her. “You signed it even after I told you not to?”
She stared at him. “You told me not to sign it?”
“In the note I left with your landlord this morning.” His forehead creased. “Didn’t you read it?”
“I haven’t been home.” She looked up at him, touched beyond words that he’d trusted her enough to tell her not to sign the agreement. “But it really doesn’t matter now. Let’s give it to the lawyers.”
He frowned. “That’s not going to work. We need a new prenuptial agreement.”
Her smile faltered. “But why?”
“To protect your inheritance.”
“I trust you.”
“I know you do.” He looked down into her troubled eyes. “It’s only practical,” he said gently.
“It just seems so sordid,” she sighed.
He stared at her thoughtfully. “Why don’t we let the lawyers hash out the money issues and we come up with our own agreement.”
“Our own agreement?” Frowning, she watched him pull a pen and paper out of a drawer and motion her to sit down at the desk. She sat down uncertainly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean—write this down—you must never take me to a lecture by Professor Jameson again.”
A smile began to curve her lips. Obediently, she wrote down, Eleanor G. Hibbert Hernandez promises never to take Garek Wisnewski to a Jameson lecture. She then went on to write:
Eleanor G. Hibbert Hernandez gets to choose all the art for the house.
“Hmm.” He pretended to consider that one. “Very well—as long as you don’t buy anything from Caspar.”
She glanced up at him, smiling. “Not even for the bathroom?”
“Especially not for the bathroom. I want that in writing.”
Laughing, she complied. “Very well…but we have to spend Christmas Eve at my family’s.”
“No argument from me there.” He paused a moment, then added slowly, “I’d like to invite my sister and niece, though.”
She smiled at him. “That’s a good idea.”
He grimaced a little. “I’m not so sure. I may live to regret it.”
“No, you won’t,” she said firmly.
He looked at her, a smile quirking the corners of his mouth. “I believe you. Speaking of holidays, that reminds me…You must never buy me a tie again.”
“I thought you liked the tie I gave you.”
“I do,” he said firmly. “I like it so much I want it to forever be unique in my closet.”
“But I could find something different—”
“No.”
She pouted a little. “All right. But you can’t buy me any jewelry then.”
He crouched beside her and looked into her eyes. “I’m afraid I already broke that one.” He pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Open it, Ellie.”
With trembling fingers, she lifted the lid. Her breath caught. A simple platinum ring with a small, exquisitely cut sapphire. “Oh, Garek, it’s beautiful.” She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “Maybe I’ll make an exception—just this once.”
He pulled her out of the chair and kissed her.
A while later, they came out of the office into the conference room and headed for the door.
Hibbert watched as the couple, smiling at each other, strolled toward the door. He frowned. “Where are you two going?”
“To the courthouse,” Ellie replied. “To get married.”
“B-b-but what about the prenuptial agreement?” Larry sputtered.
“Ellie and I have written up our own arrangement.” Garek looked at the roomful of lawyers. “You have this afternoon to come up with an agreement acceptable to both sides. Otherwise, you’re all fired.”
Without another word, Garek and Ellie strolled out of the room.
“This afternoon!” Mr. Rathskeller exclaimed. “That’s impossible.”
Hibbert, who was still staring after the couple thoughtfully, turned his eaglelike gaze on the lawyer. “Nothing’s impossible. Write up something fair and equitable. That’s all you have to do. But you’d better get to it instead of sitting around bellyaching.”
The lawyers grumbled as they opened their briefcases and pulled out sheaves of paper.
“Love,” one of them muttered in disgust.
Hibbert moving over to stand by the window, frowned deeply, his eyebrows beetling. He was about to make a comment, when he saw Garek and Eleanor come out of the front door of the building. Apparently too impatient to wait for the limo, Garek hailed a taxi and the couple climbed in. As they drove away, through the rear window Hibbert could see the two of them kissing.
The corner of his mouth lifted.
“Yes,” he murmured, sounding wistful. “Love.”
In January 2010 Mills & Boon bring you two classic collections, each featuring three favourite romances by our bestselling authors
CONVENIENT BRIDES
The Italian’s Convenient Wife by Catherine Spencer
His Inconvenient Wife by Melanie Milburne
His Convenient Proposal by Lindsay Armstrong
MILLIONAIRE’S WOMAN
The Millionaire’s Prospective Wife by Helen Brooks
The Millionaire’s Runaway Bride by Catherine George
The Millionaire’s Reward by Angie Ray
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