Her job is to turn a reclusive rancher into a charming oil tycoon...
Having his baby isn’t part of the deal!
With his family’s company at stake, Trystan reluctantly agrees to a makeover. But the media consultant hired to smooth out his rough edges has him aching. When passion leads to pregnancy, the only honorable choice is a proposal. But Isabeau won’t say yes without his love...
An Alaskan Oil Barons Novel
The thin sliver of space between them heated with their breaths.
Trystan lifted one hand, sketching the backs of his knuckles along her cheekbone. Her pulse quickened, her body tingling, and she tipped her head into his caress.
Isabeau swallowed, holding his gaze. Felt the air become heavy with awareness until—yes—her lips found his. That spark exploded as she tasted him. His hands felt like magic gliding down her back, the silk of her dress caressing her skin along with each stroke of his fingers.
With a whispery moan, she angled closer to him, the warm wall of his body a perfect fit against her. He deepened the kiss, his hold both strong and careful, the taste of him delicious. Her thoughts scrambled as Trystan’s touch drove her need higher, made her want more.
Want everything.
* * *
The Love Child is part of the Alaskan Oil Barons series, the eight-book saga from USA TODAY bestselling author Catherine Mann!
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the third book in my Alaskan Oil Barons family saga!
This book features a subject very dear to my heart—service dogs. I’m an active volunteer with Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services (PAALS), an ADI-accredited service dog training organization in Columbia, South Carolina. In looking for more ways to help, I donated the naming rights to a dog in one of my books as a PAALS fund-raiser. The couple that generously won the auction chose the name Paige, after their beloved rat terrier. The Paige in this book is a Labrador retriever and performs a different service than PAALS dogs, but the beautiful bond between a handler and service dog is universal. It’s an honor to showcase that connection in this story.
Thank you for diving into the adventures in my Alaskan Oil Barons series. I hope you enjoy Trystan, Isabeau and Paige’s journey!
Cheers,
Catherine Mann
PS: PAALS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and ADI accredited. For more information about the PAALS mission, visit www.paals.org.
Catherine Mann
The Love Child
USA TODAY bestselling author Catherine Mann has won numerous awards for her novels, including both a prestigious RITA® Award and an RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award. After years of moving around the country bringing up four children, Catherine has settled in her home state of South Carolina, where she’s active in animal rescue. For more information, visit her website, catherinemann.com.
Books by Catherine Mann
Harlequin Desire
Diamonds in the Rough
One Good Cowboy
Pursued by the Rich Rancher
Pregnant by the Cowboy CEO
The Lourdes Brothers of Key Largo
The Boss’s Baby Arrangement
His Secretary’s Little Secret
Alaskan Oil Barons
The Baby Claim
The Double Deal
The Love Child
Visit her Author Profile page at www.Harlequin.com, or catherinemann.com, for more titles.
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To the Palmetto Animal Assisted
Life Services (PAALS) and Jennifer Rogers
(executive director and founder)
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Excerpt from Expecting a Scandal by Joanne Rock
One
“Spread your legs wider, please, Mr. Mikkelson.”
Isabeau Waters rocked back on her heels, staring up the length of the Mikkelson oil magnate looming over her.
She’d spent countless hours in the company of naked and near-naked men in her profession as a media image consultant. But never in her job had she revamped the wardrobe for a man who tempted her quite so much, for so long, as Alaskan mogul and rancher Trystan Mikkelson.
Measuring his inseam? Heaven help her.
Kneeling on the plush carpet in the luxurious office space, Isabeau adjusted her grip on the measuring tape. She worked her way up his long, denim-clad legs until her eyes were level with his...leather belt. So close she could read the inscription on the Iditarod sled dog racing belt buckle.
Exhale.
Think.
Be a professional.
This job was high-paying and high-profile. The merger of the powerful Mikkelson and Steele family businesses into Alaska Oil Barons, Incorporated, had dominated stock exchange news, causing the market to fluctuate. Shares had only just begun to steady when the Steele patriarch suffered a major injury in a horseback-riding accident.
Now the two factions were working overtime to make sure the company presented a cohesive image when it came to leadership. With so many offspring on both sides, Isabeau was still stunned that this man, who preferred running the family’s ranch up in Alaska’s north country, was their pick to be the face of the merged company. Apparently, siblings on both sides of the family were having marriage troubles, health issues or were too shy to speak in public, leaving them with only this rugged Mikkelson cowboy and a teenage Steele kid to choose from. Since the teenager was obviously not an option, that left Trystan Mikkelson.
For now, anyway.
Her mission? To make him over. His wardrobe was easy enough. The tougher part though? To keep him in-line and on-message for the next four weeks until the Wilderness Preservation Initiative Fund-raiser—a wine and dine with celebrities. Then stay on until his mother’s wedding to the Steele oil magnate, Jack.
She’d done this pre-assessment routine time and time again, with many different kinds of people. But as she took note of his measurements, her eyes falling to his angular jaw... Well keeping herself on-message seemed like it would be the true work.
He shifted from one dusty boot to the other. “No disrespect to your profession, ma’am, but I’m not going to be trussed up like some pretty boy.”
“I will keep your wardrobe preferences in mind as I order pieces and talk to the tailor. You will still be you, but a version of you that inspires confidence from less...rugged investors.” Isabeau tucked a stray hair behind her ear, fingers barely grazing the pearl drop earrings her best friend had given her when
