ALL HE EVER WANTED – Emily McKay
At Cain's Command , Book 1
Harlequin Desire #2188
ISBN: 978-0-373-73201-2
October 2012
Series Romance

Houston, Texas – Present Day

All of his life, Dalton Cain has built his world around preparing to fill his father's footsteps in their family business. Now with his father at death's door—and still cantankerous as ever—Dalton is suddenly having to fight to retain his position as head of the company when it's revealed there is a previously unknown half-sister out there, the result of one of his father's affairs. Dalton and his two brothers are ordered to find her or the company will not be theirs when dear old dad dies. Desperate to keep his position, Dalton attempts to contact their old housekeeper, only to learn she's now in an Alzheimer's facility and he'll have to face her granddaughter in order to get access. But the granddaughter is part of his past that he isn't quite ready to face.

Laney Fortino can't forget how awful Dalton treated her when they were teens. She'd thought they were buddies until he turned his back on her. As an adult, he remains the brash, forceful guy she remembers, and now he demands to talk to her ill grandmother. But Laney is afraid if Dalton gets too close in asking questions about the past, he will learn a big secret—her grandmother stole a million dollars from the Cain family. However, Dalton is persistent, and when he gets nowhere with his former housekeeper, he decides to bide this time—and to get to know Laney again. He is devilishly attractive, and she soon can't resist his charms, but is she going from hot water into the frying pan?

With a father who is basically controlling his children on his deathbed by holding the fate of the company over their heads, Dalton and his brothers are on a race to find the missing half-sister. Dalton immediately thinks of the old housekeeper, Matilda, since she might have knowledge of his father's past affairs, because the old guy can't seem to recall which mistress might have given birth to his child. Meeting Laney again, it revives the memories of their teenage years, although he can't quite tell her the truth about why he suddenly stopped being her friend. Dalton has followed his life exactly as planned so far, and is content with things…until Laney enters his life and makes him stop and smell the proverbial roses.

Schoolteacher Laney was raised by her grandmother after being abandoned by her mother and the subsequent death of her father. Matilda was never the loving grandparent, but Laney survived, building an independent life that was interrupted when her grandmother got ill. It was Laney who stepped in, and it didn't take long before she realized there was more money than there should be. How can she just drop a bombshell like this on the Cain family? It could not only mean an investigation, but the loss of financial support for Matilda's care. Laney agrees to help Dalton in his quest, and the two slowly rebuild a relationship. Soon feelings turn passionate, and the once uptight Dalton experiences the carefree life—without the all consuming head CEO pressures—with Laney by his side. But her secret just may destroy their burgeoning relationship.

Part of the new At Cain's Command series by Emily McKay, readers will watch as the Cain siblings search for the missing sister. Who is she, and where is she? In ALL HE EVER WANTED, Dalton thought he knew what he wanted in life, but Laney shows him the other—and better—way. Will they both get what they want without hurting the other? Find out for yourself in the intriguing ALL HE EVER WANTED.

Patti Fischer