Lauri Robinson: Baby On His Hollywood Doorstep

A roaring twenties runaway...

A baby who needs a daddy!

With the Chicago mob hot on her heels and her late best friend’s baby in her arms, Helen Hathaway hightails it to Hollywood. There she finds little Grace’s uncle, charismatic film producer Jack McCarney. She knows she should keep him—and Grace—at arm’s length; after all, they could be wrenched apart by Grace’s father’s return. But instead she’s falling for Jack, bonded by the baby who needs them both...

A lover of fairytales and cowboy boots, LAURI ROBINSONcan’t imagine a better profession than penning happily-ever-after stories about men—and women—who pull on a pair of boots before riding off into the sunset…or kick them off for other reasons. Lauri and her husband raised three sons in their rural Minnesota home, and are now getting their just rewards by spoiling their grandchildren. Visit: laurirobinson.blogspot.com, facebook.com/lauri.robinson1or twitter.com/LauriR.

Also by Lauri Robinson

Saving MarinaWestern Spring Weddings

Her Cheyenne Warrior

Unwrapping the Rancher’s Secret

The Cowboy’s Orphan BrideMail-Order Brides of Oak GroveWinning the Mail-Order Bride

Western Christmas Brides

Married to Claim the Rancher’s Heir

In the Sheriff’s ProtectionDiary of a War Bride

Brides of the Roaring Twenties miniseries

Baby on His Hollywood Doorstep

And look out for the next book

coming soon

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Baby on His Hollywood Doorstep

Lauri Robinson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08899-2

BABY ON HIS HOLLYWOOD DOORSTEP

© 2019 Lauri Robinson

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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To my only sister, Cheri.

An amazing woman.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

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

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

She’d done it!

Helen Hathaway pinched the clasp on her purse, making sure it was securely closed. It was only a piece of paper, but that secretarial course certificate meant far more to her. It was her future.

She already had a job!

Would start tomorrow.

The happiness of her accomplishment was overshadowed by worry of what her father would say about it all. She pressed a hand to her churning stomach while glancing at the back of his head in front of her. He was driving, her brother sitting next to him. The two of them were laughing about something. She hadn’t heard what. Hadn’t been paying attention.

Her mind was on that certificate in her purse.

She glanced at her mother, sitting next to her in the backseat. Mother was the only one who knew she’d taken the secretarial course. Who knew she wanted a job outside of the family business. One that would eventually get her out of Chicago.

Far. Far away.

A hint of guilt tickled Helen’s stomach. Not even Mother knew how far away she wanted to get.

Offering her one of her secretive smiles, Mother nodded. “Ray,” she said while smoothing the cuff of the pink glove on her wrist. “Helen has something to celebrate tonight, too.”

“She does?” Father answered.

A ripple of excitement shot through Helen at the sound of enthusiasm in his voice. She bit back a smile, but it was to no avail. She couldn’t keep it hidden.

Mother nodded again, and glanced toward the front seat.

“Yes,” Helen said. “I got a job today.”

“A job?” Junior, her brother twisted and lifted a dark brow as he looked at her over the seat. “Doing what?”

He was only three years older than her, had just turned twenty last month, but acted far older and far more superior. As most of the men she knew did.

She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. “Typing.”

He rolled his eyes. “Typing what? Where?”

“Helen completed a secretarial course, and today Mr. Stamper offered her a job at the laundry,” Mother said, giving Junior an eye that told him to keep any comments to himself. “It’s only a couple blocks away from the house, and will be something to keep her busy.”

The smile tried to slip off Helen’s face, but she wouldn’t let it. Not while Junior was still looking at her. This job would do more than keep her busy, she’d show him. Show all of them.

Junior snorted, and then turned around as father pulled the car into the lot near the restaurant. It was her uncle’s birthday. A big celebration. It was the first one like this that she’d been allowed to attend. She wasn’t overly excited about that. The less she had to do with the family, the more she liked it, but she was excited about her new dress. White with green stripes. The weather was warm, so she wasn’t wearing a jacket, but did have on a pair of pristine white gloves and matching shoes. Mother had helped her pick out the outfit and she would wear it again tomorrow, to her first day of work.