Quade's Babies (Silhouette Desire) [Mass Market Paperback]

Brenda Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Silhouette Desire | Publication Date: December 9, 2008

Quade Westmoreland's one-night love affair with Cheyenne had branded him body and soul, but he'd never even learned her last name. Almost a year later, driven by memories and one incriminating photo, the sexy operative had finally tracked her down—and discovered three little babies bearing his features. Learning he was a father made Quade even more determined: he would claim Cheyenne Steele in every way. Shockingly, the irresistible beauty seemed intent on resisting him. But the Westmoreland destiny was at stake, and Quade would fight for what was his.…

Editorial Reviews

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"Sir, the plane is about ready to take off. Please shut down your laptop and fasten your seat belt."

Quade Westmoreland followed the flight attendant's instructions while thinking just how many times he'd heard such a request while flying aboard a commercial aircraft. Over the past eight years he had grown accustomed to the luxury of Air Force One where using a laptop during takeoff was not only welcomed but necessary.

He glanced around. At least he was in first class, which wasn't a bad deal, and no one was sitting in the seat beside him, which made things even better. He didn't like the feel of being crowded or cramped. He liked having his space. That was the reason he'd enjoyed his job with the PSF, Presidential Security Forces, dual branches of the Secret Service and CIA.

But if the truth be known—and there were only a few key individuals who actually knew the truth— his particular position entailed a lot more than protecting the president. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the PSF was created and he'd become a part of the elite team. His job was to keep tabs on the president's travels abroad and make sure everything associated with the trips, especially the security, was dealt with prior to the president's visit. It was his responsibility to protect the commander and chief from behind the scenes at all cost.

That was the reason he had been in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt, the night he had met Cheyenne Steele.

Cheyenne Steele.

Just thinking about her brought an automatic tightening in his chest, as well as a stirring in another part of his body. The woman had gotten that sort of response from him from the first time he had encountered her that night walking on the beach. He had actually felt her presence before seeing her. And when he had gazed into her face, a deep physical attraction had unleashed fierce desire in him, a degree to which he had never felt toward any other woman in all his thirty-six years. It had been hot. Unex-plainable. And luckily for him, the attraction had been mutual.

It didn't take long to discover that she was just as physically attracted to him as he was to her, and after a few brief moments of small talk, she accepted his offer to share a drink… in his hotel room.

Although he had known she would be safe with him, he had initially questioned her decision until they'd gotten up to his room. Before going inside with him she had made a smart move by using her cell phone to contact the female friend she was traveling with to let her know where she would be; specifically which room and at which hotel on the beach.

Cheyenne was the only part of her name she had exchanged with him that night and, considering how they'd met and the activities that had followed afterward, he hadn't been sure if Cheyenne had even been her real name. She had been pretty secretive, but then so had he. And like her, he had only shared his first name.

He had constantly thought about her since that night and then a few days ago, while visiting his relatives in Montana, he had seen her face on the cover of a magazine. And it was pretty damn obvious that she was pregnant.

In fact, she looked ready to deliver at any moment. Since the magazine had been October's issue and it was now the first of December, a million questions had been going through his mind. The first of which was whether or not he was the man responsible for her condition.

They had used protection that night, but he would be the first to admit his passion for her, his desire to mate with her, had been uncontrollable. And somewhere in the back of his mind he seemed to recall at least one of the times in which there had not been a barrier. Whether it was true or just a figment of his imagination, he wasn't certain. Even if he had used a condom each time they had made love, condoms weren't without flaws, and when you made love as many times as they had, anything was possible. Even an unplanned pregnancy.

She was the only one who could put his mind to rest by telling him whether or not the child—which should have been born by now—was his. If it wasn't, she must have slept with someone else around the same time she had slept with him. That was something he didn't want to think about. And if the child was his, he would do the right thing—the only thing a Westmoreland could do if they were foolish enough to get caught in such a situation. He would ask her to marry him to give their child his name. After a reasonable amount of time they could file for a divorce and part ways.

