Wade was jealous!
The thought sent a tingly thrill up Annes spine. She opened her mouth to deny he had any right to be jealous. But no words would form while he was so close.
Why do you wear those clothes? he asked.
Whats wrong with my clothes? I shop at good stores.
Theyre baggy. I think you dress to keep men away. He placed one hand against the wall on either side of her, not quite touching her. And I think you wear your hair slicked back for the same reason. He grabbed the end of her braid and removed the elastic band. Immediately the braid started to unravel.
Then its not working very well, is it? Her voice sounded thready, pleading. She did not want to face thisthis need she had, so unseemly, so not her.
Tell me you dont want to get back what we had.
She couldnt.
Didnt think so. With that, Wade claimed the kiss hed been inching toward.
Dear Reader,
Its hot outside. So why not slip into something more comfortable, like a delicious Harlequin American Romance novel? This months selections are guaranteed to take your mind off the weather and put it to something much more interesting.
We start things off with Debbi Rawlinss By the Sheikhs Command, the final installment of the very popular BRIDES OF THE DESERT ROSE series. Our bachelor prince finally meets his match in a virginal beauty who turns the tables on him in a most delightful way. Rising star Kara Lennox begins a new family-connected miniseries, HOW TO MARRY A HARDISON, and these sexy Texas bachelors will make your toes tingle. Youll meet the first Hardison brother in Vixen in Disguisea story with a surprising twist.
The talented Debra Webb makes a return engagement to Harlequin American Romance this month with The Marriage Prescription, a very emotional story involving characters youve met in her incredibly popular COLBY AGENCY series from Harlequin Intrigue. Also back this month is Leah Vale with The Rich Girl Goes Wild, a not-to-be-missed billionaire-in-disguise story.
Heres hoping you enjoy all we have to offer this month at Harlequin American Romance. And be sure to stop by next month when Cathy Gillen Thacker launches her brand-new family saga, THE DEVERAUX LEGACY.
Best,
Melissa Jeglinski
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin American Romance
Vixen in Disguise
Kara Lennox
www.millsandboon.co.uk
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Texas native Kara Lennox has been an art director, typesetter, advertising copy writer, textbook editor and reporter. Shes worked in a boutique, a health club and has conducted telephone surveys. Shes been an antiques dealer and briefly ran a clipping service. But no work has made her happier than writing romance novels.
When Kara isnt writing, she indulges in an ever-changing array of weird hobbies, from rock climbing to crystal digging. But her mind is never far from her stories. Just about anything can send her running to her computer to jot down a new idea for some future novel.
Books by Kara Lennox
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
840VIRGIN PROMISE
856TWIN EXPECTATIONS
871TAME AN OLDER MAN
893BABY BY THE BOOK
917THE UNLAWFULLY WEDDED PRINCESS
934VIXEN IN DISGUISE*
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
Chapter One
The Autumn Daze Festival in Cottonwood, Texas, hadnt changed a bit in thirteen years, Wade Hardison thought as he strolled down Elm Street. The usually sleepy town square had been temporarily transformed into a whirling kaleidoscope of sensory overload.
Bands of screaming children streaked past him, their exuberant laughter plucking nostalgic chords in Wades mind. PTA mothers and their farmer husbands did good imitations of circus barkers, luring townsfolk and tourists alike to try their luck at the ringtoss or the dunking booth, where Mayor Dilly was currently the victim.
Smells of popcorn, cotton candy and barbecued turkey legs filled the air, reminding Wade he was hungry. He tried to make up his mind what to eat as dusk slowly descended on the crisp fall day. Yards and yards of twinkling white lights flickered to life.
It was good to be home. Wade had left Cottonwood as an angry adolescent, at odds with everybody, unsure of his place in the world, but ready to go out and conquer it. Hed done what he set out to dohed carved a niche for himself and become the best at something his brothers knew nothing about. Hed returned far mellower, ready to make peace with his family.
Only problem was, he wasnt sure his family wanted to make peace with him. When hed left, hed been concerned only with his own perceived wounds, positive his family would be happy to see the last of him. Hed had no idea the scars hed left behind. His homecoming two days ago had been awkward at best, and certainly no one had dragged out the fatted calf.
But at least his grandfather had let him stay at the ranch house.
When he caught sight of a redhead leaning against an ancient live oak, working cautiously at a caramel apple, Wade thought for a moment his heart had stopped. Then he thought he must be hallucinating.
Though he hadnt seen Annie since last May, he hadnt forgotten one thing about hernot her laugh or her scent or the feel of her hand in his. Hed had to make do with memories because they were all he hadshed left him, disappeared without a word.
Now, when he least expected it, here she was, in his hometown of all places. At least, he thought it was her. Same red hair. Same big green eyes. Same luscious mouth, which, as he watched, did intriguing things to the caramel apple she nibbled on. She paused now and then to lick her lips and delicately blot them with a paper napkin.
But some things about her werent like Annie at all. Her hair, for instance. The color was right, but Annies bouncy curls were wild and barely controlled, a tangle of deep-red silk a man could lose himself in. This womans hair had been slicked into a severe knot at the back of her head.
