Wanted: one convenient wife
Venture capitalist Leo Reynolds is married to his work, but now he needs a wife. Someone to run his home, host his parties—and accept a marriage that’s strictly business. His one rule: love will play no part in their union. At least that’s the lie he tells himself, until he meets his match….
Enter Daniella White—handpicked by the matchmaker as the perfect wife. Marriage to Leo means security, and she’s willing to give up passion for friendship. But the moment they meet, sparks fly. And now temptation—and Leo’s own heart—have the billionaire ready to change all the rules.
“Our marriage will be companionable with a progression toward intimacy when it seems appropriate.”
Daniella’s tone wavered, just a touch, and was coupled with a glint in her eyes he couldn’t interpret. “Like we discussed.”
His exact words. And suddenly Leo wished he could take it all back.
“We’ll have separate bedrooms for now. Take things slowly,” he said.
That had been his intent from the beginning and seemed even more necessary given the unexpected chemistry between them. It should solve everything.
So why did the back of his throat burn with inexplicable disappointment?.
* * *
Matched to a Billionaire is part of the Happily Ever After, Inc. trilogy: Their business is makeovers and matchmaking, but love doesn’t always go according to plan!
Dear Reader,
I love to dress up! I especially can’t resist beautiful shoes—there’s a certain kind of magic in the right pair. I also firmly believe in the magic of true love, and that’s why I continually retell the Cinderella story in my books.
In this version, the heroine, Daniella, just wants to take care of her sick mother. She signs on with a unique matchmaking agency that performs Cinderella-style makeovers, turning her into the society wife our billionaire, Leo, requested. It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Daniella’s fairy godmother has different plans for this perfectly matched couple. This is a modern-day fairy tale absent a ball and a pumpkin, but I wouldn’t dare leave out the midnight transformation.
I’ve always wanted to write a series of connected stories, because as a reader, I love revisiting beloved characters and anticipating the stories to come of other characters. So I’m thrilled to bring you the first story in the Happily Ever After, Inc. trilogy in which three couples find love where they least expect it.
If you enjoy this book starring Daniella and Leo, I hope you’ll pick up the next two! I would love to hear from you. Drop me a note at www.katcantrell.com.
Thanks for reading!
Kat Cantrell
Matched to a Billionaire
Kat Cantrell
KAT CANTRELL read her first Mills & Boon® novel in third grade and has been scribbling in notebooks since she learned to spell. What else would she write but romance? She majored in literature, officially with the intent to teach, but somehow ended up buried in middle management in corporate America, until she became a stay-at-home mom and full-time writer.
Kat, her husband and their two boys live in north Texas. When she’s not writing about characters on the journey to happily-ever-after, she can be found at a soccer game, watching the TV show Friends or listening to ’80s music.
Kat was the 2011 Harlequin So You Think You Can Write winner and a 2012 RWA Golden Heart finalist for best unpublished series contemporary manuscript.
To Jennifer Hayward, because you’re always there for me.
And because you liked Leo from the beginning.
Contents
One
Leo Reynolds wished he could marry his admin. It would make life so much simpler.
Unfortunately, she was already married and nearly twice his age. Plus, women didn’t stick around once they figured out he worked a hundred hours a week on a consistent basis. Loneliness was the price of catapulting Reynolds Capital Management into the big leagues of the venture capital game.
“You’re a life saver, Mrs. Gordon.” Leo shot her a grateful smile and leaned back in his chair.
His laptop was refusing to speak to the printer and a critical document had gotten caught in the middle of the dispute. The signed hard copy now in his hand was due to Garrett Engineering on the other side of Dallas in less than an hour.
“I’d hardly call printing a proposal saving your life.” Mrs. Gordon glanced at her watch in a deliberate gesture designed to point out the time. “It’s late and it’s Friday. Take Jenna to that new restaurant in Victory Park and let me handle the proposal. Relax for once. It’ll be good for you.”
Leo grimaced as a ping of remorse bloomed and faded. “Jenna and I split up. She’s already seeing someone else.”
Hopefully, the new relationship would make her happy. She deserved a man who could shower her with attention and affection. He regretted not being able to give her what she wanted, but it would be patently unfair to let Jenna keep hoping he’d ever become a man capable of focusing on a relationship. As a result, he’d lost a comfortable companion.
“Of course she is. It’s not like she ever saw you.” Mrs. Gordon crossed her arms and looked down her nose at Leo with a tsk. “Now who are you going to take to the museum dedication?”
Leo groaned. He’d conveniently forgotten about that, but it wasn’t as if he could skip the dedication. The new children’s museum in the Dallas Arts District bore his name, after all, since he’d donated the money to build it. “You’re free next Saturday, aren’t you?”
Mrs. Gordon cackled as though Leo had been joking. “One of these days, I’m going to say yes when you ask me out and really mess with you. If Jenna’s not in the picture, find another woman. They seem to be pretty thick on the ground.”
Yeah,