скачать книгу бесплатно
Baby Of Convenience
Diana Whitney
Marriage–For Baby's SakeWhen Laura Michaels tracked her wayward cat to millionaire Royce Burton's estate, she never dreamed her kitty would save her son. For Laura needed a powerful husband to keep custody of her baby–and Royce needed a wife. So the elusive entrepreneur and the down-on-her-luck lady struck a marriage deal–which would remain strictly business, of course.Except the newlyweds soon found their "hands-off" union did not account for the blossoming feelings developing between them. But Royce had no use for sugary sentiment and gooey emotions! Still, the lovely woman's haunting smile triggered an unfamiliar emotion in Royce–a burgeoning love?
Laura held her breath, part of her hoping that he’d enter her bedroom…
while another, more cowardly part of her feared that was exactly what he’d do. She wasn’t prepared for the stabbing disappointment she felt as his footsteps faded away.
She cracked the door just wide enough to see him enter Jamie’s room. From her vantage point, she watched him touching the sleeping child with such reverence, such wonder and awe, that it raised a lump in her throat.
To see a man gaze upon her child with such tenderness cracked away the final vestige of her inner restraint. This was a prince among men, Laura decided. This was the man she’d waited for her entire life.
Then she heard Royce’s footsteps descending the stairs, and she followed him as if beckoned by an invisible hand.
She didn’t know what she would do, or what she would say. All she knew was that she had to be with him, and damn the consequences.
Dear Reader,
As the air begins to chill outside, curl up under a warm blanket with a mug of hot chocolate and these six fabulous Special Edition novels.…
First up is bestselling author Lindsay McKenna’s A Man Alone, part of her compelling and highly emotional MORGAN’S MERCENARIES: MAVERICK HEARTS series. Meet Captain Thane Hamilton, a wounded Marine who’d closed off his heart long ago, and Paige Black, a woman whose tender loving care may be just what the doctor ordered.
Two new miniseries are launching this month and you’re not going to want to miss either one! Look for The Rancher Next Door, the first of rising star Susan Mallery’s brand-new miniseries, LONE STAR CANYON. Not even a long-standing family feud can prevent love from happening! Also, veteran author Penny Richards pens a juicy and scandalous love story with Sophie’s Scandal, the first of her wonderful new trilogy— RUMOR HAS IT…that two high school sweethearts are about to recapture the love they once shared.…
Next, Jennifer Mikels delivers a wonderfully heartwarming romance between a runaway heiress and a local sheriff with The Bridal Quest, the second book in the HERE COME THE BRIDES series. And Diana Whitney brings back her popular STORK EXPRESS series. Could a Baby of Convenience be just the thing to bring two unlikely people together?
And last, but not least, please welcome newcomer Tori Carrington to the line. Just Eight Months Old… and she’d stolen the hearts of two independent bounty hunters—who just might make the perfect family!
Enjoy these delightful tales, and come back next month for more emotional stories about life, love and family!
Best,
Karen Taylor Richman
Senior Editor
Baby of Convenience
Diana Whitney
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Constance Martynow, a wonderful sister-in-law and devoted fan, who welcomed me into the family and has offered constant support over the years. You are deeply loved, gratefully appreciated. Thank you.
Books by Diana Whitney
Silhouette Special Edition
Cast a Tall Shadow #508
Yesterday’s Child #559
One Lost Winter #644
Child of the Storm #702
The Secret #874
* (#litres_trial_promo)The Adventurer #934
* (#litres_trial_promo)The Avenger #984
* (#litres_trial_promo)The Reformer #1019
† (#litres_trial_promo)Daddy of the House #1052
† (#litres_trial_promo)Barefoot Bride #1073
† (#litres_trial_promo)A Hero’s Child #1090
‡ (#litres_trial_promo)Baby on His Doorstep #1165
‡ (#litres_trial_promo)Baby in His Cradle #1176
†† (#litres_trial_promo)I Now Pronounce You Mom & Dad #1261
†† (#litres_trial_promo)The Fatherhood Factor #1276
‡ (#litres_trial_promo)Baby of Convenience #1361
Silhouette Romance
O’Brian’s Daughter #673
A Liberated Man #703
Scout’s Honor #745
The Last Bachelor #874
One Man’s Vow #940
One Man’s Promise #1307
†† (#litres_trial_promo)A Dad of His Own #1392
Silhouette Intimate Moments
Still Married #491
Midnight Stranger #530
Scarlet Whispers #603
Silhouette Shadows
The Raven Master #31
Silhouette Books
36 Hours
Ooh Baby, Baby
DIANA WHITNEY
is a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA Award finalist, Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers’ Choice Award nominee and finalist for Colorado Romance Writers’ Award of Excellence. Diana has published more than two dozen romance and suspense novels since her first Silhouette title in 1989. A popular speaker, Diana has conducted writing workshops and has published several articles on the craft of fiction writing for various trade magazines and newsletters. She is a member of Authors Guild, Novelists, Inc., Published Authors Network and Romance Writers of America. She and her husband live in rural Northern California with a beloved menagerie of furred creatures, domestic and wild. She loves to hear from readers. You can write to her c/o Silhouette Books, 300 East 42nd Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017.
