Anna’s heart skipped a beat.
Even through her wedding veil, his gaze pinned her in places like an electric-blue laser.
He reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He stopped to talk, his riveting eyes never leaving her.
Anna leaned in close to her friend, fighting off panic. “He’s the perfect male,” she whispered, her voice shaky.
Before she could say another word, her “groom” stepped closer, cell phone in hand. His well-over-six-foot frame towered her.
“Well, well,” he drawled, giving Anna an intense once-over. “You must be my bride.”
Anna took his extended hand. “Anna…Si…mpson,” she managed, using her fake last name.
“Ryan Cavanaugh.” He shook her hand and flashed a blinding smile. Deep dimples formed on both sides of his mouth. He leaned in closer to her. “Lucky me.”
Dear Reader,
If you’re like me, you can’t get enough heartwarming love stories and real-life fairy tales that end happily ever after. You’ll find what you need and so much more with Silhouette Romance each month.
This month you’re in for an extra treat. Bestselling author Susan Meier kicks off MARRYING THE BOSS’s DAUGHTER—the brand-new six-book series written exclusively for Silhouette Romance. In this launch title, Love, Your Secret Admirer (#1684), our favorite matchmaking heiress helps a naive secretary snare her boss’s attention with an eye-catching makeover.
A sexy rancher discovers love and the son he never knew, when he matches wits with a beautiful teacher, in What a Woman Should Know (#1685) by Cara Colter. And a not-so plain Jane captures a royal heart, in To Kiss a Sheik (#1686) by Teresa Southwick, the second of three titles in her sultry DESERT BRIDES miniseries.
Debrah Morris brings you a love story of two lifetimes, in When Lightning Strikes Twice (#1687), the newest paranormal love story in the SOULMATES series. And sparks sizzle between an innocent curator—with a big secret—and the town’s new lawman, in Ransom (#1688) by Diane Pershing. Will a seamstress’s new beau still love her when he learns she is an undercover heiress? Find out in The Bridal Chronicles (#1689) by Lissa Manley.
Be my guest and feed your need for tender and lighthearted romance with all six of this month’s great new love stories from Silhouette Romance.
Enjoy!
Mavis C. Allen
Associate Senior Editor, Silhouette Romance
The Bridal Chronicles
Lissa Manley
This book is dedicated to my wonderful husband, Kevin,
who supported me through nine years of the ups and downs of an aspiring author.
Thanks for all the Tuesday nights.
I love you.
Books by Lissa Manley
Silhouette Romance
The Bachelor Chronicles #1665
The Bridal Chronicles #1689
LISSA MANLEY
has been an avid reader of romance since her teens and firmly believes that writing romances with happy endings is her dream job. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her college-sweetheart husband of nineteen years, Kevin, two children, Laura and Sean, and two feisty toy poodles named Lexi and Angel, who run the household and get away with it. She has a degree in business from the University of Oregon, having discovered the joys of writing well after her college years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, crafting, attending her children’s sporting events and relaxing at the family vacation home on the Oregon coast.
Lissa loves to hear from her readers. She can be reached at P.O. Box 91336, Portland, OR 97291-0336, or at http://lissamanley.com.
A Pretend Bride’s To-Do List:
♥ Spend as little time as possible with the pretend groom so as not to fall under his spell. We know what happens to you around good-looking men.
♥ Pay no attention to his stunning smile and gorgeous eyes and seemingly generous personality.
♥ Get the pretend ceremony over with.
♥ Forego pre-pretend-wedding jitters. This is a fake wedding!
♥ Try not to worry about the cameras…. The tabloids won’t even think to come here. Will they?
Contents
Chapter One
Anna Sinclair looked across the Rose Garden Park through her veil and raised a shaky hand to her throat. She watched the tall, incredibly handsome hunk stride confidently toward her.
Smiling, he paused to talk to the pretty, female photographer’s assistant, and his dark blond hair glinted like gold in the midmorning June sun. Dark green, leafy foliage, framed by the cloudless blue summer sky, provided the perfect backdrop for his stunning male beauty. His black tuxedo, hugging his wide-shouldered, athletic body like a glove, made him look like every bride’s dream come true.
But not Anna’s. Designing wedding dresses was as close as she would ever get to that romantic nonsense.
Wondering if she was an utter fool for getting anywhere near a camera, or a gorgeous man like that, she looked to Colleen Stewart, the tall, blond reporter assigned to “The Bridal Chronicles,” a newspaper special feature. “Please tell me that male model is not my groom.” Anna gestured to the god across the lawn, his head bent in thoughtful discussion, one hand casually shoved into the pocket of his tuxedo pants.
Colleen fluffed the train on Anna’s dress and looked in the direction she had gestured. Colleen whistled under her breath and her blue eyes gleamed. “He’s not a male model, Anna, even though he looks like one. His name is Ryan Cavanaugh and he’s the wealthy owner of a local chain of coffee houses, Java Joint. The Bachelor Chronicles was so successful featuring Jared Warfield, who owns a competing chain