To Protect and Cherish Read online

  “Only one thing will fix all this. If you marry me…”

  It took a few seconds for his words to sink in. “Marry you? You can’t be serious.” But Anita could see that he was. “Why would you even consider marrying me?”

  “Let’s face it, Anita. You and I have been fighting this attraction between us.” Tate’s complexion became a bit ruddier. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Look, spending time around you and your kids has made me realize what I’ve been missing. I think marrying you would be the right move for me. You’d gain the financial security you need and I’d get a ready-made family.”

  Anita didn’t care about Tate’s money. The only reason she would consider marriage to him was her deepening feelings for him.

  He would be the rescuer and protector, but she would be the one in love….

  Dear Reader,

  April is an exciting month for the romance industry because that is when our authors learn whether or not their titles have been nominated for the prestigious RITA® Award sponsored by the Romance Writers of America. As with the Oscars, our authors will find out whether they’ve actually won in a glamorous evening event that caps off the RWA national conference in July. Of course, all the Silhouette Romance titles this month are already winners to me!

  Karen Rose Smith heads up this month’s lineup with her tender romance To Protect and Cherish (#1810) in which a cowboy-at-heart bachelor becomes a father overnight. Prince Incognito (#1811) by Linda Goodnight features another equally unforgettable hero—this one a prince masquerading as an ordinary guy. Nearly everyone accepts his disguise except, of course, our perceptive heroine who is now torn between the dictates of her head…and her heart. Longtime Silhouette Romance author Sharon De Vita returns with Doctor’s Orders (#1812), in which a single mother who has been badly burned by love discovers a handsome doctor just might have the perfect prescription for her health and longtime happiness. Finally, in Roxann Delaney’s His Queen of Hearts (#1813), a runaway bride goes from the heat and into the fire when she finds herself holed up in a remote location with her handsome rescuer.

  Happy reading!

  Sincerely,

  Ann Leslie Tuttle

  Associate Senior Editor

  KAREN ROSE SMITH

  To Protect and Cherish

  Books by Karen Rose Smith

  Silhouette Romance

  *Adam’s Vow #1075

  *Always Daddy #1102

  *Shane’s Bride #1128

  †Cowboy at the Wedding #1171

  †Most Eligible Dad #1174

  †A Groom and a Promise #1181

  The Dad Who Saved Christmas #1267

  ‡Wealth, Power and a Proper Wife #1320

  ‡ Love, Honor and a Pregnant Bride #1326

  ‡Promises, Pumpkins and Prince Charming #1332

  The Night Before Baby #1348

  ‡Wishes, Waltzes and a Storybook Wedding #1407

  Just the Man She Needed #1434

  Just the Husband She Chose #1455

  Her Honor-Bound Lawman #1480

  Be My Bride? #1492

  Tall, Dark & True #1506

  Her Tycoon Boss #1523

  Doctor in Demand #1536

  A Husband in Her Eyes #1577

  The Marriage Clause #1591

  Searching for Her Prince #1612

  With One Touch #1638

  The Most Eligible Doctor #1692

  Once Upon a Baby… #1737

  Twelfth Night Proposal #1794

  To Protect and Cherish #1810

  Silhouette Special Edition

  Abigail and Mistletoe #930

  The Sheriff’s Proposal #1074

  His Little Girl’s Laughter #1426

  Expecting the CEO’s Baby #1535

  Their Baby Bond #1588

  Take a Chance on Me #1599

  Which Child Is Mine? #1655

  Cabin Fever #1682

  Silhouette Books

  The Fortunes of Texas

  Marry in Haste…

  Logan’s Legacy

  A Precious Gift

  The Fortunes of Texas: Reunion

  The Good Doctor

  Signature Select

  Secret Admirer

  “Dream Marriage”

  KAREN ROSE SMITH,

  award-winning author of over fifty published novels, loves to write. She began putting pen to paper in high school but never suspected crafting emotional and romantic stories would become her life’s work! Married for thirty-four years, she and her husband reside in Pennsylvania with their two cats, Ebbie and London. Readers can e-mail Karen through her Web site at www.karenrosesmith.com or write to her at P.O. Box 1545, Hanover, PA 17331.

  Dear Reader,

  The idea for To Protect and Cherish came easily. I keep folders of pictures of heroes, heroines and children who might appear in my story lines. In my collection I spotted a magazine photo of a red-headed boy with a devilish grin, holding a frog. I asked myself—What if there were two of him? What if the heroine had more than two children? What if suddenly the hero took on responsibility for a family and had to learn to become a dad overnight?

  I love writing about cowboys, men who have an innate sense of integrity, men who protect and cherish those they love. My hero, Tate Pardell, is a cowboy at heart, and I never knew exactly what he was going to say or do next! That’s the type of character who makes writing challenging and fun.

  I hope you enjoy Tate and the family he vows to protect and cherish.

  Karen Rose Smith

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  “You have three kids?”

