Counterfeit Princess

Counterfeit Princess
Raye Morgan

She nearly pinched herself.But Shannon Harper, Dallas waitress, was at the ball! Trouble was, Crown Prince Marco thought she was his prearranged fiancee! His arrival was unexpected - Shannon had only agreed to impersonate the missing princess as a favor. She'd never planned to meet Marco - after all, the real princess barely knew him.So when the moody, mouthwatering prince commented on her smile, admired her empathy and touched her cheek, who was he really falling for? Shannon knew she should grab her pumpkin and split - but how could she resist one last turn in his arms? After all, it wasn't midnight yet….

Crown Prince Marco suddenly felt very jaded.

Given a choice, he wouldn’t marry anyone, much less notorious Princess Iliana.

But he didn’t have a choice.

He’d come here to Dallas, Texas, to attend a charity ball and, at the same time, to meet the woman he had pledged to marry. He’d long ago promised King Mandrake that he would marry his daughter, and he meant to keep his word.

Marco was due to take over his rightful role as king very soon, and he would need a queen. Plus, his two motherless children needed a mother.

As a widower of two years, Marco had no appetite for the dating game. A ready-made mate would fit the bill for him.

As long as she didn’t make too much trouble….

Dear Reader,

My, how time flies! I still remember the excitement of becoming Senior Editor for Silhouette Romance and the thrill of working with these wonderful authors and stories on a regular basis. My duties have recently changed, and I’m going to miss being privileged to read these stories before anyone else. But don’t worry, I’ll still be reading the published books! I don’t think there’s anything as reassuring, affirming and altogether delightful as curling up with a bunch of Silhouette Romance novels and dreaming the day away. So know that I’m joining you, even though Mavis Allen will have the pleasure of guiding the line now.

And for this last batch that I’m bringing to you, we’ve got some terrific stories! Raye Morgan is finishing up her CATCHING THE CROWN series with Counterfeit Princess (SR #1672), a fun tale that proves love can conquer all. And Teresa Southwick is just beginning her DESERT BRIDES trilogy about three sheiks who are challenged—and caught!—by American women. Don’t miss the first story, To Catch a Sheik (SR #1674).

Longtime favorite authors are also back. Julianna Morris brings us The Right Twin for Him (SR #1676) and Doreen Roberts delivers One Bride: Baby Included (SR #1673). And we’ve got two authors new to the line—one of whom is new to writing! RITA

Award-winning author Angie Ray’s newest book, You’re Marrying Her?, is a fast-paced funny story about a woman who doesn’t like her best friend’s fiancée. And Patricia Mae White’s first novel is about a guy who wants a little help in appealing to the right woman. Here Practice Makes Mr. Perfect (SR #1677).

All the best,

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor

Counterfeit Princess

Raye Morgan

To Dallas—a great friend (and a wonderful city!)

RAYE MORGAN

has spent almost two decades, while writing over fifty novels, searching for the answer to that elusive question: Just what is that special magic that happens when a man and a woman fall in love? Every time she thinks she has the answer, a new wrinkle pops up, necessitating another book! Meanwhile, after living in Holland, Guam, Japan and Washington, D.C., she currently makes her home in Southern California with her husband and two of her four boys.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

Chapter One

“All right, no more hedging, Jordan. Tell me what you’ve heard about Princess Iliana. And be specific. I want to know exactly what I’m getting into.”

Nabotavia’s Crown Prince Marco Roseanova was talking tough, giving his valet a measured look. He would trust the man with his life, but could he trust him to repeat the local gossip?

“I’m afraid she does seem to have a bit of a reputation, Your Highness.”

Jordan looked pained as he said the words and Marco sighed, sure he was holding something back. “I need the facts if I’m going to do anything about this.”

“They say she has a—” Jordan’s long face was always mournful, but now it twisted as though he thoroughly disapproved of the scent of the aftershave lotion Marco was applying to his sleek and handsome face “—a gangster for a boyfriend.”

Marco suddenly felt very tired. Given a choice, he wouldn’t marry anyone, much less Princess Iliana with her notoriety. And he’d certainly been warned about her before from people very close to him. But he didn’t have a choice. He’d come to Dallas, Texas to attend an annual charity ball the local Nabotavian community put on and at the same time, to meet the woman he had pledged to marry. He’d promised King Mandrake of Alovitia that he would marry his daughter and he meant to keep his word.

Marco was due to take over his rightful role as King of Nabotavia very soon, and by law he needed a queen. And his two motherless children needed a mother. As a widower of only two years he had no appetite for getting into the dating game. A ready-made mate would fit the bill for him right now. As long as she didn’t make too much trouble.

“I think we’ll be able to convince her to give up her less-savory hobbies,” he said, reaching for his tuxedo jacket. “Let’s go meet this wild child of a princess, shall we?”

Jordan dipped his head in acquiescence and turned to open the door for his employer. They rode the elevator down to the ballroom in silence, and as the doors slid open to reveal the crowd gathering on the landing, they exchanged a look and started for the entrance.

“It’s the crown prince,” someone said as they passed, and the crowd began to part, letting them through to the top of the stairs where the announcer was introducing each new set of arrivals over a speaker system.

“There she is,” Jordan muttered to him suddenly. “Blue gown and tiara.”

Marco looked across the landing and met a gaze so startlingly open in its curiosity, he was caught for a moment, unable to look away. She was beautiful, just as he remembered from ten years before. That he had expected. But he hadn’t anticipated the clear gaze, the lifted chin, the lack of guile, the complete absence of either contrition or defiance. She could have been an angel. But he knew damn well she wasn’t.

He blinked and finally he pulled his gaze away, reaching to tug on the constriction of the neck of his shirt. “I can’t meet her yet,” he told Jordan, turning back from the announcer and looking toward the bar. “I’m going to need a good stiff drink before I can handle this one.”

He didn’t bother to look at Jordan’s face. He knew he would see disapproval. But a man could only do what he could do, and right now, too much was flooding in on him—memories, emotions. The princess was certainly lovely, but the face of his beloved Lorraine, the wife he’d lost too soon, was haunting him. That was enough to put a cold, painful grip on his heart. He needed a few minutes to himself. Squaring his shoulders, he strolled into the bar and nodded to the bartender.

“Well, Greta,” said Shannon Harper, the woman Prince Marco had taken for the princess, speaking to one of the two Alovitian courtiers standing on either side of her as she watched Marco turn and head for the bar. “I’d say the prince has no more interest in meeting Princess Iliana than the real princess has in meeting him. Wouldn’t you agree?”