Strategy For Marriage

Strategy For Marriage
Margaret Way

Cattle Baron Ashe McKinnon discovered an uninvited guest at a family wedding - the groom's ex-girlfriend.Acting swiftly to prevent a scandal, he persuaded the gorgeous Christy Parker to become his surprise date for the occasion! Embarrassed by her impulsive urge to gate-crash the event, Christy agreed to this pretense. But should she have allowed herself to visit his impressive Outback home?He'd made it clear that any marriage to him could be no more than a business arrangement - and she was in danger of falling for her handsome rescuer….

“So you really need a wife, a hostess?”

She turned an inquiring face to him, unnerved by something in his expression. “Would you care to discuss it with me?”

“What would be the point?” she answered flippantly, but she shook inside. “I told you. I’m off marriage as a topic of discussion. For a long time.”

“What a challenge!” The self-assurance in his black eyes brushed that claim aside. “Do you know how good you look?” He reached out and touched the back of her neck.

For Christy the cobalt blue sky tilted. She experienced a blind rush of sexuality….

“Margaret Way uses colorful characterization and

descriptive prowess to make love and the

Australian Outback blossom brilliantly.”

—Romantic Times on The Carradine Brand

“…climactic scenes, dramatic imagery

and bold characters, Margaret Way

makes the Outback come alive…”

—Romantic Times on A Wife at Kimbara

A wedding dilemma:

What should a sexy, successful bachelor do if he’s too busy making millions to find a wife? Or if he finds the perfect woman, and just has to strike a bridal bargain…

The perfect proposal:

The solution? For better, for worse, these grooms

have decided to sign, seal and deliver the ultimate

marriage contract…to secure a bride!

Will these paper marriages blossom into wedded bliss?

Look out for our next CONTRACT BRIDES novel

in Harlequin Romance

:

Bride by Design (#3720)

by

Leigh Michaels

Strategy for Marriage

Margaret Way

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

Deakin-McKinnon Wedding

Reception—McKinnon Riverside Mansion

Brisbane, Queensland

“ASHE, darling, who is that girl?” The blonde in the exquisite green dress?” Mercedes, his aunt by marriage and mother of the bride, dug him in the ribs, a worried frown on her brow.

“You mean Ms. Botticelli?” His answer, even to his ears, was sardonic. “I’ve been wondering the same thing.” In fact he’d begun to marvel at just the amount of attention he was giving that particular young woman and was amazed at the unprecedented thrust of sexual desire she aroused in him. He’d grown cynical, really cynical, about a woman’s beauty and her ability to hold a man spellbound. Beautiful women in the style of this blonde reminded him of his runaway mother. The mother he’d hated and ached for since she’d abandoned him and his father when he was ten years old.

“No one on our side seems to know her,” Mercedes whispered with genuine concern, her fingers fidgeting with her extremely valuable string of 19 mm Australian South Sea pearls, the finest in the world. “That is to say everyone I’ve asked. Oh for heaven’s sake why am I worried?” She gave a false little laugh. “It’s not as though she isn’t beautiful and well behaved but I mean it’s fairly obvious our dear Josh seems to know her even if he’s not going anywhere near her. Would you mind awfully, darling, getting some idea of who exactly she is?”

The fact was he’d been about to make his move. For one thing “our dear Josh” was the bridegroom. A possible ex-girlfriend didn’t help. “No problem, Mercedes.” He smiled down at her. “Leave it to me.” He was extremely fond of Mercedes, and his quiet little cousin, Callista, who looked as radiant as she could ever look on this day of days. Sad to say he hadn’t taken to her new husband, Josh Deakin. In his most suspicious moments, which were frequent, he was a suspicious person, he thought Deakin the male equivalent of the proverbial gold-digger. At one time he’d very nearly said so, worried Deakin was only after Callista’s money. The problem was Mercedes was very taken with him and Callista was clearly head over heels in love. She wouldn’t have listened. She’d have dug in her heels. Although Callista dearly loved her mother, at twenty-nine she was anxious to escape the nest, get married and set up her own home. This was a fairytale wedding he’d been told. Who believed in fairytales? Certainly not him, though he had to admit Ms. Botticelli looked magical.

Mercedes’ rich contralto brought him out of his reverie. “Everything is going marvellously,” she said as though at any moment all could change. “The last thing we need is for something—um-um—” She stared across the crowded room at the beautiful blonde, seeking the right word.

“Don’t fret. I told you I’d handle it,” he soothed, hoping to God it wasn’t already all too late. But if Deakin imagined Mercedes and Callista didn’t have someone looking out for them, he’d better think again.

“You’re my great support, Ashe,” Mercedes told him fondly. “I’m afraid I lean on you for so much.”