The Notorious Groom

The Notorious Groom
Caroline Cross

HER HARD-BODIED TEMPORARY HUSBAND Almost thirty-four, still a virgin and with no marriage prospects in sight, town librarian Norah Brown was headed for the Old Maid Hall of Fame. Then Elijah Wilder, the baddest boy ever to roam the streets of Kisscount, shockingly agreed to marry her so she could keep her family estate. But he didn't know that Norah had secretly loved him for years… .Eli was the only man who sensed the temptress lurking beneath the bookworm. It was there in the way he looked at her - as if he could taste her, feel her, see right through her, into her soul. Just as Norah knew that within her hard-bodied, hard-hearted temporary husband lurked a man who lived for her loving… .

Norah Couldn’t Sleep. (#u9e0e9470-9db3-5690-b6df-00363a8c4273)Letter to Reader (#u8918fe74-00cf-5890-8e9e-a29fbb7cdc31)Title Page (#u0e70e82d-5b19-5322-a0e1-c5ac037320ee)About the Author (#uf8843001-ceb6-5b16-abc5-003b504cb434)Dedication (#u0ca68af4-e971-566a-ba5e-e5267889b61e)Chapter One (#ufc73b398-d2b0-570b-bd68-06b0051e2f6c)Chapter Two (#u10aeff35-adb2-5257-9f8e-36c3648d6560)Chapter Three (#u0975ac47-340a-54c9-aa9b-14ea7bb43315)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)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Norah Couldn’t Sleep.

If she were honest with herself—something she always strove to be—she knew the real cause of her sleeplessness could be summed up in two words. Elijah Wilder.

She’d made a mistake. More accurately, she’d made several.

First, she hadn’t thought enough past the immediate goal of getting married. When she had considered it, she’d envisioned a civilized, adult arrangement.

She had not foreseen knee-weakening, strength-sapping kisses.

Or disturbing visits to her bedroom.

Or veiled suggestions of more to come.

Most of all, she’d never imagined her own improper reaction.

But then, who would have thought that kissing Eli would be the most frightening, marvelous, exciting thing she’d ever done? That she would enjoy every sensation and every second? That she would be sorry when it ended?

Certainly not her. And even if she had, it did not mean she wanted more.

Did it?

Dear Reader,

MEN! This month Silhouette Desire goes man-crazy with six of the sexiest, heart-stopping hunks ever to come alive on the pages of a romance novel.

Meet May’s MAN OF THE MONTH, love-wary secret agent Daniel Lawless, in The Passionate G-Man, the first book in Dixie Browning’s fabulous new miniseries, THE LAWLESS HEIRS Metsy Hingle’s gallant hero protects an independent lady in danger in the last book of the RIGHT BRIDE, WRONG GROOM series, The Bodyguard and the Bridesmaid Little bitty Joeville, Montana, has more tall, dark and rugged ranchers than any other town west of the Mississippi. And Josh Malone has more sex appeal than all of ’em put together in Last of the Joeville Lovers, the third book in Anne Eames’s MONTANA MALONES series.

In The Notorious Groom, Caroline Cross pairs the baddest boy ever to roam the streets of Kisscount with the town virgin in a steamy marriage of convenience. The hero of Barbara McCauley’s Seduction of the Reluctant Bride is one purebred Texas cowboy fixin’ to do some wife-wranglin’—this new groom isn’t about to miss a sultry second of his very own wedding night, Yeehaw! Next, when a suddenly wealthy beauty meets the owner of the ranch next door, he’s wearing nothing but a Stetson and a smile in Carol Grace’s The Heiress Inherits a Cowboy.

Silhouette Desire brings you the kind of irresistible men who make your knees buckle, your stomach flutter, your heart melt...and your fingers turn the page. So enjoy our lineup of spectacular May men!

Regards,

Senior Editor

Silhouette Books

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Ene, Ont. L2A 5X3

The Notorious Groom

Caroline Cross

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

CAROLINE CROSS

always loved to read, but it wasn’t until she discovered the romance genre that she felt compelled to write, fascinated by the chance to explore the positive power of love in people’s lives. Nominated for a number of awards, including the prestigious RITA, she’s been thrilled to win the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Desire, as well as a W.I.S.H. Award. She grew up in central Washington State, attended the University of Puget Sound and now lives outside Seattle, where she tries to work at home despite the chaos created by two telephone-addicted teenage daughters and a husband with a fondness for home improvement projects. Caroline would love to hear from her readers. She can be reached at P.O. Box 5845, Bellevue, Washington 98006.

To Melinda McRae, for her support and understanding,

and

To Susan Andersen, brainstorming partner

extraordinaire, whose insight and sense of

humor keep me on track.

Sometimes a writer is only as good as her friends.

Thanks for getting me through this book.

One

“Well, I’ll be damned. If it isn’t Bunny-Boo Brown.”

Norah Jane froze on the heat-seared concrete stoop of the Cabin Court Motel’s bungalow number eight and stared, wide-eyed, at Elijah Wilder.

After three days of agonizing about this encounter, she’d thought she was prepared for anything.

She’d fully expected their first face-to-face meeting m sixteen years to be stilted and awkward. She’d resigned herself to the idea that she would be nervous and tongue-tied. She’d been braced for him to use that awful mck-name and she’d even conceded, since she’d seen him around town upon occasion, that he was more heart-stoppingly handsome than he’d been in high school.

But never had it occurred to her that he might come to the door without all his clothes on.

How foolish of her. After all, hadn’t he been the bane of her adolescence and the baddest boy to ever roam the streets of Kisscount, Oregon? So wasn’t it right in character that he was now lounging in the doorway as tall, golden and self-possessed as ever, clad in nothing more than a scanty pair of cutoffs and a mildly inquisitive expression?

Yes, yes and yes.

She took a long, shuddering breath and told herself she was not going to hyperventilate. Careful to keep her eyes fixed on his face, she rubbed her damp palms against the full skirt of her high-necked cotton dress and tried to ignore the way her heart was pounding. “E-E-Elijah. I hope I d-didn’t wake you.” Oh, dear. She was stammering. She hadn’t done that since he’d caught her alone in the hallway after high school graduation and pretended he wanted to kiss her.

“As a matter of fact...” He leaned one broad bare shoulder against the doorjamb as if standing required more energy than he could muster and yawned.

Her gaze took advantage of his momentary preoccupation to slide downward. In a sort of slow motion haze, she registered the solid expanse of his bronzed chest and hard, flat abdomen. A silky arrow of gilded hair started above his navel and led down past a distinct tan line to disappear beneath the unbuttoned waistband of his abbreviated jeans.

She swayed, feeling dizzy.