Temporary Dad (Harlequin American Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Laura Marie Altom (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373750781
• ISBN-13: 978-0373750788
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,146,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura began writing at the ripe old age of 12 when she penned a romance about a model falling for her photographer on a catalogue shoot in St. Thomas. Up until page 42, she faithfully wrote at least a page a day, but gave up when following her own junior high romantic pursuits became more fun than writing about someone else's!

Fast-forward a few years, and Laura met the love of her life her freshman year at the University of Arkansas. Three years and countless toga parties later, Laura and Terry married.

Interior design and marriage license in hand, Laura went to work for well-known Arkansas firms, Perry Butcher Architects and Albert Skiles Architects. Among her many projects were schools, churches, corporate offices and over two dozen luxurious private residences. She'd just been handed a dream assignment of designing her first public library when another dream came true -- she discovered she wasn't just pregnant, but pregnant with twins!

Destiny soon put a twist in Laura's burgeoning career by adding complications to her pregnancy. Two months in, doctors placed her on bed rest. Seven months later, her life forever changed upon getting her first glimpse of precious boy/girl twins. She briefly considered returning to work, but couldn't fight the desire to stay home with her brood.

Two years later, while she loved being a stay-at-home mom, a part of herself had been lost in the process. Then one day, while sorting through dusty boxes, she came across her old romance manuscript. In finding that manuscript, along with her love of writing, fate gave Laura's life another twist, and she's never looked back.

Since then, Terry's engineering career has taken the family to places like Denver, Salt Lake City, and then on to Tulsa, OK, where she now resides. Throughout all of those moves, Laura never lost sight of her ultimate dream -- to become a world-renowned romance author. While she's still hard at work on that "world-renowned" part of her dream, to date she's sold over seventy romantic short stories and many romance novels.

Now, Laura spends her days contentedly writing and chasing after the twins and their menagerie of pets, ranging from a mutt named Sweet Pea, a mini-long-haired dachshund named Cocoa, a black-and-white stealth cat named Domino and a yard full of ducks and geese who live in the backyard pond but would like to live in the house! When night falls, Laura usually finds time to steal a few romantic moments for herself and her own hunky cover stud!

Laura loves hearing from readers and may be reached via email at [e-mail] or snail mail at P.O. Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Originally Posted on Romance Junkies in 2005, May 13, 2007

By 

Jennifer Wardrip (Bloomington, Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Temporary Dad (Harlequin American Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

Annie Harnesberry hasn't had the greatest luck with men. Her ex-husband, Troy , was an abuser. The man she'd fallen half-way in love with, Connor, turned out to not be looking for a mother for his five children, but a nanny. Annie found that out the hard way, when on Valentine's Day, dear Connor offered her a position as nanny, and happily flashed an engagement ring that he planned on giving another woman. Yes, Annie's love life was definitely on a downward spiral.

As if Connor wanting her for her nanny abilities wasn't bad enough, Annie really was in love with his children. Annie is a natural born mother, and even though she doesn't have any children of her own, her career choices of running an infant nursery and now working in a preschool allow her to work with the children she adores. Now that Connor and his charges are in Atlanta with the new wife and Scandinavian nanny, Annie has relocated herself to Pecan, Oklahoma , and settled into a new apartment that she plans to finally make into a home.

The only problem is the wailing and screeching coming from the apartment across the yard. For someone who can't stand to hear a child crying, the echoing wails can't be ignored, and Annie makes her way cautiously across the courtyard-only to be greeted by one sexy male with a handful of not one, not two, but three infants.

Jed Hale is used to having a handle on any and all situations. A fireman who has found himself in any number of perilous situations, nothing prepared him for caring for his niece and two nephews for longer than a couple of hours. His younger sister, Patti, mom to Pia, Richard, and Ronnie, seems to have dropped off the radar, missing her return time to pick up her kids by over twenty-four hours.

Now Jed's in a fix-not only is his sister missing, but he's totally unprepared to take care of three needy infants for a long period of time. He needs to find his sister, but he also needs someone to help take care of his charges. Enter Annie, who seems to have a magic touch when it comes to children, and Jed can't help asking her to come along as he searches for his absent sister.

What follows is a delightful story about a woman who wants to be seen as more than a babysitter, a man who needs to learn that some things are out of his control, and an entertaining cast of secondary characters that will remind you of your own family. Annie and Jed are two people who both need something that's been missing in their lives, even if they haven't realized it. Thrown together by circumstances, torn apart by misunderstandings, and ultimately brought together by love, TEMPORARY DAD is an engaging romance that showcases life and love at its best.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, heartwarming tale!, November 5, 2005

By 

C. Gruver "ferretlady" (Mesa, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Temporary Dad (Harlequin American Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

Jed Hale is a control freak, even to the point of admitting it to anyone who asks. When he decided to give his little sister a break from her triplets for the day, he wasn't planning on her running away and leaving him with the babies for over twenty-four hours. Ever since his little brother died in a house fire, Jed knows if he's not in control of a situation, something bad will happen. And when his parents were killed, Jed took it upon himself to raise his little sister. Not surprisingly, she became somewhat wild and finally settled down and married and had the triplets. Now panicking, Jed calls all over trying to locate the missing parent.

Annie Harnesberry hasn't had an easy time of it. After her parents died, she was raised by her grandmother. Her choice of a husband left much to be desired and the relationship only lasted three months. After that disaster, Annie went and got involved with a widower with children. Imagine her surprise when he informed her he was getting married, to someone else! Of course, he wants Annie to stick around as the nanny. Finally taking control of her life, Annie moved away from her hometown to Pecan, and bought a condo and got a new job. Now deciding how she wants to decorate her condo, she hears a baby crying. No, make that more than one baby crying. Being a pre-school teacher, Annie just can't resist and decides to see if she can offer any assistance.

When Annie shows up at his door, Jed knows she is exactly what he needs. Somehow, he manages to con her into babysitting so he can work his shift at the firehouse.

Not only is Jed a fireman, he's also gorgeous! Annie has the feeling things just are not going to go well. So instead of redecorating her condo, she ends up taking a road trip with Jed to his cabin, who just knows he will find his sister there.

What will happen between these two very hurt people? Will Jed ever learn that he can't control everything? Will Annie ever get over her bad relationships in the past and be able to trust another man? Will they ever find Jed's little sister?

TEMPORARY DAD is a truly heartwarming story. Laura Marie Altom has done her magic with bringing two wounded people together and we're privileged enough to have a front row seat to all the action as these two collide with triplets. This is wonderful story of love, with all its redeeming qualities. If you're in the mood for a heartwarming story, complete with the heartfelt sigh at the end, this is one you don't want to miss!