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SAVED BY THE CEO (The Vineyards of Calanetti)
Barbara Wallace
In need of peace and quiet, Louisa Harrison has escaped to Tuscany. But gorgeous local tycoon Nico sends her heart into overdrive…especially when he kisses her! In Nico’s arms she feels stronger than she’s ever felt before, but is she brave enough to entrust him with her just-healed heart?
PREGNANT WITH A ROYAL BABY! (The Princes of Xaviera)
Susan Meier
One spontaneous night with Prince Dominic has dramatic repercussions for Ginny Jones—she’s now carrying the next heir of Xaviera! A marriage of convenience is Ginny’s worst nightmare, so as they jet off on their honeymoon, Dominic must prove he is a daddy—and loving husband—in the making!
A DEAL TO MEND THEIR MARRIAGE
Michelle Douglas
After five years apart, Jack Pearce returns to divorce his beautiful wife, Caroline, but their chemistry is as strong as ever! When Caroline needs Jack’s help to save her professional reputation, working together could just save her job and their marriage…
SWEPT INTO THE RICH MAN’S WORLD
Katrina Cudmore
After a business partnership turned relationship turned disaster, Aideen has sworn off romance. But when billionaire-next-door Patrick Fitzsimon whisks her away to Paris on a mission to save her business, she finds herself torn between her head, which tells her to stay away, and her heart, which begs to be drawn closer…
Look for 4 compelling new stories every month from Harlequin Romance!
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Harlequin Romance February 2016 Box Set
Saved by the CEO
Pregnant with a Royal Baby!
A Deal to Mend Their Marriage
Swept into the Rich Man’s World
Barbara Wallace
Susan Meier
Michell Douglas
Katrina Cudmore
Table of Contents
Saved by the CEO
By Barbara Wallace
Pregnant with a Royal Baby!
Susan Meier
A Deal to Mend Their Marriage
By Michell Douglas
Swept into the Rich Man’s World
By Katrina Cudmore
Her knight next door!
After a horribly public divorce, Louisa Harrison has escaped to Tuscany craving peace and quiet. But gorgeous local tycoon Nico Amatucci sends her heart into overdrive…especially when he kisses her!
Nico comes to Louisa’s rescue when their romance makes headlines, but Louisa’s determined to prove she’s no damsel in distress! Being in Nico’s arms makes her feel stronger than she’s ever felt before, but is she brave enough to entrust him with her just-healed heart?
The Vineyards of Calanetti
Saying “I do” under the Tuscan sun...
Deep in the Tuscan countryside nestles the picturesque village of Monte Calanetti. Famed for its world-renowned vineyards, the village is also home to the crumbling but beautiful Palazzo di Comparino. Empty for months, rumors of a new owner are spreading like wildfire...and that’s before the village is chosen as the setting for the royal wedding of the year!
It’s going to be a roller coaster of a year, but will wedding bells ring out in Monte Calanetti for anyone else?
Find out in this fabulously heartwarming, uplifting and thrillingly romantic new eight-book continuity from Harlequin Romance!
A Bride for the Italian Boss by Susan Meier
Return of the Italian Tycoon by Jennifer Faye
Reunited by a Baby Secret by Michelle Douglas
Soldier, Hero...Husband? by Cara Colter
His Lost-and-Found Bride by Scarlet Wilson
The Best Man & the Wedding Planner by Teresa Carpenter
His Princess of Convenience by Rebecca Winters
Saved by the CEO by Barbara Wallace
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to Monte Calanetti!
At last, we learn why Louisa Harrison has come to Tuscany. Turns out the palazzo owner has been hiding a couple secrets—secrets that have landed her back in the tabloids. Fortunately for her, vineyard owner Nico Amatucci is around to help protect her from the paparazzi. Unfortunately for her, Nico is everything that she’s vowed to stay away from.
Or is he? Once she starts peeling back the layers, Louisa learns there’s a lot more to the vintner than a sexy smile and a need to take charge. Behind the good looks beats the heart of a man scarred by a chaotic childhood.
As for Nico…well, he’s about to discover what it’s like to fall in love for the very first time.
I like to tell people that their romance unfolds during harvest season when the grapes (and happy endings) are at their sweetest.
Writing this letter is a little bittersweet because it means The Vineyards of Calanetti series has come to an end. I was honored when Harlequin asked me to be part of this fantastic series as there were so many wonderful authors involved: Susan Meier, Jennifer Faye, Michelle Douglas, Scarlet Wilson, Cara Colter, Teresa Carpenter and Rebecca Winters. Each of them brought their own special vision to Monte Calanetti, and the result is an eight-book series as rich as any Italian wine. (How’s that for a metaphor?) If you haven’t read their Calanetti books yet, you’re missing out!
As always, thanks for reading.
Barbara
SAVED BY THE CEO
Barbara Wallace
Barbara Wallace can’t remember when she wasn’t dreaming up love stories in her head, so writing romances for Harlequin Romance is a dream come true. Happily married to her own Prince Charming, she lives in New England with a house full of empty-nest animals. Occasionally her son comes home, as well.
