THE UNEXPECTED HEIRESS
Merry nodded. “Thank you for all these lovely things, Phillip. Especially the journal. It’s simply beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.”
The words hung in the air between them. He uttered them so easily, so softly, she wasn’t sure how to respond.
No man had ever called her beautiful before. She’d never even been alone with a man like this before. It was quite intimate really. There was no one else around, no one to censure their words or their behavior. It made her nervous yet thrilled her at the same time.
She thought of the other afternoon at Devon House when she had longed for him to kiss her. Now that they were quite alone, would he kiss her this time? She had never been kissed before. Did she wish for him to kiss her?
Yes, she did. She absolutely did....
Books by Kaitlin O’Riley
Stand-Alones
SECRETS OF A DUCHESS
ONE SINFUL NIGHT
The Hamilton Sisters
WHEN HIS KISS IS WICKED
DESIRE IN HIS EYES
IT HAPPENED ONE CHRISTMAS
TO TEMPT AN IRISH ROGUE
HIS BY CHRISTMAS
The Hamilton Cousins
THE HEIRESS HE’S BEEN WAITING FOR
THE IRISH HEIRESS
THE UNEXPECTED HEIRESS
Collections
YOURS FOR ETERNITY
(with Hannah Howell and Alexandra Ivy)
AN INVITATION TO SIN
(with Jo Beverley, Sally MacKenzie, and Vanessa Kelly)
The UNEXPECTED HEIRESS
KAITLIN O’RILEY
ZEBRA BOOKS
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
THE UNEXPECTED HEIRESS Also by Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Acknowledgments 1 - New Chapter 2 - A Man of His Word 3 - You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover 4 - At a Loss for Words 5 - The Writing on the Wall 6 - On the Same Page 7 - In So Many Words 8 - Turn the Page 9 - Pen and Ink 10 - Take a Page from My Book 11 - A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words 12 - A Play on Words 13 - Words to Live By 14 - A Word to the Wise 15 - Mum’s the Word 16 - Weigh One’s Words 17 - Word of Mouth 18 - I Can Read You Like a Book 19 - Get It in Writing 20 - Word of Honor 21 - Mark My Words 22 - An Open Book 23 - Every Trick in the Book 24 - A Closed Book 25 - A Word in Edgewise 26 - By the Book 27 - Write It Off 28 - As Good As Your Word 29 - Famous Last Words Epilogue - The End
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2020 by Kathleen M. Milmore
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
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ISBN: 978-1-4201-4467-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-4201-4468-0 (eBook)
ISBN-10: 1-4201-4468-5 (eBook)
For Jane . . .
Acknowledgments
The Unexpected Heiress, the last of the Hamilton family books, was written during an unbearably heartbreaking year of my life and I could not have gotten through it without the love and support of my incredible family and friends. Riley Anderson, your spirit encourages me to go forward each day. Cela Lim, Lynn Abbott, Gretchen Kempf, Jensie Kainz, and Jenny Goodenough, your kindness carried me through the days. Yvonne Deane and Kim McCafferty, our enduring friendship sustains me. Chris Robinson, your love and caring are worth more than I can say. Shelley Jensen, Billy Van Zandt, Scott Wheeler, Greg Malins, and Jeff Babey, your support and humor mean everything. Jane Milmore, Maureen Milmore, Janet Wheeler, and Jennifer Malins, you four are my inspiration and our little