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Annie And The Prince
Elizabeth Harbison
Librarian Annie Barimer always played by the rules and the result was dullsville. So when she had a chance to tutor two little princesses, well, how could she resist? Soon Annie found herself working in a faraway castle–and falling for her very own prince! Prince Johann was everything she'd longed for…and more. Handsome, commanding yet tender, he was just about perfect. Now if only he would guarantee her dreams came true!
It was joy he was seeing and hearing.
His children and Annie were laughing as they pounded snow into balls and tossed them at each other.
Annie looked at him then, and something between them connected and he nearly smiled back. What would it feel like, Hans wondered, to just give in to the urge to take her into his arms? What would it be like to kiss her? He was overwhelmed by the urge to try. God, she was lovely. Maybe it was the soft light, or the drifting snow, or the crisp chill air, but suddenly Annie looked delicious enough to eat.
And he was hungry….
For every woman who dreamed of a prince…
Emma and the Earl (SR #1410)
Plain Jane Marries the Boss (SR #1416)
Annie and the Prince (SR #1423)
Dear Reader,
The year 2000 marks the twentieth anniversary of Silhouette Books! Ever since May 1980, Silhouette Books—and its flagship line, Silhouette Romance—has published the best in contemporary category romance fiction. And the year’s stellar lineups across all Silhouette series continue that tradition.
This month in Silhouette Romance, Susan Meier unveils her miniseries BREWSTER BABY BOOM, in which three brothers confront instant fatherhood after inheriting six-month-old triplets! First up is The Baby Bequest, in which Evan Brewster does diaper duty…and learns a thing or two about love from his much-younger, mommy-in-the-making assistant. In Teresa Southwick’s charming new Silhouette Romance novel, a tall, dark and handsome man decides to woo a jaded nurse With a Little T.L.C. The Sheik’s Solution is a green-card marriage to his efficient secretary in this lavish fairy tale from Barbara McMahon.
Elizabeth Harbison’s CINDERELLA BRIDES series continues with the magnificent Annie and the Prince. In Cara Colter’s dramatic A Babe in the Woods, a mystery man arrives on a reclusive woman’s doorstep with a babe on his back—and a gun in his backpack! Then we have a man without a memory who returns to his Prim, Proper…Pregnant former fiancée—this unique story by Alice Sharpe is a must-read for those who love twists and turns.
In coming months, look for special titles by longtime favorites Diana Palmer, Joan Hohl, Kasey Michaels, Dixie Browning, Phyllis Halldorson and Tracy Sinclair, as well as many newer but equally loved authors. It’s an exciting year for Silhouette Books, and we invite you to join the celebration!
Happy reading!
Mary-Theresa Hussey
Senior Editor
Annie and the Prince
Elizabeth Harbison
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To two of the finest men who ever walked this earth:
John Edward McShulskis (1932-1983)
and
John Anthony McShulskis (1910-1998)
Lives well lived.
I’m so proud to have had such great men as my father
and grandfather.
Books by Elizabeth Harbison
Silhouette Romance
A Groom for Maggie #1239
Wife Without a Past #1258
Two Brothers and a Bride #1286
True Love Ranch #1323
* (#litres_trial_promo)Emma and the Earl #1410
* (#litres_trial_promo)Plain Jane Marries the Boss #1416
* (#litres_trial_promo)Annie and the Prince #1423
ELIZABETH HARBISON
has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. After devouring the Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden series in grade school, she moved on to the suspense of Mary Stewart, Dorothy Eden and Daphne du Maurier, just to name a few. From there it was a natural progression to writing, although early efforts have been securely hidden away in the back of a closet.
After authoring three cookbooks, Elizabeth turned her hand to writing romances and hasn’t looked back. Her second book for Silhouette Romance, Wife Without a Past, was a 1998 finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA Award in the “Best Traditional Romance” category.
Elizabeth lives in Maryland with her husband, John, and daughter, Mary Paige, as well as two dogs, Bailey and Zuzu. She loves to hear from readers and you can write to her c/o Box 1636, Germantown, MD 20875.
Contents
Prologue (#u4084e33d-0b78-5d1f-81aa-3025dc66d385)
Chapter One (#ufcec77ed-5595-53ad-bcaf-81368b96c857)
Chapter Two (#u354e4942-9525-575e-b492-c90ba7fc1d61)
Chapter Three (#ue68c506a-32d2-5325-af8b-78250733776d)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
“Oh, Annie, I can’t believe you’re going! Are you sure this is the right thing to do? Quitting your job and just taking off for Europe this way?”
Annie Barimer looked at her friend, Joy Simon, who worked in the admissions office at Pendleton School for Girls. Annie, until this very moment, had been the school librarian there for five years. “I’m sure, Joy,” she said, without a trace of the melancholy Joy had etched all over her face. “Besides, I’m not just ‘taking off for Europe’, as you well know. I’m going to travel for one short week.” It was hard to contain her glee. France! Germany! She was finally going to the places she’d wanted to see for so long. The week would pass very fast. “Then I go to Kublenstein and start my new job.”
“For strangers.” Joy sniffed dramatically and took another piece of the sheet cake the staff had bought for Annie’s farewell party. She scooped some soupy ice cream onto the paper plate. “Who knows what they’re like? They may be a family of psycho killers.”
