Second Chance for the Single Dad

Second Chance for the Single Dad
eBook: $3.99
Author:
Series: Mercy Indiana Series, Book 3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Mills & Boon Silhouette
Publication Year: June 2004
ASIN: B095YZY7R3
ISBN: 9781736990476

Widower Luke Dole is finally getting his life back on track—except for the fractured relationship with his twelve-year-old daughter, Emily. Just as he thinks he’s beginning to rebuild their connection, Emily runs away—again. He finds her sneaking into the window of a vacant rental property. When he climbs in after his daughter, Luke is shocked to find someone living inside the tiny house.

Anita Ricardo moved to Mercy to provide a better life for herself and her unborn child. The house she’s rented turns out to be a bit of a fixer-upper, and more than she bargained for. She smacks an intruder with a skillet, only to find out it’s Luke, a man she once worked with—and once kissed, a moment she’s never forgotten.

But Anita isn’t interested in a man to solve her problems—she can do that on her own. And Luke isn’t sure he’s ready to move on from his wife’s death, either. When Anita’s employment plans fall through, Luke offers her an opportunity with his fledgling business. It all sounds good, except for the pesky problem of the chemistry that flares between them like hot summer lightning. Will either of them be brave enough to risk becoming a forever family?

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About the Book

Finalist, Golden Quill Award for Best Romance

“Romantic comedy has a rising star and her name is Shirley Jump (4 and a half stars, TOP PICK!). In the end, this is a smart and satisfying book about family, the one you’re born into and the one you make for yourself.” —Romantic Times BOOKClub

“Romantic comedy has a rising star and her name is Shirley Jump. In THE DADDY’S PROMISE (4 and a half stars, TOP PICK!) pregnant Anita has just moved to small town Mercy, Indiana. Her only friend, ex-boss Luke, is putting his life back together after a business failure and his wife’s death. Anita adorably defies convention in several fresh and interesting ways and Luke has a few surprises of his own. Jump winningly conveys their chemistry and her deft touch with humor shines through. In the end, this is a smart and satisfying book about family, the one you’re born into and the one you make for yourself.” — Cindy Harrison, “A Writer’s Diary”, www.cynthiaharrison.com

“Visit Mercy, Indiana, hometown USA, where life may be slower, but love grows strong. In THE DADDY’S PROMISE, Shirley Jump makes you homesick for a town that welcomes the lost and the loveless, and helps them to heal.
“Anita Ricardo gave up her fast paced job in LA and drove half-way across the country to reach Mercy. With every mile she promised her unborn child this trip wasn’t about her former boss or the sizzling kiss they’d shared in his office over a year ago. No, this trip was about starting over, and finding a home. So, why was Anita pushing the last mile out of the Honda in her determination to reach Luke Dole’s hometown?
“Luke Dole has struggled for two years to get his life back on track, and to connect with his twelve-year-old daughter after his wife’s death. Anita Ricardo appears at his door in a pouring rain storm, charms his daughter into a normal conversation, and shocks Luke out of his mind. Anita, beautiful, bright, efficient, and his partner in a kiss that has filled his dreams for a year, is sitting at his kitchen table dripping wet and very pregnant.
“In a heartwarming story that proves sometimes love is just meant to be, three people find themselves making a family for an unborn child. Shirley Jump will have you laughing and crying in this tale about finding true love. Be sure to read, THE DADDY’S PROMISE…a great way to celebrate Father’s Day, and catch up on Luke’s family.” — Cataromance

“Luke Dole had moved back to Mercy, Indiana with his twelve-year-old daughter, Emily. It was two years after losing his wife, Mary, to a drunk driver and Emily was having a hard time settling down after her mother’s death. Luke was hoping that being here in Indiana would help, he was afraid that he was losing Emily, too.
“Anita Ricardo had worked for Mark and Luke Dole when they ran their computer company in California. Anita had been an only child and at the tender age of ten when her mother died, she was shuffled from one foster home to another. A year ago, Luke and Anita had shared a kiss that wasn’t to be repeated. Anita decides to have a child by going to a baby clinic and she knows that she wants to live in the small town of Mercy, Indiana and to raise her child there.
“The small house that Anita rented was in need of a lot of repairs. When Ms. Marchand brought Anita a welcoming basket from the people in town, she suggested that Anita contact John Dole, because he was the man that did a lot of repairs. John Dole was also Luke and Mark Dole’s father. Anita hadn’t known that Luke had returned to Mercy with his daughter, but she knew that she had to stay away from him.
“Shirley Jump brings us another episode of the Dole family as Luke tries to find a way to get his rebellious daughter back on track. Emily was fighting him all the way and Luke asks Anita to help tutor Emily. Now Luke is fighting the attraction that he feels for Anita. I shed a few tears and felt the love shared between the members of the Dole family as I enjoyed visiting Mercy, Indiana once again. You can feel the closeness of the small town as they come together as one. I recommend that you pickup a copy of The Daddy’s Promise today, settle back and join the people of Mercy, Indiana. You will feel as if you have come home.” –Helen Slifer, Writers Unlimited Reviewer

“For those of you who loved The Bachelor’s Dare as much as I did last year, I think you’ll love picking up where that story left off, as Jump tells us the story of widower Luke Dole and a very pregnant Anita Ricardo.
“Luke Dole had no idea that he’d end up being reacquainted with Anita Ricardo again, when he is caught crawling through the bedroom window of the ramshackle house she is renting in Mercy, Indiana, or that he’d end up with a Teflon frying pan upside his head. Once Luke explains that he is really crawling in behind his twelve year old daughter Emily, who still thought the house was deserted, he and Anita take the chance to discuss how it is she ended up moving to Luke’s hometown.
“With Anita’s job prospects falling through and a baby on the way she decides to take Luke up on the idea of spending some time tutoring his daughter who is badly in need of a woman’s touch. Things start to get even cozier as the story progresses and Anita ends up needing a place to live when there is a fire at her rental house and then again when she needs a birthing partner at her Lamaze class.
“You will chuckle your way through this charming romance as Luke tries to fight his growing feelings for the sassy Anita who completely steals his heart and the heart of the reader.” — A Romance Review

 

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