Falling in love wasn’t part of the deal
When Georgia Page accepts Sean Connolly’s proposal, she knows it’s crazy. But surely she can pretend to be a self-made billionaire’s fiancée for a little while, just until his mother regains her health. Surely she can keep her heart out of this affair, no matter how sexy he is—or how well he plays the devoted lover.
It all seems so simple—until their pretend kisses and fake embraces lead to something all too real, something neither of them expected. Something that could turn an outrageous proposal into wedding bells…
Having A Lover Like Sean Was Really A Slippery Slope.
Georgia wasn’t interested in trusting another man. Giving her heart over to him. Giving him the chance to crush her again. Sure, Sean was nothing like her ex, but he was still male.
“What do you say, Georgia?” he asked, reaching down to take her hands in his and give them a squeeze. “Will you pretend marry me?”
She couldn’t think. Not with him holding on to her. Not with his eyes staring into hers. Not with the heat of him reaching for her, promising even more heat if she let him get any closer. And if she did that, she would agree to anything, because the man could have her half out of her mind in seconds, she well knew.
With him holding on to her, the beat of his heart beneath her ear, Georgia was tempted to do all sorts of things, so she looked away from him, out the window to the rain-drenched evening. Lamps lining the drive shone like diamonds in the gray. But the darkness and the incessant rain couldn’t disguise the beauty that was Ireland.
Just as, she thought, looking up at Sean, a lie couldn’t hide what was already between the two of them. She didn’t know where it was going, but she had a feeling the ride was going to be much bumpier than she had planned.
Dear Reader,
As most of you know, I love Ireland. The gorgeous countryside, the incredible views everywhere you look and especially, the warm generosity of the Irish people.
The village of Dunley, where this story is set, is fictional, but I used elements of the many different villages I’ve stayed in to create the town itself and its citizens.
In the first book of my Irish duet, Up Close and Personal, you met Ronan Connolly and Laura Page, the woman who knocked his feet out from under him.
In An Outrageous Proposal you’ll find the story of Ronan’s cousin Sean Connolly and Georgia Page, Laura’s sister.
These two were so much fun to write about. Sean’s life is just as he wants it, and to make sure nothing changes he’s willing to do whatever he has to. Georgia, on the other hand, is desperate to make changes in her life.
When these two collide, sparks fly and no one’s life will ever be the same.
You’ll also find a sprinkling of Gaelic in this book—a good friend of mine provided the translations. But if I’ve made mistakes, they’re mine alone.
Thank you all so much for your continued support and the wonderful letters you write. I’m delighted to be able to spend my days writing stories for Harlequin Desire, and it’s a pleasure for me to hear that you enjoy reading them!
You can visit me on Facebook, or stop in at my website, www.maureenchild.com.
Happy reading!
Maureen
Maureen Child
An Outrageous Proposal
Books by Maureen Child
Harlequin Desire
*King’s Million-Dollar Secret #2083
One Night, Two Heirs #2096
*Ready for King’s Seduction #2113
*The Temporary Mrs. King #2125
*To Kiss a King #2137
Gilded Secrets #2168
Up Close and Personal #2179
An Outrageous Proposal #2191
Silhouette Desire
†Scorned by the Boss #1816
†Seduced by the Rich Man #1820
†Captured by the Billionaire #1826
*Bargaining for King’s Baby #1857
*Marrying for King’s Millions #1862
*Falling for King’s Fortune #1868
High-Society Secret Pregnancy #1879
Baby Bonanza #1893
An Officer and a Millionaire #1915
Seduced Into a Paper Marriage #1946
*Conquering King’s Heart #1965
*Claiming King’s Baby #1971
*Wedding at King’s Convenience #1978
*The Last Lone Wolf #2011
Claiming Her Billion-Dollar Birthright #2024
*Cinderella & the CEO #2043
Under the Millionaire’s Mistletoe #2056
“The Wrong Brother”
Have Baby, Need Billionaire #2059
†Reasons for Revenge
*Kings of California
Other titles by this author available in ebook format.
MAUREEN CHILD
is a California native who loves to travel. Every chance they get, she and her husband are taking off on another research trip. An author of more than sixty books, Maureen loves a happy ending and still swears that she has the best job in the world. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two children and a golden retriever with delusions of grandeur. Visit Maureen’s website, www.maureenchild.com.
For two wonderful writers who are fabulous friends, Kate Carlisle and Jennifer Lyon. Thank you both for always being there.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Excerpt
One
“For the love of all that’s holy, don’t push!” Sean Connolly kept one wary eye on the rearview mirror and the other on the curving road stretching out in front of him. Why the hell was he the designated driver to the hospital?
“Just mind the road and drive, Sean,” his cousin Ronan complained from the backseat. He had one arm around his hugely pregnant wife, drawing her toward him despite the seat belts.
“He’s right,” Georgia Page said from the passenger seat. “Just drive, Sean.” She half turned to look into the back. “Hang on, Laura,” she told her sister. “We’ll be there soon.”
