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“The kids will be home next Monday,” Paul said.
Kate nodded. Eight days. She could do this. Now was not the time to dwell on the fact that the only living things that had ever been in her care were some exotic fish that had added color to her condo. Until she’d accidentally knocked the heater into the aquarium and electrocuted them all in mere minutes.
“I don’t want them to visit me, Kate. I just can’t imagine them in these surroundings.” He ran his hands over his face. “Haven’t they been through enough in their young lives without seeing their old man—”
Startled by the raw vulnerability in his tone, she rushed to reassure her husband. “I understand. Maybe writing you letters would be less traumatic than visiting you here.”
Looking at the haunted eyes of the man she loved, Kate vowed to be the best stepmother possible. Realistically it was the only thing she could do to help Paul. For the next four to five months, she was all the parent those children had.
Thank God kids were more resilient than tropical fish.
Tanya Michaels
Tanya Michaels can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to be a writer. She finished her first illustrated “book” at the age of nine and is now the award-winning author of over a dozen romance and women’s fiction novels. Tanya has been nominated for numerous honors, including Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award and several Readers’ Choice and Reviewers’ Choice Awards. She currently resides in Georgia, where she’s living out her version of happily ever after with her husband and two children. Visit her home on the Web at www.tanyamichaels.com.
Motherhood Without Parole
Tanya Michaels
MILLS & BOON
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From the Author
Dear Reader,
I have two jobs—writer and mother. Reference books have been published on both subjects. Support groups exist for both. But there’s really no substitute for hands-on experience! As difficult as parenting can sometimes be for any mom, no matter how prepared she is, I began to imagine a woman with zero prior experience who becomes a stepmother, joining a family “already in progress.”
What would that be like? And what if, soon after her becoming a stepmom, the children’s father was temporarily out of the picture, leaving her to learn the ropes on her own? (Suddenly the challenges I occasionally face in my own role as Mommy looked a lot simpler.)
Meet Kate St. James, the result of all my what-ifs. I hope you enjoy her story of becoming part of a family and her realization that there are all kinds of success in the world, some harder to measure than others but infinitely rewarding. Watch for her friend Delia’s story, Motherhood Without Warning, in 2007! More details about that book, as well as my other releases and reader giveaways, are available at www.tanyamichaels.com.
Happy reading!
Tanya
Thanks to all the readers and reviewers who
have let me know how much they enjoy my work.
You truly make the tough days worth it! And special
thanks to Anna DeStefano, who’s been there for every
career and motherhood challenge I’ve faced,
always willing to brainstorm, encourage and
discuss hilarious GFY and TWoP posts.
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
PROLOGUE
My first Valentine’s Day as a married woman. Forty-two-year-old Kate St. James stood barefoot in the modern kitchen, theoretically tackling an impromptu romantic breakfast while her husband, Paul, showered. In reality, Kate had barely glanced at the cookbook lying open on the kitchen island. Having not partaken in her morning caffeine rituals—the dark roast was still brewing—she’d been staring contentedly into space.
Mooning, her friend Delia would scoff. Fast-talking businesswoman Delia Carlisle was not prone to romantic sentiment. Then again, Kate hadn’t been either until a couple of years ago. Until Paul St. James.
A well-paid technical writer in Richmond, Virginia, Kate had always been analytical and goal-oriented: Escape the Dallas neighborhood on the wrong side of Harry Hines Boulevard and her cloying, opportunistic mother. Check. Get an MBA. Check. Climb the career ladder until she was comfortably secure and self-sufficient. Check. By forty, Kate had accomplished enough of her personal objectives to consider finally making more time for a personal life. Especially one that included Paul, a handsome widower and CEO.
When
