“No business.”
She turned then. “Why are you here?”
“I came to see you.”
She forced a light note into her voice, pretending they were mere acquaintances who might see each other from time to time. “You came all the way to Kentucky to bring me a puppy?”
He shook his head.
Then another thought occurred to her. “Did you find out something about Millions to Spare?”
He shook his head again. “I realized,” he began. Then his gaze softened, focusing on a spot behind her. “You may have misunderstood. And I need to explain.”
She waited for him to elaborate.
“That last night at the Prestons,” he said. “When I told you that being my wife was a terrible job…I don’t think I put it quite correctly.” He took a breath and looked directly into her eyes. “What I meant to say was, it’s a terrible job. But will you take it on anyway?”
Julia struggled to make sense of his words. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m asking you to stay married to me.”
“What about Brittany? What about the perfect children?” Julia’s mind still couldn’t wrap itself around his about-face.
“Brittany’s marrying Alex.”
“She’s what?”
Harrison had been jilted? Wow. She’d bet he hadn’t seen that one coming.
“Apparently their police chase around UAE was more fun than they expected.”
So Julia was second choice? Did Harrison want to marry her because Brittany was unavailable?
She loved him, but could she live with that?
The puppies barked and growled behind her, and she turned to see what they’d gotten into.
“Julia?”
They were pouncing on the rubber ball, and she watched their carefree frolicking for a few minutes.
“Julia?” Harrison tried again.
She sighed and turned back to him. “I can’t take Brittany’s place.”
His brow creased. “Is that what you-”
“I’m sorry.”
He raked his hand through his hair. “You’re not taking Brittany’s place,” he boomed, and the puppies froze in their play. “Brittany was taking yours. I realized that on my way back home. I went to her. I was going to tell her I couldn’t marry her because I was in love with you.”
If his indignation was anything to go by, he was completely serious.
Something broke loose inside Julia. He loved her. Harrison actually loved her. She suddenly felt as happy and carefree as the puppies. A smile grew on her face.
Harrison lowered his voice, sincerity rumbling through it. “I love you, Julia. But I’m not exaggerating, being my wife is a tough job. And I don’t want you to-”
“Would people try to kill me very often?” she asked.
He took in her expression and grinned. “We’ll have to stay out of Dubai for a while. I’d like to make it clear, though, that they weren’t trying to kill you because you were my wife.”
“Fair point.”
“And, no, I don’t expect there will be many threats on your life. Not after the people I’ve hired finish investigating Muwaffaq, Rafiq and all of their associates. But I have business all over the world.”
“I can write stories all over the world.”
“I’ll change what I can, but I have responsibilities to my companies. The social obligations are huge. There’s hosting and entertaining-”
“Did I mention that I speak French?”
He paused. “I believe you did.”
“Spanish, too. And I usually know which fork to use.”
He chuckled. “That’s good. And I’m planning to hire you some help.”
“Excuse me?” What was it he thought she needed help with?
“A secretary.”
Julia wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
“I had Leila in mind,” he elaborated.
Oh. Julia could definitely live with that.
“One last question,” she told him. “Are we going to have to go through one of those cathedral weddings to satisfy your family? Because I’m really not wild about-”
“How does this sound?” He closed on her, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist. “‘Baron Welsmeire is pleased to announce his marriage to American journalist Julia Nash in a private ceremony at his palace in Dubai. The two met at the Sandstone Derby at Nad Al Sheba racecourse earlier this year. The couple plans to honeymoon in the South Pacific prior to taking up residence at the Rochester Estate in Windsor.’”
She smiled, and he leaned in to give her a gentle kiss.
“Where they’ll raise Dalmatian puppies,” she added, “plant a cherry orchard and travel far and wide on their diplomatic passports.”
He slipped his arms fully around her waist and drew her close. “That sounds absolutely perfect. But there’s one last thing.”
“Yes?”
“Do you love me, Julia?”
She nodded, meaning the words with all her heart. “Yes. I love you, Harrison. I love you very, very much.”
BARBARA DUNLOP
is the bestselling, award-winning author of numerous novels for Harlequin and Silhouette Books. Her novels regularly hit bestseller lists for series romance, and she has twice been short-listed for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® Award.
Barbara lives in a log house in the Yukon Territory, where the bears outnumber the people, and moose graze in the front yard. By day, she works as the Yukon’s Film Commissioner. By night, she pens romance novels in front of a roaring fire.
***
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Millions To Spare Page 20