To stay up-to-date on Barbara’s news and releases, sign up for her newsletter at barbarawallace.com.
Books by Barbara Wallace
Harlequin Romance
In Love with the Boss
A Millionaire for Cinderella
Beauty & Her Billionaire Boss
Daring to Date the Boss
Mr. Right, Next Door!
The Courage to Say Yes
The Man Behind the Mask
The Unexpected Honeymoon
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
To my fellow Calanetti creators for making this project so fun to work on. And to Carol, Val, Darlene and Michelle, who always make me feel like a rock star. Thanks.
CONTENTS
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
CHAPTER ONE
“I THINK I’M in love.”
Louisa Harrison bit off a piece of cornetto, moaning as the sweet cake-like pastry melted like butter on her tongue. Crumbs dotted her chin. She caught them with her finger, not wanting to waste a drop. “Seriously, Dani, how do you not weigh a thousand pounds living with this man?” If she were married to a chef as wonderful as Rafe Mancini, she’d be the size of her palazzo, the grounds and the vineyards combined.
Her best friend laughed. “Trust me, it’s not easy. Fortunately, running around the restaurant all day keeps me in shape. Especially now. Ev
er since the royal wedding, we’ve been slammed with requests for reservations. Everyone wants to eat at the restaurant that fed Prince Antonio and his bride.”
“As well they should.” Danielle’s husband, Rafe, entered the restaurant dining room brandishing a coffeepot. “You make it sound as though Mancini’s is some ordinary royal wedding caterer.”
“I’m not sure there is such a thing as an ordinary royal wedding caterer,” Dani replied, kissing him on the cheek, “but you’re right, Mancini’s is anything but ordinary. Once people taste Rafe’s food, they are desperate to come back.”
“Only they can’t for at least eight weeks. My beautiful bride is right—we are booked solid through the harvest festival.”
“That’s fantastic,” Louisa replied helping herself to a cup of coffee. Rafe Mancini not only created wonderful food, he made the best American coffee in Tuscany. That was Dani’s doing. She’d insisted Rafe add a few New World touches to his traditionally Italian menu to placate US tourists. One of many small changes she’d implemented over the past few months. It hadn’t taken long for her friend to establish herself as an equal partner both in the relationship and the business. But then, Louisa had heard there were men in this world who actually liked when their wives had minds of their own. Not to mention lives.
She just hadn’t married one.
“Mancini’s isn’t the only place that’s doing well,” Dani continued. “Business has been up all around the village. Donatella told me sales at the boutique are up over 40 percent from last year.”
Louisa wasn’t surprised. Over the past nine months, Monte Calanetti had gone from sleepy Tuscan village to must-see tourist destination. Not only had they been selected to host Halencia’s royal wedding—considered the wedding of the year in most circles—but art experts had recently discovered an unknown fresco masterpiece hidden in the local chapel. Now it felt as if every person in Italy, tourist or resident, made a point of driving through the town. That they arrived to discover a picture-perfect village and an Italian Good Food rated restaurant owned by one of Europe’s premier chefs only enhanced the town’s allure.
“Quite a change from when you and I arrived here, huh?” she noted. It’d been an early spring day when the two of them had met on the bus from Florence. Two expatriates, each on her own quest to the Tuscan Valley. For Dani, the tiny village represented a last adventure before deciding on her future. Louisa, on the other hand, had taken one look at the terracotta roofs rising from the valley and decided luck had granted her the perfect place to escape her past. A place where she could heal.
“I knew as soon as I stepped off the bus that Monte Calanetti was special,” Dani said. “There’s something magical about this town. You can feel it.”
More like her friend felt the attraction between her and the man she eventually married; there’d been sparks from the second Dani and Rafe had laid eyes on each other. Louisa kept the thought to herself. “The royal wedding planner certainly thought so,” she said instead.
“Unfortunately, we can’t ride the wedding momentum forever. Once harvest season ends, people will be more interested in the ski resorts.” Rafe said.
“People will still seek out Mancini’s,” Louisa said.
“Some, yes, but certainly not the numbers we’ve been enjoying. And they certainly won’t spend time visiting other businesses.”
True. So much of Monte Calanetti’s appeal revolved around being able to stroll its cobblestone streets during the warm weather. It would be hard to make a wish in the plaza fountain if the water was frozen. There was a part of Louisa that wouldn’t mind the crowds thinning. She missed the early days when she could walk the streets without worrying that some American tourist would recognize her. Another part, however—the practical part—knew the village needed more than a seasonal income. Prior to the wedding, several of the smaller businesses had been on shaky ground.
A third part reminded her she needed income, too. Till now she’d been surviving on the money the royal family had paid her to use her property, and that was almost gone.
“It won’t matter if Mancini’s is the best restaurant in the world, if it’s surrounded by empty buildings,” Rafe was saying. “We need something that will encourage people to spend time here year-round.”
