This HaBO comes from Rita, who wants to find this romance:
I’m trying to track down a Harlequin romance and here’s what I remember:
Male lead (ML) is a widowed rancher with a son (possibly named Jason).
The book opens with the ML at a bar on the anniversary of his wife’s death.
He meets the female lead (FL), Susan, a teacher. They have a one-night stand, and she becomes pregnant.
Later, the ML’s son breaks his leg in a ranch accident and needs homeschooling.
Susan is assigned to tutor him and uses the opportunity to see what kind of father the ML is before telling him she’s pregnant.
Key scene: while gardening with the boy, Susan faints during an argument with the ML and blurts out something like, “Because I want to know what kind of father you’ll be to our child…” before passing out.
A doctor confirms the pregnancy. The ML then proposes marriage until the baby is born, intending to divorce afterward so the child will be born in wedlock.
The cover featured a blonde pregnant woman leaning toward a man, his hands resting on her belly.
If this sounds familiar, I’d be so grateful for the title and author!
I know we can find this one!
Somewhat sounds like His son’s teacher by Kay stockham. But that teacher’s name is Jennifer.
Following
I’m not having much luck with my search. The closest I’ve gotten was:
– A Family with the Cowboy by Elsa Winckler (teacher, rancher, son, bar, but the reviews say it’s a slow burn)
– Unwrapped by Maisey Yates (teacher, rancher, daughter, one night stand, and the reviews don’t mention a surprise baby)
(Mostly) Harlequin titles that seemed so promising but didn’t pan out:
Pregnant with the Rancher’s Baby
Expecting the Rancher’s Baby?
Having the Rancher’s Baby
Having the Cowboy’s Baby
The Rancher’s Surprise Baby
The Rancher’s Baby Surprise
The Cowboy’s Surprise Baby
For the Rancher’s Baby
Hopefully someone else will have better luck!
Probably not the HABO, yet similar enough I’ll menition it: M(a)cKenzies Mountain by Linda Howard has the single father Rancher, whose son needs homeschooling (Grades, not accident, I believe) and the schoolteacher. If I rembember correctly, there is a pregnancy, but not as a “surprise” plot element. I enjoyed this one; unfortunately it might have been visited by the alphahole-suck fairy in the meantime.
This feels like so many mid-90s Harlequin contemporaries.