Charlotte Douglas - Licensed To Marry

You mentioned terms. What did you have in mind?

Laura lifted her chin and gave Kyle a shy smile. I need an administrator.

Kyle shook his head. Undercover means inconspicuous. If I come in as head honcho, every person at the institute will scrutinize the daylights out of me.

Laura sank down, shoulders slumped. It seemed like the solution to both our problems.

Kyle settled beside her, longing to pull her into his arms and comfort her. He kept his distance. His reassuring hug might turn into something deeper. Wilder. Just hire me as a simple researcher and let me start right away.

Laura turned to face him again, her expression calm and resolute. Theres one way to both get what we want.

Kyle smiled at her earnestness. If youve thought of a solution, youre a miracle worker.

It will work, all right. Her solemn eyes sought and held his gaze. Youll have to marry me.

Dear Reader,

This holiday season, deck the halls with some of the most exciting names in romantic suspense: Anne Stuart and Gayle Wilson. These two award-winning authors have returned together to Harlequin Intrigue to reprise their much loved miniseriesCATSPAW and MEN OF MYSTERYin a special 2-in-1 collection. Night and Day is a guaranteed keeper and the best stocking stuffer around!

Find out what happens when a single-dad secret agent has to protect a beautiful scientist as our MONTANA CONFIDENTIAL series continues with Licensed To Marry by Charlotte Douglas.

The stork is coming down the chimney this year, as Joanna Wayne begins a brand-new series of books set in the sultry South. Look for Another Womans Baby this month and more HIDDEN PASSIONS books to come in the near future.

Also available from Harlequin Intrigue is the second title in Susan Kearneys HIDE AND SEEK trilogy. The search goes on in Hidden Hearts.

Happy holidays from all of us at Harlequin Intrigue.

Sincerely,

Denise OSullivan

Associate Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

P.S.Next month you can find another special holiday titleA Woman with a Mystery by B.J. Daniels

Licensed To Marry

Charlotte Douglas

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Books by Charlotte Douglas

380DREAM MAKER

434BENS WIFE

482FIRST-CLASS FATHER

515A WOMAN OF MYSTERY

536UNDERCOVER DAD

611STRANGER IN HIS ARMS*

638LICENSED TO MARRY

HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

591ITS ABOUT TIME

623BRINGING UP BABY

868MONTANA MAIL-ORDER WIFE*

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Kyle FosterAs a bomb demolition expert, hell do whatever it takes to stop the Black Order from killing others, even if it means marrying a woman he has no intention of loving.

Molly FosterKyles adorable three-year-old daughter.

Josiah QuinlanLauras father has developed the Quinlan Research Institute for the purpose of finding vaccines and antidotes against biological weapons.

Montana Confidential Covert Operations GroupHeaded by Daniel Austin. Frank Connolly and Court Brady work with Kyle from their headquarters at the Lonesome Pony Ranch in their fight against the Black Order terrorists.

The Quinlan Research Institute StaffWhen biological weapons end up in the hands of the Black Order, doctors Lawrence Tyson, Melinda Kwan and Robert Potter are all suspects, along with lab assistants Wayne Pritchard and Gary Bowen. Only Dr. C. J. Connolly, Franks wife, is in the clear.

U.S. Senator Ross WestonA presidential candidate running on an antiterrorism platform, he becomes a chief target of the Black Order.

Contents

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Chapter One

Kicking gravel in his wake, he crossed the driveway, Stetson clutched to his head with one hand, in his other his toolkit banged against his thigh. With natural fluid grace and impressive strength from tough physical conditioning, he sprinted toward the waiting helicopter in the pasture. Determination glinted in his jade-green eyes and hardened the set of his square jaw.

He ducked beneath the spinning rotors and grasped the strong hand of Daniel Austin, who pulled him aboard just as the craft lifted into the air. Kyle removed his hat, stowed his kit beneath his seat, settled his headset over his ears and looked down at the Lonesome Pony Ranch, shrinking below him as the chopper gained altitude.

Molly, his three-year-old daughter, waved to him from the arms of Dale McMurty, the ranchs cook and Mollys surrogate grandmother. His gut cramped with fear when he thought of Molly with her mischievous eyes, green like his own, and masses of white-blond curls, whose plump face dimpled when she laughed, making even the toughest ranch hand smile. Deserted by her mother, she depended on Kyle for everything. There was no way he could botch this job and not come home to her.

Home.

Their snug cabin at the Lonesome Pony Ranch was home now. He and Molly had left the rush and turmoil of Los Angeles for the peace and quiet of Montana Yellowstone country, but the Lonesome Pony was not as serene as it appeared on the surface. The helicopter banked toward the western mountain range and Helena, and Kyle gazed at the deceptive landscape beneath him. Still resembling its former incarnation as a dude resort, the main house overlooked the pasture they had taken off from.