by Kate Hardy
And if he had anything to do with it, she’d be the one to save their town, too. He wasn’t going to let her go without a fight, and he wanted her to stay. Forever.
Harrison stood back, giving her space to take leave of all the children. His two came running toward him, jumping in the back of the truck.
“I’ll just be a minute,” he said, so distracted he wasn’t even paying them the attention they were used to.
“Dad, that was kind of embarrassing before,” Katie told him, leaning out the open window and flicking his back with her fingers.
“Why?” he asked, trying hard not to laugh. “Haven’t your friends ever seen grown-ups kiss before?”
She giggled. “Yeah, but you kissed our teacher.”
He glanced in at Katie and Alex and they both smiled back at him. He doubted they were that embarrassed, but he knew they’d want to know what was going on. They hardly ever asked about their mom anymore, but he knew a day would come when they’d want to know more about the woman who’d given birth to them. Even if right now she was just someone who sent money and a card each birthday.
The money he sent back, but the cards he read to them before tucking them away in a box beneath their beds, in case one day they wanted to read them again.
“Harrison.”
Poppy said his name as a statement, not a question, but the shyness in her eyes told him she was as nervous as he was.
“I hope I didn’t embarrass you before,” he said, standing up straight and holding out his hands, palms up. “According to Katie it was all very embarrassing.”
Poppy placed her hands in his, grinning up at him. She leaned in and stood on her tiptoes, her lips brushing his cheek in a gentle kiss.
“Kind of embarrassing,” she said, her voice low, “but in a good way.”
Harrison put his hands on her waist, staring into her eyes. He needed to know how she really felt, needed to know if he’d made a fool of himself to the one woman he’d opened up to.
“You’re not going to abandon our school, are you?” Maybe he should have thought about that before he’d turned up and blurted out his declaration.
Poppy laughed. “You haven’t scared me off, Harrison,” she said. “I’m not going to run away with my tail between my legs just because you were honest with me.”
“You’re not?” He shuffled forward, holding her hands against his chest now.
“If anything, you’ve made me more sure about staying.”
He raised an eyebrow, making her laugh again. “I have?”
“Yeah, you have,” she whispered, standing on tiptoe once more and kissing him, smiling against his mouth.
“So you’re going to save our town and me?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think I might just do that.”
Harrison grabbed her around the waist and wrapped her in his arms, pulling her clean off the ground.
“How the hell did we find a teacher like you?”
She laughed and threw her head back. “Keep flattering me like that and I’ll never leave.”
He hoped so.
“So what would you say if I asked you to marry me?”
Poppy giggled like a child. “I’d say that I’ve only been divorced twenty-four hours and that you’re moving a little too fast.”
“Huh,” he said, kissing her neck when she tipped her head back again. “How about moving in with me?”
“No,” she replied, swatting him away. “But I will date you.”
“Kids, we’re going on a picnic,” he called out, putting Poppy back on her feet and opening the door for her. “I think we’ll get one of those cherry pies from the bakery.”
“We are?” Poppy asked.
“We are,” he said with a grin. “Because if you want to be courted, then we’re having our first date right now.”
EPILOGUE
POPPY STRETCHED OUT in the hammock, unsuccessfully stifling a yawn. The sun was just starting to disappear, but it was still more pleasant in the shade of the tree.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
She looked up at Harrison’s voice, pushing her hair back and searching for him. He was walking toward her, the kids running alongside to keep up with his long, loping stride.
“What are you guys doing?” she asked, sitting up and trying to get out of the hammock as gracefully as she could without tipping it.
The kids were giggling and grinning. Poppy narrowed her eyes and tried to look stern, knowing something was going on that they were in on.
“Why do you all look like you’re up to something naughty?”
Harrison bent down and whispered something to the children, and they were practically wriggling on the spot now, smiles stretching their little faces.
“Harrison?” she asked. What was going on?
He started walking again, reaching out for her hand and grinning at her. “There’s something we’d like to ask you.”
If they just wanted to ask her something, why were they all acting so strangely? “Okay.”
“Poppy Carter,” Harrison started, nodding to the children. They scurried up beside him, staring upward as if expecting to hear something so exciting they couldn’t wait. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to us, and we want to tell you how much we love having you in our lives.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she fought them, not wanting to ruin the moment. Because she might be special to them, but she couldn’t even begin to describe how much they all meant to her. How much they’d changed her life.
She watched as Harrison nudged Katie. Poppy turned her face and smiled at the little girl.
“I love having you here because now it’s like I have a mom,” she said, her arm wrapped around her dad’s leg, but her smile all for Poppy.
“And I love having you here because you bake yummy cakes and give me nice cuddles,” Alex said, his voice a whisper.
