Letter to Reader Title Page Acknowledgments Books by Laura Anthony About the Author Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Epilogue Copyright THE OFFICE GRAPEVINE Barrington Corporation News Bulletin Vol.1 No. 6 June 1999 • Word around the office is that Mike the mailman and Sophia Shepherd shared quite the romantic moment when they were trapped together in the elevator during a blackout. But reliable sources say that Mike has been keeping a million-dollar secret that, once known, is sure to surprise everybody—most especially Sophia! • Good things really do come in small packages. Congratulations to Olivia and Lucas Hunter on the birth of their son, Nathaniel Wyatt Hunter! • Finally, did you hear the news? It seems as if Rex Barrington II is destined for a romance of his own. We all know that his faithful assistant, Mildred Van Hess, has stood by the company president for years...but rumors abound that it was because of more than just professional loyalty! Dear Reader, In May 2000 Silhouette Romance will commemorate its twentieth anniversary! This line has always celebrated the essence of true love in a manner that blends classic themes and the challenges of romance in today’s world into a reassuring, fulfilling novel. From the enchantment of first love to the wonder of second chance, a Silhouette Romance novel demonstrates the power of genuine emotion and the breathless connection that develops between a man and a woman as they discover each other. And this month’s stellar selections are quintessential Silhouette Romance stories! If you’ve been following LOVING THE BOSS, you’ll be amazed when mysterious Rex Barrington III is unmasked in I Married the Boss! by Laura Anthony. In this month’s FABULOUS FATHERS offering by Donna Clayton, a woman discovers His Ten-Year-Old Secret. And opposites attract in The Rancher and the Heiress, the third of Susan Meier’s TEXAS FAMILY TIES miniseries. WRANGLERS & LACE returns with Julianna Morris’s The Marriage Stampede. In this appealing story, a cowgirl butts heads—and hearts—with a bachelor bent on staying that way. Sally Carleen unveils the first book in her exciting duo ON THE WAY TO A WEDDING... with the tale of a twin mistaken for an M.D.’s Bride in Waiting! It’s both a blessing and a dilemma for a single mother when she’s confronted with an amnesiac Husband Found, this month’s FAMILY MATTERS title by Martha Shields. Enjoy the timeless power of Romance this month, and every month—you won’t be disappointed! Mary-Theresa Hussey Senior Editor, Silhouette Romance Please address questions and book requests to: Silhouette Reader Service U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269 Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3 I MARRIED THE BOSS! Laura Anthony Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Laurie Blalock Vanzura, writing as Laura Anthony, for her contribution to the Loving the Boss miniseries. Books by Laura Anthony Silhouette Romance Raleigh and the Rancher #1092 Second Chance Family #1119 Undercover Honeymoon #1166 Look-Alike Bride #1220 Baby Business #1240 The Stranger’s Surprise #1260 Bride of a Texas Trueblood #1285 Honey of a Husband #1322 Stranded with a Tall. Dark Stranger #1340 I Married the Boss! #1372 LAURA ANTHONY started writing at age eight. She credits her father, Fred Blalock, as the guiding force behind her career. Although a registered nurse, Laura has achieved a lifelong dream and now pursues writing fiction full time. Her hobbies include jogging, boating, traveling and reading voraciously. Chapter One Mrs. Rex Michael Barrington III. Sophia Shepherd doodled across the yellow legal notepad and gave a heartfelt sigh. Four months into her new job as assistant to the executive vice president of the Barrington Corporation and she had yet to even meet her boss, much less achieve her goal of marrying him. In fact, she knew very little about the man beyond his sexy telephone voice and his sharp business acumen. Mrs. Sophia Barrington. The fact that her five best girlfriends, Cindy, Olivia, Molly, Rachel and Patricia, had all fallen in love with their bosses had set Sophia’s imagination into overdrive. Could she, too, marry her boss? After all, love was definitely in the air. Olivia had already wed Lucas Hunter and Cindy was due to walk down the aisle with Kyle Prentice in November. Was it too much to hope that some of that magical stardust might one day settle upon her, bringing into her life the same profound happiness her friends had discovered? Of course, her five friends had a