“Why don’t you call Brady and ask him,” Aileen suggested one afternoon when she stopped by the gift shop.
Holly had told her about everything, including their night together and her deep feelings for Brady. She angled her head. “You know I can’t.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re not calling to beg him to love you. You just want to know what’s going on.”
That made sense. “Okay, I’ll do it later.”
Aileen glanced around the empty shop. “What’s wrong with right now?”
“A customer might wander in.” And the thought of talking to Brady made her nervous. She needed time to screw up her courage.
“So? I can operate a cash register. Just go into the back room and do it.”
As Holly sat down at the small desk in the back room, her heart pounded. Facing shelves of stock, she dialed directory assistance. “May I have the number of TYR in Denver?”
“I can give it to you.”
She knew that voice. “Brady!” Disconnecting, she spun her chair around. He was as heart-stoppingly handsome as ever. Her heart lifted. “What are you doing here?”
“I hear you have questions about me.”
“About the sale,” she corrected. “I do.”
“Fire away. Will you keep an eye on the shop, Aileen?” he called.
“No problem, Brady,” she called back in a cheerful voice.
Brady closed the door separating the back room from the shop. “It’s crowded in here.”
“Yes, it is.” Bursting with curiosity, Holly eyed him. “Why are you really here?”
“Couple of reasons. First, to share the good news. This morning Barton Webb accepted Cornell Associates’ offer to buy the lodge.”
“Cornell Associates?”
“The company I formed when I resigned from TYR. I own the controlling interest, and Charlie Parks and other people from Silver Cliff own the rest. You wouldn’t believe how quickly the deal came together. The lodge is our first acquisition.”
“You’re buying the lodge?” Holly wasn’t sure she understood. “Exactly what does that mean?”
“For starters, you get to keep your store. And your friends who own shops here and all the employees now employed will hold on to their jobs. Though the renovations we’ve planned will mean a slowdown in business for a few months.” He paused to study her. “Can you handle a slowdown?”
Holly gaped at him until the words sank in. She could keep the shop open! She laughed for sheer relief. “You bet. That’s fantastic news. Thank you, Brady.”
She longed to fling her arms around him. If only he loved her…
“You’re very welcome. But that’s not all,” he said, advancing toward her. “I’ve decided to move back to town.” His eyes bright with warmth, he clasped her hands in his and pulled her to her feet. “There’s a certain woman I’ve fallen in love with. I’m planning to settle down with her—if she’ll have me.”
“Are you saying what I think you are?” she asked, hardly daring to breathe.
He squeezed her fingers. “I love you, Holly. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and the brothers and sisters we give Alix. Unless you’re happy with just one…”
“I’d like to have a few more. I love kids.”
“You said I’d make a good father. I’m ready to be Alix’s dad. Once she gets used to the idea. Maybe we’ll hire Monica to sell us a house with a big yard and lots of bedrooms. What do you think?”
“I think… I love you, too, Brady. I always have.”
“Is that a yes?”
“It certainly is.”
“Wahoo!” Aileen shouted through the door.
“Eavesdropper,” Holly scolded through a grin that refused to dim.
“Time to leave, Aileen,” Brady said. “Lock the door behind you and put out the Closed sign, will you?”
After the door clicked, he pulled Holly into his arms. “Now, where were we?”
Filled with joy and love, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Right where we’re supposed to be.”
*
THE ROYAL HOUSE OF NIROLI
Always passionate, always proud
The richest royal family in the world—united by blood and passion, torn apart by deceit and desire Nestled in the azure blue of the Mediterranean Sea, the majestic island of Niroli has prospered for centuries. The Fierezza men have worn the crown with passion and pride since ancient times. But now, as the king’s health declines, and his two sons have been tragically killed, the crown is in jeopardy.
The clock is ticking—a new heir must be found before the king is forced to abdicate. By royal decree the internationally scattered members of the Fierezza family are summoned to claim their destiny. But any person who takes the throne must do so according to The Rules of the Royal House of Niroli. Soon secrets and rivalries emerge as the descendants of this ancient royal line vie for position and power. Only a true Fierezza can become ruler—a person dedicated to their country, their people…and their eternal love!
Harlequin Presents is delighted to bring you
an exciting installment from
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in which you can follow the epic search
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Eight heirs, eight romances, eight fantastic stories!
