March 2011
Dear Friends,
March weather in the Pacific Northwest is typically overcast with lots of drizzling rainâand no one but a tourist carries an umbrella. The local joke is that we rust instead of tan. Itâs the perfect weather, however, to curl up with a story about falling in love in Seattle.
An Engagement in Seattle was originally two books titled Groom Wanted and Bride Wanted, which I wrote in 1992. Iâve always liked marriage of convenience and mail order bride story lines. Itâs a classic plot device (and a truly romantic fantasy) to have the couple marry before they fall in love. These two stories, however, are more about marriages of inconvenience.
My wonderful editor, Paula Eykelhof, and I have read through these old manuscripts and refreshed them. For one thing, itâs amazing how much technology has advanced in the last nineteen years. Who would have guessed back then that weâd have cell phones and iPods? At any rate, I hope youâll enjoy these two stories of couples who meet, marry and then fall deeply in love.
As always, Iâm interested in hearing from my readers. You can contact me either through my website at www.DebbieMacomber.com and fill out the guest book entry to leave your comment. Another option is to write me directly at P.O. Box 1458, Port Orchard, WA 98366. I personally read each and every piece of mail that comes into my office.
Have a glorious March, no matter what the weather is like in your area, but rememberâin Seattle, itâs probably raining!
Warmest regards,
Praise for the novels of #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber
âDebbie Macomber writes characters who are as warm and funny as your best friends.â
âNew York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs
âWhether [Debbie Macomber] is writing light-hearted romps or more serious relationship books, her novels are always engaging stories that accurately capture the foibles of real-life men and women with warmth and humor.â
âMilwaukee Journal Sentinel
âPopular romance writer Macomber has a gift for evoking the emotions that are at the heart of the genreâs popularity.â
âPublishers Weekly
âMacomber is a master storyteller.â
âTimes Record News, Wichita Falls, TX
Macomber âdemonstrates her impressive skills with characterization and her fl air for humor.â
âRT Book Reviews
âBestselling Macomberâ¦sure has a way of pleasing readers.â
âBooklist
âMacomberâ¦is no stranger to the New York Times bestseller list. She knows how to please her audience.â
âOregon Statesman Journal
An Engagement in Seattle
Groom Wanted
Bride Wanted
Debbie Macomber
GROOM WANTED
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
BRIDE WANTED
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
Groom Wanted
Debbie Macomber
To Wanda Roberts in appreciation of her many skills.
J ulia Conrad wasnât a patient woman at the best of times. She paced her office, repeatedly circling her high-gloss black-lacquer-and-brass desk. She felt so helpless. She shouldâve gone to Citizenship and Immigration Services with Jerry rather than wait for their decision.
Rubbing her palms together, she retracted the thought. She was a wreck and the Immigration people would have instantly picked up on that and it could hurt their case. She couldnât help being anxious. The future of the company rested on the outcome of todayâs hearing. Ultimately she was the one responsible for the welfare of Conrad Industries, the business her grandfather had started thirty years earlier.
In an effort to calm herself she stared out the window. The weather seemed to echo her mood. There was a ceiling of black clouds, thunder roared and a flash of lightning briefly brightened the room. The lights flickered.
Juliaâs reflection was mirrored in the window and she frowned, mesmerized by the unexpected sight of herself. Her dark hair was swept back from her face and secured with a gold clasp. She wore a dark suit with a pale gray blouse, whichâin her view, anywayâconveyed tasteful refinement. She looked cool, calm and collected, but inside she was a mass of tension and nerves. At thirty she had a pleasant face when she smiled, but she hadnât been doing much of that lately. Not in the past three years. Her cheekbones were high, her jaw strong, but it was her eyes that told the story. Her eyes revealed vulnerability and pain.
The image of herself distressed Julia and she hurriedly glanced away. Sighing, she circled her desk once more, silently praying for patience. She was determined to get the company back on its feet, to overcome the odds they faced. Jerry, her brother, had worked with her, sacrificing his personal life the way she had hers. Theyâd met with a handful of small successes. And now this.
Both Julia and Jerry were determined to revive Conrad Industries. Julia owed her father that much. Jerry had shown such faith in her by volunteering his services. If their situations were reversed, she wasnât sure she wouldâve been so forgiving. But her brother had stuck by her through all the turmoil.