distinct advantage over her. They’d actually known their bosses while Sophia had a crush on a man she’d never even seen. Yet, she and her boss talked on the phone daily, and Mr. Barrington— although Sophia liked to think of him as Michael so as not to confuse him with his father, Rex Michael Barrington II—often praised her efficiency. Surely she hadn’t imagined the admiration in his voice last week when he’d told her that she was the best assistant he’d ever had and that when he arrived in Phoenix to take over the family business after his father retired in two months, he intended on treating her to dinner? Dinner with Michael Barrington? Sophia’s toes curled at the prospect. She couldn’t have been more excited if Tom Cruise himself had asked her for a date. Dreamily Sophia closed her eyes and allowed her reverie full rein. They’d dine at Reflections in the White Swan Hotel in Sedona, the most exclusive restaurant in the most exclusive vacation chain owned by the Barrington Corporation. They’d drink Dom Pérignon, nibble on turkey medallions marinated in mushroom wine sauce and have cherries jubilee for dessert. Afterward, Michael would invite her for a late-night stroll along the lake. Demurely she would agree. They’d step outside into the warm night air. He’d take her hand. His grip would be strong and comforting. They would walk for several minutes, his sexy voice rolling over her like heated body oil. The moon would be bright and full, bathing them in an ethereal glow. Michael would tell her how much he admired her work and how much he trusted her as his personal secretary. Sophia would respond in kind, telling him he was the most industrious, responsible, empowering boss she’d ever worked for. Michael would stop and gently draw her into the curve of his arm. His heavenly smell, an expensive men’s cologne, would intoxicate her senses. She’d catch her breath and look up into those dark eyes. Sophia liked to pretend that he possessed eyes as deep brown as a Hershey’s Chocolate Kiss. “Sophia.” Michael would whisper her name in that throaty baritone of his and she would tumble helplessly under his spell. “I can’t tell you how much you’ve come to mean to me over the past few months.” “But, Michael,” she would protest, but ever so slightly, “we’ve only just met face-to-face.” “That’s not important,” he would argue. “And although you are an attractive woman, your looks are of no consequence. I’ve come to know the real you over the phone and through your funny little faxes and your witty e-mail messages. I trust you, Sophia Shepherd. Truly, deeply, as I’ve never trusted another.” “Oh, Michael.” She would sigh and he’d sweep her against his chest. His lips would come down on hers in a haunting, soul-searching kiss. A tender kiss that would make her feel comfortable, safe and secure. A kiss that held promises of happily-ever-after. “Good morning, Sophia.” Ripped from her delicious daydream, Sophia jerked her attention to the doorway. Mike Barr, the office mailman, lounged seductively against the doorjamb, his hips cocked forward in a nonchalant slouch, a come-hither grin curling the corners of his lips and a daring twinkle sparking in his green eyes. His dark brown hair was sexily mussed as if he hadn’t bothered with a comb, had instead merely raked his fingers through it. He wore tan chinos and a crisp white polo shirt which did nothing to camouflage his tanned muscular forearms. He possessed a voice almost as deep as her boss’s, but where Michael Barrington spoke in a commanding rush, Mike, the office mailman, let words drip off his tongue like heated molasses, and he dished up compliments as readily as he handed out the company mail. Despite her best intentions to the contrary, Sophia experienced a hot rush of desire instantly replace the lingering sweetness of her fantasy. Darn it! What was it about this particular man that so stirred her blood? “Good morning, Mike,” Sophia replied evenly, refusing to give him a clue to the unrestrained chemistry ramming through her whenever she looked at him. The man need never know that although her heart belonged to Michael Barrington, her fickle body seemed to prefer the mailman’s outdoorsy good looks. Sure, Mike was the sexiest thing on two legs. Nobody could deny that. But when a girl looked at him, what she saw was what she got. A handsome guy at the bottom of the corporate ladder with no ambitions to climb higher. A guy who might be great for a few weeks of carefree adventure but one who would certainly falter when it came to long-term commitment.