Here’s your chance to enjoy a sneak preview of the first book delivered to you by royal decree…
FIVE minutes later she was standing immobile in front of the study’s window, her original purpose of coming in forgotten, as she stared in shocked horror at the envelope she was holding. Waves of heat followed by icy chill surged through her body. She could hardly see the address now through her blurred vision, but the crest on its left-hand front corner stood out, its royal crest, followed by the address: HRH Prince Marco of Niroli…
She didn’t hear Marco’s key in the apartment door, she didn’t even hear him calling out her name. Her shock was so great that nothing could penetrate it. It encased her in a kind of bubble, which only concentrated the torment of what she was suffering and branded it on her brain so that it could never be forgotten. It was only finally pierced by the sudden opening of the study door as Marco walked in.
“Welcome home, Your Highness. I suppose I ought to curtsy.” She waited, praying that he would laugh and tell her that she had got it all wrong, that the envelope she was holding, addressing him as Prince Marco of Niroli, was some silly mistake. But like a tiny candle flame shivering vulnerably in the dark, her hope trembled fearfully. And then the look in Marco’s eyes extinguished it as cruelly as a hand placed callously over a dying person’s face to stem their last breath.
“Give that to me,” he demanded, taking the envelope from her.
“It’s too late, Marco,” Emily told him brokenly. “I know the truth now….” She dug her teeth in her lower lip to try to force back her own pain.
“You had no right to go through my desk,” Marco shot back at her furiously, full of loathing at being caught off-guard and forced into a position in which he was in the wrong, making him determined to find something he could accuse Emily of. “I trusted you….”
Emily could hardly believe what she was hearing. “No, you didn’t trust me, Marco, and you didn’t trust me because you knew that I couldn’t trust you. And you knew that because you’re a liar, and liars don’t trust people because they know that they themselves cannot be trusted.” She not only felt sick, she also felt as though she could hardly breathe. “You are Prince Marco of Niroli…. How could you not tell me who you are and still live with me as intimately as we have lived together?” she demanded brokenly.
“Stop being so ridiculously dramatic,” Marco demanded fiercely. “You are making too much of the situation.”
“Too much?” Emily almost screamed the words at him. “When were you going to tell me, Marco? Perhaps you just planned to walk away without telling me anything? After all, what do my feelings matter to you?”
“Of cours
e they matter.” Marco stopped her sharply. “And it was in part to protect them, and you, that I decided not to inform you when my grandfather first announced that he intended to step down from the throne and hand it on to me.”
“To protect me?” Emily nearly choked on her fury. “Hand on the throne? No wonder you told me when you first took me to bed that all you wanted was sex. You knew that was the only kind of relationship there could ever be between us! You knew that one day you would be Niroli’s king. No doubt you are expected to marry a princess. Is she picked out for you already, your royal bride?”
*
Look for THE FUTURE KING’S PREGNANT MISTRESS
by Penny Jordan,
from Harlequin Presents,
available wherever books are sold.
Enjoyed reading this fabulous book? Don’t want the fun to end and can’t get enough of Western baby stories? Then fear not!
Read on for a sneak peek at The Cowboy’s Little Surprise by Barbara White Daille, available NOW:
THE LONG WAY HOME
A guy like Cole Slater is hard to forget. Tina Sanchez should know—for years since high school she’s tried to bury the pain of Cole’s cruel betrayal. But it’s impossible to ignore the man she sees reflected in her young son’s eyes now that Cole is back in her life—and about to meet the child he never knew he had. Returning home to New Mexico, Cole is determined to put his playboy reputation to rest. Especially now that he knows there’s a little boy looking up to him. And seeing Tina again reignites all the feelings Cole ran from as a teen. Despite his fear that he can’t be the man Tina deserves, he’s determined to try. For his son’s sake—and his own.
And if you just love Laura Marie Altom’s story, then keep an eye out for her upcoming new story in June: The SEAL’s Miracle Baby
SHE BROKE HIS HEART
Jessie Long knew she made the right decision years ago. Grady Matthews wanted a ranch and a home full of kids, and she couldn’t give him that. So she cut him loose for his own good. They went their separate ways—Grady left to join the navy and Jessie stayed home.
Now a deadly twister has flattened their hometown, and it’s brought them back together—and back to square one. The passion’s still there, and the easy understanding. Even the way they care for the orphaned baby found in the aftermath just seems to fit. For Grady, that’s enough. He’s sure they can make a life together. But for Jessie, the secret that tore them apart is still hiding under the surface. And she can’t face losing Grady a second time.
ISBN-13: 9781460389874
The Preacher's Daughter
Copyright © 2015 by Brenda Smith-Beagley A Baby on the Way
Copyright © 2015 by Laura Marie Altom A Reunion Romance
Copyright © 2015 by Ann Schuessler
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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