Harrison cleared his throat and she looked at him, shaking her head. She knew he hadn’t told them what to say, because it wasn’t something he would do, which made it all the more special.
“I love having you here, too, Poppy,” he told her. “There’s nothing I don’t like about having you in my life. In our lives.”
She did cry then, couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. “They’re happy tears,” she mumbled, wiping them away, not wanting the children to think she was sad. “It’s just, well, I still can’t believe that I’m here. With all of you.”
Harrison squeezed her hands. She could see his eyes were glinting with unshed tears, too, and it wasn’t something she was used to seeing. Her rugged rancher wasn’t exactly the emotional type, so it hit her even harder, made her swallow an even bigger lump in her throat.
“Poppy, we have something we’d like to ask you.”
She tilted her head, looking from Harrison to Katie and then to Alex.
“Poppy, I didn’t want to rush things with us, but I know in my heart that you’re the most amazing, kind, loving woman I’ll ever meet,” he told her.
“And we think you’re the best mom we could ever have found, too,” said Katie.
Poppy’s heart had started to race. She could hardly breathe, her chest somehow constricting all the air in her lungs and holding it hostage. Surely he wasn’t going to...
“So I’d like to ask for the honor of your hand in marriage,” Harrison said, not even blinking, his eyes never leaving hers.
Katie was jumping up and down she was so excited, and prodding her brother.
“Oh, yeah,” Alex said. “And we want to ask you to be our mom.”
Poppy couldn’t contain herself; she was so excited she thought she might burst.
“Yes,” she said, throwing her arms around Harrison and kissing him, before tilting he
r head back and looking up at the sky. Maybe someone up there did care about her, after all. “Yes to being your wife,” she told Harrison, before bending and opening her arms to Katie and Alex. “Yes to being your mom, too.” They hugged her back, tightly. “I promise to love you forever and never, ever leave you.” It was a big promise, but one she knew in her heart she’d be able to keep.
Harrison cleared his throat again, making her look up. He was holding something, waiting for her to stand up again.
She kept a hand on each child, but her eyes were for Harrison.
Oh, my goodness. He had the most beautiful ring in his open palm, sitting there glinting in the sunlight. A large solitaire diamond set on an intricate band.
“This was my grandmother’s, and my mom has been holding it for years,” he told her. “She has given it to me with her blessing, for me to give to you.”
“Are you sure?” Poppy asked, letting Harrison slide it on to her finger.
“We want you as part of our family, Poppy. For life. So yes, I’m absolutely sure.”
“I’m sure, too.”
He took her into his arms, holding her carefully, as if she was the most precious thing in the world.
“We love you, Poppy, and we can make this work.”
“I know,” she whispered against his skin, loving his lips against her mouth, brushing her cheek when she pulled away.
“You saved our school, and you saved my life,” Harrison said. “And I’ll never take that for granted.”
“You might have to find another teacher one day,” she whispered, “because I think a place like this needs a big family, you know.”
Harrison laughed, hoisting Katie and Alex up so they were all at eye level.
“I think you could be right,” he said, stepping in so they could have a group hug.
Poppy closed her eyes and hugged her little family, knowing in her heart that she’d done the right thing. In coming to Bellaroo, in meeting Harrison—in everything.
This was her home now, and she couldn’t have been happier.
“I just passed Sally and Rocky on my way here,” Harrison told her. “I asked them to join us for a little celebration.”
Poppy raised an eyebrow. The children were looking mischievous again. “Tell me what’s going on,” she insisted.
“Daddy said we’re having a little party,” said Katie with a giggle.
Poppy looked at Harrison and he just shrugged.
“You were that sure I’d say yes?” she teased.
Harrison put his kids down and grabbed Poppy instead, sweeping her up into his arms, dropping a quick kiss to her lips before carrying her inside, the children running beside them. “We have champagne and some treats from the bakery,” he confessed. “Nothing fancy, but I thought you’d like to see Sally and have another squeeze of that baby girl.”
Poppy couldn’t exactly argue with that.
Seeing her new friend walking to the door, she wriggled until Harrison put her down. Once, she’d worried about being lonely in Bellaroo, but now she knew better.
“Hey, little one,” Poppy cooed at baby Arinya. She gave Sally a hug. “Nice to see you, too.”
The other woman grinned and gave her a hug back. “Are we celebrating?”
“We are.” Poppy laughed and held out her left hand, showing off the ring on her finger.
She took Arinya to give her a cuddle and almost walked smack bang into Harrison.
Poppy met his gaze, felt the heat traveling from his eyes to her body. Next time it would be them with the newborn, would be them starting on the journey of parenting a new baby. But for now she just wanted to spend every minute with the family she already had.
