Silhouette Intimate Moments #500 Secondhand Husband

FROM THE COVER: "Laura Halloran was going nowhere fast; hustling drinks in an L.A. dive seemed more a life sentence than a life. But the night Conner Fox escorted her home from a barroom brawl, everything was suddenly different. For this tall, solid rancher with the crystal-green eyes offered her marriage, and a new life under the endless sky.... Connor had noticed a lot of things about Laura right off the bat: she was sweet, caring...and her legs were impossibly, invitingly long. But he didn't want a loving wife; he wanted a mother for his child and a companion on cold, lonely nights. And he would refuse, with every fiber of his being, to let himself love again." Published in 1993, this is still an excellent story of a man who is emotionally wounded by the unexpected death of his first wife during childbirth. He is so wounded that he calls his little daughter "the child" instead of by her name, Mary. He never looks at her; he never cuddles her. He merely provides for her. And when his last nanny gets fed up with the isolation of Conner's ranch, she suggests that what he really needs is a wife. Conner travels from Colorado to L.A. to interview prospective nanny replacements, and ends up meeting and marrying Laura instead. It was a joy for me to watch as Laura blossomed under the security of ranch life, and how, under her care, a wounded and scarred man slowly unfolded enough to heal and learn to love both his new wife and his daughter. I have read this book several times, and it's definitely on my "Keeper" list. Enjoy!