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Dear Reader,
Welcome to another fabulous month of novels from Silhouette Desire. Our DYNASTIES: THE
ASHTONS continuity continues with Kristi Gold’sMistaken for a Mistress . Ford Ashton sets out to find the truth about who really murdered his grandfather and believes the answers may lie with the man’s mistress—but who is Kerry Roarkereally? USA TODAY bestselling author Jennifer Greene is back with a stellar novel,Hot to the Touch . You’ll love this wounded veteran hero and the feisty female whose special touch heals him.
TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB: THE SECRET DIARY presents its second installment with Less-than-Innocent Invitation by Shirley Rogers. It seems this millionaire rancher has to keep tabs on his ex-girlfriend by putting her up at his Texas spread. Oh, poor girl…trapped with a sexy—wealthy—cowboy! There’s a brand-new KING OF HEARTS book by Katherine Garbera as the mysterious El Rey’s matchmaking attempts continue inRock Me All Night . Linda Conrad begins a compelling new miniseries called THE GYPSY INHERITANCE, the first of which isSeduction by the Book. Look for the remaining two novels to follow in September and October. And finally, Laura Wright winds up her royal series withHer Royal Bed . There’s lots of revenge, royalty and romance to be enjoyed.
Thanks for choosing Silhouette Desire. In the coming months be sure to look for titles by authors Peggy Moreland, Annette Broadrick and the incomparable Diana Palmer.
Happy reading!
Melissa Jeglinski
Senior Editor
Silhouette Desire
Hot to the Touch
JENNIFERGREENE
Published by Silhouette Books
Americas’s Publisher of Contemporary Romance
SILHOUETTE BOOKS
ISBN 1-55254-341-2
HOT TO THE TOUCH
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Copyright © 2005 by Alison Hart
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of Harlequin Books S.A., used under license. Trademarks indicated with ®
are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
Visit Silhouette Books atwww.eHarlequin.com
Books by Jennifer Greene
Silhouette Desire
Body and Soul#263
Foolish Pleasure#293
Madam’s Room#326
Dear Reader#350
Minx#366
Lady Be Good#385
Love Potion#421
The Castle Keep#439
Lady of the Island#463
Night of the Hunter#481
Dancing in the Dark#498
Heat Wave#553
Slow Dance#600
Night Light#619
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Falconer#671
Just Like Old Times#728
It Had To Be You#756
Quicksand#786
*Bewitched#847
*Bothered#855
*Bewildered#861
A Groom for Red Riding Hood#893
Single Dad#931
Arizona Heat#966
†The Unwilling Bride#998
†Bachelor Mom#1046
Nobody’s Princess#1087
A Baby in His In-Box#1129
Her Holiday Secret#1178
The Honor Bound Groom#1190
**Prince Charming’s Child#1225
**Kiss Your Prince Charming#1245
§Rock Solid#1316
Millionaire M.D.#1340
††Wild in the Field#1545
††Wild in the Mooonlight#1588
††Wild in the Moment#1622
Hot to the Touch#1670
Silhouette Intimate Moments
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Secrets#221
Devil’s Night#305
Broken Blossom#345
Pink Topaz#418
Silhouette Special Edition
†The 200% Wife#1111
Silhouette Books
Birds, Bees and Babies1990
“Riley’s Baby”
Santa’s Little Helpers1995
“Twelfth Night”
Fortune’s Children
The Baby Chase
Gifts of Fortune
“The Christmas House”
Harlequin NEXT
Lucky#2
*Jock’s Boys
†The Stanford Sisters
§Body & Soul
**Happily Ever After
††The Scent of Lavender
JENNIFER GREENE
lives near Lake Michigan with her husband and two children. Before writing full-time, she worked as a teacher and a personnel manager. Michigan State University honored her as an “outstanding woman graduate” for her work with women on campus.
Ms. Greene has written more than fifty category romances, for which she has won numerous awards, Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
including two RITA® Awards from the Romance Writers of America in the Best Short Contemporary Books category, and a Career Achievement Award fromRomantic Times magazine.
Contents
About the Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
COMING NEXT MONTH
One
Respect was a touchy issue for Phoebe Schneider. She’d been a skilled physical therapist for several years, and since no one had twisted her arm and forced her to become a masseuse, it was pretty crazy to complain. Maybe a lot of guys assumed that being a masseuse meant she was loose as a goose, but guys, by their hormonal nature, always indulged in wishful thinking.
At twenty-eight, Phoebe knew perfectly well how the world worked. She just had a little hot spot about the respect thing…say, the size of a mountain.
Today, though, was one of those rare, fabulous days when Phoebe felt so great about her job that any price she had to pay was worth it.
From the windows of the Gold River Hospital conference room, the Smokies loomed in the distance.
The mountains were still shawled in snow, the wind still February sharp, but inside, the temperature was toasty. The pediatrics neurologist, pediatrics head and ICU nurse rubbed elbows at the table. Phoebe wasn’t just the youngest of the group, but distinctly the only masseuse.
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What tickled her pride bone most, though, was that they were all listening to her. Of course, they’d better—because when the subject was babies, Phoebe was known to fight down and dirty.
“We’ve been through this before. The problem,” she said firmly, “is that you’re all looking for an illness.
A pathology. Some kind of disease you can fix. But when you’ve ruled out all those possibilities, you have to look at other choices.” She clicked her mouse, which changed the screen image on the far wall to that of a three-month-old baby. “George isn’t sick. George is cold.”
“Cold—” Dr. Reynolds started to interrupt.
“I meant emotionally cold.” She clicked the mouse again, showing a picture from the day the baby had been brought into the hospital. A nurse was lifting George from a crib. The baby was indistinguishable from an inanimate doll, because his little arms and legs were as rigid as stone. “You already know his history. Found in a closet, half-starved. A birth mother incapable of mothering or even basic care. This was simply a baby