“You can all relax, you know,” Laura countered. “I’m not giving birth in the car.”
“Please, God,” Sean muttered and gave the car more gas.
Never before in his life had he had reason to curse the narrow, winding roads of his native Ireland. But tonight, all he wanted was about thirty kilometers of smooth highway to get them all to the hospital in Westport.
“You’re not helping,” Georgia muttered with a quick look at him.
“I’m driving,” he told her and chanced another look into the rearview mirror just in time to see Laura’s features twist in pain.
She moaned, and Sean gritted his teeth. The normal sense of panic a man felt around a woman in labor was heightened by the fact that his cousin was half excited and half mad with worry for the wife he doted on. A part of Sean envied Ronan even while the larger part of him was standing back and muttering, Aye, Ronan, better you than me.
Funny how complicated a man’s life could get when he wasn’t even paying attention to it. A year or so ago, he and his cousin Ronan were happily single, each of them with an eye toward remaining that way. Now, Ronan was married, about to be a father, and Sean was as involved in the coming birth of the next generation of Connollys as he could be. He and Ronan lived only minutes apart, and the two of them had grown up more brothers than cousins.
“Can’t you go any faster?” Georgia whispered, leaning in towa
rd him.
Then there was Laura’s sister. Georgia was a smart, slightly cynical, beautiful woman who engaged Sean’s brain even while she attracted him on a much more basic level. So far, he’d kept his distance, though. Getting involved with Georgia Page would only complicate things. What with her sister married to his cousin, and Ronan suddenly becoming insanely protective about the women he claimed were in “his charge.”
Damned old-fashioned for a man who had spent most of his adult years mowing through legions of adoring females.
Still, Sean was glad to have Georgia along. For the sanity she provided, if nothing else. Georgia and Sean would at least have each other to turn to during all of this, and he was grateful for it.
Sean gave her a quick glance and kept his voice low. “I go much faster on these roads at night, we’ll all need a room in hospital.”
“Right.” Georgia’s gaze fixed on the road ahead, and she leaned forward as if trying to make the car speed up through sheer force of will.
Well, Sean told himself, if anyone could pull that off, it would be Georgia Page. In the light from the dashboard, her dark blue eyes looked fathomless and her honey-colored hair looked more red than blond.
He’d first met her at Ronan and Laura’s wedding a year or so ago, but with her many trips to Ireland to visit her sister, he’d come to know Georgia and he liked her. He liked her quick wit, her sarcasm and her sense of family loyalty—which he shared.
All around them, the darkness was complete, the headlights of his car illuminating the narrow track winding out in front of them. This far from the city, it was mainly farmland stretching out behind the high, thick hedges that lined the road. The occasional lighted window in a farmhouse stood out like beacons, urging them on.
At last, a distant glow appeared and Sean knew it was the lights of Westport, staining the night sky. They were close, and he took his first easy breath in what felt like hours.
“Nearly there,” he announced, and glanced at Georgia. She gave him a quick grin, and he felt the solid punch of it.
From the backseat, Laura cried out and just like that, Sean’s relief was cut short. They weren’t safe yet. Focusing on the task at hand, he pushed his car as fast as he dared.
* * *
What felt like days—and was in reality only hours and hours later—Sean and Georgia walked out of the hospital like survivors of a grueling battle.
“God,” Sean said, as they stepped into the soft rain of an Irish afternoon in winter. The wind blew like ice, and the rain fell from clouds that looked close enough to touch. He tipped his face back and stared up into the gray. It was good to be outside, away from the sounds and smells of the hospital. Even better to know that the latest Connolly had arrived safely.
“That was the longest night and day of my life, I think,” he said with feeling.
“Mine, too,” Georgia agreed, shrugging deeper into the navy blue coat she wore. “But it was worth it.”
He looked over at her. “Oh, aye, it was indeed. She’s a beauty.”
“She is, isn’t she?” Georgia grinned. “Fiona Connolly. It’s a good name. Beautiful, but strong, too.”
“It is, and by the look of her, she’s already got her da wrapped around her tiny fingers.” He shook his head as he remembered the expression on his cousin’s face as Ronan held his new daughter for the first time. Almost enough to make a jaded man believe in—never mind.
“I’m exhausted and energized all at the same time.”
“Me, as well,” Sean agreed, happy to steer his mind away from dangerous territory. “Feel as though I’ve been running a marathon.”
“And all we did was wait.”
“I think the waiting is the hardest thing of all.”
Georgia laughed. “And I think Laura would disagree.”
Ruefully, he nodded. “You’ve a point there.”
Georgia sighed, stepped up to Sean and threaded her arm through his. “Ronan will be a great father. And Laura…she wanted this so much.” She sniffed and swiped her fingers under her eyes.
“No more crying,” Sean said, giving her arm a squeeze. “Already I feel as though I’ve been riding a tide of tears all day. Between the new mother and father and you, it’s been weepy eyes and sniffles for hours.”
