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A Cinderella Story: Maid Under the Mistletoe / My Fair Billionaire / Second Chance with the CEO
Maureen Child
Elizabeth Bevarly
Anna DePalo
<u>A Cinderella Story </u>Maid Under the MistletoeSingle mum Joy Curran needs this temporary holiday housekeeping job working for a reclusive billionaire. But her sexy, aloof boss Sam pulls at Joy’s heartstrings—and her long denied desires—in unexpected ways….My Fair BillionaireStuck-up Ava Brennan used to Peyton Moss's personal mean girl by day, but different kinds of sparks flew at night. Now the tables have turned. Peyton's about to make his first billion while Ava needs his help to pass in high society, if they can manage to put old rivalries to bed.Second Chance with the CEO Teacher Marisa Danieli needs a headliner for her school fundraiser. Her best bet? Cole Serenghetti, former star hockey player turned CEO. She had a disastrous crush on him in high school but business is business…Until it turns into posing as a couple!
About the Authors (#u9ba02462-d618-56c5-94de-a6815a0f155a)
MAUREEN CHILD writes for the Mills & Boon Desire line and can’t imagine a better job. A seven-time finalist for a prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA® Award, Maureen is an author of more than one hundred romance novels. Her books regularly appear on bestseller lists and have won several awards, including a Prism Award, a National Readers’ Choice Award, a Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence and a Golden Quill Award. She is a native Californian but has recently moved to the mountains of Utah.
ELIZABETH BEVARLY is a New York Times bestselling, RITA® Award nominated author of more than seventy novels and novellas who recently celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of signing her first book contract—with Mills & Boon! Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and published in more than three dozen countries, and someday she hopes to visit all the places her books have. Until then, she writes full-time in her native Louisville, Kentucky, usually on a futon between two cats. She loves reading and movies and discovering British TV shows on Netflix. And also fiddling around with soup recipes. And going to farmers’ markets with her husband. And texting with her son, who’s at college in Washington, DC. Visit her website at www.elizabethbevarly.com (http://www.elizabethbevarly.com) or find her on Facebook at the Elizabeth Bevarly Reader Page.
USA TODAY bestselling author ANNA DEPALO is a Harvard graduate and former intellectual-property attorney who lives with her husband, son and daughter in her native New York. She writes sexy, humorous books that have been published in more than twenty countries and has won the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Golden Leaf and the Book Buyers Best Award. For the latest news, sign up for her newsletter at www.annadepalo.com (http://www.annadepalo.com).
A Cinderella Story
Maid Under the Mistletoe
Maureen Child
My Fair Billionaire
Elizabeth Bevarly
Second Chance with the CEO
Anna DePalo
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08173-3
A CINDERELLA STORY
Maid Under The Mistletoe © 2016 Maureen Child My Fair Billionaire © 2014 Elizabeth Bevarly Second Chance With The CEO © 2016 Anna DePalo
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Table of Contents
Cover (#uf1d536d1-ecc0-5dc9-9f98-e0042b8f40e5)
About the Authors (#u28bbd4ee-3288-5813-90ee-c62e8b15710e)
Title Page (#ub7111b80-558a-53e2-8a08-31a90dfff89b)
Copyright (#u5e77ce05-eb77-5fc1-8f82-39473e4508c1)
Maid Under the Mistletoe (#u3e8c8c24-00ec-5548-8323-03def0b557cc)
Back Cover Text (#u3b124ba6-cc86-5bf0-bc9e-35f31237240f)
Dedication (#ue1dbbdf3-8546-5280-9e42-305d8a682702)
One (#ue42dd879-42f2-5647-9bec-3e11b42ffd17)
Two (#u1fcc0068-056f-5cae-9594-95b5325e5399)
Three (#u5e810e60-13c3-531f-a3a5-4fc6555b8e3e)
Four (#uc5335dd8-f894-5e5b-8c63-6651e6afef58)
Five (#uf64f90c2-1a02-5952-a7c2-fa3314158aae)
Six (#ud2b6b562-f1b8-5326-853d-6563ad80e247)
Seven (#u3705e47a-d3f2-5aea-baf5-178d0571d753)
Eight (#ub7905885-64b4-590c-87fa-6b5cc030ec49)
Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
My Fair Billionaire (#litres_trial_promo)
Dedication (#litres_trial_promo)
One (#litres_trial_promo)
Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Second Chance with the CEO (#litres_trial_promo)
Back Cover Text (#litres_trial_promo)
Dedication (#litres_trial_promo)
One (#litres_trial_promo)
Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Maid Under the Mistletoe (#u9ba02462-d618-56c5-94de-a6815a0f155a)
Maureen Child
An upstairs-downstairs affair for Christmas...only from USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child!