And the clothes were all wrong. Annie had worn tight jeans, a clingy shirt with a low neckline, a vest with rhinestone studs. Her fingers had been decorated with numerous rings, and shed worn big, dangly earrings. This woman wore a loose turtleneck and a shapeless corduroy jumper, black stockings and loafers. Little gold studs in her ears.
The most dramatic difference between Annie and the mystery woman, however, was in the face. The features were the same, but the expression very different. Annie had smiled and laughed and teased all the time. This womans face was tight, with a cautious look to the eyes. And he saw something else in her eyes, tooa sadness that couldnt be denied.
See something you like?
Wade jumped and nearly spilled his soft drink. His older brother Jeff had sidled up next to him, but Wade had been so fixated on the caramel-apple woman he hadnt even been aware of the intrusion.
Wade couldnt very well deny hed been staring. Who is she?
You dont remember her?
You know her, then. Dumb question. Jeff knew everybody. Hed gone to medical school, then into practice several years ago with their father, whod been the towns only doctor for decades. Sooner or later everyone came in to see one of the Docs Hardison.
Of course I know her. Shes Milton Chatsworths daughter.
Milton Chatsworth, their fathers best friend from college. Wade struggled to fit the memories into place. Milton had retired and moved his family to Cottonwood shortly before Wade had left town, but he remembered meeting him and his family at their fancy lake house.
Then the fuzzy picture snapped into focus. I remember a scrawny, redheaded girl, all knock-knees and braces.
Thats the one. Dont bother her, okay?
Whats her name? Wade asked anxiously.
Jeff reluctantly complied. Anne. She just graduated from law school at SMU, following in her old mans footsteps.
Wade hardly heard what Jeff was saying. Hed seized on the name, Anne. Annie. And Southern Methodist University was in Dallas, where hed first met Annie.
He didnt believe in coincidence. Had to be the same woman. And he wasnt about to let her get away twice.
Wade? Are you listening? Jeff asked impatiently.
Yeah, sure.
Shes got a lot to deal with right now. She doesnt need any extra grief.
That comment got Wades dander up. He turned his full attention on his brother. Why do you automatically assume Ill bring a woman grief? Maybe I could be the light of her life.
Jeff sighed. If youd lose that chip on your shoulder for thirty seconds, youd realize Im looking out for your best interests, too. I know Anne Chatsworth, and shes not your type.
Wade allowed a slow smile to win over his face. His temper, always quick to flare, just as quickly died away. He was no longer sixteen, and he didnt have to listen to his brothers or his father or grandfather anymore, telling him how to live his life. Just reminding himself of that fact eased the defensiveness hed developed to survive as an average kid in a family of overachievers.
He looked his brother squarely in the eye. I suspect you dont know Anne as well as you think you do.
With that he tipped his hat and turned toward Anne Chatsworth, intending to renew his acquaintance with her.
But she was gone.
WOULD YOU THROW that nasty thing away? Deborah Chatsworth said to her daughter as they walked along Livestock Lane, where the Future Farmers of America and 4-H Club kids displayed their prize animals in hopes of winning a blue ribbon for their trophy cases. You dont have to keep gnawing on it like a dog with a bone.
Anne Chatsworth paused and looked at her half-eaten treat, then at her mother. Its a caramel apple. Youre supposed to gnaw on it.
Well, it doesnt look very dignified.
Were at a county fair, where people chase after greased pigs and the mayor lets himself be dunked in a tank fully clothed. Nobodys worried about dignity here.
You can say that again.
Attending the Autumn Daze Festival hadnt been a number-one priority for Deborah. Shed tried to get out of it, but Annes father had insisted they go.
I intend to run for town council next year, Milton Chatsworth had said earlier that day when both his wife and daughter had been reluctant to fight the crowds of tourists. How would it look if I didnt attend the towns biggest event of the year?
Anne thought it was kind of cute that her father, after years of insulating himself from the townies, had decided to venture forth from his lake house and get involved. Come on, Mom, lets humor him, Anne had said, and Deborah had finally agreed to come along.
Anne was glad shed come. Getting out of the house these last few weeks had become a chore for her. She recognized the signs of perfectly natural depression and knew that getting out and distracting herself was the best medicine. So shed made herself get dressed and come to the fair, to please her father, because she really loved both her parents despite their lofty self-images.
Once shed arrived at the fair, shed gotten caught up with it, fondly remembering the festivals of her teen years, when shed run with a gang of other kids she desperately wanted to fit in with, stuffing herself with cotton candy, riding the Ferris wheel, listening to the bands that played, usually badly, at the bandstand.
Life had been simpler then, and for just these few hours shed been able to recapture that less complicated time. In fact, today, for the first time in almost a month, shed felt as if she might be able to get on with her life, instead of just going through the motions and pretending, for her parents sake, that she was okay.
Now where do you suppose your father has gotten to? Deborah asked.
Anne threw away the core of her caramel apple, thoroughly gnawed, and paused to stroke a cream-colored Shetland pony. Maybe at the watermelon-seed-spitting contest?
Deborah glowered at her daughter.
Okay, Ill be serious. I think he said hed been asked to judge somethingpies or pickles, something like that.
Deborah looked exasperated. The food is all the way on the other side of the square. Im ready to go home, arent you? You look pale.