“I saw your eyes get a little misty, too, tough guy.”
“Aye, well, we Irish are a sentimental lot,” he admitted, then started for the car park, Georgia’s arm still tucked through his.
“It’s one of the things I like best about you—”
He gave her a look.
“—the Irish in general, I mean,” she qualified.
“Ah, well then.” He smiled to himself at her backtracking. It was a lovely afternoon. Soft rain, cold wind and new life wailing in the hospital behind them. “You’ve been to Ireland so often in the last year, you’re very nearly an honorary Irishman yourself, aren’t you?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” she admitted. They walked up to his car, and Sean hit the unlock button on his keypad.
“What’s that then?” he asked, as he opened the passenger door for her and held it, waiting. Fatigue clawed at him, but just beneath that was a buoyant feeling that had him smile at the woman looking up at him.
“About being an honorary Irishman. Or at least,” she said, looking around her at the car park, the hospital and the city beyond, “moving here. Permanently.”
“Really?” Intrigued, he leaned his forearms on the top of the door. “And what’s brought this on then? Is it your brand-new niece?”
She shrugged. “Partly, sure. But mostly, it’s this country. It’s gorgeous and friendly, and I’ve really come to love being here.”
“Does Laura know about this?”
“Not yet,” she admitted, and shifted her gaze back to him. “So don’t say anything. She’s got enough on her mind at the moment.”
“True enough,” he said. “But I’m thinking she’d be pleased to have her sister so close.”
She flashed him a brilliant smile then slid into her seat. As Sean closed the door after her and walked around the car, he was forced to admit that he wouldn’t mind having Georgia close, either.
* * *
A half hour later, Georgia opened the door to Laura and Ronan’s expansive stone manor house and looked back over her shoulder at Sean. “Want to come in for a drink?”
“I think we’ve earned one,” he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “Or even a dozen.”
She laughed and it felt good. Heck, she felt good. Her sister was a mother, and Georgia was so glad she had made the decision to come to Ireland to be present for the baby’s birth. She hated to think about what it would have been like, being a half a world away right now.
“Ronan’s housekeeper, Patsy, is off in Dublin visiting her daughter Sinead,” Georgia reminded him. “So we’re on our own for food.”
“It’s not food I want at the moment anyway,” Sean told her.
Was he flirting with her? Georgia wondered, then dismissed the notion. She shook her head and reminded herself that they were here for a drink. Or several.
As he spoke, a long, ululating howl erupted from deep within the house. Georgia actually jumped at the sound and then laughed. “With the rain, the dogs have probably let themselves into the kitchen.”
“Probably hungry now, too,” Sean said, and walked beside her toward the back of the house.
Georgia knew her sister’s house as if it were her own. Whenever she was in Ireland, she stayed here at the manor, since it was so huge they could comfortably hold a family reunion for a hundred. She opened the door into a sprawling kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances and what looked like miles of granite countertops. Everything was tidy—but for the two dogs scrambling toward her for some attention.
Deidre was a big, clumsy English sheepdog with so much hair over her eyes, it was a wonder she didn’t walk into walls. And Beast—huge, homely—the best that could be said about him wa
s what he lacked in beauty he made up for in heart. Since Beast reached her first, Georgia scratched behind his ears and sent the big dog into quivers of delight. Deidre was right behind him, nudging her mate out of her way.
“Okay then, food for the dogs, then drinks for us,” Georgia announced.
“Already on it,” Sean assured her, making his way to the wide pantry, stepping over and around Beast as the dog wound his way in and out of Sean’s feet.
Within a few minutes, they had the dogs fed and watered and then left them there, sleeping on their beds in front of the now cold kitchen hearth. Cuddled up together, the dogs looked snug and happy.
Then Georgia led the way back down the hall, the short heels of her shoes clicking against the wood floor. At the door to the parlor, Sean asked, “So, Patsy’s in Dublin with her daughter. Sinead’s doing well then, with her new family?”
“According to Patsy, everything’s great,” Georgia said.
Laura had told her the whole story of the pregnant Sinead marrying in a hurry. Sinead was now the mother of an infant son and her new husband was, at the moment, making a demo CD. He and his friends played traditional Irish music and, thanks to Ronan’s influence with a recording company, had a real chance to do something with it. “She misses Sinead living close by, but once they get the demo done, they’ll all be coming back to Dunley.”
“Home does draw a body back no matter how far you intend to roam,” Sean mused, as he followed her into the front parlor. “And yet, you’re thinking of leaving your home to make a new one.”
“I guess I am.”
Hearing him say it aloud made the whole idea seem more real than it had in the past week or so that it had been floating around in her mind. But it also felt…right. Okay, scary, but good. After all, it wasn’t as if she was giving up a lot. And the plus side was, she could leave behind all of the tension and bad memories of a marriage that had dissolved so abruptly.
Moving to Ireland was a big change, she knew. But wasn’t change a good thing? Shake up your life from time to time just to keep it interesting?
An Outrageous Proposal Page 1