Mollie Molay - Marriage In Six Easy Lessons

As April continued to read the manuscript, making notations in the margin, she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

“So, you’re working on ‘The Mating Game’ article,” a familiar voice broke in.

She looked up at Thomas Eldridge, the magazine’s publisher and editor in chief. To her chagrin, he wasn’t alone.

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m afraid I was busy reading this unbelievable submission. To tell you the truth, I was trying not to laugh.”

“Laugh?” Tom said with a warning frown. “Well, if you think you can contain yourself, I’d like to introduce you to Lucas Sullivan—the author of this piece.”

Before she could apologize, Tom went on. “Sullivan here is a noted sociologist. The article you have is one I asked him to write.”

April turned to smile at Lucas Sullivan. At first glance he looked like the stereotypical absentminded professor—a thatch of unruly brown hair, clothes a little rumpled, smelling ever so slightly of musty old books.

But on second glance…Under that staid exterior was one very sexy male.

Dear Reader,

You might be interested to know that when I was plotting my trilogy SULLIVAN’S RULES I discovered I was actually incorporating my own life into the three stories.

As in this book, April Morgan’s story, my own young dream was to marry a man who would treat me as an equal.

The second book, coming in December of this year, is about April’s friend Rita Rosales. There—as in my own life—the hero turns out to be the boy next door. We had two children and twenty-three wonderful years together before I lost him.

As in the third book, Lili Soule’s story, I was given a second chance at finding the strong yet gentle man who became my husband.

Like the three women in my stories, I believe in love and a happy-ever-after. That’s why I love writing stories of home, heart and happiness for Harlequin American Romance.

I hope you enjoy reading about April, Rita and Lili as much as I enjoyed writing about them!

Mollie Molay

HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

938—THE DUCHESS & HER BODYGUARD*

947—SECRET SERVICE DAD*

954—COMMANDER’S LITTLE SURPRISE*

987—MY BIG FAKE GREEN-CARD WEDDING

Marriage in Six Easy Lessons

Mollie Molay

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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To newcomers Joseph Murray Fox and Luke Joseph Molé.

Welcome to the world.

Sullivan’s Rules

1 A happy relationship requires that a woman make her man feel masculine.

2 While a man is not monogamous by nature, he is more likely to see a woman as a potential girlfriend or mate if sexual intimacy doesn’t occur too soon.

3 A woman must rein in her own desires to promote the health of a relationship.

4 A woman must strive for compatibility, rather than try to be sexy.

5 A woman must show her man how much she likes and appreciates him. She must shower him with affection and sublimate her own daily frustrations.

6 A woman must be supportive, fun-loving, easygoing and generous in her praise of a man’s achievements.

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

A few last-minute guests at the Morgan-Blair wedding hurried to take their seats in the flower-decorated nave of St. James Church-by-the-Lake. The church organist launched into the romantic and emotional “Lara’s Theme” from Dr. Zhivago, a prearranged signal that the wedding ceremony would begin in twenty minutes.

In the bride’s dressing room, the bride, April Morgan, frowned and regarded her bridal bouquet of white roses and gardenias with a growing sense of unease.

Rita Rosales, her maid of honor, tucked something borrowed, a tiny good-luck charm, in April’s shoe. “There, that should take care of the wedding ceremony.” She laughed as she adjusted the shoulder straps of her pale green dress. “The honeymoon is up to you.”

April’s face whitened.

“Now, Rita,” Lili Soulé, the matron of honor, scolded, “April doesn’t need any of your teasing. Can’t you see she’s already nervous?” She checked the basket of flowers that the little maid of honor, her daughter Paulette, was carrying to make sure the rose petals were still inside. Paul, the ring bearer and Paulette’s twin brother, clutched the satin cushion holding the wedding rings to his chest.

“I’m okay,” April murmured, although she was becoming more nervous by the minute. “Rita, why don’t you see if any of the bridesmaids need help before the ceremony?”

Rita glanced over to where the bridesmaids were busy checking their gowns in floor-length mirrors. “There doesn’t seem to be a problem. All five of them are looking good.”

April’s frown deepened. “Five? There’s supposed to be six!” She scanned the group uneasily. “Where’s Claire Dunn?” she called to them.

“Claire just stepped outside for a minute,” Joyce Humphries called back.

“Did she say she’s going to get back in here in time for the ceremony?”

Joyce shrugged and turned back to the floor-length mirror. “Claire is Claire. Who knows what she’s going to do next?”

Aware of Claire Dunn’s erratic behavior lately, April tried not to think that the bridesmaid’s disappearance was a bad omen.

She dismissed the growing hollow feeling in her middle as a case of prewedding jitters, but deep in her heart she knew there was more to her growing unease. The truth was she was having last-minute doubts about the wisdom of marrying her fiancé, Jim Blair.

Judging from the anxious look in her mother’s eyes as she straightened the wreath of orange blossoms on April’s head, April sensed she wasn’t the only one to feel uneasy.

Before she had a chance to speak to her mother, there was a commotion outside the dressing room, followed by an urgent knock at the door. A moment later, an obviously agitated usher appeared in the doorway. After apologizing to everyone for his intrusion, he beckoned to the mother of the bride. With a final pat on April’s shoulder, Eve Morgan hurried to the door.

A moment later, she hurried back to April’s side, a piece of paper in her hand. Her voice was shaking. “Oh, my dear, maybe you should sit down!”

As if one, the five bridesmaids froze.

Rita Rosales dropped her own bouquet and hurried to April’s side. Lili Soulé handed the rose-petal-filled flower basket to little Paulette and rushed over, too.

April’s heart took a dive. Even before she took the note from her mother’s hand, April sensed that something had gone seriously wrong with the wedding.

“What does the note say?” Rita asked, peering over April’s shoulder.

April read the note aloud: “‘Claire and I have eloped. Jim.’”