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About the Authors
CATHY WILLIAMS can remember reading Mills & Boon books as a teenager and, now that she is writing them, she remains an avid fan. For her, there is nothing like creating romantic stories and engaging plots and each and every book is a new adventure. Cathy lives in London and her three daughters, Charlotte, Olivia and Emma have always been, and continue to be, the greatest inspiration in her life.
ANNE MATHER and her husband live in the north of England in a village bordering the county of Yorkshire. It’s a beautiful area, and she can’t imagine living anywhere else. She’s been making up stories since she was in primary school and would say that writing is a huge part of her life. When people ask if writing is a lonely occupation, she usually says that she’s so busy sorting out her characters’ lives, she doesn’t have time to feel lonely. Anne’s written over one-hundred-andsixty novels, and her books have appeared on both the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller lists. She loves reading and walking and browsing in bookshops – now that her son and daughter are grown, she takes great delight in her grandchildren. You can email her at mystic-am@msn.com
Irish author ABBY GREEN threw in a very glamorous career in film and TV—which really consisted of a lot of standing in the rain outside actors’ trailers—to pursue her love of romance. After she’d bombarded Mills & Boon with manuscripts they kindly accepted one, and an author was born. She lives in Dublin, Ireland, and loves any excuse for distraction. Visit www.abby-green.com or e-mail abbygreenauthor@gmail.com
SHARON KENDRICK once won a national writing competition by describing her ideal date: being flown to an exotic island by a gorgeous and powerful man. Little did she realise that she’d just wandered into her dream job! Today she writes for Mills & Boon, featuring often stubborn but always to die for heroes and the women who bring them to their knees. She believes that the best books are those you never want to end. Just like life…
After spending three years as a die-hard New Yorker, KATE HEWITT now lives in a small village in the English Lake District with her husband, their five children and a golden retriever. In addition to writing intensely emotional stories she loves reading, baking, and playing chess with her son—she has yet to win against him, but she continues to try. Learn more about Kate at kate-hewitt.com.
USA TODAY bestselling author HEIDI RICE lives in London, England. She is married with two teenage sons—which gives her rather too much of an insight into the male psyche—and also works as a film journalist. She adores her job, which involves getting swept up in a world of high emotions, sensual excitement, funny, feisty women, sexy, tortured men and glamorous locations where laundry doesn’t exist. Once she turns off her computer, she often does chores—usually involving laundry!
SUSAN STEPHENS was a professional singer before meeting her husband on the Mediterranean island of Malta. In true Mills & Boon style, they met on Monday, became engaged on Friday and married three months later. Susan enjoys entertaining, travel, and going to the theatre. To relax she reads, cooks and plays the piano, and when she’s had enough of relaxing she throws herself off mountains on skis or gallops through the countryside singing loudly.
CAROL MARINELLI recently filled in a form asking for her job title. Thrilled to be able to put down her answer, she put ‘writer’. Then it asked what Carol did for relaxation and she put down the truth—‘writing’. The third question asked for her hobbies. Well, not wanting to look obsessed, she crossed her fingers and answered ‘swimming’—but, given that the chlorine in the pool does terrible things to her highlights—I’m sure you can guess the real answer!
MAYA BLAKE’s hopes of becoming a writer were born when she picked up her first romance at thirteen. Little did she know her dream would come true! Does she still pinch herself every now and then to make sure it’s not a dream? Yes, she does! Feel free to pinch her, too, via Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads! Happy reading!
RACHAEL THOMAS has always loved reading romance and is thrilled to be a Modern™ Romance author. She lives and works on a farm in Wales—a far cry from the glamour of a Modern story—but that makes slipping into her characters’ world all the more appealing. When she’s not writing or working on the farm she enjoys photography and visiting historic castles and grand houses. Visit her at www.rachaelthomas.co.uk
Growing up near the beach, ANNIE WEST spent lots of time observing tall, burnished lifeguards—early research! Now she spends her days fantasising about gorgeous men and their love-lives. Annie has been a reader all her life. She also loves travel, long walks, good company and great food. You can contact her at annie@annie-west.com, or via PO Box 1041, Warners Bay, NSW 2282, Australia.
CAROLE MORTIMER was born in England, the youngest of three children. She began writing in 1978, and has now written over one hundred and seventy books for Mills & Boon. Carole has six sons, Matthew, Joshua, Timothy, Michael, David and Peter. She says, ‘I’m happily married to Peter senior; we’re best friends as well as lovers, which is probably the best recipe for a successful relationship. We live in a lovely part of England.’
The day MAGGIE COX saw the film version of Wuthering Heights, was the day she became hooked on romance. From that day onwards she spent a lot of time dreaming up her own romances, hoping that one day she might become published. Now that her dream is being realised, she wakes up every morning and counts her blessings. She is married to a gorgeous man, and is the mother of two wonderful sons. Her other passions in life – besides her family and reading/writing – are music and films.
