Donna Alward - Best Man For The Wedding Planner

The first rule of wedding planning...

Be prepared for anything!

Wedding planner Adele Hawthorne is prepared for wedding hitches...but not for the best man to be Dan—her ex! They’re thrown together at every turn, and Adele can’t escape their chemistry or the fact that her heartbreaking reason for leaving him all those years ago hasn’t changed. With just days before Dan leaves their winter wonderland, can he convince Adele they still have something worth fighting for?

DONNA ALWARD lives on Canada’s east coast with her family, which includes a husband, a couple of kids, a senior dog and two crazy cats. Her heartwarming stories of love, hope and homecoming have been translated into several languages, hit bestseller lists and won awards, but her favourite thing is hearing from readers! When she’s not writing she enjoys reading (of course!), knitting, gardening, cooking…and is a Masterpiece Theater addict. You can visit her on the web at DonnaAlward.comand join her mailing list at DonnaAlward.com/newsletter.

Also by Donna Alward

Hired: The Italian’s Bride

The Cowboy’s Christmas Family

The Cowboy’s Convenient Bride

Marrying a Millionaire miniseries

Best Man for the Wedding Planner

And look out for the next book

Secret Millionaire for the Surrogate

Available January 2019

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Best Man for the Wedding Planner

Donna Alward

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07846-7

BEST MAN FOR THE WEDDING PLANNER

© 2018 Donna Alward

Published in Great Britain 2018

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.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

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

Extract

About the Publisher

IF THE BRIDE changed her mind about something one more time, Adele was going to lose it. And she didn’t often feel that way. Brides who got jitters or last-minute second thoughts about their ceremony were commonplace enough. But this bride...

She was sweet and lovely, but such a micromanager that Adele was ready to tell her to go to the spa for the next forty-eight hours and not come back until she was as buffed and polished as the ice sculptures due to be delivered just after the wedding but before the reception.

“Are you sure the calla lilies are the right flowers for the centerpieces?” Holly asked, worrying her lip with her French-tipped nail.

“Yes,” Adele replied decisively. “They’re elegant and perfect for the arrangements you picked.” She inhaled calmly and put a reassuring hand on the bride’s arm. “Trust me on this. Your wedding is going to be perfect. Every detail is sorted, and in two days you’re going to stand here in the great hall and get married and it’s going to be magical.”

She looked around at the majestic hall of the famed Fiori Cascade Hotel and gave a little wistful sigh. It wasn’t her first wedding here, but each time she put one together she did a little daydreaming of her own. Sometimes the great hall was the setting; other times it was a smaller, more intimate room. In the summer, weddings on the stone patio with the Rockies forming a dramatic backdrop stole her breath. They were fairy tales, every last one of them.

But fairy tales were for other women. Not for her. Instead she put her heart and soul into creating a perfect day for each deserving couple. It was incredibly rewarding and affirming even if, on days like today, her patience was tested.

“Are you sure? Maybe we should have had roses, or gardenia or something?” Holly asked.

“I’m positive.” She smiled and pulled out her tablet. “And everything is right on schedule. Tomorrow we have the rehearsal and the dinner afterward. The menu is set and the wine selections made. All your wedding party has to do is show up.” She gave a little laugh, trying to dispel the bride’s nerves. “Holly, you’re having your wedding in one of the most beautiful hotels in the world. Trust the staff to do their jobs, and let me look after the details, so you can enjoy your big day.”

A little voice in her head added, and the lifetime to follow , but she didn’t say the words out loud. She was a wedding planner, not a marriage counselor. Once the last glass of champagne was drunk, her job was over. Each time she finished a job, she sent the bride and groom off with a hope for happiness in the future. The wedding was only one day, but marriage was for a lifetime. Or at least, it was supposed to be.

Holly smiled. “Okay.” Then she let out a big breath. “Okay,” she repeated, laughing a little. “I swear, Adele, I didn’t mean to become a bridezilla.”

Adele smiled warmly as her irritation evaporated. “You’re used to being the one looking after the details. I get it. But your job is to delegate and trust that we know what we’re doing. And we do,” she added. “I promise.”