* * * * *
Stranded with the Tycoon
By Sophie Pembroke
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
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER ONE
LUCINDA MYLES WASN’T the sort of woman to panic, usually. But the prospect of being without a bed for the night five days before Christmas, in the midst of the coldest December the north-west of England had seen in decades, was decidedly unappealing. The city of Chester was booked solid by Christmas shoppers and by the other unfortunate academics attending the badly timed Bringing History to the Future conference. If the Royal Court Hotel didn’t find her booking...well, she was going to need a new plan. But first she’d try dogged persistence. It had always worked for her grandfather.
‘I understand that you’re fully booked,’ Luce said, in her most patient and forbearing voice. The one she usually saved for her brother Tom, when he was being particularly obtuse. ‘But one of those room bookings should be for me. Dr Lucinda Myles.’ She leant across the reception desk to try to see the girl’s computer screen. ‘M-Y-L-E-S.’
The blonde behind the desk angled the screen away from her. ‘I’m afraid there is no booking at this hotel under that name for tonight. Or any other night, for that matter.’
Luce gritted her teeth. This was what she got for letting the conference staff take charge of her hotel booking. She really should have known better. Take responsibility. Take control. Words to live by, her grandfather had always said. Shame she was the only one in the family to listen.
As if to echo the thought, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Luce sighed as she reached in to dig it out, knowing without looking that it would be Tom. ‘And there are absolutely no free rooms in the hotel tonight?’ she asked the blonde, figuring it was worth one more shot. ‘Even the suites are booked?’ She could make the university reimburse her. They wanted her here at the conference—the least they could do was give her a decent room for the night.
‘Everything. Every room is booked. It’s Christmas, in case you hadn’t noticed. And now, if I can’t be of any further assistance...’ The blonde looked over Luce’s shoulder.
Glancing back herself, Luce saw a growing queue of people waiting to check in. Well, they were just going to have to wait. She wasn’t going to be intimidated by this fancy hotel with its marble floors, elegant golden Christmas tree, chandeliers and impatient businessmen. She’d had one hell of a day, and she was taking responsibility for making it better. ‘Actually, perhaps you could check if any of the other local hotels have a free room. Since you’ve lost my reservation.’
‘We haven’t—’ the blonde started, but Luce cut her off with a look. She sighed. ‘I’ll just check.’
While the blonde motioned to her colleague to come and assist with the check-in queue, Luce slid a finger across the touch screen of her phone to check her messages. Three texts and a voicemail. All in the last twenty minutes, while she’d been arguing with the receptionist. A light day, really.
She scrolled to the first text while the disgruntled businessman behind her checked in at the next computer. It was from Tom, of course.
Has Mum spoken to you about Christmas Eve? Can you do it?
Christmas Eve? Luce frowned. That meant the voicemail was probably from her mother, changing their festive plans for the sixth time that month.
The next text was from her sister Dolly.
Looking forward to Xmas Eve—especially chocolate pots!
That didn’t bode well. Christmas Day was planned and sorted and all due for delivery from the local supermarket on the twenty-third—apart from the turkey, which was safely stored in her
freezer. Christmas Eve, however—that was a whole different proposition.
The final text was Tom again.
Mum says we have a go! Fantastic. See you then.
Luce sighed. Whatever Mum’s new plan was, apparently it was a done deal. ‘You’re the responsible one, Lucinda,’ her grandfather had always said. ‘The rest of them couldn’t take care of themselves for a minute out there in the real world. You and I know that. Which is why you’re going to have to do it for them.’
Apparently they needed looking after again. With a Christmas Eve dinner. And chocolate puddings. Presumably in addition to the three-course dinner she’d be expected to produce the following day. Perfect.
Luce clicked the phone off as the blonde came back. The voicemail from her mother, hopefully explaining everything, could wait until Luce had a bed for the night.
‘I’m sorry,’ the blonde said, without a hint of apology in her voice. ‘There’s some history conference in town, and with all the Christmas shoppers as well I’m afraid the local accommodation has been booked up for months.’
Of course it has, Luce wanted to say. I’m here for the damn conference. I booked my room months ago. I’ve just spent all morning discussing how to bring history into the future. I deserve a room.
But instead she clenched her jaw while she thought her way out of the problem.
‘Right, then,’ she said after a moment. ‘I’m going to go and sit over there and try calling some places myself.’ She motioned to the bar at the side of the lobby, where discreet twinkling fairy lights beckoned. This day would definitely be better with a gin and tonic. ‘In the meantime, if you have any cancellations, I’d appreciate it if you’d book the room under my name.’
‘Of course.’ The blonde nodded, but her tone said, You’ll be lucky.
Sighing, Luce turned away from the desk, only to find her path to a G&T barred by a broad chest in an expensive shirt. A nice chest. A wide, warm chest. The sort of chest you could bury your face in and forget about your day and let the owner of the chest solve your problems instead.
