination to become a mother with Tick Tock Goes the Baby Clock and Roxann Delaney gives us A Saddle Made for Two.
We’ve also got a special treat in store for you! Next month, look for Marie Ferrarella’s The Inheritance, a spin-off from the MAITLAND MATERNITY series. This title is specially packaged with the introduction to the new Mills & Boon continuity series, TRUEBLOOD, TEXAS. But The Inheritance then leads back into Silhouette Romance, so be sure to catch the opening act.
Happy Reading!
Mary-Theresa Hussey
Senior Editor
Tick Tock Goes the Baby Clock
Julianna Morris
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Carol R., Joan, Debbie R. and Brenda—friends like you make each day better.
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
Meeting Megan Again #1502
Tick Tock Goes the Baby Clock #1531
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.
Julianna loves cats of all shapes and sizes, and last year she was adopted by a feline companion named Merlin. Like his namesake, Merlin is an alchemist—she says he can transform the house into a disaster area in no time flat. And since he shares the premises with a writer, it’s interesting to note that he’s particularly fond of knocking books onto the floor.
Julianna happily reports meeting Mr. Right. Together they are working on a new dream of building a shoreline home in the Great Lakes area.
Contents
Chapter One (#uf97ada3c-82cc-524f-8848-ca2f1f621eb1)
Chapter Two (#u89a45efe-34a7-5ef3-b912-f3ffdcd8f56a)
Chapter Three (#ud071d7da-3198-541c-88bc-4e2076423704)
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
A car pulled into the parking area of the store, and Annie James’s eyes widened as she recognized the driver.
“Max Hunter,” she breathed.
A quiver of awareness went through her body, no matter how hard she tried to stop it. Okay, so it was Max. She still lived next door to his grandmother, so there was nothing remarkable about seeing him, especially now that he’d moved back to California.
“Nothing,” she assured herself. He might be the most attractive man she’d ever known and sent tingles down her spine with his smile, but they were just friends.
Max helped an elegantly clad woman from his BMW, and Annie bit her lip. It was a good thing she’d accepted that Max was Max and that he preferred sophisticated city women, not small-town girls more comfortable in T-shirts than silk blouses. She just wasn’t his type. Problem was, she didn’t seem to be any man’s type.
“Stop that, Barnard.” Annie absently pulled a ledger book away from the large brown rabbit chewing on the corner.
His velvety nose twitched, and he hopped until he could sink his teeth into the paper again.
“Silly thing.”
Annie stroked his soft fur and sighed. The usual Saturday bustle of a farm-supply store revolved around her, and here she was, talking to a rabbit.
She had to get a life.
Preferably a life that included a gold ring, a baby on the way and a honest-to-goodness man in her bed every night. There was just one tiny drawback to that idea—she didn’t have the slightest idea how to carry it out.
It wasn’t a new thought. Having grown up with a widowed father and being firmly planted in all the local boys’ minds as a “nice” girl, she didn’t have much experience with the opposite sex. If she wanted to break out of that mold and get herself a husband, she needed an advisor—someone to get her through the rough spots.
Sort of a romantic guidance counselor.
She looked out the window again, an idea creeping into her mind. Actually, Max was perfect for the job. If anyone could advise her about men and what appealed to them it was Max Hunter. And since he lived in the city, he’d know about the hot spots where single people shopped, and stuff.
Somewhere in the back of Annie’s mind she knew there was a risk to the idea, but she needed to make a change, and Max seemed heaven-sent.
“Problem, boss? You’re kinda distracted.”
Annie looked up at her teenage warehouseman and gave her head a determined shake. “Nope. Did you get Mr. Zankowski taken care of, Darnell?”
“Yup. If he was any happier he might even crack a smile.”
Mr. Zankowski was a notoriously dour safflower farmer. Rumor had it he’d smiled once when Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president, but Annie wasn’t sure she believed the story.
“Great wheels.” Darnell was staring out at the parking lot. “Man, I’ll never have wheels like that on minimum wage.”
“You’re a teenager. You aren’t supposed to have wheels like that.” She pulled the ledger away from the rabbit a second time and tossed it in a drawer.
“You’ve been talking to Mom. Do you know she makes me save half my paycheck for college? The half before taxes?”
