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Plain Jane's Prince Charming
Melissa McClone
For waitress Jane Dawson happily-ever-afters only happen in fairy tales…. So when she approaches I sexy millionaire Chase Ryder she's thrilled he'll sponsor her charity. Of course, there's no chance Chase will be interested in a girl like her!Chase has always dated women like him, focused and controlled. But Jane's passion to help others is like a breath of fresh air. Can Chase let down his ; guard? Because Jane's a woman in a million and deserves her very own happy ending….
Dear Reader,
As I began work on Plain Jane’s Prince Charming, I couldn’t stop thinking about a little girl in my son’s preschool class who had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). While her family navigated their way through an overwhelming new world of oncology, treatment protocols and hospitals, the children in the preschool made a hand-print quilt for their classmate and waited for her return. Friends sought ways to help—bringing meals, praying and helping with her sister, who was in kindergarten.
Thankfully, her leukemia went into remission and she returned to preschool, but her chemotherapy treatments continued. Eager to help others, her parents organized a local benefit for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
I was so moved by the courage of this family, and the love and support that flowed from their friends and the community, that they all wove their way into the backdrop of this story. Leukemia is a horrible disease, but it’s not without hope. And that’s what I wanted to show in this romance—hope, heart and a happily-ever-after.
Melissa McClone
P.S. If you would like to learn more about ALL, or how you can help, please visit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Web site at www.leukemia-lymphoma.org (http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org)
MELISSA MCCLONE
With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, the last thing Melissa McClone ever thought she would be doing was writing romance novels. But analyzing engines for a major U.S. airline just couldn’t compete with her “happily-ever-afters.”
When she isn’t writing, caring for her three young children or doing laundry, Melissa loves to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea, her cats and a good book. She enjoys watching home decorating shows to get ideas for her house—a 1939 cottage that is slowly being renovated. Melissa lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon, with her own real-life hero husband, two daughters, a son, two lovable but oh-so-spoiled indoor cats and a no-longer-stray outdoor kitty that decided to call the garage home. Melissa loves to hear from her readers. You can write to her at P.O. Box 63, Lake Oswego, OR 97034, U.S.A.
Plain Jane’s Prince Charming
Melissa McClone
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Melissa McClone on Plain Jane’s Prince Charming:
“I raided my own wardrobe to dress my heroine Jane. Her red field coat, black long-sleeved T-shirt and tan corduroy pants came from my closet. I used to wear purple wire-rimmed eyeglasses, too, until one of my children broke the frames. Let’s hope Jane has better luck with hers!”
For Taylor Jackson
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE (#ud13c216a-1307-597b-beaa-0dd6476bdd48)
CHAPTER TWO (#u079440fc-7b43-5398-9c0b-f6496f33dd23)
CHAPTER THREE (#ua55bd77b-96ee-5303-ac3c-03cc42fa4014)
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)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE
“MR. RYDER.” Standing in the foyer of Cyberworx’s state-of-the-art meeting facility, Jane Dawson couldn’t believe how steady her voice sounded when inside she felt like a coffee bean being ground into tiny bits. Still she managed to smile at the gray-haired businessman. “I would like to speak with you. For a minute. That is if you have time. Please.”
Jane winced.
So much for being smooth and collected, but this was different from speaking with customers while she managed the Hearth, a trendy coffee house in downtown Portland, Oregon. That job required patience, a smile and making sure the staff at the counter got the orders right, not cultured eloquence and grace.
“You want to speak to me?” In spite of his tailored suit, he looked more like a doting grandfather than the successful CEO of a multinational hi-tech company. “Chase…Ryder?”
He sounded surprised.
Of course, he did. People like Jane, college drop-outs who brewed coffee all day, didn’t usually approach people like him. And normally she wouldn’t. Especially when picking up after a catering job. On her day off.
But this wasn’t a normal situation.
