The Pregnancy Clause
She had twelve months to make a baby…Or, according to her father's will, she'd lose her beloved farm. Trouble was, Emily Kingston was wildly wary of men. In fact, the only male she'd ever trusted was her childhood sidekick, Rian "Kat" Madison, who'd rescued her from countless scrapes, who'd promised to always be there. And even Kat had up and vanished without a trace.But suddenly, sixteen years later, Kat was back. All muscle and mystery, he was the perfect candidate to "donate" his traits without entangling Emily's emotions. But her once-boyish buddy had a shocking proposition of his own: Marry…and make a baby the old-fashioned way!
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“You’ll father my baby?”
He nodded. “But we do it my way, on my terms, or not at all.” Kat looked directly at her. “First of all, we get married.”
“Married!” Emily stared at him, openmouthed.
“Married. As in old shoes, rice, orange blossoms. Married. As in legitimate mother and father for our child.”
Emily didn’t like the emphasis he’d put on our, but she hadn’t recovered enough to retaliate.
“Second, I won’t agree unless the baby is conceived the old-fashioned way.”
Dear Reader,
May is the perfect month to stop and smell the roses, and while you’re at it, take some time for yourself and indulge your romantic fantasies! Here at Harlequin American Romance, we’ve got four brand-new stories, picked specially for your reading pleasure.
Sparks fly once more as Charlotte Maclay continues her wild and wonderful CAUGHT WITH A COWBOY! duo this month with In a Cowboy’s Embrace. Join the fun as Tasha Reynolds falls asleep in the wrong bed and wakes with Cliff Swain, the very right cowboy!
This May, flowers aren’t the only things blossoming—we’ve got two very special mothers-to-be! When estranged lovers share one last night of passion, they soon learn they’ll never forget That Night We Made Baby, Mary Anne Wilson’s heartwarming addition to our WITH CHILD…promotion. And as Emily Kingston discovers in Elizabeth Sinclair’s charming tale, The Pregnancy Clause, where there’s a will, there’s a baby on the way!
There’s something fascinating about a sexy, charismatic man who seems to have it all, and Ingrid Weaver’s hero in Big-City Bachelor is no exception. Alexander Whitmore has two wonderful children, money, a successful company…. What could he possibly be missing…?
With Harlequin American Romance, you’ll always know the exhilarating feeling of falling in love.
Happy reading!
Melissa Jeglinski
Associate Senior Editor
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Sinclair was born and raised in the scenic Hudson Valley of New York State. In 1988 she and her husband moved to their present home in St. Augustine, Florida, where she began pursuing her writing career in earnest. Her first novel reached #2 on the Waldenbooks bestseller list and won a 1995 Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie Award for Excellence. As a proud member of five RWA affiliated chapters, Elizabeth has taught creative writing and given seminars and workshops at both local and national conferences on romance writing, how to get published, promotion and writing a love scene and the dreaded synopsis.
Books by Elizabeth Sinclair
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
677—EIGHT MEN AND A LADY
787—THE OVERNIGHT GROOM
827—THE PREGNANCY CLAUSE
ROSE’S BAKED FRENCH TOAST
1 loaf white bread, cubed
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
8-12 eggs, depending on size
½ cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
Using a 11×13-inch pan, line the bottom with ½ of the bread cubes. Next, layer the cream cheese on top of the bread. Then add the remaining bread cubes on top. Beat the eggs, maple syrup and milk together. Pour entire mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350˚F for 45 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Serves 8
Contents
Chapter One
“You must have a baby before you turn thirty or Clover Hill Farms will be turned over to charity.”’
A baby? In ten and a half months?
Twenty-nine-year-old Emily Kingston stared in awe across the highly-polished mahogany desk into the somber face of the young lawyer. Lawrence Tippens recited the conditions of the codicil to her father’s five-year-old will as if he’d just told her to put on fresh lipstick.
“Why didn’t someone tell me this five years ago, when my father’s will was read?” She felt her eyes widen. “If I have a baby that means I have to…to…”
A red blush suffused Lawrence’s face. “Yes, well, the codicil doesn’t stipulate how you have the child, only that you have one by the time you turn thirty.”
Despite this emotional upset, Emily had to hide a smile. Lawrence would never change. He was as much a prude now as when he was in high school.
“Now, as to why you weren’t told about the codicil at the reading of the primary will—” He brushed imaginary lint from his navy, pin-striped lapels and avoided her gaze. Obviously, he hadn’t counted on her asking about the delay in the notification, or he’d hoped that she wouldn’t ask for details. “I regret to say that my father’s memory wasn’t too acute in his last years, and he did not employ the best filing system. In fact…ahem…he didn’t really have a system to speak of at all. He did most of his work at home and failed to transfer it to his town office so his secretary could put it in the proper place.”
Emily leaned toward the embarrassed man. “Exactly what are you trying to tell me, Larry?”
He bristled at the use of the nickname. “Last week, while cleaning out the closet in my father’s home office, my mother found a box of legal papers. My secretary discovered the codicil in that box. Since my father passed away only a week after your father, I doubt anyone knew about the codicil other than the two of them. As it was, if you recall, because my father was so gravely ill at the time, it took two weeks to locate the original will.”
