Kate Hardy - Her Playboy's Proposal

Praise for Kate Hardy Praise for Kate Hardy Excerpt Dear Reader About the Author Title Page 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 EPILOGUE Copyright

‘ Bound by a Baby moved me to tears many times. It is a full-on emotional drama. Author Kate Hardy brought this tale shimmering with emotions. Highly recommended for all lovers of romance.’

—Contemporary Romance Reviews

Bound by a Baby won the 2014 RoNA (Romantic Novelists’ Association) award!

‘When you pick up a romance novel by Kate Hardy you know that you’re going to be reading a spellbinding novel which you will want to devour in a single sitting, and A Christmas Knight is certainly no exception.’

— CataRomance

Sharing a room with Isla McKenna.

It was the sensible solution, Harry knew. The problem was, he didn’t feel sensible. He was already on edge about the wedding, and if they shared a bed it would be all too easy to seek comfort in her.

She’s your colleague, he reminded himself. Off limits. She wants a relationship just as little as you do. Keep your distance.

He’d just about got himself under control by the time he’d changed into the tailcoat, wing-collared shirt and cravat his father had asked him to wear. He left the top hat on the bed for the time being, took a deep breath and knocked on the bathroom door.

‘Isla, I’m ready whenever you are,’ he said, ‘but don’t take that as me rushing you. There’s plenty of time. I just didn’t want you to feel that you had to be stuck in there while I was faffing about in the other room.’

She opened the door. ‘I’m ready,’ she said softly.

Harry had never seen Isla dressed up before. He’d seen her wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and he’d seen her in her uniform at the hospital. On every occasion she’d worn her hair pinned back and no make-up, not even a touch of lipstick.

Today she was wearing a simple blue dress that emphasised the colour of her eyes, a touch of mascara, the lightest shimmer of lipstick—and she looked stunning. Desire rushed through him, taking his breath away. How had he ever thought that Isla would be safe ? He needed to get himself under control. Now.

Her Playboy’s Proposal is all about trust—learning to trust again when someone’s let you down, and learning to trust yourself when you think you’re the one who’s let everyone down.

And how do you learn to trust? In Harry and Isla’s case, they discover that love is the answer. Except they take a while to realise it—and it takes a life-changing moment to make them both realise that they can trust each other and themselves.

The story’s set partly in Cornwall (if you’re thinking Poldark —absolutely!), partly in London and partly on the coast in Dorset. And there are weddings, best men, best women and a speech I really, really enjoyed writing.

I hope you enjoy Harry and Isla’s journey.

I’m always delighted to hear from readers, so do come and visit me at www.katehardy.com.

With love,

Kate Hardy

KATE HARDYhas always loved books, and could read before she went to school. She discovered Mills & Boon books when she was twelve, and decided that this was what she wanted to do. When she isn’t writing Kate enjoys reading, cinema, ballroom dancing and the gym. You can contact her via her website: www.katehardy.com.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To my fellow Medical authors—because you’re a really lovely bunch and I’m proud to be one of you. xxx

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Praise for Kate Hardy Praise for Kate Hardy Praise for Kate Hardy Excerpt Dear Reader About the Author Title Page 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 EPILOGUE Copyright ‘ Bound by a Baby moved me to tears many times. It is a full-on emotional drama. Author Kate Hardy brought this tale shimmering with emotions. Highly recommended for all lovers of romance.’ —Contemporary Romance Reviews Bound by a Baby won the 2014 RoNA (Romantic Novelists’ Association) award! ‘When you pick up a romance novel by Kate Hardy you know that you’re going to be reading a spellbinding novel which you will want to devour in a single sitting, and A Christmas Knight is certainly no exception.’ — CataRomance

Excerpt Sharing a room with Isla McKenna. It was the sensible solution, Harry knew. The problem was, he didn’t feel sensible. He was already on edge about the wedding, and if they shared a bed it would be all too easy to seek comfort in her. She’s your colleague, he reminded himself. Off limits. She wants a relationship just as little as you do. Keep your distance. He’d just about got himself under control by the time he’d changed into the tailcoat, wing-collared shirt and cravat his father had asked him to wear. He left the top hat on the bed for the time being, took a deep breath and knocked on the bathroom door. ‘Isla, I’m ready whenever you are,’ he said, ‘but don’t take that as me rushing you. There’s plenty of time. I just didn’t want you to feel that you had to be stuck in there while I was faffing about in the other room.’ She opened the door. ‘I’m ready,’ she said softly. Harry had never seen Isla dressed up before. He’d seen her wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and he’d seen her in her uniform at the hospital. On every occasion she’d worn her hair pinned back and no make-up, not even a touch of lipstick. Today she was wearing a simple blue dress that emphasised the colour of her eyes, a touch of mascara, the lightest shimmer of lipstick—and she looked stunning. Desire rushed through him, taking his breath away. How had he ever thought that Isla would be safe ? He needed to get himself under control. Now.

Dear Reader Dear Reader Dear Reader About the Author Title Page 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 EPILOGUE Copyright , Her Playboy’s Proposal is all about trust—learning to trust again when someone’s let you down, and learning to trust yourself when you think you’re the one who’s let everyone down. And how do you learn to trust? In Harry and Isla’s case, they discover that love is the answer. Except they take a while to realise it—and it takes a life-changing moment to make them both realise that they can trust each other and themselves. The story’s set partly in Cornwall (if you’re thinking Poldark —absolutely!), partly in London and partly on the coast in Dorset. And there are weddings, best men, best women and a speech I really, really enjoyed writing. I hope you enjoy Harry and Isla’s journey. I’m always delighted to hear from readers, so do come and visit me at www.katehardy.com . With love, Kate Hardy