Barbara Wallace - Christmas Baby For The Princess

Rescuing the pregnant princess!

Faced with a royal scandal, pregnant princess Arianna fled to New York. But when a pickpocket leaves her penniless, she must turn to handsome restauranteur Max Brown for help...

Max can’t resist rescuing this enchanting stranger, even if her mysterious past makes him wary. But as his newest (and worst!) waitress brings festive sparkle into his solitary life, can he hope Arianna is here for life...not just for Christmas?

Royal House of Corinthia Contents Cover Back Cover Text Introduction Title Page About the Author Dedication CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN EPILOGUE Extract Copyright

Royally wed...by Christmas!

This Christmas Princess Arianna and Crown Prince Armando of Corinthia are facing the biggest challenges of their lives.

Pregnant Arianna flees to New York to seek some privacy...only to find her very own Prince Charming!

Christmas Baby for the Princess

Available now

Crown Prince Armando needs a royal bride—so why can’t he stop thinking about his assistant, Rosa Lamberti?

Winter Wedding for the Prince

Available December 2016

You won’t want to miss this delightfully emotional new duet from Barbara Wallace, brimming with Christmas magic!

Christmas Baby for the Princess

Barbara Wallace

www.millsandboon.co.uk

BARBARA WALLACEcan’t remember when she wasn’t dreaming up love stories in her head, so writing romances for Mills & Boon is a dream come true. Happily married to her own Prince Charming, she lives in New England with a house full of empty-nest animals. Occasionally her son comes home, as well.

To stay up-to-date on Barbara’s news and releases, sign up for her newsletter at www.barbarawallace.com.

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To Susan, Selena and Donna, whose emails help get me from page 1 to page 220. And to Peter, my personal Prince Charming. Merry Christmas, sweetie.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Rescuing the pregnant princess! Faced with a royal scandal, pregnant princess Arianna fled to New York. But when a pickpocket leaves her penniless, she must turn to handsome restauranteur Max Brown for help... Max can’t resist rescuing this enchanting stranger, even if her mysterious past makes him wary. But as his newest (and worst!) waitress brings festive sparkle into his solitary life, can he hope Arianna is here for life...not just for Christmas?

Introduction Royal House of Corinthia Contents Cover Back Cover Text Introduction Title Page About the Author Dedication CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN EPILOGUE Extract Copyright Royally wed...by Christmas! This Christmas Princess Arianna and Crown Prince Armando of Corinthia are facing the biggest challenges of their lives. Pregnant Arianna flees to New York to seek some privacy...only to find her very own Prince Charming! Christmas Baby for the Princess Available now Crown Prince Armando needs a royal bride—so why can’t he stop thinking about his assistant, Rosa Lamberti? Winter Wedding for the Prince Available December 2016 You won’t want to miss this delightfully emotional new duet from Barbara Wallace, brimming with Christmas magic!

Title Page Christmas Baby for the Princess Barbara Wallace www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author BARBARA WALLACE can’t remember when she wasn’t dreaming up love stories in her head, so writing romances for Mills & Boon is a dream come true. Happily married to her own Prince Charming, she lives in New England with a house full of empty-nest animals. Occasionally her son comes home, as well. To stay up-to-date on Barbara’s news and releases, sign up for her newsletter at www.barbarawallace.com .

Dedication To Susan, Selena and Donna, whose emails help get me from page 1 to page 220. And to Peter, my personal Prince Charming. Merry Christmas, sweetie.

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

HER WALLET WAS MISSING.

Arianna was going to be sick. Stomach churning, she slumped against the brick wall and took a shaky breath. Then she checked her bag a third time.

Lipstick. Hand sanitizer. Passport. No wallet.

How? She distinctly remembered double-checking her bag after paying for breakfast, and her wallet had been there, nestled against the silk lining.

Times Square. There’d been that woman who accosted her and needed help reading the subway map, and another man who jostled her while she was trying to break free. One of them must have reached in while she wasn’t paying attention...

Stupid, stupid, stupid. This was what happened when you tried to run away from your problems: you got more. Arianna closed her eyes to keep the tears from burning their way free. A few weeks, a month at most—that was all she’d needed.

For what had to be the one-hundredth time, she cursed her own foolishness. If she had listened to her instincts, she never would have had to run away in the first place. She wouldn’t have to decide between a loveless marriage and a royal scandal.

Now, thanks to the pickpocket, she was going to have to make the choice sooner rather than later. Without money, she couldn’t stay in America. She had no money for food, not to mention that the owner of that terrible hotel where she was staying expected her to pay her bill at the end of the week or, as he so sweetly said, he would toss her pretty rear end on the street.

Her child deserved better.

Amazing how one tiny pink line could change your life. When she first missed her period, she blamed stress. After all she and Manolo had just broken up. Besides, they had only been together—like that—two times. Two misguided attempts at deepening feelings that weren’t there.

When the second month came and went, however, she couldn’t blame stress anymore. The world stopped turning the moment she saw that extra pink line. She didn’t know what do to, so she ran. Disappeared, so she could decide which of her no-win choices was the lesser of two evils.

Just then, a cold November wind blew down the street, the chill swirling around her shins before creeping up her skirt. Nature’s way of reminding her how serious her predicament really was. Tucking her collar about her throat, Arianna lifted her chin with royal stoicism. No sense dragging her feet. With luck, a decision about what to do would come to her while she was on a plane back to Corinthia.

A few feet ahead, a deliveryman exited one of the businesses, maneuvering his cart over the threshold with a clank loud enough to be heard over Manhattan traffic. The place was called the Fox Club, according to the letters emblazed on the side of the maroon awning. Goodness only knew what kind of club the place was, but no matter. It was open and, hopefully, had a telephone she could borrow.