Stella Bagwell - The Cowboy And The Debutante

“Don’t you know those things aren’t good for you?” “Don’t you know those things aren’t good for you?” Anna nodded at the rich breakfast Miguel was making. His head turned slightly and his gaze settled on her lips. “Lots of things aren’t good for me.” Heat flared inside Anna like the instant spark of flint against steel. It seemed incredible that only a month ago she had thought she would never want another man. But standing by Miguel, she knew she was only just now learning what wanting a man was all about. Certainly she’d never felt this raw, aching attraction for her ex-fiancé. Or any man. Except Miguel. The idea was both exhilarating and frightening. “Then why do you...indulge yourself?” He grinned and looked away. Anna was relieved to find she could breathe again. “A man only has a short time on this earth. To deny life’s basic pleasures is foolish.” And Anna shivered at the thought of Miguel’s pleasures. Letter to Reader Dear Reader, You’ll find the heartwarming themes of love and family in our November Romance novels. First up, longtime reader favorite Arlene James portrays A Bride To Honor. In this VIRGIN BRIDES title, a pretty party planner falls for a charming tycoon...whom another woman seeks to rope into a loveless marriage! But can honorable love prevail? A little tyke takes a tumble, then awakes to ask a rough-hewn rancher, Are You My Daddy? So starts Leanna Wilson’s poignant, emotional romance between a mom and a FABULOUS FATHER who “pretends” he’s family. Karen Rose Smith finishes her enticing series DO YOU TAKE THIS STRANGER? with Promises, Pumpkins and Prince Charming. A wealthy bachelor lets a gun-shy single mom believe he’s just a regular guy. Will their fairy-tale romance survive the truth? FOLLOW THAT BABY, Silhouette’s exciting cross-line continuity series, comes to Romance this month with The Daddy and the Baby Doctor by star author Kristin Morgan. An ex-soldier single dad butts heads with a beautiful pediatrician over a missing patient. Temperatures rise, pulses race—could marriage be the cure? It’s said that opposites attract, and when The Cowboy and the Debutante cozy up on a rustic ranch...well, you’ll just have to read this TWINS ON THE DOORSTEP title by Stella Bagwell to find out! A hairdresser dreams of becoming a Lone Star Bride when a handsome stranger passes through town. Don’t miss the finale of Linda Varner’s THREE WEDDINGS AND A FAMILY miniseries! Beloved authors Lindsay Longford, Sandra Steffen, Susan Meier and Carolyn Zane return to our lineup next month, and in the new year we launch our brand-new promotion, FAMILY MATTERS. So keep coming back to Romance! Happy Thanksgiving! Mary-Theresa Hussey Senior Editor, Silhouette Romance 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 Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3 Title Page The Cowboy And The Debutante Stella Bagwell www.millsandboon.co.uk Dedication To Jason and Carmen, may love be with you always. STELLA BAGWELL STELLA BAGWELL sold her first book to Silhouette in November 1985. Now, more than thirty novels later, she is still thrilled to see her books in print and can’t imagine having any other job than that of writing about two people falling in love. She lives in a small town in southeastern Oklahoma with her husband of twenty-six years. She has one son and daughter-in-law. Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Copyright

“Don’t you know those things aren’t good for you?”

Anna nodded at the rich breakfast Miguel was making.

His head turned slightly and his gaze settled on her lips. “Lots of things aren’t good for me.”

Heat flared inside Anna like the instant spark of flint against steel. It seemed incredible that only a month ago she had thought she would never want another man. But standing by Miguel, she knew she was only just now learning what wanting a man was all about. Certainly she’d never felt this raw, aching attraction for her ex-fiancé. Or any man. Except Miguel. The idea was both exhilarating and frightening.

“Then why do you...indulge yourself?”

He grinned and looked away. Anna was relieved to find she could breathe again.

“A man only has a short time on this earth. To deny life’s basic pleasures is foolish.”

And Anna shivered at the thought of Miguel’s pleasures.

Dear Reader,

You’ll find the heartwarming themes of love and family in our November Romance novels. First up, longtime reader favorite Arlene James portrays A Bride To Honor. In this VIRGIN BRIDES title, a pretty party planner falls for a charming tycoon...whom another woman seeks to rope into a loveless marriage! But can honorable love prevail?

A little tyke takes a tumble, then awakes to ask a rough-hewn rancher, Are You My Daddy? So starts Leanna Wilson’s poignant, emotional romance between a mom and a FABULOUS FATHER who “pretends” he’s family. Karen Rose Smith finishes her enticing series DO YOU TAKE THIS STRANGER? with Promises, Pumpkins and Prince Charming. A wealthy bachelor lets a gun-shy single mom believe he’s just a regular guy. Will their fairy-tale romance survive the truth?

