Joanne Rock - The Rancher's Bargain

Can a bachelor auction gone wrong…

mean temptation for the rich rancher?

James Harris needs a nanny for his nephew—now! So when Lydia Walker’s sister reneges on an extravagant bachelor-auction bid, the Texas Cattleman’s Club president has an idea. He’ll cover the debt, and Lydia will care for the baby. Neither is prepared for the passion that blindsides them. But is a permanent personal arrangement more than they bargained for?

JOANNE ROCK credits her decision to write romance after a book she picked up during a flight delay engrossed her so thoroughly that she didn’t mind at all when her flight was delayed two more times. Giving her readers the chance to escape into another world has motivated her to write over eighty books for a variety of Mills & Boon series.

Also by Joanne Rock Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Epilogue About the Publisher

The McNeill Magnates miniseries

The Magnate’s Mail-Order Bride

The Magnate’s Marriage Merger

His Accidental Heir

Little Secrets: His Pregnant Secretary

Claiming His Secret Heir

For the Sake of His Heir

The Forbidden Brother

Wild Wyoming Nights

One Night Scandal

Texas Cattleman’s Club: Bachelor Auction miniseries

The Rancher’s Bargain

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

The Rancher’s Bargain

Joanne Rock

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09197-8

THE RANCHER’S BARGAIN

© 2018 Harlequin Books S.A.

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.

® 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

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Can a bachelor auction gone wrong… mean temptation for the rich rancher? James Harris needs a nanny for his nephew—now! So when Lydia Walker’s sister reneges on an extravagant bachelor-auction bid, the Texas Cattleman’s Club president has an idea. He’ll cover the debt, and Lydia will care for the baby. Neither is prepared for the passion that blindsides them. But is a permanent personal arrangement more than they bargained for?

About the Author JOANNE ROCK credits her decision to write romance after a book she picked up during a flight delay engrossed her so thoroughly that she didn’t mind at all when her flight was delayed two more times. Giving her readers the chance to escape into another world has motivated her to write over eighty books for a variety of Mills & Boon series.

Booklist Also by Joanne Rock Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Epilogue About the Publisher The McNeill Magnates miniseries The Magnate’s Mail-Order Bride The Magnate’s Marriage Merger His Accidental Heir Little Secrets: His Pregnant Secretary Claiming His Secret Heir For the Sake of His Heir The Forbidden Brother Wild Wyoming Nights One Night Scandal Texas Cattleman’s Club: Bachelor Auction miniseries The Rancher’s Bargain Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk .

Title Page The Rancher’s Bargain Joanne Rock www.millsandboon.co.uk

Copyright ISBN: 978-1-474-09197-8 THE RANCHER’S BARGAIN © 2018 Harlequin Books S.A. 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. ® 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

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Epilogue

About the Publisher

One

I t is okay to say no to unnecessary crazy.

Lydia Walker repeated it like a mantra while she read the digital headline from a story that had run in the Royal, Texas, newspaper earlier in the week while she’d been out of town.

Local woman boosts charity bachelor auction with $100K bid!

Seated at her tiny kitchen table with a cup of coffee grown cold, Lydia hovered her finger over the scroll button on her cell phone. She wished she could just swipe right and not worry about the “local woman” who happened to be her irresponsible sister Gail. The impulsive sibling who did not have $100,000 to her name. What had Gail been thinking?