Tom wandered over to the fireplace mantel, where a photograph of a smiling man in uniform held a place of honor
Alongside it was a wedding picture of a smiling bride and groom, as well as small snapshots of the twins as babies, held by their smiling father. Since there were no later pictures of the family together, he guessed that Paul Sr. had died soon after the twins’ birth.
In spite of his earlier determination not to become emotionally involved with Lili, her past, present or future, Tom felt a tug at his heart.
So much for being all business.
Dear Reader,
My three-book series SULLIVAN’S RULES features stories of three women who work for a magazine in Chicago, Illinois.
The first release, Marriage in Six Easy Lessons (AR #1023), was the story of April Morgan and Lucas Sullivan, the man who created six rules about what a woman must be to participate in the mating game. April, his editor, sets Lucas straight. To their surprise, the lessons lead to marriage.
The second book, How To Marry the Boy Next Door (AR #1048), was the story of Rita Rosales. Rita has her own ideas about love and marriage. Physical attraction aside, she feels that a man has to have strong genes to pass on to her children. To Rita’s surprise, the man who qualifies is Texas Ranger Colby Callahan, the boy who lived next door in Texas.
This final book in the series, An Engagement of Convenience, is the story of Lili Soulé, a single mother and a graphic artist for the magazine. Taken with the editor, Tom Eldridge, Lili yearns for him to notice her. What she does to draw his attention motivates Tom to suggest an engagement of convenience so that he can keep an eye on Lili before she brings the magazine down around his ears.
I think there’s a little of April, Rita and Lili in all of us.
Enjoy.
Mollie Molay
An Engagement of Convenience
Mollie Molay
To Child Care Centers everywhere and to the loving and caring people who run them.
Books by Mollie Molay
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
938—THE DUCHESS AND HER BODYGUARD *
947—SECRET SERVICE DAD *
954—COMMANDER’S LITTLE SURPRISE *
987—MY BIG FAKE GREEN-CARD WEDDING
1023—MARRIAGE IN SIX EASY LESSONS †
1048—HOW TO MARRY THE BOY NEXT DOOR †
1071—AN ENGAGEMENT OF CONVENIENCE †
Sullivan’s Rules
1 A happy relationship requires that a woman make her man feel masculine.
2 While a man is not monogamous by nature, he is more likely to see a woman as a potential girlfriend or mate if sexual intimacy doesn’t occur too soon.
3 A woman must rein in her own desires to promote the health of a relationship.
4 A woman must strive for compatibility, rather than try to be sexy.
5 A woman must show her man how much she likes and appreciates him. She must shower him with affection and sublimate her own daily frustrations.
6 A woman must be supportive, fun loving, easygoing and generous in her praise of a man’s achievements.
Contents
Chapter One
“So, you’re the one!”
At the sound of her boss’s angry voice, Lili Soulé tried to cover the papers on her drafting table, but it was too late. The flier demanding that the management of the Riverview Building keep its child care center open was in full view—along with a charcoal sketch of Tom Eldridge, publisher of Today’s World magazine and Lili’s boss.
For a man who took great pains to avoid associating with employees, Eldridge sounded friendly enough at weekly staff meetings. But he sure didn’t sound friendly now.
Lili’s heart raced. She’d been working as a graphic artist at the magazine for two years, and her crush on the publisher was as strong as ever. Tom Eldridge was six feet of rugged masculinity, with a square jaw and chocolate-brown eyes—eyes that were unmistakably angry as he regarded the damning evidence. The frown that creased his forehead did nothing to calm her racing heart, but now that her identity as the child care center’s staunchest advocate was out in the open, she intended to defend herself. She nodded cautiously.
“So you’re the person who’s been circulating fliers and a petition to keep the day care center open?” he asked.
Lili tried to hide her discomfort as she looked up at him. “Someone has to do it.”
His scowl made her toes curl. “And that someone had to be you?”
Lili couldn’t deny his accusation, not with the evidence right in front of her. The damage was done. Still, if ever there was a time to assert herself and her right to free speech, this was it. After all, she reminded herself, her cause was just.
“Yes. I have twins in the after-school program. Once I heard that Riverview’s management might close the center, I felt I should do something before it