She’d jumped at the chance to set up and pick up the breakfast meeting buffet for thirty guests at the corporate headquarters though catering jobs weren’t her usual responsibility. Her boss, Zoe, had offered her the opportunity to meet Chase Ryder, and Jane wasn’t going to blow it.
Act like you know what you’re doing. Saying. And think before you open your mouth. Zoe’s advice echoed in Jane’s head. She raised her chin. “Yes, I would, Mr. Ryder.”
His grin deepened the lines around his mouth and eyes. “I’m more than happy to speak with you, miss.”
Jane hadn’t felt this light, this hopeful in…well, years.
“Unfortunately,” he continued, “I’m not Chase Ryder.”
Her heart plummeted to her feet, as if two fifty-pound bags of Sumatra Gayo Mountain coffee beans had been dumped on each of her shoulders.
Not Chase Ryder.
How could she have made such a big mistake? Her assistant manager, Ally, had told Jane she couldn’t miss the Cyberworx’s head honcho. Tall, handsome and surrounded by people. She’d assumed the distinguished looking man had to be him. She’d assumed wrong.
The man stared at her. “Are you okay?”
No, she wasn’t okay. Jane needed Chase Ryder. She needed…a miracle. Or the fundraising benefit she wanted to throw was never going to happen.
“Miss?”
Whatever you do, do not cause a scene. Remembering Zoe’s final words made Jane force a smile. She wasn’t about to risk her job or future catering jobs for the Hearth over this.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Thank you for your time.”
“No, thank you.” The man chuckled. “You made my day thinking I was Chase.”
As the man sauntered away with a spring to his step, her shoulders slumped. She was in over her head and not qualified to do this, but she couldn’t get discouraged. She couldn’t give up. She still had to try.
For Emma. For sweet, four-year-old Emma who loved to play with baby dolls and still had months of treatment left, Jane wouldn’t give up. Maybe she could still find Chase Ryder. It was only ten o’clock in the morning. And if not…
She would write more letters and make additional phone calls. Somehow she would find sponsors for the fundraiser. Somehow she would help Emma’s mother, Michelle, tackle the mounting medical bills. Somehow Jane would pull this off.
If only she knew how.
Jane shuffled her way to the buffet table to pack up the equipment. Less than a dozen of the muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls and pastries remained on the trays, and she transferred them to a smaller plate to leave. All of the fruit cups were gone, except…
Oh, no.
One had spilled on the tile floor. Pieces of cantaloupe, grapes and pineapple had been squished, kicked and trampled on. The building’s janitorial staff cleaned after events, but Jane couldn’t leave a mess like this. She grabbed a towel near one of the coffee air pots, kneeled on the floor and wiped the sticky goo.
Nothing like a bit of fruit roadkill to finish off a lousy morning. She reached for a smushed strawberry. At least her day couldn’t get much worse.
“Excuse me,” a male voice said.
Still kneeling, Jane took in the shoes first. The black running shoes needed new laces, but looked comfortable. Just like his faded blue jeans. Her gaze traveled up the length of his calves to his thighs to his, um…
Her cheeks burned.
“You wanted to speak with me?” he asked.
What was she doing? She’d come to provide service. To beg a favor. Not stare at his…Jane jumped up. “I’m Ja…”
As she looked into his intense blue eyes, everything stopped. She couldn’t breathe let alone remember her name.
From the angular planes of his face to the slight cleft in his chin to his oh-so-kissable full lips, each feature fit perfectly together with his warm, bright eyes. His blond hair fell in loose curls and brushed the back of his grayish-blue dress shirt collar and navy sports coat. No man could be so naturally good-looking. There had to be a flaw, something more than a mole or two…
And then she found it—a jagged scar running through his right eyebrow. But rather than distracting from his looks it gave him an edge, a sexy, dangerous edge. She stepped back and bumped into the table. Her heart rate increased.
“Jay?” he asked.
“Jane.” Her voice sounded different, lower. She cleared her dry throat. “Jane Dawson.”
“Chase Ryder.”
