A Promise...to a Proposal?

A Promise...to a Proposal?
Kate Hardy

Pretty, Petite Midwife Seeks Friendship and Romance!If they hadn’t written matching online dating profiles midwife Ruby Fisher would never have admitted her attraction to gorgeous Dr Ellis Webster! He promised her late husband he’d look after her – and he’s the last guy she should fall for…Ellis doesn’t do permanent – he’s due in Africa soon! He must shake off this uncomfortable desire for lovely Ruby. Except his plan to help her start dating again fails spectacularly… because she’s the only woman he just doesn’t want to let go…

Praise for Kate Hardy (#u141724cc-ce56-5674-ae3b-761c28dc33ae)

‘Bound by a Baby moved me to tears many times. It is a full-on emotional drama. Author Kate Hardy brought this tale shimmering with emotions. Highly recommended for all lovers of romance.’

—Contemporary Romance Reviews

Bound by a Babywon the 2014 RoNA(Romantic Novelists’ Association) award!

‘When you pick up a romance novel by Kate Hardy you know that you’re going to be reading a spellbinding novel which you will want to devour in a single sitting, and A Christmas Knight is certainly no exception.’

—CataRomance

‘TDH doctor, serious and deep—with principles—seeks bright, sparkly female to make his dimples come out. Looking for foodie film buff who enjoys seaside strolls for friendship leading to potential romance.’

He groaned again. ‘I hate that bit about the dimples. It sounds really pathetic.’

‘Tough. It’s staying. Your dimples are cute.’ She flicked back to her list. ‘You know, Ellis, this list could be describing you.’

His heart skipped a beat.

Was this the chance he’d been looking for? Was she telling him in her quiet, understated way that she’d consider dating him?

‘And my list,’ he said softly, ‘could be describing you.’

They looked at each other, and it felt as if the air was humming.

‘Maybe,’ he said, ‘neither of us needs to put an ad on the dating site.’

She didn’t pull away or look horrified at the idea.

So he leaned forward and gave in to what he’d wanted to do for a year or more. He touched his mouth very lightly to hers.

Dear Reader (#u141724cc-ce56-5674-ae3b-761c28dc33ae),

I’ve always liked friends-to-lovers stories, but this one has a slight twist in that the hero is also the best friend of the heroine’s late husband.

And when friendship turns to love when do you dare to take the risk of wrecking the friendship?

A Promise…to a Proposal? is about how Ruby and Ellis take that particular journey—from Ellis promising his best friend that he’ll look after his widow to both of them falling in love.

The story’s set partly in my bit of the world (or a fictionalised bit of the East Anglian coast), partly in London, and partly in a very beautiful city that I had the privilege to explore earlier this year—Prague. And I’m afraid I stole the posh dinner my family and I had—the best meal we’ve ever eaten!

I hope you enjoy Ellis and Ruby’s story.

I’m always delighted to hear from readers, so do come and visit me at katehardy.com

With love

Kate Hardy

KATE HARDY lives in Norwich, in the east of England, with her husband, two young children, one bouncy spaniel and too many books to count! When she’s not busy writing romance or researching local history she helps out at her children’s schools. She also loves cooking—spot the recipes sneaked into her books! (They’re also on her website, along with extracts and the stories behind her books.)

Writing for Mills & Boon

has been a dream come true for Kate—something she wanted to do ever since she was twelve. She’s been writing Medical Romance™ for over ten years now. She says it’s the best of both worlds, because she gets to learn lots of new things when she’s researching the background to a book: add a touch of passion, drama and danger, a new gorgeous hero every time, and it’s the perfect job!

Kate’s always delighted to hear from readers, so do drop in to her website at katehardy.com (http://www.katehardy.com)

A Promise…to a Proposal?

Kate Hardy

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

To Gerard, Chris and Chloe—

remembering the best meal we’ve ever eaten!

Table of Contents

Cover (#uf852c26a-f5e4-5e7c-908f-b143989b60d8)

Praise for Kate Hardy

Excerpt (#u47d1262f-8642-5e66-aafb-306f28e4ed54)

Dear Reader

About the Author (#u119aa1cb-9110-53ba-869e-5db27c9608a5)

Title Page (#u7d6738d9-9b53-5765-8119-f0c460c6ca0b)

Dedication (#ub69941f6-7cdd-55a0-a067-28c2dc29704f)

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX