Kate Hardy - Christmas Bride For The Boss

Wedding planner—to wife and mother?

Jamie Wallis needs a replacement nanny for his daughter—fast! So when a stunning young woman comes to him with a business proposal, he has a different proposition for her...

Securing Jamie’s investment is essential, but Sophie Firth wasn’t expecting to be asked to care for his daughter! However, once they meet, Sophie can’t help adoring little Sienna. And, as Christmas approaches, Sophie quickly becomes part of the family—and Jamie can’t resist letting her into his heart!

Sophie knew the hug was a mistake as soon as she’d done it.

She could smell the citrussy scent of his shower gel and feel the steady thud of his heart against her. And the surge of sheer attraction, tempting her to jam her mouth over his and let him lose himself in her, forget his pain for a while…

This was insane.

It had to stop.

Now.

She dropped her hands and pulled away. ‘Sorry. I overstepped the boundaries. I just thought you could do with a hug.’

‘I could. Thank you,’ he said.

‘I...um...I’d better get going.’

‘Thank you for today,’ he said. ‘For everything you’ve done. I appreciate it.’

‘No problem. I’ll see you Monday.’

Panic skittered across his face. ‘Sophie, I know it’s pushy of me to ask, but... I don’t have a clue what to do with Sienna tomorrow. There’s only so much story-telling and colouring we can do in a day.’

‘You could always do something messy,’ she suggested. He looked horrified.

He looked horrified.

She frowned. ‘Didn’t you do that sort of thing as a kid?’

‘No. My mother didn’t like mess.’ Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because he said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with liking a tidy house.’

‘And there’s nothing wrong with a bit of mess, either,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t take that long to clear up.’

She left without finishing her coffee, and before she did anything really crazy—like sliding her arms round his neck and kissing him stupid.

Christmas Bride for the Boss

Kate Hardy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

KATE HARDYhas always loved books, and could read before she went to school. She discovered Mills & Boon books when she was twelve and decided 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.

To Gay, my much-loved stepmum, who’s the living proof that stepmothers are AWESOME.

Praise for

Kate Hardy

‘I was hooked… Her Festive Doorstep Baby is a hearttugging emotional romance.’

—Goodreads

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Wedding planner—to wife and mother? Jamie Wallis needs a replacement nanny for his daughter—fast! So when a stunning young woman comes to him with a business proposal, he has a different proposition for her... Securing Jamie’s investment is essential, but Sophie Firth wasn’t expecting to be asked to care for his daughter! However, once they meet, Sophie can’t help adoring little Sienna. And, as Christmas approaches, Sophie quickly becomes part of the family—and Jamie can’t resist letting her into his heart!

Introduction Sophie knew the hug was a mistake as soon as she’d done it. She could smell the citrussy scent of his shower gel and feel the steady thud of his heart against her. And the surge of sheer attraction, tempting her to jam her mouth over his and let him lose himself in her, forget his pain for a while… This was insane. It had to stop. Now. She dropped her hands and pulled away. ‘Sorry. I overstepped the boundaries. I just thought you could do with a hug.’ ‘I could. Thank you,’ he said. ‘I...um...I’d better get going.’ ‘Thank you for today,’ he said. ‘For everything you’ve done. I appreciate it.’ ‘No problem. I’ll see you Monday.’ Panic skittered across his face. ‘Sophie, I know it’s pushy of me to ask, but... I don’t have a clue what to do with Sienna tomorrow. There’s only so much story-telling and colouring we can do in a day.’ ‘You could always do something messy,’ she suggested. He looked horrified. He looked horrified. She frowned. ‘Didn’t you do that sort of thing as a kid?’ ‘No. My mother didn’t like mess.’ Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because he said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with liking a tidy house.’ ‘And there’s nothing wrong with a bit of mess, either,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t take that long to clear up.’ She left without finishing her coffee, and before she did anything really crazy—like sliding her arms round his neck and kissing him stupid.

Title Page Christmas Bride for the Boss Kate Hardy www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author KATE HARDY has always loved books, and could read before she went to school. She discovered Mills & Boon books when she was twelve and decided 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 .

Dedication To Gay, my much-loved stepmum, who’s the living proof that stepmothers are AWESOME.

Praise Praise for Kate Hardy ‘I was hooked… Her Festive Doorstep Baby is a hearttugging emotional romance.’ —Goodreads

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

‘ALL RIGHT, MISS FIRTH. You have ten minutes to convince me why I should invest in your company.’ Jamie Wallis leaned back in his chair, unsmiling, and looked at her.

Sophie caught her breath.

This was it.

The next ten minutes could change her entire life.

She needed to be more professional now than she’d ever been. And she really needed to ignore the fact that Jamie Wallis was one of the most beautiful men she’d ever met. The photographs she’d seen didn’t do him justice. And Eva hadn’t warned her that you could practically drown in his dark eyes.

Focus, she told herself. Because everyone’s counting on you to get his backing. And you don’t do relationships any more. Not since Joe. You finally learned your lesson: focus on your business.

‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I’m assuming you’ve gone through the accounts I sent you, so you’ll already know our company’s bottom line is solid.’

He inclined his head, still unsmiling. ‘So why exactly are you asking me to invest in your company?’

She took a deep breath. ‘Because as well as you owning several resorts, your company offers specialist holidays to travellers, so Plans & Planes—being a travel agency and event planning service—fits in very well with your business. Especially as we’re introducing a new service which merges both sides of our company—something you don’t offer at the moment.’

‘Which is?’ he asked.

‘A planning service for people who want to get married abroad. We can organise everything from the wedding ceremony and reception through to the honeymoon, plus accommodation for the guests, and we’ll deal with all the paperwork.’ It had been her brainchild and she’d been so looking forward to developing the new service.

Until Eva had dropped her bombshell.

‘And your approach to me has nothing to do with the fact that your former partner is my late wife’s cousin?’

Sophie had expected that question and worked out her answer in advance. ‘Eva suggested you as a potential investor, I admit. But I researched your company before I decided to approach you. I’m not looking for nepotism. I’m looking for someone who sees a good investment that fits in with their own business plans.’