The Bride's Best Man

Shelby wrenched her hand from Pete’s the moment they were out of sight. She continued. “I need to protect Aunt Kay from Dan’s plan—whatever it is.”

“He wouldn’t do anything to hurt Kay. It’s just some harmless flirting.” Pete pulled her close to him. “But I believe a man should make his own decisions.” Then he leaned down and dropped a kiss on her lips.

“Don’t do that!” She pushed him away.

“Why not? We can find out more if Dan thinks we’re interested in each other.”

“You can just say we are. After all, we went for a walk on the beach in the moonlight.”

Pete smiled slyly. “Give me another kiss so I can tell him it was fun.”

To his surprise, Shelby slid her arms around his neck and kissed him…then she bolted for the hotel lobby.

Pete shook his head. He didn’t know what that was all about. But he sure liked it.…

Dear Reader,

July might be a month for kicking back and spending time with family at outdoor barbecues, beach cottages and family reunions. But it’s an especially busy month for the romance industry as we prepare for our annual conference. This is a time in which the romance authors gather to hone their skills at workshops, share their experiences and recognize the year’s best books. Of course, to me, this month’s selection in Silhouette Romance represents some of the best elements of the genre.

Cara Colter concludes her poignant A FATHER’S WISH trilogy this month with Priceless Gifts (#1822). Accustomed to people loving her for her beauty and wealth, the young heiress is caught off guard when her dutiful bodyguard sees beyond her facade…and gives her a most precious gift. Judy Christenberry never disappoints, and The Bride’s Best Man (#1823) will delight loyal readers as a pretend dating scheme goes deliciously awry. Susan Meier continues THE CUPID CAMPAIGN with One Man and a Baby, (#1824) in which adversaries unite to raise a motherless child. Finally, Holly Jacobs concludes the month with Here with Me (#1825). A heroine who thought she craved the quiet life finds her life invaded by her suddenly meddlesome parents and a man she’s never forgotten and his adorable toddler.

Be sure to return next month when Susan Meier concludes her CUPID CAMPAIGN trilogy and reader-favorite Patricia Thayer returns to the line to launch the exciting new BRIDES OF BELLA LUCIA miniseries.

Happy reading!

Ann Leslie Tuttle

Associate Senior Editor

Silhouette Romance

The Nine-Month Bride #1324

*Marry Me, Kate #1344

*Baby in Her Arms #1350

*A Ring for Cinderella #1356

†Never Let You Go #1453

†The Borrowed Groom #1457

†Cherish the Boss #1463

**Snowbound Sweetheart #1476

Newborn Daddy #1511

When the Lights Went Out…#1547

**Least Likely To Wed #1570

Daddy on the Doorstep #1654

**Beauty & the Beastly Rancher #1678

**The Last Crawford Bachelor #1715

Finding a Family #1762

††The Texan’s Reluctant Bride #1778

††The Texan’s Tiny Dilemma #1782

††The Texan’s Suite Romance #1787

Honeymoon Hunt #1803

The Bride’s Best Man #1823

Silhouette Books

The Coltons

The Doctor Delivers

A Colton Family Christmas

“The Diplomat’s Daughter”

Lone Star Country Club

The Last Bachelor

has been writing romances for over fifteen years because she loves happy endings as much as her readers do. She’s a bestselling author for Harlequin American Romance, but she has a long love of traditional romances and is delighted to tell a story that brings those elements to the reader. A former high school French teacher, Judy devotes her time to writing. She hopes readers have as much fun reading her stories as she does writing them. She spends her spare time reading, watching her favorite sports teams and keeping track of her two adult daughters.

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

“There’s a fine line between right and wrong. I hope we’re coming in on the right side,” Shelby Cook said, navigating through an Internet travel site. “Do you think it looks bad for us to go on a vacation so soon after we buried my mother?”