Funny he should say that. Louisa sipped her coffee thoughtfully. The practical part of her had also been kicking around an idea lately. It was only a germ at the moment, but it might help the cause. “It would be nice to see the village continue to prosper,” she had to admit. Even though she, like Dani, was a relative newcomer, she’d already come to consider the place home, and nobody wanted to see their home suffer economically.
“What do you have in mind?” she asked him. He obviously had something up his sleeve or he wouldn’t have put on this breakfast.
Pushing up his sleeves, the chef rested his forearms against the edge of the table and leaned close. “I was thinking we could start some kind of committee.”
“Like a chamber of commerce?” Did they even have those in Italy? They must.
“Nothing so formal. I’m picturing local business leaders brainstorming ideas like the harvest festival that we can put on to attract traffic.”
“And since the palazzo is such a big part of the village...” Dani started.
“You’d like me to be on the committee.” That made sense, especially if she carried through with her own idea. “Count me in... What?”
Her friend and her husband had suddenly become very interested in their breakfast plates. “There’s one problem,” Dani said.
“Problem?” Louisa’s fingers gripped her fork. “What kind of problem?” As if she didn’t know what the problem would be. Question was, how had they found out?
“I want Nico Amatucci on the committee, as well,” Rafe answered bluntly.
Oh. Her fear vanished in a rush, replaced by a completely different type of tension. One that started low in her stomach and moved in waves through her. “Why would that be a problem?”
“Well,” Dani said, “we know the two of you haven’t always gotten along...”
Memories of wine-tinged kisses flashed to life. “That’s in the past,” she replied. “We worked together on cleaning up the plaza, remember?”
“I know, but...”
“But what?”
The couple exchanged a look. “At the wedding, you two looked like you’d had a falling-out.”
Louisa would have called it a momentary loss of her senses. “It’s no big deal.” And it wasn’t. Beneath the table, her fingers tapped out a rhythm on her thigh. In comparison to what she thought they were going to say, her “falling-out” with Nico amounted to nothing.
She barely remembered, she thought, tongue running over her lower lip.
“Working together won’t be awkward, then?” Rafe asked.
“Don’t be silly—Nico and I are adults. I’m sure we can handle sitting on a committee together.”
“What committee?”
As if waiting for his cue, Nico Amatucci strolled into the dining room. If he were someone else, Louisa would accuse him of waiting to make a dramatic entrance, but in his case dramatic entrances came naturally.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “We’ve been working around the clock since the wedding. It appears people can’t get enough of Amatucci Red.” The last part was said looking straight at her. As Louisa met his gaze, she forced herself to keep as cool an expression as possible and prayed he couldn’t see how fast her heart was racing. This was the first time she’d seen him since the wedding. The vintner looked as gorgeous as ever.
He’d come straight from the fields. The ring of dampness around his collar signaled hours of hard work, as did the dirt streaking his jeans and T-shirt. Louisa spied a couple smudges on his neck, too, left behind after wiping the sweat from his skin. She’d say this about the man: he worked as hard as his employees. Something he, as the owner of one of Tuscany’s finest boutique wineries, didn’t have to do. Pr
obably did it to make up for the fact he was arrogant and presumptuous.
A frown marred his Romanesque features as he pointed to the coffeepot. “American?”
“That a problem?” Rafe asked.
“No.” His sigh was long and exaggerated.
Rafe rolled his eyes. “There’s no need to be dramatic. If you want espresso, just say so.”
“Make it a double,” Nico called after him with a grin. “I’ve been up since sunrise.”
Despite there being three empty seats on the other side of the table, he chose to sit in the one his friend had just vacated, which positioned him directly next to Louisa. “I trust I didn’t keep you waiting too long,” he said to her. His crooked smile made the comment sound more like a dirty secret. But then, that’s what Nico Amatucci did. He used his charm to lure people into bending to his will. When they didn’t bend to his authority, that is. His sensual mouth and sparkling dark eyes could worm their way past a person’s defenses, trapping them in his spell before they knew what was happening.
He reached for a cornetto, his shoulder brushing against Louisa’s as he moved. The hours of hard work had left him smelling of fresh-tilled dirt and exertion. It was a primal, masculine scent, and though Louisa tried her best not to react, her own basic instincts betrayed her and she shivered anyway. To cover, she ignored his question and took a long sip of coffee.
Nico countered by taking a bite of pastry. “Has everyone recovered from the wedding?” he asked, licking the crumbs off his thumb. Louisa narrowed her eyes. She swore he was purposely trying to make the action erotic. Especially when he added, “I know I’m still feeling the aftereffects. Are you?”
Again, he looked straight at her. Louisa lifted her chin. “Not at all,” she replied with a crispness that made her proud.
Apparently it wasn’t crisp enough, since he reacted with little more than an arched brow. “Are you sure?”
Dani jumped to her feet. “I’m going to go see if Rafe needs help. Marcello rearranged the pantry yesterday, and you know how he gets when he can’t find things.”
Harlequin Romance February 2016 Box Set Page 1