FOLLOW THAT BABY, Silhouette’s exciting cross-line continuity series, comes to Romance this month with The Daddy and the Baby Doctor by star author Kristin Morgan. An ex-soldier single dad butts heads with a beautiful pediatrician over a missing patient. Temperatures rise, pulses race—could marriage be the cure? It’s said that opposites attract, and when The Cowboy and the Debutante cozy up on a rustic ranch...well, you’ll just have to read this TWINS ON THE DOORSTEP title by Stella Bagwell to find out! A hairdresser dreams of becoming a Lone Star Bride when a handsome stranger passes through town. Don’t miss the finale of Linda Varner’s THREE WEDDINGS AND A FAMILY miniseries!

Beloved authors Lindsay Longford, Sandra Steffen, Susan Meier and Carolyn Zane return to our lineup next month, and in the new year we launch our brand-new promotion, FAMILY MATTERS. So keep coming back to Romance!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor, Silhouette Romance

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 Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Jason and Carmen,

may love be with you always.

STELLA BAGWELL

sold her first book to Silhouette in November 1985. Now, more than thirty novels later, she is still thrilled to see her books in print and can’t imagine having any other job than that of writing about two people falling in love.

She lives in a small town in southeastern Oklahoma with her husband of twenty-six years. She has one son and daughter-in-law.

Chapter One

Anna Murdock Sanders shook her finger at the nervous mare. “Ginger, I can see we need to have a girl-to-girl talk. That stallion is no good. He’ll just take what he wants from you, then be on his merry way. Males are just naturally like that. Believe me, I know. That’s why I’m swearing off men forever!”

Ignoring the warning, the mare nickered flirtingly at the stallion prancing around in the stall directly across from her.

A few feet farther down the long horse barn, Miguel Chavez stopped in his tracks as the young woman’s words echoed back to him. He hadn’t known anyone was in the stables, much less a woman who hated men!

Leaving the stall, he stepped into the alleyway and immediately spotted her lifting a saddle onto the paint’s back. Tall and slender, she was dressed in black jeans and a moss green camp shirt. As she moved about the horse, adjusting blankets and latigo, copper curls danced like flames in the wind against the middle of her back.

She had to be his employer’s daughter. Though Miguel had never seen her before, he’d heard Chloe and Wyatt Sanders speak of her. Anna and her twin brother, Adam, had been adopted as babies years ago by Chloe and Wyatt. Their actual birth parents had been Chloe’s father and Wyatt’s sister, both of whom had died shortly after the twins were born.

From what he’d heard, Anna was unlike her down-to-earth brother, who worked in the oil and gas businesses with his father. She was an accomplished pianist who’d spent the past few years traveling all over the States and abroad, playing concerts with big bands and symphony orchestras—a real debutante, who needed excitement, admiration and bright lights to make her happy.

The news that she was coming home hadn’t reached Miguel. He didn’t know why she was here, but he’d . bet his last dollar it was because she wanted or needed something from her parents. Girls like her were always spoiled. He knew from firsthand experience.

Clearing his throat to warn her of his presence, Miguel moved down the alleyway toward her. Anna glanced up just as he came to a stop a few steps away.

“Hello,” she said coolly as her eyes discreetly traveled up and down the lean length of the cowboy before her. He was dressed in jeans and chinks. Spurs with sunburst rowels were strapped to his black boots, and the sleeves of his heavy, brown cotton shirt were rolled up, exposing his thick forearms. Without a doubt, she’d never seen him before on the Bar M. He was a man not easily forgotten.

“Are you one of Mother’s cowhands?” she asked forthrightly.

A wry twist to his mouth, he stepped forward and offered her his hand, then in a slight Mexican accent, he said, “I’m Miguel Chavez, the ranch foreman. And I don’t think you’ve convinced Ginger that all men are bad,” he said, inclining his head toward the mare. “She still appears to be interested.”

As if to underscore his observation, Ginger once again nickered longingly at the stallion. Trying not to glower at the mare, Anna squared her shoulders and reluctantly reached to shake Miguel Chavez’s hand. “She’ll get past her infatuation.”

Miguel raised his brows at her remark, but he said nothing. No doubt this woman had been infatuated many times. And gotten past it, he thought drily. With her looks she’d probably had men begging for the simple touch of her hand.

The repugnant idea had him quickly releasing her fingers, yet he still couldn’t quite force his eyes to leave her face.

Her smooth ivory complexion told him she was young and also that she was vain enough not to let the bright sun ravage her luminous skin. Her full lips were dusky pink and slightly tilted at the corners. She had a straight patrician nose and pale green eyes that reminded Miguel of a spring aspen leaf. She wasn’t exactly the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen, but she possessed an earthy, sultriness about her that made the man in him want to keep looking. However, the cool expression in her eyes assured him she was not a woman for the taking. By him. Or any man.

Anna’s auburn brows lifted quizzically as she watched the cynical twist to his lips deepen. She didn’t know what the man was thinking. But if it was about her, she certainly didn’t like the idea that he found her amusing.

“I didn’t realize mother had hired a new foreman,” she admitted.

“I’ve been working on the Bar M for nearly a year now,” he told her.