A Billionaire for Christmas

A Billionaire for Christmas
Janice Maynard

All business, all the time, is billionaire Leo Cavallo’s motto. So two months of forced relaxation is certainly not the CEO’s idea of a Christmas bonus. Then he meets his neighbour, the irresistible Phoebe Kemper, and a storm forces them to become roommates.Suddenly, the holidays are looking a whole lot brighter. But beautiful Phoebe isn’t living alone. She’s babysitting her infant nephew. Somehow, playing temporary family is surprisingly appealing.But what will Leo choose when it’s time to go home?

Leo was aware that some people called him hard … Unfeeling.

But he did what he did knowing how many employees around the world depended on the Cavallos for their livelihoods. It irked the hell out of him to think that another man was temporarily sitting in his metaphorical chair.

How was he going to survive being back-burnered for two months? Did he even want to try becoming the man his family thought he could be? A balanced, laid-back, easygoing guy?

He rested his free arm across the back of the sofa and closed his eyes, reaching for something Zen. Something peaceful.

Damn it, he didn’t want to change. He wanted to go home.

At least, he had until he met Phoebe. Now she was what he wanted.

* * *

A Billionaire for Christmas is part of the No.1 bestselling miniseries from Desire

: Billionaires and Babies:

Powerful men …

wrapped around their babies’ little fingers.

A Billionaire for Christmas

Janice Maynard

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

JANICE MAYNARD came to writing early in life. When her short story The Princess and the Robbers won a red ribbon in her third-grade school arts fair, Janice was hooked. She holds a BA from Emory and Henry College and an MA from East Tennessee State University. In 2002 Janice left a fifteen-year career as an elementary teacher to pursue writing full-time. Her first love is creating sexy, character-driven, contemporary romance. She has written for Kensington and NAL, and now is so very happy to also be part of the Mills & Boon

family—a lifelong dream, by the way!

Janice and her husband live in beautiful east Tennessee in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains. She loves to travel and enjoys using those experiences as settings for books.

Hearing from readers is one of the best perks of the job! Visit her website, www.janicemaynard.com, or email her at JESM13@aol.com. And of course, don’t forget Facebook and Twitter. Visit all the men of Wolff Mountain at www.wolffmountain.com.

For my mother, Pat Scott, who loved Christmas as much as anyone I have ever known.

Contents

Chapter One (#u7d812efb-1910-5359-8bf8-d7c1ce37211f)

Chapter Two (#u6c0f3e6d-9119-54a9-a763-0a635de905fb)

Chapter Three (#uef5b843a-06a3-5f74-a769-ca2e80059460)

Chapter Four (#u951c40bf-9bf2-5744-bbc3-20f638126db0)

Chapter Five (#u8900c359-43d2-53e2-886b-545af8aafc42)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

One

Leo Cavallo had a headache. In fact, his whole body hurt. The drive from Atlanta to the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee hadn’t seemed all that onerous on the map, but he’d gravely miscalculated the reality of negotiating winding rural roads after dark. And given that the calendar had flipped only a handful of days into December, he’d lost daylight a long time ago.

He glanced at the clock on the dashboard and groaned as he registered the glowing readout. It was after nine. He still had no idea if he was even close to his destination. The GPS had given up on him ten miles back. The car thermometer read thirty-five degrees, which meant that any moment now the driving rain hammering his windshield might change over to snow, and he’d really be screwed. Jags were not meant to be driven in bad weather.

Sweating beneath his thin cotton sweater, he reached into the console for an antacid. Without warning, his brother’s voice popped into his head, loud and clear.

“I’m serious, Leo. You have to make some changes. You had a heart attack, for God’s sake.”

Leo scowled. “A mild cardiac event. Don’t be so dramatic. I’m in excellent physical shape. You heard the doctor.”

“Yes, I did. He said your stress levels are off the charts. And he preached heredity. Our father died before he hit forty-two. You keep this up, and I’ll be putting you in the ground right beside him...”