Christmas Holiday Husband (25 page)

Ginny inclined her head and blushed as pink as her jacket.

“Thanks to everyone who travelled long distances to be here.” His gaze settled on his old friend Matthew McLeod from Queenstown. “Some of you even brought lovely new wives to meet us—pregnant ones at that. You wasted no time with Kate, buddy!” A ripple of laughter ran around their table.

He smiled down at Ellie again, and then out to where the twins sat with Alfie Hamlin. As always, Alfie seemed to have no boyfriend in tow.

“Thank you to my pretty daughters for being such wonderful flower girls. You look beautiful, and you’ve carried out your duties superbly.” He blew them a kiss and they burst into giggles.

“Thanks to all of you for your generous gifts and good wishes—and even more for your company here today.” He glanced around the ornate marquee again. “Better also add a big ‘thank you’ to the caterers and the florists for doing such a superb job, although at least you’ll get paid for your trouble.” Tipsy chuckles filled the air.

“Does that cover everyone?”

He paused.

“And now, the fairy story. Once upon a time...” He smoothed his fingers over Ellie’s shoulder again, and paused for a few more seconds, waiting until the noise died right away.

“Once upon a time, a young king went wandering, and he met a beautiful princess over the sea in another country. But the young king had to journey onward, and he never knew there was a little prince waiting to be born.”

He rubbed his chin and hesitated for a moment. “In time the young king married and had two tiny princesses of his own.” Tony smiled out at his big-eyed daughters who were spellbound by the story. He held out a hand, and Caro and Ants came running to stand beside him, snuggling up to his long legs.

“The years went by and the little princesses grew older, and the palace needed a teacher for them. Mistress Ginny chose the very best teacher she could find.”

“Ellie,” Caro chimed in.

“Ellie,” he confirmed. “Princess Ellie from all those years ago, by a wonderful chance. But Mistress Ginny didn’t know the name of the princess, and Princess Ellie didn’t know they were the king’s daughters, so when she arrived everyone was very surprised.”

“I wasn’t,” Ants said.

“Well, I was,” Tony continued. “And although Ellie was unexpected, there was an even bigger surprise to follow.” He held out his other hand to Callum, who shyly approached and stood with them. He touched Cal’s dark hair, and looked out over the sea of faces. “I’d like to introduce you all to my young prince. This is Callum Anthony—my son from all those years ago.”

Some of the guests gasped. Others nodded, being already in the know.

“Callum is bringing me very great joy.”

Cal ducked his head with embarrassment, then stood tall again and braved the stares. Ginny and Rebecca started to clap, and soon applause and whistling filled the whole marquee.

Tony motioned for silence again so he could say: “And they all lived—”

He looked down at his daughters.

They each dragged in a deep theatrical breath. “
Happily ever after,
” they chorused.

The band produced a triumphant drum roll and fanfare.

Tony turned and drew Ellie’s chair out so she could stand. He wrapped her fingers in his and led her onto the dance floor.

“Dance with me forever, my beautiful wife,” he invited, folding her into his arms.

THE END

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***

Her next book will be

‘Unwanted Husband, Unwilling Wife’ – Alfie’s story

—or another in her Sheikhs of Al Sounam series.

All of the following are now available for you to enjoy.

***

Her Man with Iceberg Eyes (Heartland Heroines 1)

Kate Pleasance is on her best behavior. Matthew McLeod is certainly not. She really needs the job he's interviewing her for. He totally wants the unexpected candidate in his bed. But is Kate spying for her famous father? Should Matthew trust her in the least? Join them in the beautiful New Zealand alpine resort of Queenstown, famous for its daredevil extreme sports.Will Kate dare? And is Matthew the devil he seems to be?
WARNING: Contains one tall tortured man who's super-talented in bedrooms and boardrooms.

Excerpt

Kate Pleasance scrolled through the online job ads for the morning, and stopped when SUPERWOMAN WANTED jumped out at her. Could she be a superwoman? She huffed out a sigh. She’d been pretty damn super for the last three months!

With nothing to lose, she emailed her CV and a slightly cheeky letter. She was exactly ready for a different life—away from the sad memories of her mother, and far away from all the people and places she’d known when she was Simon’s partner. This definitely sounded different—something she could get her teeth into and distract herself with—and in New Zealand’s most famous alpine resort, too.

As she alighted from the commuter jet a bare week later, the biting June air seeped through her cream Merino suit jacket, through her camisole, into her very skin. From the plane, Queenstown had looked deceptively summery—blue sky from edge to edge—even though there was an icing-sugar dusting of snow on the surrounding mountains. She’d left sixteen degrees at home, way to the north in Auckland. Here it was a crisp and shimmering eight.

She scanned the arrivals lounge where other passengers were greeting friends and relatives. Charlotte had said she’d be there to meet Kate, but what did Charlotte look like?

Not like the elderly lady in the blue hat. It hadn’t been a quavery old voice on the phone.

Hopefully not like the harassed-looking woman with the screaming child— although
she
certainly seemed in need of a helpful companion.

And certainly not like the tall dark man with his head down, studying something. They were the only people who’d not claimed their passengers yet. Perhaps Charlotte was still finding somewhere to park her car? Kate strode resolutely on.