He could tolerate a short-term wife if he had to. He had recently retired and was about to embark on another career. He had joined a partnership with a few of his cousins to open a chain of security offices around the country.

He refused to be reminded that a marriage of convenience was how things had started out between his brother Durango and his wife, Savannah, and that they were now a happily married couple. Quade was glad things worked out the way they had for them; however, the situation with him and Cheyenne was different.

Durango had fallen hard for Savannah from the first time he had seen her at their cousin Chase's wedding. But it had been lust and only lust that had driven his desire for Cheyenne that night. If it had been more than that, he would have taken the time to get to know her. He'd only had one goal in mind after meeting Cheyenne and that was finding a way to get her into his bed.

One of the downsides of his former job was the long periods he'd had to put his social life on hold. It had been during one of those times, when his testosterone had been totally out of whack, that he met Cheyenne. He'd gone a long time without a woman and Cheyenne had been a prime target for a one-night stand.

But he hadn't meant to get her pregnant if that's what he'd actually done. So here he was on his way to Charlotte, North Carolina, to find out if he was the father of her baby. He had contacted the ad agency and discovered not only that Cheyenne was her real name, but that she was also a model, which was the reason she had been on the cover of that magazine. He shouldn't have been surprised to learn of her profession since she had to have been the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. On the cover of that magazine with her pregnancy proudly displayed for the camera, she had still looked radiant and breathtakingly beautiful.

Quade felt the plane tilt upward as it took off. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, deciding now was a perfect time to relive those long and passionate hours he had spent in bed with Cheyenne nearly ten months ago.

***

Quade felt hot, edgy and he couldn't sleep.

Muttering a curse, he eased out of bed and looked around the hotel room.

The president was to arrive in two days and Quade and his men had checked out everything, especially the route the motorcade would be taking. There had been rumblings of a planned protest, but a spokesman for the Egyptian government had contacted him earlier to say the matter had been taken care of.

He wondered if the bar downstairs was still open. He could definitely use a drink to take the edge off. For some reason this place and sleeping alone in this bed was reminding him just how long it had been since he'd had any sort of intimate physical contact with a woman. Too long.

Instead of getting a drink, Quade decided to take a walk on the beach. He eased into a pair of jeans and pulled a T-shirt over his head. After sliding his feet into a pair of sandals he checked the clock on the nightstand. It was almost one in the morning.

As he left his room, closing the door shut behind him, he thought about the phone conversation he'd had with his mother earlier. She had surprised the hell out of him by saying his cousin Clint had gotten married.

He had just seen his cousin a few months before at his brother Spencer's wedding. They had talked. Clint had been excited. He had just retired as a Texas Ranger to become a partner with Durango and a childhood friend, McKinnon Quinn, in their horse-breeding business. Not once had Clint mentioned anything about a woman. And now he was married? There had to be more to it than the romantic tale his mother had weaved.

Within no time at all Quade had caught the designated elevator, the one that would take him six levels down to a patio that led to the beach. Most of the hotel was empty. The majority of the rooms were already reserved for the president's visit. The first lady would be present on this trip, along with a number of other dignitaries. The visit would last three days and Quade would be working nonstop behind the scenes the entire time.

He inhaled deeply as the scent of the ocean filled his nostrils, and after taking a few steps his sandals hit the soft sand, making him feel as if he was walking on marshmallows. Sharm al-Sheikh was a beautiful place, a developed tourist resort on the Sinai Peninsula that catered to the rich and famous. Even in the moonlit night, he could make out the large five-star hotels that dotted the shoreline.

A number of his men had made plans to hang around after the president's visit to relax

and unwind. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be one of them. He had promised his mother that he would be returning to the States in time to make an appearance at the christening of his cousin Thorn's son.

