DeAnna Talcott - Fill-In Fiancee

Wintersoft’s CEO is on a husband hunt for his daughter. Trouble is Emily has uncovered his scheme. But can she marry off the eligible executives before Dad sets his crazy plan in motion?

“I may be a gentleman, but I am not sleeping on the floor,” Brett declared.

Sunny eyed the large, imposing bed, and a tremor of uncertainty scuttled up her spine. “Why is it that everything around you seems to be linked to royalty?”

Brett frowned. “What?”

“The bed. Is it a king or a queen?”

The corner of his mouth started to lift. God, she hated it when he did that. It was so sexy.

“Isn’t there a phrase for it?” she persisted.

“Something about being careful who you make your bed with, or who you’re crawling into bed with?”

“Me,” he stated firmly, his smile disappearing.

“You’re crawling into bed with me.” The statement was bald, decisive and unadorned. Then he tempered it. “For a king’s ransom. Free room and board.”

Sunny took a deep breath. “I agreed to help you…but I never imagined this.”

Dear Reader,

Egad! This month we’re up to our eyeballs in royal romances!

In Fill-In Fiancée (#1694) by DeAnna Talcott, a British lord pretends marriage to satisfy his parents. But will the hasty union last? Only time will tell, but matchmaker Emily Winters has her fingers crossed and so do we! This is the third title of Silhouette Romance’s exclusive six-book series, MARRYING THE BOSS’s DAUGHTER.

In The Princess & the Masked Man (#1695), the second book of Valerie Parv’s THE CARRAMER TRUST miniseries, a clever princess snares the affections of a mysterious single father. Look out for the final episode in this enchanting royal saga next month.

Be sure to make room on your reading list for at least one more royal. To Wed a Sheik (#1696) is the last title in Teresa Southwick’s exciting DESERT BRIDES series. A jaded desert prince is no match for a beautiful American nurse in this tender and exotic romance.

But if all these royal romances have put you in the mood for a good old-fashioned American love story, look no further than West Texas Bride (#1697) by bestselling author Madeline Baker. It’s the story of a city girl who turns a little bit country to win the heart of her brooding cowboy hero.

Enjoy!

Mavis C. Allen

Associate Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Silhouette Romance

The Cowboy and the Christmas Tree #1125

The Bachelor and the Bassinet #1189

To Wed Again? #1206

The Triplet’s Wedding Wish #1370

Marrying for a Mom #1543

The Nanny & Her Scrooge #1568

Her Last Chance #1628

Cupid Jones Gets Married #1646

Fill-In Fiancée #1694

grew up in rural Nebraska, where her love of reading was fostered in a one-room school. It was there she first dreamed of writing the kinds of books that would touch people’s hearts. Her dream became a reality when The Bachelor and the Bassinet, a Silhouette Romance novel, won the National Readers’ Choice Award for Best Traditional Romance. Since then, DeAnna has also earned the WISRWA’s Readers’ Choice Award and the Booksellers’ Best Award for the Best Traditional Romance. All of her award-winning books have been Silhouette Romance titles!

DeAnna claims a retired husband, three children, two dogs and a matching pair of alley cats make her life in mid-Michigan particularly interesting. When not writing, or talking about writing, she scrounges flea markets to indulge #1 son’s quest for vintage toys, relaxes at #2 son’s Eastern Michigan football and baseball games, and insists, to her daughter, that two cats simply do not need to multiply!

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

Epilogue

“Phillip, if it’s any consolation, you’ve always looked particularly good surrounded by a bevy of beautiful females,” Brett Hamilton told his brother. He cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder, and pushed back from his desk. He’d been so happy to hear from his brother, yet this bit of news surprised him. Another girl? Again? “At least you know the baby’s healthy,” he said. “It’s the luck of the draw whether it’s a boy or a girl.”

“It’s Mother and Father that are the problem. They dote on the girls, truly. But they want a grandson, Brett. An heir. They figure I haven’t been doing my job, and they’re looking to you now.”

Brett said nothing—he’d heard it often enough in the past few months. His entire family kept reminding him it was time to get married, to produce an heir, to strengthen family alliances. It was all a bunch of rubbish as far as he was concerned. Producing heirs to keep their titles and traditions was a thing of the past.

“By the way,” Phillip added, “they’ve struck up with Lady Harriet again, and Mother said she’s asking about you.”

“Phillip, must you ruin a perfectly good day, bringing that up again?”

“Well, it’s true. Anyway, you’re both getting to the place where you should think about settling down.”

“Perhaps. But not together.”

“Our families do complement each other,” Phillip reminded him.

“What you’re really suggesting, Phillip, is one of the greatest financial mergers England has seen in decades. Between their family business and ours we’d have a corner on the market.”

“And is there anything wrong with that?”

“A merger and a marriage are two different things.”

“And what about getting an heir in the process? Mother and Father would be ecstatic. I tell you, with the doctor promising us another girl, me and my swarm of females don’t offer the family lineage a lot of hope.”

“Four daughters and a wife do not create a swarm. Unless,” Brett chuckled, thinking of the chaos he’d witnessed last summer, “you are on an outing to the park. And as for the family lineage, I think we are in dire straits if the only concern is to produce a male heir. I’d like to think we’ve moved beyond that.”

“Huh.” His brother sighed audibly. “Not to hear Father. The first thing he asked when we told him the news was if it was a boy. And Mother? She went into a veritable depression for a week when she found out the doctor said we should start adding more pink to the wardrobe. Carolyn says this is absolutely the last baby…so, little brother, even though I have tried my best, truly, you are now responsible for the family title—or at least an heir for it.” He paused for emphasis. “What with their upcoming visit, I’d imagine Mother and Father will take the opportunity to remind you of your duties and obligations.”