“They are the daughters of Marie de la Fuenza,” Annie corrected.
“Right. And what do we know about her?”
“We know that twenty years ago she attended Pendleton for the full four years and that her mother also attended. Plus her family virtually paid for the library.” She raised an eyebrow at Joy. “I think we can trust them.”
Joy wasn’t convinced. “You’ve got to admit they’ve been a little cryptic about the job. It’s always the daughters of Marie de la Fuenza. What’s her married name? What are the daughters’ names? Why is everything addressed through the embassy in Kublenstein instead of a home address? Where is Kublenstein anyway?”
“It’s in the Alps,” Annie answered, refusing to be troubled by Joy’s other admittedly good points. “And her husband is an important figure in the government there or something, so everything is being arranged very carefully.”
Joy shrugged. “Well, I still don’t see what’s wrong with staying right here at Pendleton.”
“I’ve been wanting to go to Europe all my life but this is the first chance I’ve ever gotten to actually go live there for awhile and get paid for it.” Pictures of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Parthenon, the Colosseum and a million other grand European landmarks danced in her head. The dreary little town of Pendleborough couldn’t compare on any level. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”
“Somehow I knew you’d say that.”
Annie laughed and pulled back a tendril of coffee-colored hair that had escaped from her braid and kept tickling her cheek. “I’ve only said it a thousand times.” A couple of teachers from the math department walked past, patted her shoulder and wished her luck. She thanked them and turned back to Joy and the conversation at hand. “Look, this is a dream come true. Be happy for me.”
Joy raised her hands in front of her. “All right, all right. To be honest, I’m not worried about you in Europe at all, I’m worried about me, here. I’m going to be bored out of my mind when you’re gone.”
“I’ll write,” Annie told her sincerely. She imagined herself printing the Pendleton address on an envelope from thousands of miles away. The idea made her feel giddy, even though Joy would prefer the immediacy of e-mail. “I promise.”
Joy put a piece of cake into her mouth and nodded. “That’s what you say now.” She held up a finger, swallowed, then added, “But what happens when you find your Prince Charming over there and get so wrapped up in a romance that you forget about writing, hmm?”
“So that’s where Prince Charming is,” Annie said, with mock surprise. “Stupid me, I’ve been kissing frogs on the wrong side of the Atlantic for twenty-five years.”
Joy raised an eyebrow. “Laugh if you want to, but I have a feeling you’re going to meet someone there. Someone romantically significant. You might never come back!”
Annie was sure Joy couldn’t have been further off the mark. She couldn’t even imagine meeting the man of her dreams overseas and never coming back…though the idea had some appeal as a fantasy. “You’re right that I’ll be meeting someone. Actually, two someones. Marie de la Fuenza’s daughters. I hate to disillusion you, but I’m going to have no time for any kind of social life at all.” It was true. Even if she was the extroverted type who’d go out and meet people to party with, she wasn’t going to have time for it with this job.
“Remember that tarot card reading I did for you?” Joy asked. “It said you were going to meet a very important and powerful man. That card was in the love position.”
Annie thought about it, then recalled what her friend was talking about. “Joy, that was just a prank for the school fair. Surely you don’t believe in any of that stuff. For heaven’s sake, you were reading it right out of a book.”
“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t true. Besides, my psychic feelings have been right before,” Joy said, hurt.
“When?”
“I told you Judy Gallagher was pregnant.”
It was on the tip of Annie’s tongue to point out that everyone had realized Judy was pregnant as soon as she started bolting from her first period Social Studies class for the bathroom every morning. Instead, Annie gave a concessionary nod. “That’s true, you did.”
“And I’m right about this, too. You mark my words.”
“Duly marked.”
“Besides, you need to meet a guy. You need to have someone to support you in a year when your job tutoring English ends and you’re out of work.”
“It’s not always that easy to find someone.”
Joy sighed. “So…what are you wearing on the plane?”
Annie laughed. Joy’s greatest pleasure in life, next to food, was fashion. And she was quite good at it, too, if not exactly a willowy fashion plate herself.
“I’m wearing this,” Annie answered, indicating the comfy cotton sweater and leggings she was wearing.
“Honestly, you have this great figure and you never do anything to emphasize it. It’s so unfair. Maybe you should take me along to advise you.”
“I’m sure I should.”
There was a faint honking outside the door. Annie moved to look out the window. A yellow cab had pulled up in the courtyard in front of the library building.
“Cab’s here,” someone called, just as Annie saw it.
“Time to go, I guess.”
“Looks like it,” Joy said miserably.
Annie couldn’t commiserate. Her heart felt as light as air. In fact, it was fluttering just like a bird from the excitement. This wasn’t regular anticipation. Annie was feeling like her whole life was about to change forever.
Could there possibly be something to Joy’s prediction?
She took a steady breath and gave Joy a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t look so sad. I promised I would write to you and I will.”
“You better. Have you got the digital camera I gave you?”
“All packed.”
“Good. Take pictures. E-mail them to me. You remember how I showed you?”
“I remember.” Annie moved to get in the back seat, waving to the people who had congregated to watch her go.
“And don’t forget to tell me all about him,” Joy added significantly.