“It’s because she loves you.” Even as Annie said the words, a pang went through her. If she didn’t do something soon, she might never have her own son or daughter. It was all good and fine to be an honorary aunt to most of the kids in town, but it wasn’t the same.
Darnell headed back toward the warehouse with a last, longing glance through the window. The bell over the door tinkled, and Annie looked up.
“How charming,” a woman drawled. “It’s so rustic.” Her tone wasn’t complimentary.
“You could have stayed in the car,” Max said.
Annie’s spirits lifted. Max really was perfect. He was perfect even when everyone else in high school was struggling with bad hair and worse skin. He had dark-toned skin and jet-black hair—courtesy of his Native American grandfather—a sexy smile and the brooding expression of a loner…unless you looked closely and saw the twinkle in his dark eyes. On top of everything else, he was six foot two, with the physique of an athlete.
In other words, be-still-my-heart gorgeous.
Her heart might still flutter over Max, but it was safer and smarter to ignore those feelings. And, when all was said and done, they’d remained pals while the rest of his girlfriends had gone the way of the Dodo bird. She didn’t want someone that handsome, anyway. Men like Max were too complicated, too interested in a fast-paced glitzy life. Give her someone like the new schoolteacher in town and she’d be happy.
“Hey, Annie.”
She stood and leaned against the timeworn front counter. “Hey, Max. What are you doing here?”
“Er, looking at some property with a client. Miss Blakely has decided to build a summer home out on the delta and wants me to design it.” He rolled his eyes and gave her a private wink. “Then she got thirsty and I remembered you had a soda machine here at the store.”
“Darling, I told you…please call me Buffy.” The woman slid her arm into Max’s with a proprietary look on her face, and a pained expression replaced his smile.
Annie choked.
Buffy Blakely?
Well, she supposed it took all kinds.
“The machine is in the back,” Annie said. “Do you need some quarters?” She punched a button on the ancient cash register and the door shot open. With the ease of long practice she let it bounce against her tummy, preventing it from flying across the room.
“You don’t have that fixed yet?” Max looked surprised, and she remembered earlier days when she hadn’t caught the drawer in time and they’d spent the next half hour chasing quarters and nickels. Once she’d bumped into him under the desk, and she could have sworn he was about to kiss her, but it turned out she was mistaken.
“No.” Annie wrinkled her nose at the faint disapproval in his eyes. “They say it’s unfixable.” She patted the ornate brass and polished wood of the cash register. She didn’t care about the quirky drawer, she liked the old thing. It had character. Why did everyone want to get rid of lovely old things and replace them with new things that didn’t have any history?
“Max. Must this take so long? It’s so dusty in here,” Buffy said, obviously miffed at being ignored.
“Why don’t you wait in the car?” he suggested, removing his arm from her grasp and handing her the key ring. “I haven’t seen Annie for over a month. I’d like to catch up on local news.”
Buffy pocketed the keys with a tight smile. “Thanks, but I’ll wait.”
“Swell.” Max turned back to Annie. “Grandmother mentioned how terrific you’ve been helping out while she had the flu, and all. I didn’t know she was sick.”
“Oh…” Annie said, flustered. “You’ve been so busy since you moved back from Boston, she didn’t want to bother you. And I was happy to help, you know that.”
That’s Annie, Max thought fondly. A doer. The kind of woman who rolled up her sleeves and wasn’t afraid of getting her hands dirty. She was just as kind-hearted as the day he’d moved in with his grandmother. Two years younger than him, but she’d always seemed even younger with her sweet face and earnest eyes.
If the rest of Mitchellton was like Annie, then it wouldn’t be so bad. But it was just a forgotten little town on the Sacramento River delta—thirty years behind the rest of the world, moving at its own relentlessly slow pace. Mitchellton never changed; it was less than twenty-five miles from the state capital of Sacramento, but it might as well be a thousand for all it cared.
“Grace says your new architectural firm is doing great,” Annie murmured. “She’s so proud. She said you’ve also won several awards.”
“I’m doing all right.” Max frowned. “I’ve been trying to convince Grandmother to move into Sacramento, but she keeps refusing.”
“She likes Mitchellton.”
“But I’d get her a condo with all the latest amenities. And she’d be so much closer to the best doctors and a first-rate hospital.”