Everything in her revolted. This was worse than before. He was too young, too handsome, too…male, like a cowboy who’d wandered into the wrong building. Wide shoulders and tall, six feet at least, as the top of her head came up only to his chin. Talk about being at a disadvantage.
“You wanted to speak with me?” he repeated.
His honey rich voice washed over her sending her temperature up at least another twenty degrees.
Don’t freak out. She could do this. So what if he was the most attractive man she’d ever seen? So what if he was richer than Midas himself? A family’s financial future depended on her. She couldn’t be derailed by a pretty—make that gorgeous—face.
“Yes.” Jane extended her arm only to realize she was holding the towel full of smashed fruit. She tossed the rag on the table and wiped her hand on her apron. “I did.”
He glanced at the watch he wore on his right wrist. “I’ve got three minutes.”
His terse response irked her, but what was she going to do? She had less than three minutes to get his help. “I’m organizing a fundraising event to assist paying for the medical expenses of a four-year-old fighting leukemia. The little girl is being raised by a single mother who works, but doesn’t have health insurance.”
She took a breath. “I sent two letters to your foundation about getting sponsorship for the event and left three voice mails, but never received any response. Since I was going to be here this morning, I thought I’d save another stamp and ask you myself though I realize your foundation isn’t associated with Cyberworx.”
He studied her, his appraising gaze missing nothing. Never had she felt so self-conscious and exposed in her freshly creased black twill pants, crisp white blouse and apron. She tucked a strand back into her ponytail.
“And you’re here for…?” he asked.
“The food.” She motioned to the name embroidered on her apron. “I’m…we catered the meeting. The Hearth. It’s a coffee house located in the Pearl district.”
“I’ve heard of it,” he acknowledged. “The Hearth is one of our caterers, but I don’t recognize you.”
“I usually work at the coffee house, not catering jobs. Except for today.” Jane wet her lips. “My, um, boss said I could talk to you as long as I wasn’t bothering you. Am I bothering you, Mr. Ryder?”
“It’s Chase, and no, you’re not bothering me.”
Thank goodness. Too bad she couldn’t say the same thing about him. Okay, he wasn’t exactly bothering her, just leaving her hot and bothered. He might not have the personality to match his good looks, but she would still need an iced cappuccino to cool her down once she finished here. “I know you’re busy and my time is almost up, but I’d be happy to send or e-mail more information about the fundraising event or buy you lunch so we could discuss it further.”
He raised a brow. “Buy me lunch?”
Lunch? Had she said that? More proof she wasn’t cut out for this sort of thing, but it was too late to back out now. “Lunch at the Hearth. I do get an employee discount, but we make a tasty…” Their deli sandwiches, soups and salads might not cut it for a man who could buy himself whatever he wanted. Think. Think. Think. “A tasty grilled panini sandwich.”
The corners of his mouth lifted. “You have a lot of confidence in your cook.”
A lot more than she had in herself. Zoe was going to kill her. Jane tilted her chin anyway. “It’s my recipe.”
His gaze met hers for a moment and a pleasurable shiver inched down her spine. “How does one-thirty sound?” he asked.
“Today?”
He nodded once, and a curly piece of hair fell across his forehead. She ignored the temptation to push the curl back into place.
“G-great.” And Jane supposed it would be. Once her heart rate returned to normal and she told Zoe that the Hearth was going to be serving grilled panini sandwiches at lunchtime today.
With seven minutes between meetings, Chase paused in front of his longtime assistant’s desk. As Amanda disconnected from her call, he picked up the rake from her miniature Zen garden.
Amanda, an incredibly young looking fifty-three, gave him an indulgent smile. “Don’t you have a call with Zurich?”
He checked the time. “In six and a half minutes.”
“I don’t want to keep you waiting.” Amanda removed her headset and brushed her hand through her short, red hair. “What do you need, boss?”
He carved symmetrical rows in the sand. “Cancel everything on my schedule from one o’clock on.”
She frowned. “Today?”