LYNNE GRAHAM lives in Northern Ireland and has been a keen romance reader since her teens. Happily married, Lynne has five children. Her eldest is her only natural child. Her other children, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. The family has a variety of pets, and Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collecting all sorts and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
USA TODAY bestselling author LYNN RAYE HARRIS burst onto the scene when she won a writing contest held by Mills & Boon. The prize was an editor for a year – but only six months later, Lynn sold her first novel. A former finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome husband and two crazy cats. Her stories have been called ‘exceptional and emotional,’ ‘intense,’ and ‘sizzling.’
REBECCA WINTERS’ family of four children has now swelled to include five beautiful grandchildren. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels, because writing is her passion, along with her family and church.
Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to e-mail her, please visit her website: www.cleanromances.com
SCARLET WILSON wrote her first story aged eight and has never stopped. Her family have fond memories of ‘Shirley and the Magic Purse’ with its army of mice, all with names beginning with the letter ‘m’. An avid reader, Scarlet trained and worked as a nurse and health visitor and now currently works in public health. For her, finding Medical Romance was a match made in heaven. She is delighted to find herself among the authors she has read for many years. Scarlet lives on the West Coast of Scotland with her fiancé and their two sons.
At the age of eight MICHELLE DOUGLAS was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. She answered, ‘a writer.’ When she’s not writing she can usually be found with her nose buried in a book. She is currently enrolled in an English Masters programme for the sole purpose of indulging her reading and writing habits further. She lives in a leafy suburb of Newcastle, on Australia’s east coast, with her own romantic hero—husband Greg, who is the inspiration behind all her happy endings.
Michelle would love you to visit her at her website: www.michelle-douglas.com
Married to the man she met at eighteen, SUSANNE HAMPTON is the mother of two adult daughters—one a musician and the other an artist. The family also extends to a slightly irritable Maltese shih-tzu, a neurotic poodle, three elderly ducks and four hens that only very occasionally bother to lay eggs. Susanne loves everything romantic and pretty, so her home is brimming with romance novels, movies and shoes. With an interest in all things medical, her career has been in the dental field and the medical world in different roles, and now Susanne has taken that love into writing Mills & Boon Medical Romance.
SUSAN CARLISLE’s love affair with books began when she made a bad grade in math. Not allowed to watch TV until the grade had improved, she filled her time with books. Turning her love of reading into a love for writing romance, she pens hot Medicals. She loves castles, travelling, afternoon tea, reads voraciously and hearing from her readers. Join her newsletter at www.SusanCarlisle.com
LIZ FIELDING was born with itchy feet. She made it to Zambia before her twenty-first birthday and, gathering her own special hero and a couple of children on the way, lived in Botswana, Kenya and Bahrain—with pauses for sightseeing pretty much everywhere in between. She finally came to a full stop in a tiny Welsh village cradled by misty hills, and these days mostly leaves her pen to do the traveling.
For news of upcoming books—and to sign up for her occasional newsletter—visit Liz’s website, www.lizfielding.com
MEREDITH WEBBER lives on the sunny Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, but takes regular trips west into the Outback, fossicking for gold or opal. These breaks in the beautiful and sometimes cruel red earth country provide her with an escape from the writing desk and a chance for her mind to roam free and supply the kernels of so many stories it’s hard for her to stop writing!
New York Times bestselling author SHIRLEY JUMP didn’t have the will-power to diet, nor the talent to master under-eye concealer, so she bowed out of a career in television and opted instead for a career where she could be paid to eat at her desk—writing… and she turned to the world of romance novels, where messes are (usually) cleaned up before The End.
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: katehardy.com
MARION LENNOX has written more than a hundred romances and is published in over a hundred countries and thirty languages. Her multiple awards include the prestigious RITA® Award (twice), and the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for “a body of work which makes us laugh and teaches us about love.” Marion adores her family, her kayak, her dog, and lying on the beach with a book someone else has written. Heaven!
JESSICA MATTHEWS’s interest in medicine began at a young age, and she nourished it with medical stories and hospital-based television programmes. After a stint as a teenage candy-striper, she pursued a career as a clinical laboratory scientist. When not writing or on duty, she fills her day with countless family and school-related activities. Jessica lives in the central United States, with her husband, daughter and son.
REBECCA WINTERS lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favourite holiday spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels because writing is her passion, along with her family and church. Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to e-mail her, please visit her website at: cleanromances.net
PATRICIA THAYER was born in Muncie, Indiana, the second of eight children. She attended Ball State University before heading to California. A longtime member of RWA, Patricia has authored fifty books. She’s been nominated for the Prestige RITA® award and winner of the RT Reviewer’s Choice award. She loves travelling with her husband, Steve, calling it research. When she wants some time with her guy, they escape to their mountain cabin and sit on the deck and let the world race by.
Approaching fifty Mills & Boon titles, DIANNE DRAKE is still as passionate about writing romance as ever. As a former intensive care nurse, it’s no wonder medicine has found its way into her writing, and she’s grateful to Mills & Boon Medicals for allowing her to write her stories. ‘They return me to the days I loved being a nurse and combine that with my love of the romance novels I’ve been reading since I was a young teen.’
