Кристин Морган – Shotgun Groom (страница 1)
“It’s not every day that you tell me you want to get married and get pregnant. Letter to Reader Title Page About the Author Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Copyright
“It’s not every day that you tell me you want to get married and get pregnant.
Give me a moment for it all to sink in,” Jack said, hugging her tight.
Beth nestled her body against his, savoring the warmth of being as close to him as possible. He was her security blanket. Her shoulder to cry on. He knew her as no one else did. Finally, in spite of her desire to stay snuggled against him, she stepped back and gazed directly into his eyes. “Jack, I’m going to need your help with this one. I can’t do it alone.”
“Hey, you know you can always count on me. I’m your best friend, remember? Don’t we always help each other?”
She nodded.
“Then what can I do to help you?” he asked.
Beth licked her lips. “Well, Jack...it’s really quite simple. I need you to marry me and get me pregnant....”
Dear Reader,
This month, Romance is chock-full of excitement. First, VIRGIN BRIDES continues with The Bride’s Second Thought, an emotionally compelling story by bestselling author Elizabeth August. When a virginal bride-to-be finds her fiance with another woman, she flees to the mountains for refuge...only to be stranded with a gorgeous stranger who gives her second thoughts about a lot of things....
Next, Natalie Patrick offers up a delightful BUNDLES OF JOY with Boot Scootin’Secret Baby. Bull rider Jacob “Cub” Goodacre returns to South Dakota for his rodeo hurrah, only to learn he’s still a married man...and father to a two-year-old heart tugger. BACHELOR GULCH, Sandra Steffen’s wonderful Western series, resumes with the story of an estranged couple who had wed for the sake of their child...but wonder if they can rekindle their love in Nick’s Long-Awaited Honeymoon.
Rising star Kristin Morgan delivers a tender, sexy tale about a woman whose biological clock is booming and the best friend who consents to being her Shotgun Groom. If you want a humorous—red-hot!—read, try Vivian Leiber’s The 6’2”, 200 lb. Challenge. The battle of the sexes doesn’t get any better! Finally, Lisa Kaye Laurel’s fairy-tale series, ROYAL WEDDINGS, draws to a close with The Irresistible Prince, where the woman hired to find the royal a wife realizes she is the perfect candidate!
In May, VIRGIN BRIDES resumes with Annette Broadrick, and future months feature titles by Suzanne Carey and Judy Christenbeny, among others. So keep coming back to Romance, where you’re sure to find the classic tales you love, told in fresh, exciting ways.
Enjoy!
Joan Marlow Golan
Senior Editor, Silhouette Romance
Please address questions and book requests to:
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Shotgun Groom
Kristin Morgan
KRISTTN MORGAN lives in Lafayette, Louisiana, the best heart of Acadiana, where the French language of her ancestors is still spoken fluently by her parents and grandparents. Happily married to her high school sweetheart, she has three children. She and her husband have traveled all over the South, as well as other areas of the United States and Mexico, and they both count themselves lucky that their favorite city, New Orleans, is only two hours away from Lafayette.
In addition to her writing, she enjoys cooking and preparing authentic Cajun food for her family with recipes passed on to her through generations. Her hobbies include reading—of course!—flower gardening and fishing. She loves walking in the rain, newborn babies, all kinds of music, chocolate desserts and love stories with happy endings. A true romantic at heart, she believes all things are possible with love.
Chapter One
Thirty-four-year-old Bethemy Trahan needed a sperm donor.
But not just any old sperm donor. Uh-uh. No way. Not for her baby.
It had to be someone she knew and cared for. Someone who would be willing to marry her temporarily and get the job done in the good, old-fashioned way that couples had used since the beginning of time. She was, after all, a traditional-minded woman. She couldn’t just make use of a sperm bank and then have an illegitimate baby, no matter how much she wanted a child of her own. It went against everything she had ever planned for herself. She had to get married first, then get pregnant.
But since Mr. Right had put a major damper on her plans by failing to show up in her life, Beth had recently decided that it was time she took matters into her own hands. A daunting fact she could no longer ignore was that her mother had gone through menopause at the young age of thirty-seven. There was always the chance that Beth would, too. Time, she knew, was very possibly running out for her. No more could she rely solely on Fate to get the job done.
But then, she really didn’t have to. She was lucky. She wasn’t going to have to depend on the laboratorylike coldness of a sperm bank. She had an alternative. She had Jack Kincaid. He was her oldest and dearest friend in the whole wide world. Without question, he was the perfect specimen for what she had in mind. He had a great set of genes. He was intelligent, handsome, funny—the very best friend a girl could ask for. The fact that he was her best friend and was sometimes—well, more often than not—easy to convince to her way of thinking was only extra pudding in the pie. A bit of lapniappe. In fact, Beth had no earthly idea why she hadn’t thought of marrying him a long time ago for the sole purpose of getting pregnant.
Of course, as of yet, Jack was oblivious to all of this. He had no idea of the plan she’d recently come up with. In fact, his job as a sales representative for a Louisiana based food export company had taken him abroad to Europe for the past two weeks. But he was back home now, and he was coming over for dinner at her house later that evening. She planned to tell him then. Undoubtedly he was going to be surprised at her news. Somewhat shocked, even. Actually Beth was still a bit dazzled herself over the plan she’d concocted. Naturally she was anxious to get the moment behind her.
Well...on second thought, she was more than just anxious. She was scared silly of what she had in mind—or, at least, a part of her was. The last thing she wanted under any circumstance was to jeopardize the long-standing relationship she already had with Jack. His friendship was too important to her. Too necessary. And too much of the time she needed him to be there for her. He had been her best pal since first grade. Since the day she tore the pretty new dress she had just gotten for her birthday while playing hopscotch at recess and he’d given her a piece of his candy bar to stop her from crying. On that day, a unique bond had formed between them and just the thought of losing even a small portion of what they shared caused Beth unbearable distress.
Then again, there was no reason why her recent idea should jeopardize her and Jack’s present relationship. Not if she had planned it accurately.
And, of course, she had. She always planned accurately. According to Jack, sometimes to a fault.
In fact, it was her ability to work out the details of an idea that made this new plan of hers so stunningly brilliant. Jack’s involvement was going to be so minimal, there wouldn’t be enough time to jeopardize anything—certainly, not enough time for them to, let’s say, accidentally fall in love with each other and ruin everything. She knew the result of letting something like that happen between friends. Her own parents were a good example. Married once, but now divorced, their behavior these days suggested that they hated each other, and Beth wasn’t so sure that wasn’t the case. Thanks, but no thanks. That wasn’t the unhappy ending she wanted for herself and Jack. His friendship meant too much to her.
Short and quick. In and out. No time—or plans, for that matter—for falling in love. That was the name of her game. Besides, how long could it take for a virile guy like Jack to get her pregnant? Two months tops, right?
Maybe less.
The thought of it made her stomach quiver.
And as soon as she found out that she was pregnant, they would get a divorce and their lives would return to normal. Jack could go back to his single, carefree life-style, and she would have her baby. It was a perfect plan. Absolutely perfect.
At least, she thought so.
Karen was a different matter.
A close friend who had just dropped in for a brief visit, Karen now gazed at her from across the kitchen as if she had just grown two heads. “Are you crazy, Beth? Jack is never going to go for an idea like that. Not in a million years. Not even for you.”
“I know it sounds a bit wild,” Beth said hesitantly, wondering if all her friends—including Jack—were going to feel the same way about her idea. Her heart began pounding in her throat. Jack was her last hope. He was the only man she felt she could ask to father her child. If he said no...