  Tate Pardell ran his hand through his thick, dark-brown hair and took a second look at the young woman who sat across from his desk. When she’d walked into his office at Pardell Construction, his first look had been long and appreciative. She wasn’t beautiful, but with those green eyes, auburn curls and an abundance of freckles—never mind the delicious curves—his reaction hadn’t been an appropriate one, considering she was interviewing for the position of housekeeper.

  As Anita Sutton’s cheeks reddened, her chin lifted. “I know you advertised for a housekeeper, never expecting a…a family. But I really need this job, Mr. Pardell. And my kids, well—”

  “I need a housekeeper, but I was looking for someone older, with no attachments. Like my last one.”

  “Why did she leave?” Anita asked.

  Tate leaned back in the mahogany captain’s chair, studying Anita carefully. He had intended to do the interviewing, but she had turned the tables on him. He decided that was okay for the moment.

  “Dorothy turned sixty-five last year, and when I moved into a new house, she said it was too big for her to handle. She decided to retire and went to live with her sister in Waco.”

  Disconcerted by the eagerness in Anita’s green eyes, he read her résumé again. “You don’t have any experience as a housekeeper.”

  “I’m a mother, Mr. Pardell, so I’m a housekeeper every day of my life. As you can see from my résumé, I’ve waitressed for years. But I’m also self-taught on computers. A while back, I took a course on Web design and started a business. I have a few clients and hope to get more. I want to grow my business so I don’t have to waitress or be a housekeeper.”

  “So this job would be only temporary?”

  Dressed in black slacks and a cream oxford shirt, Anita fiddled with the button-down collar now,
as if she were nervous…as if what he decided mattered a lot. “I’m sure it will take at least a year until my Web design business can support us. You said you need someone now, and here I am.”

  Yes. Here she was.

  Every time he looked at her face, his blood moved a little faster—maybe a lot faster. His gaze rested on a group photo of his employees rather than on her and he was reminded of the reason he’d advertised for a housekeeper. He threw an annual barbecue for his staff. It was a tradition. He needed a housekeeper who could put it together in the next couple of weeks and not be dismayed by the prospect. He needed a woman who could make his house run smoothly so he didn’t have to think about it. A woman who would prepare meals and stow them away, so when he came home late he’d have more to eat than beef jerky.

  “How old are your kids?” he asked warily. He’d never had any experience with children, and he wasn’t sure he wanted it now.

  The sweetest smile he’d ever seen spread across Anita’s lips. “My twins, Corey and Jared, are five. Little Marie is ten-and-a-half months old.”

  The surprises kept coming. “You have a baby?”

  “She’s a very good baby, Mr. Pardell. A sound sleeper. I can’t promise you won’t know we’re around, but I’m a good mother. I don’t let the boys run wild, and I keep Marie close.”

  Picturing this woman as a mother unsettled Tate terribly. Maybe it was because of the stirring he felt when he looked at her. Or maybe it was because his desire and the pictures that came with it didn’t go hand in hand with the tableau of a woman caring for children.

  “Do you have anyone else who’s interviewed for this position?” Anita asked.

  Hell, yes, he’d had other women interview for the position! None that he wanted to consider, though. They either didn’t do windows, didn’t cook or didn’t like being stuck out of town on a ranch. There had been one who had sashayed in with long, red fingernails and bleached-blond hair with a look in her eye that told him being Mrs. Tate Pardell was high on her priority list.

  In eastern Texas, Pardell Construction was a name that had become well known over the past few years. Tate was proud of his accomplishments and most of the decisions he’d made that had brought him to the place where he was now—respected in the community and financially secure. And more than one woman had seen him as a prize. He’d misjudged the last one and had gotten badly burned. With her innocent vulnerable demeanor, Anita Sutton didn’t look as if she had a deceptive bone in her body, but he wasn’t so easily fooled now.

  “I’ve interviewed a few other applicants,” he finally answered tactfully.

  “Let me show you what I can do,” Anita responded with some excitement in her voice, sliding to the edge of her chair.

  “Show me?”

  “Yes. Let me come to your house this weekend and cook a meal for you. Hire me temporarily if you must, until I can prove to you that this can work.”

  Deciding to see how honest she could be, he asked, “So what’s the reason you want this job so badly?” He tried to keep his voice conversationally even, but he wanted the truth. He was going to see if she would give it.

  When Anita looked down at her hands, her curly, shoulder-length hair hid her face. Then she raised her gaze to his once more. “When my husband died a year ago, I vowed to my kids I’d provide them with a good life. I don’t want to just take care of their basic needs—I want to send them to college. That’s why I took that adult-ed class on Web design. But Larry left bills. I have to pay medical expenses for the week after the accident…the week before he died. In addition, I had more medical bills when Marie was born. I’m not covering our expenses as a waitress, and last month my rent went up again. I need something steady that pays more until my business gets off the ground. The salary you offered is generous, and the room and board would be a godsend. I could save a lot of my salary, pay off debts and then build a small nest egg.”

  He knew what she was saying could be true. However, before he sampled her cooking, before he tested her as a housekeeper, he had to know more about those kids. He just couldn’t imagine three of them underfoot. Then again, he wasn’t home that much.

