Elizabeth Harbison - A Groom for Maggie

Cover Page

Excerpt Alex Harrison was offering her marriage as a cold-as-marble business proposition. Maggie couldn’t have heard him correctly. She sighed, looking into those cryptic blue eyes. “Your wife?” He held up a hand. “My wife in name only. Kate’s nanny in fact. A simple business arrangement that solves all short-term problems.” Alex reached out and touched Maggie’s arm. “Is it so terrible?” he asked. An electric current passed between them at the unexpected touch. Maggie was aware of a quickening of her pulse. For several long seconds they sat in silence. “If it weren’t for Kate, I’d walk away from this ridiculous conversation.” “If it weren’t for Kate, we wouldn’t be having this conversation at all.” Alex stood. She took a deep breath, met his eyes and held out a hand to seal the deal. “You’ve just bought yourself a wife. When’s our wedding?”

Dear Reader Dear Reader , This July, Silhouette Romance cordially invites you to a month of marriage stories, based upon your favorite themes. There’s no need to RSVP; just pick up a book, start reading…and be swept away by romance. The month kicks off with our Fabulous Fathers title, And Baby Makes Six, by talented author Pamela Dalton. Two single parents marry for convenience’ sake, only to be surprised to learn they’re expecting a baby of their own! In Natalie Patrick’s Three Kids and a Cowboy, a woman agrees to stay married to her husband just until he adopts three adorable orphans, but soon finds herself longing to make the arrangement permanent. And the romance continues when a beautiful wedding consultant asks her sexy neighbor to pose as her fiancé in Just Say I Do by RITA Award-winning author Lauryn Chandler. The reasons for weddings keep coming, with a warmly humorous story of amnesia in Vivian Leiber’s The Bewildered Wife; a new take on the runaway bride theme in Have Honeymoon, Need Husband by Robin Wells; and a green card wedding from debut author Elizabeth Harbison in A Groom for Maggie. Here’s to your reading enjoyment! Melissa Senate Senior Editor Silhouette Romance Please address questions and book requests to: Silhouette Reader Service U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269 Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

Title Page A Groom for Maggie Elizabeth Harbison www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dedication To Barbara K. Atkins; I’m so glad you left your country to join our family. Thanks to Natalie Patrick, Dani Sinclair and Jo-Ann Power for reading and advising. Special thanks to my sister Elaine Fox, and Marsha Nuccio aka M.L. Gamble, inspiring writers and wonderful friends.

About the Author ELIZABETH HARBISON first thought of becoming a writer in sixth grade, when she would stay up well past midnight reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Beldon books under the covers by flashlight. The idea became a decision when she discovered the books of Mary Stewart and Dorothy Eden, and realized that writing would be a really fun thing to do for a living. She studied literature and art history at the University of Maryland and the University of London, Birbeck College. She’s been back to England once since college and is eager to return again, and possibly even set a book there. Also the author of several cookbooks, Elizabeth spends her spare time cooking, reading, walking and shopping for new books. As for romance, her fairy-tale dreams came true in 1994 when she married her real-life hero, John, a musician and illustrator. They currently reside in Germantown, Maryland, with their daughter, Mary Paige, and dog, Bailey. Elizabeth loves to hear from readers. You can write to her c/o Silhouette Books, 300 E. 42nd Street, 6th floor, New York, NY 10017.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Copyright

Maggie couldn’t have heard him correctly. She sighed, looking into those cryptic blue eyes. “Your wife?”

He held up a hand. “My wife in name only. Kate’s nanny in fact. A simple business arrangement that solves all short-term problems.” Alex reached out and touched Maggie’s arm. “Is it so terrible?” he asked.

An electric current passed between them at the unexpected touch. Maggie was aware of a quickening of her pulse.

For several long seconds they sat in silence. “If it weren’t for Kate, I’d walk away from this ridiculous conversation.”

“If it weren’t for Kate, we wouldn’t be having this conversation at all.” Alex stood.

She took a deep breath, met his eyes and held out a hand to seal the deal.

“You’ve just bought yourself a wife. When’s our wedding?”

Dear Reader,

This July, Silhouette Romance cordially invites you to a month of marriage stories, based upon your favorite themes. There’s no need to RSVP; just pick up a book, start reading…and be swept away by romance.

The month kicks off with our Fabulous Fathers title, And Baby Makes Six, by talented author Pamela Dalton. Two single parents marry for convenience’ sake, only to be surprised to learn they’re expecting a baby of their own!

In Natalie Patrick’s Three Kids and a Cowboy, a woman agrees to stay married to her husband just until he adopts three adorable orphans, but soon finds herself longing to make the arrangement permanent. And the romance continues when a beautiful wedding consultant asks her sexy neighbor to pose as her fiancé in Just Say I Do by RITA Award-winning author Lauryn Chandler.

The reasons for weddings keep coming, with a warmly humorous story of amnesia in Vivian Leiber’s The Bewildered Wife; a new take on the runaway bride theme in Have Honeymoon, Need Husband by Robin Wells; and a green card wedding from debut author Elizabeth Harbison in A Groom for Maggie.

Here’s to your reading enjoyment!

Melissa Senate

Senior Editor

Silhouette Romance

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Barbara K. Atkins; I’m so glad you left your

country to join our family.

Thanks to Natalie Patrick, Dani Sinclair and

Jo-Ann Power for reading and advising. Special thanks

to my sister Elaine Fox, and Marsha Nuccio aka

M.L. Gamble, inspiring writers and wonderful friends.

first thought of becoming a writer in sixth grade, when she would stay up well past midnight reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Beldon books under the covers by flashlight. The idea became a decision when she discovered the books of Mary Stewart and Dorothy Eden, and realized that writing would be a really fun thing to do for a living.

She studied literature and art history at the University of Maryland and the University of London, Birbeck College. She’s been back to England once since college and is eager to return again, and possibly even set a book there.

Also the author of several cookbooks, Elizabeth spends her spare time cooking, reading, walking and shopping for new books. As for romance, her fairy-tale dreams came true in 1994 when she married her real-life hero, John, a musician and illustrator. They currently reside in Germantown, Maryland, with their daughter, Mary Paige, and dog, Bailey.