Twins Times Two!
Was she seeing double?Cara Wells couldn't believe her eyes! Behind the door of successful lawyer Ross Gifford's mansion were his twin daughters…girls identical to her twin nieces. Though they'd been in her care only a short time, Cara was fiercely protective of her delightful duo and was determined to straighten the mix-up that had separated the sets.Yet the only way to keep the curly-haired toddlers together was for Cara and Ross to marry. And even though it was a marriage in name only, the longer they played husband and wife, the harder it was to ignore the passion simmering between them.!
Читать Twins Times Two! онлайн беплатно
“You’ve decided to ask for joint custody, haven’t you?” Cara whispered
“I think I’ve come up with a better solution,” Ross told her. “It’s a little unconventional, but…”
“You can’t take my children away from me. I won’t let you.”
“No. I’m not staking a claim on your children, but ideally the children should be allowed to grow up together.”
“I thought you said you wouldn’t try to take them away.”
“What I’m suggesting is more of a…merger.” He hesitated.
“A merger?” Cara’s brow furrowed.
“Of families. Yours and mine.”
She blinked. “I don’t understand.”
“I think we should get married.”
Dear Reader,
Welcome to another month of wonderful books from Harlequin American Romance. We’ve rounded up the best stories by your favorite authors for you to enjoy.
Bestselling author Judy Christenberry brings readers a new generation of her popular Randall family as she returns to her BRIDES FOR BROTHERS series. Sweet Elizabeth is about to marry another man, and rodeo star Toby Randall will let nothing stand in the way of him stopping her wedding. Don’t miss Randall Pride.
An injured firefighter and the woman he rescued in an earthquake learn about the healing power of love in Charlotte Maclay’s latest novel, Bold and Brave-Hearted. This is the first book of her exciting new miniseries MEN OF STATION SIX. In Twins Times Two! by Lisa Bingham, a single mom agrees to a marriage in name only to a handsome single dad in order to keep together their two sets of twins, who were separated at birth. And enemies are forced to become Mr. and Mrs. in Court-Appointed Marriage by Dianne Castell, part of Harlequin American Romance’s theme promotion THE WAY WE MET…AND MARRIED.
Enjoy this month’s offerings, and make sure to return each and every month to Harlequin American Romance!
Wishing you happy reading,
Melissa Jeglinski
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin American Romance
To all parents of “multiples.” Especially Will and Erin. Congratulations on the adoption of the triplets! How your family has grown!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Bingham is a resident of Tremonton, Utah—a rural farming community where the sounds of birds and the rustle of wheat can still be heard on hot summer evenings. She has written both historical and contemporary romances and loves spending time watching her characters grow. When she isn’t writing, she spends time with her husband on his three-hundred-acre farm and teaches English at a local middle school.
Books by Lisa Bingham
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
602—NANNY JAKE
635—THE BUTLER & THE BACHELORETTE
651—THE DADDY HUNT
662—DANA AND THE CALENDAR MAN
692—THE PRINCESS & THE FROG
784—AND BABIES MAKE TEN
835—MAN BEHIND THE VOICE
887—TWINS TIMES TWO!
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
540—WHEN NIGHT DRAWS NEAR
Contents
Chapter One
Cara Wells paused in the doorway to the kitchen and suppressed a grin. Mere feet away her twin girls were trying to scale a makeshift ladder made of their potty stool, a package of disposable training pants, and the brass handles of the drawers. Zoe, the smaller of the two, had evidently been drafted into being “top man” in the escapade, while below her, Heidi pushed at her sister’s rear end in an attempt to help her crawl onto the kitchen counter.
It wasn’t hard to figure out their intended goal. Only an hour ago the twins had helped Cara make a chocolate cake. Knowing the girls would be tempted to drag their fingers through the frosting, Cara had pushed it as far back into the corner as she could. But even keeping the sweet treat out of sight hadn’t been enough to dissuade them from trying to get another sampling.
“Get off the counter,” Cara said, softly enough to keep from startling the girls but with enough firmness to help them realize she meant business.
Immediately three-year-old Zoe twisted to look at Cara. The little girl’s cornflower-blue eyes radiated an angelic innocence that belied her proximity to the cake.
“C’mon Zoe. Get the cake,” Heidi urged, obviously not dissuaded by Cara’s appearance.
“Down,” Cara said again.
“We needa piece a cake,” Heidi announced.
“That’s for when we go on a picnic with Polly tomorrow afternoon.” Cara’s reminder had little effect so she added, “Tomorrow.”
“No!” Heidi insisted, still pushing Zoe’s rear and causing her sister to scrabble for a handhold on the slippery Formica. “We needa piece a cake now!”
Cara had to fight to keep from laughing. A part of her wanted to cave in and let them have the cake. In the six months since the state had given her legal guardianship of the children, it had been such a joy to watch them experiencing so many firsts. Each day was a conquest for them in some small way—from potty training to riding a tricycle. They took such joy from the simple things, and they’d taught Cara to look more closely at the simple beauties of the world around them. Cara liked the way they turned their faces toward the morning sun and ate ice cream with the exuberance of a gourmand.