  “Are your boys in school yet?”

  “They start Tuesday. All day in kindergarten.”

  As he checked his watch, he asked, “So they’re home now?”

  “I have a neighbor who babysits for me. She comes to my apartment.”

  Making a decision, he stood. “All right, I want to meet them.”

  When he came around the desk, he saw her eyes start at his boots and run up his six-foot-two frame. It made him hot, thinking she was checking him out in the same way that he’d appraised her.

  “Now?” she asked, her voice high and unsure.

  He wanted to catch the kids unawares. He wanted to see her place. He wanted to find out what kind of woman she was before he seriously considered employing her and let her into his house. “Yes, now. Is that a problem?”

  When she rose, too, she seemed like such a little bit of a thing. Maybe five-foot-four? “No…No problem. Uh, do you want my address?”

  “I’ll follow you.” When she looked troubled, he asked, “What’s wrong? Is there a reason you don’t want me to go home with you now?” He wondered if she’d been lying about something and he was going to catch her in it.

  Blushing again, she admitted, “It’s just that my apartment might not be straightened up.”

  “Might not?”

  She gave a nervous little laugh. “Well, with kids…” She stopped, not wanting to sink her chances of getting the job.

  “Yes? With kids?”

  “Never mind,” she said, turning toward the door. “Let’s go.” Without another look at him, she pushed open the glass door to Pardell Construction and went outside into the bright August day.

  Tate followed her, wondering just what in the heck he was getting himself into.

  As Anita cast a glance at Tate Pardell following her in his red SUV, she was a nervous wreck. She did need this job. Desperately. Her debts included the charges Larry had racked up on their credit card before he died. She didn’t know how she was going to do it, but she wanted to pay back the people they owed.

  When she snuck a peek at Tate again and caught the intent expression under his tan Stetson as he drove, her pulse raced. She’d never expected to be attracted to him. She’d scoped him out on the Internet before calling because she wouldn’t move her kids into just anyone’s house. Not that she could tell character from a few newspaper articles, but she’d learned enough to make her set up the interview. He had money, that was true. He’d dated lots of women—model types—that was also true. However, he was involved in charitable work. There had been a picture of him serving soup at a shelter for the homeless. He apparently helped out every weekend during the winter months. A man who did that on his free time had to have some place in his heart that was filled with goodness. At least enough goodness that she and her kids would be safe in his house.

  Meeting him had reinforced her opinion.

  Truth be told, she didn’t expect much of men anymore. Her father had disappeared before she was born and Larry had certainly let her down. But she wouldn’t be involved in Tate Pardell’s personal life; she’d be his employee—his housekeeper—and that was all she cared about.

  On Friday afternoons, curbside parking in front of her apartment was available. Her unit was one of eight in a two-story building. It wasn’t in the best part of town, but she had good neighbors. She’d hung a dried-flower wreath on the door and planted marigolds in a window box decorating the single window. After she pulled to a stop, she heard the purr of Tate’s engine behind her as he parked. Climbing out of her car, she led the way to her doorstep.

  When Tate met her there, he muttered, “I hope you don’t go out alone at night.” He glanced at the abandoned building next to the apartment, then across the street, where the row houses were run-down.

  Her shoulders squared. “Clear Springs is too small t
o have a high crime rate.”

  “No place is immune from drugs and guns these days,” he returned.

  “If I could move us into a better area, I would,” she said defensively.

  With one booted foot on the first step, his hand in one pocket, his Stetson drawn low, he gave her a penetrating look. Then he responded, “Yes, I suppose you would.” He motioned in front of him. “Lead the way.”

  The August afternoon was almost balmy, and a breeze lifted a few curls along her cheek. As she passed Tate, his forearm brushed her wrist and she felt the contact in too many places. Covering her sudden awareness of him, she found her house key on the ring and unlocked the door.

  When she stepped inside the living room, she breathed a sigh of relief. Coloring books and crayons littered the scarred coffee table, and two pairs of small sneakers lay in front of the TV. Other than that, the room was clean and neat.

  Tate was looking around with interest, and Anita tried to see her place through his eyes. She’d made the ruffled yellow-and-blue plaid curtains on the windows with her neighbor’s sewing machine. The slipcover on the sofa matched. Red throw pillows on the couch were the same material as the covering on her platform rocker. Purple, yellow and white snapdragons from the backyard stood in a mason jar on the pine table by the side of the chair, while photos of Corey, Jared and Marie peered out from discount-store frames on a small set of bookshelves. Framed finger paintings the twins had created hung above the sofa. She loved the coziness of her living room, but as Tate Pardell scanned it, she realized he probably thought it looked like bargain store chic.

  Suddenly, something occurred to her and she spun around to face him. “Would you even have room for me and three kids?”

  He looked uncomfortable, as if he didn’t want to say if he would or wouldn’t. But then he answered her. “There’d be room. The house has quarters for a maid or housekeeper—two bedrooms, a sitting room and a full bath. You’d have to use the main kitchen, but otherwise, it’s about as much room as you have here.”

  She couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice. “Your house must be huge!”