Myrna Mackenzie - The Heir's Convenient Wife

The Wedding Planners

Planning perfect weddings…

finding happy endings!

It’s the biggest and most important day of a woman’s life—and it has to be perfect.

At least that’s what the Wedding Belles believe, and that’s why they’re Boston’s top wedding-planner agency. But amidst the beautiful bouquets, divine dresses and rose-petal confetti, these six wedding planners long to be planning their own big day!

But first they have to find Mr. Right….

This month:

The Heir’s Convenient Wife

by Myrna Mackenzie

Photographer: Regina’s wedding album is perfect.

Now she needs her husband to say I love you!

And don’t miss the exciting wedding-planner tips and author reminiscences that accompany each book!

“When I realized that I would be writing a story about a wedding photographer, I felt a special connection, not because I’m a photographer, but because wedding photographers record stories much as writers do.

Of course, I had to pull out my own wedding photos and live the story over again. There we were, my friends and I, getting ready for our walk down the aisle, pulling out cans of hair spray and fastening each other into our dresses. There’s my husband with his brothers, clowning around for the photographer. There he is playing tennis that morning. It’s a day that’s frozen in time, caught on film forever, the beginning of a story. There we are, my husband and I, smiling as we begin our new adventure together.

Not everyone in those photos is still in my life, of course. Lives change, people move and sometimes we just forget to stay in touch. But during the course of writing this book, an old friend I hadn’t seen in a long time, who had been my maid of honor (and I hers), called me out of the blue. It was coincidence, but it made me think about my wedding and the turns our lives had taken since that day (my husband and I happily continue the adventure, but I don’t use hair spray anymore. He still plays tennis.).

Wedding photos do tell stories, and now and then it’s good to look at them and remember how a fairy tale begins. Once upon a time there was a man and a woman who met, not realizing they would get married, but did….

Or…in the case of Regina and Dell, the hero and heroine of my story: Once upon a time there was a man and a woman who never thought they would stay married….”

For Myrna’s latest news, visit www.myrnamackenzie.com.

And don’t miss http://harlequin-theweddingplanners.blogspot.com for more wedding fun!

TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON

AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG

STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID

PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND

Planning perfect weddings…finding happy endings!

In April: Sweetheart Lost and Found

by Shirley Jump

Florist: Will Callie catch a bouquet and reunite with her childhood sweetheart?

In May: The Heir’s Convenient Wife

by Myrna Mackenzie

Photographer: Regina’s wedding album is perfect. Now she needs her husband to say I love you!

In June: SOS Marry Me!

by Melissa McClone

Designer: Serena’s already made her dress, but a rebel has won her heart….

In July: Winning the Single Mom’s Heart

by Linda Goodnight

Chef: Who will Natalie cut her own wedding cake with?

In August: Millionaire Dad, Nanny Needed!

by Susan Meier

Accountant: Will Audra’s budget for the big day include a millionaire groom?

In September: The Bridegroom’s Secret

by Melissa James

Planner: Julie’s always been the wedding planner—will she ever be the bride?

Shop around. Photographs are more than a simple record of an event. Different photographers have different styles, so visit several and examine their work to make sure that your wedding day images will be all you want them to be.

Plan ahead. Photographs are the story of your wedding. Where do you want that story to begin? The shower? The rehearsal dinner? A wedding breakfast? Be clear and make your needs known.

Your photographer will probably have ideas for places to take shots of the wedding party, but consider scouting out areas on your own. Think of places that have special significance to you and your groom, especially places you might want to return to on subsequent anniversaries for an annual photo to chronicle your special relationship.

In this digital age, it’s possible to choose only perfect photos, but consider the fact that some of the less-than-perfect moments may be the most precious. So don’t discard a photo just because it’s not a flawless moment. Look for the real and heartfelt shots, not just the pretty ones. This is the story of your day, and you’ll want to cherish every tear and every smile.

Take lots of photos, even more than you think you’ll want. If you can’t afford all professional shots, enlist friends. There is so much that you, as the bride, will miss, that you’ll want tons of pictures to record those special times that may slip your notice. A wedding day is a one-time opportunity, so this is a case of more is better than less.

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

IT WAS a hot day in Boston when the curtain finally lifted from Regina Landers O’Ryan’s eyes and she realized that she had made the biggest mistake of her life nearly a year ago. Now, because of her mistake, marrying the wrong man—or rather allowing him to marry her—her husband was paying the price. That had become clear this past week.

“Well, no more,” she whispered to herself as she watched the clock hands move forward. Dell would be home soon. Normally she wasn’t here when he arrived. She usually stayed in the darkroom developing photos for The Wedding Belles, the business where she and her friends worked making wedding dreams for other people come true.

The irony of the situation didn’t escape Regina. Her business dealt in the kind of romantic dreams she no longer believed in. Still, she wasn’t the one at issue.

Dell might still find the woman he would have chosen had he been given a choice. It was long past time to free her husband from his bonds.

Regina sat down to wait.

The minute Dell walked through the door of the tasteful mansion where he’d lived his whole life, he knew that something was different. And it wasn’t the ghosts of old O’Ryan aristocrats that were raising the hair on the back of his neck.

Regina was perched in the hallway on a Victorian settee that had been in his family for generations and was just as uncomfortable as it looked. That in itself set off warning bells. Regina was never waiting for him when he got home. She rose to meet him now.

He looked into her concerned brown eyes. She was holding a sheath of papers.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“We need to talk.” Her soft voice came out unevenly.

“We need to talk now,” she repeated, clearing her throat and managing to sound firm and determined though she was clearly on edge.