Single mom Joy Curran needs this temporary holiday housekeeping job working for a reclusive billionaire. But her sexy, aloof boss pulls at Joy’s heartstrings—and her long-denied desires—in unexpected ways...
Sam Henry never got over the loss of his wife and son, and he’s shut himself off from happiness, love...and the holidays. But Joy and her sweet daughter bring laughter into his life. And living with his new maid ignites a passion he can’t ignore. After one glorious night in Joy’s arms, will this beauty be the Christmas miracle that changes the beast forever?
To all the mums who are out there right now,
making magic
One (#u9ba02462-d618-56c5-94de-a6815a0f155a)
Sam Henry hated December.
The days were too short, making the nights seem an eternity. It was cold and dark—and then there was the incessant Christmas badgering. Lights, trees, carols and an ever-increasing barrage of commercials urging you to shop, spend, buy. And every reminder of the holiday season ate at the edges of his soul and heart like drops of acid.
He scowled at the roaring fire in the hearth, slapped one hand on the mantel and rubbed his fingers over the polished edge of the wood. With his gaze locked on the flames, he told himself that if he could, he’d wipe the month of December from the calendar.
“You can’t stick your head in the snow and pretend Christmas isn’t happening.”
Sam flicked a glance at the woman in the open doorway. His housekeeper/cook/nag, Kaye Porter, stood there glaring at him through narrowed blue eyes. Hands at her wide hips, her gray-streaked black hair pulled back into a single thick braid that hung down over one shoulder, she shook her head. “There’s not enough snow to do it anyway, and whether you like it or not, Christmas is coming.”
“I don’t and it’s only coming if I acknowledge it,” Sam told her.
“Well, you’re going to have to pay attention because I’m out of here tomorrow.”
“I’ll give you a raise if you cancel your trip,” he said, willing to bargain to avoid the hassle of losing the woman who ran his house so he didn’t have to.
A short bark of laughter shot from her throat. “Not a chance. My friend Ruthie and I do this every year, as you well know. We’ve got our rooms booked and there’s no way we’re canceling.”
He’d known that—he just hadn’t wanted to think about it. Another reason to hate December. Every year, Kaye and Ruthie took a month-long vacation. A cruise to the Bahamas, then a stay at a splashy beachside hotel, followed by another cruise home. Kaye liked to say it was her therapy to get her through the rest of the year living with a crank like himself.
“If you love Christmas so much, why do you run to a beach every year?”
She sighed heavily. “Christmas is everywhere, you know. Even in hot, sandy places! We buy little trees, decorate them for our rooms. And the hotel lights up all the palm trees...” She sighed again, but this time, it was with delight. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Fine.” He pushed away from the hearth, tucked both hands into the pockets of his jeans and stared at her. Every year he tried to talk her out of leaving and every year he lost. Surrendering to the inevitable, he asked, “You need a ride to the airport?”
A small smile curved her mouth at the offer. “No, but thanks. Ruthie’s going to pick me up at the crack of dawn tomorrow. She’ll leave her car there so when we come back we don’t have to worry about taking one of those damn shuttles.”
“Okay then.” He took a breath and muttered, “Have a great time.”
“The enthusiasm in that suggestion is just one of the reasons I need this trip.” One dark eyebrow lifted. “You worry me, Sam. All locked away on this mountain hardly talking to anyone but me—”
She kept going, but Sam tuned out. He’d heard it all before. Kaye was determined to see him “start living” again. Didn’t seem to matter that he had no interest in that. While she talked, he glanced around the main room of what Kaye liked to call his personal prison.
It was a log home, the wood the color of warm honey, with lots of glass to spotlight the view that was breathtaking from every room. Pine forest surrounded the house, and a wide, private lake stretched out beyond a narrow slice of beach. He had a huge garage and several outbuildings, including a custom-designed workshop where Sam wished he was right at that moment.
This house, this sanctuary, was just what he’d been looking for when he’d come to Idaho five years ago. It was isolated, with a small town—Franklin—just fifteen minutes away when he needed supplies. A big city, with the airport and all manner of other distractions, was just an hour from there, not that he ever went. What he needed, he had Kaye pick up in Franklin and only rarely went to town himself.
