“Who would have thought an ice queen like you would fall in love with a guy like me?”
“W-what?” Now Lara was angry. “There is nothing between you and me except the barest thread of tolerance. And just so you’re clear on this, love is the last emotion I’m ever likely to feel in connection with you.”
Darn the man. Bryce’s smile only deepened, making him look appealing, frustratingly handsome, infuriatingly confident. “Well said, Ms. Richmond. But since you’re obviously not indifferent to me—the true opposite of love—I’ll just go back to my office and figure out my next move.”
Bryce walked out, leaving her shaking, furious…and scared. Because somehow—she wasn’t sure how he’d done it—he’d just breached her defenses and opened up a possibility she couldn’t, wouldn’t, allow to be true.
Dear Reader,
March roars in like a lion this month with Harlequin American Romance’s four guaranteed-to-please reads.
We start with a bang by introducing you to a new in-line continuity series, THE CARRADIGNES: AMERICAN ROYALTY. The search for a royal heir leads to some scandalous surprises for three princesses, beginning with The Improperly Pregnant Princess by Jacqueline Diamond. CeCe Carradigne is set to become queen of a wealthy European country, until she winds up pregnant by her uncommonly handsome business rival. Talk about a shotgun wedding of royal proportions! Watch for more royals next month.
Karen Toller Whittenburgh’s series, BILLION-DOLLAR BRADDOCKS, continues this month with The Playboy’s Office Romance as middle brother Bryce Braddock meets his match in his feisty new employee. Also back this month is another installment of Charlotte Maclay’s popular series, MEN OF STATION SIX. Things are heating up between a sexy firefighter and a very pregnant single lady from his past—don’t miss the igniting passion in With Courage and Commitment. And rounding out the month is A Question of Love by Elizabeth Sinclair, a warm and wonderful reunion story.
Here’s hoping you enjoy all that Harlequin American Romance has to offer you—this month, and all the months to come!
Best,
Melissa Jeglinski
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin American Romance
The Playboy’s Office Romance
Karen Toller Whittenburg
To Paula and Genell,
brave dames and true sisters of my creative spirit.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karen Toller Whittenburg is a native Oklahoman who fell in love with books the moment she learned to read and has been addicted to the written word ever since. She wrote stories as a child, but it wasn’t until she discovered romance fiction that she felt compelled to write, fascinated by the chance to explore the positive power of love in people’s lives. She grew up in Sand Springs (an historic town on the Arkansas River), attended Oklahoma State University and now lives in Tulsa with her husband, a professional photographer.
Books by Karen Toller Whittenburg
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
197—SUMMER CHARADE
249—MATCHED SET
294—PEPPERMINT KISSES
356—HAPPY MEDIUM
375—DAY DREAMER
400—A PERFECT PAIR
424—FOR THE FUN OF IT
475—BACHELOR FATHER
528—WEDDING OF HER DREAMS
552—THE PAUPER AND THE PRINCESS
572—NANNY ANGEL
621—MILLION-DOLLAR BRIDE *
630—THE FIFTY-CENT GROOM *
648—TWO-PENNY WEDDING *
698—PLEASE SAY “I DO”
708—THE SANTA SUIT
727—A BACHELOR FALLS
745—IF WISHES WERE…WEDDINGS
772—HOW TO CATCH A COWBOY
794—BABY BY MIDNIGHT?
822—LAST-MINUTE MARRIAGE
877—HIS SHOTGUN PROPOSAL
910—THE C.E.O.’S UNPLANNED PROPOSAL †
914—THE PLAYBOY’S OFFICE ROMANCE †
Contents
Prologue
Archer Braddock settled into a chair on the darkened terrace and folded his hands across the crooked handle of his cherrywood cane. Missing his wife of fifty-six years even more today than usual, he looked out at the gardens and the floral arbor under which his oldest grandson, Adam, had exchanged vows with Katie, his bride, only a few hours before. “Ah, Janey,” Archer murmured. “It was a lovely wedding, wasn’t it?”
The only answer was the sound of laughter from inside the house where a lingering assortment of family and friends had gathered after the reception. It had been an unconventional wedding—small, intimate and spontaneous. Not the long-planned and elaborately formal ceremony that might have been expected for a family as old and traditional as the Braddocks of Rhode Island. Certainly nothing like the party of one week before, which had marked both Archer’s seventy-ninth birthday and the brief engagement of Katie Canton to Adam Braddock. It had been a hectic eight days. There had barely been enough time to phone invitations and to secure the services