BRENDA HARLEN is a multi-award winning author for Mills & Boon who has written over twenty-five books for the company.
LIZ FIELDING was born with itchy feet. She made it to Zambia before her twenty-first birthday and, gathering her own special hero and a couple of children on the way, lived in Botswana, Kenya and Bahrain. Seven of her titles have been nominated for RWA’s Rita®; and she has won the Best Traditional Romance in 2000, the British Romance Prize in 2005 and the Best Short Contemporary Romance in 2006.
Born and raised just outside of Toronto, Ontario, AMY RUTTAN fled the big city to settle down with the country boy of her dreams. After the birth of her second child, Amy was lucky enough to realize her life long dream of becoming a romance author. When she’s not furiously typing away at her computer, she’s a mum to three wonderful children who use her as a personal taxi and chef.
Secret Heirs Collection and A Forever Family Collection
Secret Heirs: Their Baby Bargain
Cathy Williams, Anne Mather and Abby Green
Secret Heirs: Billionaire’s Pleasure
Sharon Kendrick, Kate Hewitt and Heidi Rice
Secret Heirs: Royal Appointment
Susan Stephens, Carol Marinelli and Maya Blake
Secret Heirs: Baby Scandal
Rachael Thomas, Kate Hewitt and Annie West
Secret Heirs: His One Night Consequence
Annie West, Carole Mortimer and Maggie Cox
Secret Heirs: Price of Success
Lynne Graham, Cathy Williams and Lynn Raye Harris
His Unexpected Family
Rebecca Winters, Scarlet Wilson and Michelle Douglas
Their Miracle Child
Susanne Hampton, Jessica Matthews and Susan Carlisle
Falling For You
Liz Fielding, Meredith Webber and Shirley Jump
Their Christmas Delivery
Kate Hardy, Marion Lennox and Jessica Matthews
Reunited by their Baby
Rebecca Winters, Patricia Thayer and Dianne Drake
Their Doorstep Delivery
Brenda Harlen, Liz Fielding and Amy Ruttan
www.millsandboon.co.uk
ISBN: 978-0-008-90691-7
SECRET HEIRS COLLECTION AND A FOREVER FAMILY COLLECTION
Bound by the Billionaire’s Baby © 2015 Cathy Williams An Heir Made in the Marriage Bed © 2017 Anne Mather An Heir to Make Their Marriage © 2016 Abby Green Secrets of a Billionaire’s Mistress © 2017 Sharon Kendrick Engaged for Her Enemy’s Heir © 2017 Kate Hewitt The Virgin’s Shock Baby © 2017 Heidi Rice A Night of Royal Consequences © 2017 Susan Stephens The Sheikh’s Baby Scandal © 2016 Carol Marinelli The Sultan Demands His Heir © 2017 Maya Blake From One Night to Wife © 2015 Rachael Thomas Larenzo’s Christmas Baby © 2015 Kate Hewitt A Vow to Secure His Legacy © 2016 Annie West Forgotten Mistress, Secret Love-Child © 2009 Annie West The Infamous Italian’s Secret Baby © 2009 Carole Mortimer Mistress, Mother…Wife? © 2011 Maggie Cox The Secrets She Carried © 2012 Lynne Graham The Secret Sinclair © 2012 Cathy Williams The Change in Di Navarra’s Plan © 2013 Lynn Raye Harris A Marriage Made in Italy © 2013 Rebecca Winters The Boy Who Made Them Love Again © 2011 Scarlet Wilson The Cattleman’s Ready-Made Family © 2013 Michelle Douglas A Baby To Bind Them © 2015 Susanne Panagaris Six-Week Marriage Miracle © 2011 Jessica Matthews The Nurse He Shouldn’t Notice © 2012 Susan Carlisle The Last Woman He’d Ever Date © 2013 Liz Fielding A Forever Family for the Army Doc © 2017 Meredith Webber One Day to Find a Husband © 2013 Shirley Kawa-Jump, LLC Her Festive Doorstep Baby © 2016 Pamela Brooks Meant-to-Be Family © 2015 Harlequin S.A. The Child Who Rescued Christmas © 2011 Jessica Matthews Baby out of the Blue © 2013 Rebecca Winters Her Baby Wish © 2009 Patricia Wright Doctor, Mummy…Wife? © 2016 Dianne Despain Baby Talk & Wedding Bells © 2017 Brenda Harlen Secret Baby, Surprise Parents © 2009 Liz Fielding Alejandro’s Sexy Secret © 2016 Amy Ruttan
Published in Great Britain 2020
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk
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Table of Contents
Cover
About the Authors
Title Page
Copyright
Note to Readers
Secret Heirs Collection
Secret Heirs: Their Baby Bargain
Bound by the Billionaire’s Baby
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
An Heir Made in the Marriage Bed
Back Cover Text
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
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
EPILOGUE
An Heir to Make a Marriage
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
EPILOGUE
Secret Heirs: Billionaire’s Pleasure
Secrets of a Billionaire’s Mistress
Back Cover Text
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE