The Boss's Marriage Plan

by Gina Wilkins

  To: My assistant

  From: Scott Prince

  Re: Will you marry me?

  Bachelor Scott Prince knows he wants a family—so it’s time to find a wife. But for a workaholic construction company owner with no time for romance, the perfect woman may just be his very loyal, very pretty assistant Tess Miller. For Scott, their engagement is a practical business deal...with a bonus.

  Scott’s proposal is exactly what Tess needs to prevent another holiday season alone. And then he kisses her—and she realizes she’s not as immune to her sexy boss as she thought. But this is a business deal, with no room for emotion...right? Or can Tess find a real happy-ever-after with her “Prince”?

  “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

  “No.” In fact, now that he’d laid out his plan she could see the enticing future. As odd as it was to be snuggled with Scott on her sofa, she wondered if it was exactly where they were meant to be.

  When he looked at her his eyes had darkened and his lips were curved in a sexy smile. Something had changed between them.

  His mouth was hot, hungry on hers. His hand moved under the hem of her dress, onto her thigh. She shivered as she imagined his hands moving higher...

  “Does this feel good to you?” she asked.

  “It feels...good. Right.”

  “To me, too,” she confessed. “Maybe the strange part is that it doesn’t feel weird.”

  After a moment he nodded. “I think I’d better go.”

  She blinked. “You’re leaving?”

  “It’s either that or I’m going to get you out of that pretty dress. And I’m not sure we’re ready for that step yet.”

  She walked him to the door and smiled, giving in to an impertinent impulse. “Scott? For the record you wouldn’t have to try very hard. With the dress, I mean.”

  She shut the door and leaned against it. What had she gotten herself into?

  * * *

  PROPOSALS & PROMISES:

  Putting a ring on it is just the beginning!

  Dear Reader,

  “Marriage of convenience” stories have always appealed to me, especially when those sensibly planned unions evolve into passionate romances. And Christmas is my favorite holiday, so I combined the two themes in this story of a practical engagement that becomes much more complicated than the betrothed couple ever expected.

  Like her blissfully newly married friend, Jenny (whose romance unfolded in A Reunion and a Ring, the first book in the Proposals & Promises trilogy), Tess Miller is ready for marriage and family, but her hectic work schedule has seriously interfered with her social life. Her boss and friend, Scott Prince, is facing his own biological clock, going so far as to make a mental list of the qualifications that would define his perfect mate—a list that he realizes describes Tess perfectly.

  The proposition he makes to her seems to be ideal—a marriage of well-suited friends with shared goals and values without all the messy romantic expectations that have led to disappointment in the past for each of them. But as it turns out, Tess realizes she wants more than a ring and a prosaic list of promises: she wants Scott’s heart. I hope you fall in love with this family-loving, romance-shy hero just as Tess and I did during their story!

  The Boss’s Marriage Plan

  Gina Wilkins

  Author of more than 100 titles for Harlequin, native Arkansan Gina Wilkins was introduced early to romance novels by her avid-reader mother. Gina loves sharing her own stories with readers who enjoy books celebrating families and romance. She is inspired daily by her husband of over thirty years, their two daughters and their son, their librarian son-in-law who fits perfectly into this fiction-loving family, and an adorable grandson who already loves books.

  Books by Gina Wilkins

  Harlequin Special Edition

  Proposals & Promises

  A Reunion and a Ring

  Bride Mountain

  Healed with a Kiss

  A Proposal at the Wedding

  Matched by Moonlight

  A Match for the Single Dad

  The Texan’s Surprise Baby

  The Right Twin

  His Best Friend’s Wife

  Husband for a Weekend

  Doctors in the Family

  Doctors in the Wedding

  A Home for the M.D.

  The M.D. Next Door

  Doctors in Training

  Prognosis: Romance

  The Doctor’s Undoing

  Private Partners

  Diagnosis: Daddy

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  As always, for the family that gives me strength and my reason for living, my husband of more than thirty years and our amazing son, two daughters, son-in-law and precious grandson.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Excerpt from Evergreen Springs by RaeAnne Thayne

  Chapter One

  Tess Miller stood quietly nearby as her older sister, Nina Miller Wheatley, made a minute adjustment to an impeccably set Thanksgiving dinner table. Nina’s formal dining room glowed not only with the light from a crystal chandelier but from multiple candles on the table and antique sideboard. Fall flowers spilled over crystal vases onto Pilgrim figurines and pumpkins nestled beside them. Calligraphy place cards rested in little turkey-shaped holders beside the brown-and-orange plaid place mats. Tess didn’t know why they needed place cards when the entire dinner party consisted of Nina, her husband, their three kids and herself, but her overachieving sister never did anything halfway.

  There was enough food for another six people, at a minimum. Turkey and dressing, several side dishes, salads and four choices of desserts crowded the serving tables. Tess had brought a casserole and a cake, both of which Nina had proclaimed “very nice” and had then set at the back of the buffet.

  Nina wore a rust silk blouse and dark brown slacks that showed off her gym-toned body. Not a salon-tinted blond hair was out of place in her stylish do, and her makeup was perfect despite the hours she’d spent in the kitchen. She’d given a critical once-over to Tess’s black wrap top and slim charcoal pants, but her only comment had been that maybe Tess should consider adding more red highlights to her hair, just to “spice up” her shoulder-length auburn bob. Tess was perfectly content for now with the color nature had given her, but she hadn’t wasted breath arguing.

  The sisters didn’t look much alike. Tess’s brown eyes had a more golden tint than Nina’s, her face was more oval and she’d inherited their father’s shallow chin cleft. At five-four, she was two inches shorter than her sister, though she’d always wondered if being taller would have made any difference in Nina’s still treating her like a child.

  “Everything looks beautiful, Nina,” she said, knowing just what to say to make her sister happy. “I can tell you’ve worked very hard.”

  Nina heaved a long-suffering sigh. “You have no idea. All the chopping and mixing, cooking and baking, not to mention keeping up with all the kids’ extracurricular activities and volunteering at two different schools. I’m utterly exhaust
ed, but of course it’s all worth it for my family.”

  Through her mental sigh, Tess heard a football game playing in the den. She knew her brother-in-law, Ken, and her nephews, thirteen-year-old Cameron and nine-year-old Austin, were parked in front of it, though both boys were probably engrossed in handheld video games. Almost fifteen-year-old Olivia was in her room, likely risking carpal tunnel syndrome with marathon texting to her bazillion friends. None of them had offered assistance to their mother, though Nina wouldn’t have accepted if they had. She loved being a martyr to her overly indulged family.

  Nina shook off her air of selfless weariness to replace it with a sympathetic smile toward her much younger sibling. “You wouldn’t understand, of course, not having a husband and children of your own to take care of.”

  She didn’t add the uniquely Southern, artfully patronizing “bless your heart,” but Tess heard it anyway. Ever since Tess turned twenty-one eight years ago, Nina rarely missed an opportunity to voice her concern that her sister would remain single and childless. It didn’t help that her only semiserious relationship during those years had crashed and burned.

  While Tess wanted a family of her own, she was increasingly resentful of her sister’s condescension, making every holiday gathering progressively more uncomfortable. That was a shame, because she and her sister were the only surviving members of their immediate family. Their parents, who’d been in their midforties when Tess was born thirteen years after Nina, had both died within the past six years. Now Nina always made a big show of including Tess at every holiday table because as she said, “Tess has no one else to share the special days with.”

  Tess drew a deep breath before asking, “Would you like me to call everyone to the table?”

  “In a moment. First I want to ask if you’d allow me to give your number to Cameron’s orthodontist, Dr. Mike. He’s really quite nice, if a bit socially awkward. He’s been divorced for almost a year. He seemed interested when I showed him your photo on my phone, but after that little fit you threw last time, I knew better than to give him your number without asking.” Nina rolled her eyes, as if making it clear she thought it unreasonable that Tess objected to Nina handing out her number to just any single stranger.

  “Seriously, Nina, stop trying to fix me up,” Tess said with a firm shake of her head. She didn’t mind her friends arranging the occasional blind date, but she’d rather her meddlesome sister stay out of her love life, such as it was. The thought of her photo being shown to random men made her very uncomfortable. “I don’t need you to arrange dates for me.”

  “Well, someone should. I don’t see how you’re going to find anyone sitting in that office working for your taskmaster of a boss. I mean, sure, you meet construction workers and architects and suppliers, but you’re too professional to flirt with them on the job and you’re never not on the job, so where does that leave you, hmm? Needing a little help meeting someone, that’s where. And because I’m actually out in the community mingling with nice, successful people, who better to direct a lead or two your way?”

  “If I want your help, I’ll let you know, all right?”

  Nina didn’t quite growl her frustration, but she seemed to be making an effort to restrain herself. “You haven’t forgotten about Dana’s party the second Saturday in December, have you? You have to be there. Everyone’s expecting you. You can come alone, of course, but you know how snooty some of our cousins would be if they think you can’t find a date. Perhaps that would be a good time for you to spend an evening getting to know Dr. Mike?”

  “I’ll find my own date, thank you.” Tess wasn’t sure where or how, but she’d bring a date if she had to hire someone!

  Maybe she shouldn’t let Nina get to her this way. Maybe she should go to the family gathering alone as she usually did, with her head high and her shoulders squared. Confident, composed and contentedly independent. But then she’d have to endure everyone trying to set her up with their dentists, accountants and gynecologists.

  Before her sister could demand details, Tess turned toward the dining room doorway, which was decorated with a garland of autumn leaves and just-too-cute little gourds. “I’ll call everyone in to eat. It would be a shame to let this delicious food get cold.”

  It was probably the only threat that could have derailed Nina’s attention from Tess’s personal life. At least for now.

  * * *

  Tess must not have known anyone else was in the office at 6:00 p.m. on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. No other reason she’d be chatting on her cell phone with her office door open, so her words drifted out very clearly to Scott Prince in the lobby. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, really. It was simply that while he hesitated, trying to decide if it would be rude to interrupt her, he heard a bit more than he intended.

  He’d just quietly entered the reception area of Prince Construction Company, Inc., the Little Rock enterprise into which he’d invested all his time, sweat, money and dreams for the past nine years. It had been a struggling little local-only construction company when he’d purchased it from the retiring owner, with whom Scott had interned while he’d obtained a master’s degree in construction management. His family and friends had been concerned to see him take such a major financial risk, considering him too young and inexperienced at twenty-seven to successfully run a complicated business. It had taken almost a decade of personal sacrifice and unwavering determination to prove their doubts unfounded, but he was now owner and CEO of a successful, multistate enterprise specializing in small to medium commercial construction projects.

  Tess had started working for him as a clerk over six years ago and had become his office manager and valued administrative assistant. No one got to him except through her. Some people said he was gifted when it came to surrounding himself with the right people. Tess was a prime example of that. He admitted freely that the whole operation would fall apart without her to oversee the office.

  But this was Thanksgiving weekend, not an official workday. Shouldn’t she be spending it with family or friends—at least unless he needed her for some crisis or another, as he confessed he so often did?

  “It was the usual painful family meal,” he heard her say from the other room, almost as if in answer to his silent question. “My sister tried to fix me up with every single male she’s ever met, because she says I’m incapable of finding eligible men on my own. My brother-in-law finally told her to lay off because as he said, ‘Some women are just meant to be single.’”

  Scott grimaced, knowing now why Tess had chosen to work on the long weekend rather than to spend more time with family. He almost spoke up then to let her know he was there, but she started talking again.

  “So, anyway, Nina nagged me about bringing her son’s orthodontist to Dana’s big Christmas bash, but I told her I’d find my own date, thank you very much. No, I don’t know who it will be. You know my lousy luck with the online dating sites I’ve tried lately. Maybe I’ll just take Glenn. Yes, I know you keep telling me he’s boring, but maybe we’ve been too critical of him. He’s a nice enough guy. Makes no secret that he’s ready to settle down and start a family. Maybe I’ve just been too—”

  Scott opened and closed the front door. More loudly this time. He’d suddenly realized that he’d been standing in one place for too long, hearing more than Tess would surely want him to know.

  He heard her mutter something quickly, followed by the thud of her phone, then the squeak of her chair. Moments later she appeared in the open doorway looking slightly flustered, though she almost instantly assumed her usual calm and collected expression. She was dressed more casually than on weekdays in a blue-and-black patterned tunic with black leggings tucked into flat boots. She’d left her hair down rather than in the neat twist she usually wore for work. He’d seen her weekend look many times before, of course—but he thought she looked particularly pretty today. The slight flush that ling
ered on her cheeks was definitely becoming.

  “Scott? What are you doing here? I thought you and your dad and brothers were driving to Missouri for the Razorbacks game today.”

  “We were. But Eli had to be on call because one of his partners broke an arm in a Thanksgiving biking accident. Then Jake’s son came down with a virus and our plans all fell apart. We gave our tickets to Mom and Dad’s neighbors and their kids. They were happy to get them.”

  “I’m sorry your plans were canceled. You really needed a break from work.”

  He felt his mouth quirk into a half smile. “Are you saying I’ve been surly lately?”

  “Not surly, just... Okay, maybe a little surly,” she said with a quiet laugh.

  He could count on Tess to be honest with him, sometimes brutally so. Somehow she always managed to do so without crossing boundaries of the employee-employer relationship, even when she was annoyed with him. And she had been annoyed with him on several occasions.

  He cleared his throat. “Sorry about that. You have to admit, the past few months have been challenging.” They’d dealt with a couple of big, complicated jobs, a burglary at a job site that had cost them several expensive tools, even a break-in here at the office earlier in the year. Speaking of which...

  He frowned. “Why was the security system turned off? You shouldn’t be here alone on a weekend, especially after dark, without that alarm activated. As I’ve just proved, anyone could have walked in.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Didn’t you have to use your key?”

  He was still surprised she hadn’t heard him enter the first time, which only illustrated how focused she’d been on her conversation. “Well, yes, but still...”

  Relenting, she smiled. “I’ve had the security system on almost the whole time I’ve been here. I turned it off when I ran out to my car for something I’d forgotten and I was going to turn it back on after I finished a phone call in my office.”