Contents
Chapter One (#ue51b9287-3b9d-536c-aace-906e0600249f)
Chapter Two (#u4bf02e52-4266-5eaf-a1ad-459799f2e2c9)
Chapter Three (#uaefee79d-0181-53fb-8985-2e756b8cba35)
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)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
Bright eyes, taunting and haughty, peered from behind the gnarled trunk of a stately black oak. With an irked blink at those who so relentlessly followed, the eyes turned away, and their owner slipped into the meadow, gliding lithely through the purple profusion of wild lupine toward the one place no one dared to follow.
“Maggie, don’t be a tease.” A croak of desperation broke the command into a whining supplication. “Don’t hide from us, precious, we only want to help. You know how much we love you.”
Unmoved by the poignant plea, Maggie ducked into a neatly trimmed hedgerow at the far side of the meadow, and disappeared.
“Me firsty.”
“Shh, sweetums, I know you’re thirsty.” Laura Michaels shifted the baby in her arms, wiped a smudge of tree sap from his wind-chafed cheek. As she peeked through the pruned thicket, her heart sank at the expanse of manicured lawns and lush, formal garden leading up to an architectural marvel that could only be described as a mansion. “We have to be real quiet for a few minutes, okay? Then we can go home, and Mama will get you a big glass of juice.”
Jamie rubbed his eyes, popped a thumb in his mouth and laid his head on his mother’s shoulder as she carefully eased through the shrubbery, ever watchful lest her presence on these hallowed grounds be detected. Rich people lived here. Rather, one rich person in particular.
Laura had never met Royce Burton. She hadn’t even seen him beyond an across-the-street glimpse of tailored cashmere as he’d whisked from the corporate office of Burton Technologies into a gleaming Mercedes with tinted windows. Everyone in Mill Creek knew about Burton, the elusive entrepreneur who’d created an industrial complex that had turned an area in upstate New York on the brink of financial ruin into a thriving boomtown. Mill Creek citizens worshiped him. Not surprising, since he signed the majority of their paychecks.
Laura remained cynical, although she hadn’t been immune to the monetary temptation that had seduced most of her friends and neighbors. She also coveted a job at Burton Technologies. Desperate means for desperate measures, she supposed, although she understood people like Royce Burton all too well. Experience had taught her that wealthy folks were a breed unto themselves. Contemptuous, self-indulgent. Cruel.
Maggie couldn’t have chosen a worse spot to isolate herself from the world. Laura could not have been more determined to rescue her beloved Maggie from making a horrific mistake in judgment. “Hold on, sweetums,” she murmured to the fussing baby in her arms. “Just a few more minutes, okay?”
A flash of movement caught Laura’s eye. A blooming daylily at the south wing of the huge home rustled. She gave another wary glance around the lush grounds. Then, cradling her sleepy child in her arms, she crept forward.
Ducking beneath a cantilevered bay window, she slipped to the rear of the house just in time to see the final vibration of foliage in front of an open basement window.
“Oh, criminey.” So much for the hope that Maggie had found refuge in a separate toolshed, or some other structure from which she could be quietly extricated without disturbing the mansion’s owner.
She swallowed hard. “Hold on to your diapers, Jamie. Looks like we’re about to have ourselves an up-close-and-personal introduction to the richest, most powerful and most frightening man in the entire town.”
The woman’s eyes were ice blue, cool to the point of frigid. Strands of gray muted the reddish hue of hair faded by time and twisted into a bun as tight as her jawline.
She eyed Laura, her gaze lingering on the squirming child long enough to reflect a hint of disdain. “Is Mr. Burton expecting you?”
“No.” Shifting as Jamie gave a sideways lurch, Laura tightened her grip on her fidgeting son and struggled to maintain her composure. She’d met women like this before. Too many of them, actually. Household terrors who ruled the inner workings of their employer’s homes as if they’d been blessed by royal decree. “It’s urgent that I speak with him at once.”
“Impossible. Mr. Burton is in conference.”
“But it’s Sunday.” Desperate, Laura turned her attention toward a masculine voice filtering from somewhere beyond the gleaming marble foyer. “I won’t take much of his time.”
Unmoved, the woman, who appeared to be in her midfifties, squared her shoulders, took a sideways step as she prepared to close the massive carved door. “I suggest you call his office in the morning. His personal assistant will either set up an appointment—” cool blue eyes once again settled on the baby in Laura’s arms “—or refer you to his personal attorney.”
Shocked by the implication, Laura bristled. “Mr. Burton must have quite a morals deficit for you to presume every visiting child is the issue of a tawdry affair.”
The moment the angry words rumbled off her tongue, she regretted them. An unrestrained temper was not usually one of Laura’s flaws, except where her son was concerned. An insult to Jamie was intolerable, even if it meant alienating her only means of locating the elusive Mr. Burton—and the even more elusive Maggie.
“How dare the likes of you insult a man of Mr. Burton’s impeccable standards?” A crimson flush stained the furious woman’s crepey throat, and a flash of embarrassed fury narrowed her eyes. Had it not been for the fortuitous diversion of a booming masculine voice, Laura had no doubt the massive doors would have been instantly slammed in her face.
“Marta!”
The distracted woman spun around, gazing like an anxious lapdog in the direction from which brusque footsteps echoed. “Get Robinson at the Brussels office on the line. Also, call Dave Henderson. Have him call a finance committee meeting for this afternoon.”