Quade had to admit that he always looked forward to returning home to Atlanta whenever he could. TheWestmorelands were a large group and getting even larger with all the recent marriages and births. And then there was the possibility that they might find even more West-morelands if the genealogy search his father was conducting proved out. It seemed that their great-grandfather had a twin everyone assumed had died while in his early twenties. It appeared the black sheep Raphel Westmoreland, who had run off with a still-married preacher's wife at the age of 22, was still alive. Both Quade's father and his father's twin brother, James, were eager to find any descendants of their long, lost wife-stealing, great-grand uncle Raphel.<...

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Silhouette (December 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373769113
• ISBN-13: 978-0373769117
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Steele of a Deal, November 23, 2008

By 

free4lyfe "VOR" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quade's Babies (Silhouette Desire) (Mass Market Paperback)

What can happen on a sensuously beautiful Egyptian night when a Steele meets a Westmoreland during a discreet yet sizzling stroll? TRIPLETS!!! I have been waiting for the day one of Brenda Jackson's strong heros, or determined heroines crossed over combining more strong, intelligent, honorable, loving and very sexy family members. The possibilities are endless.

As an avid Westmoreland fan I've been waiting for Quade's story especially with the mystery that surrounds him. Knowing his work within the government is highly secretive kept me wondering what he did exactly and what kind of woman would capture his heart. From the moment Quade felt the possibility his passionate night with Cheyenne resulted in her being pregnant with his child, like other missions before Quade was intent to make the end result successful with Cheyenne not merely being the mother of his child but his wife.

Opening the door to find Quade standing before her may have shocked Cheyenne but Ms. Steele isn't about to accept a proposal based on obligation. However, when she disclosed he was not the father of her baby...but babies someone should have warned her that Quade Westmoreland would become even more unwavering in making sure his children grew up with him as a very much present part of their lives.

The story is fast paced and the chemistry between Quade and Cheyenne remains hot as the Egyptian sun. Both tried to deny love was the reason they were still more than attacted to one another after months of separation but in the end they both gave into their hearts for more than the babies sake....and if Quade's prediction is right they may need a bigger nursery. Loved it Brenda, I give it 4.5 stars

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quade's Babies/ Brenda Jackson, November 23, 2008

By 

Darla Moore "Lover Of Romance" (LIttle Rock, AR.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quade's Babies (Silhouette Desire) (Mass Market Paperback)

Quade's Babies (Silhouette Desire) I loved this book. The joining of the Westmoreland and Steele families was handle very nicely. Considering so much testosterone floating around I just knew Cheyenne's overprotective cousins were going to give Quade a hard time. It was refreshing how they worked that out. And those wonderful babies. What's not too love?

I would definitely recommend this book.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bummer. Brenda can do better, December 14, 2008

By 

sammy sun - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quade's Babies (Silhouette Desire) (Mass Market Paperback)

Oh boy. Where do I begin? I love romance novels and I have loved most of Brenda Jackson's books, but this one is ridiculous. It was a nonstory turned into a story. Cheyenne meets Quade, they sleep together and he never sees her again and doesn't even know her last name. 10 months later he sees her pregnant in a magazine. She is supposed to be a supermodel, for goodness sake and he's supposed to be a secret service agent who doesn't keep up with popular culture? He counts back and thinks her baby must be his. The majority of the book takes place in 24 hours - bad idea. How can characters grow to love each other in 24 hrs? Quade comes to her house, asks if he is the father, she gives him some dumb response about it being complicated because 'she didn't have his baby, she had his babies. How is that complicated? Overnight he is wonder dad. He demands the children have his name, he demands she marry him and when he senses Cheyenne is tired, he demands she sleeps. Of course, at this point, she has gone from independent, gonna-raise-my-babies-on-my-own supermodel to a subservient, emotionally weak shadow of her former self. I guess I feel this story was rushed and poorly thought out. Oh yeah, since I'm already complaining, let me say that in all these beautiful people stories, I'm tired of everyone being important hard working people, who are always at the top of their fields; but always find the time to drop everything when anyone has a sniffle. Seriously just skip this one.