Matthew compressed his lips and lifted his eyes from the photograph clipped to the CV. That had to be the Pleasance girl in the cream suit. The photo showed a pale young woman with her dark hair pulled back and pinned up. She stared primly into the camera lens—trying to look businesslike, he supposed. Trying to look innocuous enough to gain access to his home where she could spy for her ruthless father, more like!

He saw now that she was unusually tall, moved with easy grace, and had hair right out of a shampoo ad—thick, glossy, and flowing down past her shoulders today. His fingers twitched at its imagined softness and warmth. Scheming bitch! The severe CV photo certainly didn’t do justice to candidate number three. For the interview, she was apparently turning on all her feminine wiles in an effort to put him and Lottie off their guard.

Resisting Nick
(Wicked in Wellington)

Nick Sharpe owns a chain of fitness centers. He has money, ambition, and a body honed to perfection, but he’s just discovered he was adopted and never told. To make matters worse, his P.A. has walked out at short notice. His business and personal lives are suddenly in disarray—and then fate hands him Sammie.

Sammie Sherbourne only needs a temporary job until her passport arrives, then she’s off to see the world. The last thing she wants is to become one of Nick’s many conquests. But Nick’s hot and he’s hurting, and Sammie knows she might hold the key to his identity. That’s a lot of temptation for a girl with a tender heart.

WARNING: Contains sexy games in beds, bathrooms, and on balconies.

Excerpt

Sammie Sherbourne took the stairs at a half-run, hoping jeans with a polo shirt and Nikes were appropriate for the sporty atmosphere of the fitness center. She bounced up into a deserted reception area and slowed to watch through the long glass wall as clients stretched, pedaled, and grunted at the various machines. One dark-haired man finished his workout on a cross-trainer, slung a towel around his neck, and moved toward her with a loose-limbed stride.

She tried not to stare, but his dampened shorts and tank showed off a tall, sculpted body that appeared hard-disciplined and a great advertisement for the place. The nearer he got the better he looked. A month here, before she escaped from New Zealand, might be no hardship at all!

She dragged her attention away from his powerful thighs and up past the sweaty tank that showcased his gleaming chest and shoulders. Then found bristling stubble, an impatient scowl, and snapping black eyes.

“You’re the replacement temp?”

She nodded. “Samantha.”

“Nick. You made it on time. Good.”

He scrubbed the towel over his hair, and Sammie darted another glance downward. So this was the boss?

He got as far as saying, “If you can—” and his cell phone rang. He wrestled it from his shorts pocket, which pulled the thin fabric mouthwateringly tight, and waved a hand at the desk.

Sammie took this as in invitation to sit, and watched from the swivel chair as he stalked off sounding far from pleased about something.

She waited. And she waited. Ten minutes passed before he reappeared.

In that time, she’d checked the desk drawers and stowed her bag in the bottom one which was empty apart from a box of staples.

She’d answered the ever-ringing phone. Yes they were open; no, Nick wasn’t available right now but she’d take a message; yes, their special $299 package ran until the end of the month (because she’d read the poster on the glass wall); no, Nick wasn’t available right now but she’d make sure he phoned back as soon as possible; no, she wasn’t Julie. Or Tyler.

Where the hell had he got to?

He came back still barking into his phone, but now smelling sexy as sin and wearing a black suit, charcoal shirt open at the neck, and beautiful shoes. He leaned over the desk while he continued his phone conversation, raised an exasperated eyebrow at her, rummaged amongst some papers, and produced a list that he thrust in her direction.

“Okay?” he mouthed silently.

She shrugged, nodded, and handed him the phone-message slips. He jammed them in a pocket, took the stairs at a lithe run, and disappeared.

And thank you too
, she muttered to herself.

***

Out of Bounds
(Wicked in Wellington)

Jetta Rivers has inherited half a house. Big problem: she has to share it with co-owner Anton Haviland, and her past has left her terrified of men.

Gorgeous Anton is a confident sexy architect, and he might be exactly who Jetta needs to put her crippling fear to rest. But can she allow him near enough? And would he even want to try?

A midnight disaster leaves her no option when he drags her off to the only bed left in the now-damaged house. She’s appalled to find how much she craves the man who plans to smash her inheritance to pieces. Anton is equally shocked when his sharp-tempered housemate attempts to seduce him.

WARNING: Contains one ambitious man with a tender heart and a body to die for. And one unlikely temptress with an ancient copy of The Joy of Sex.

Excerpt

Prologue

Jetta Rivers despised herself for snooping on him over the old fence, but with her face hidden safely in the foliage of Gran’s jasmine vine, her eyes still followed his every move.

He was sex on legs. Sex on very long legs. Maybe thirty—with strong arms, and a smooth tanned back flexing in the bright Kiwi sun as he polished the silver flanks of an impeccable old Porsche.

She imagined running her hands over his taut muscular body as sensuously as his were caressing the car.

Then, quick as a wink, her naughty brain stripped the jeans off his very cute butt.

‘
Stop it Jetta!’
she snapped at herself, adding a couple of frustrated curses as hot little ripples of pleasure pulsed between her thighs. Why did she feel like this when she couldn’t do anything about it? Her body might be bursting with lust but her brain always put the brakes on. In twenty-six years, she’d had exactly one night of sex.

And it had been terrible.

Chapter One

A week later Jetta swiped at a trickle of tears and drew a deep determined breath. The house she’d just inherited was far from beautiful—Grandma’s loving welcomes had somehow disguised the awful details and softened the scruffiness.