To Catch A Wife

To Catch A Wife
Lee McKenzie

He'll prove he's back for goodDetective Jack Evans will keep proposing as many times as it takes. He never expected to come home to Riverton, Wisconsin, let alone to find himself lost in a night of passion with reporter Emily Finnegan–and he gets an even bigger surprise when he finds out she's pregnant. Now he's determined to marry the beautiful brunette. It took a world-shaking surprise to make him realize what was missing in his life. But Emily has been hurt before, and isn't convinced his desire to marry her is about love. He'll do whatever it takes to prove his heart is hers… for as long as they both shall live.

He’ll prove he’s back for good

Detective Jack Evans will keep proposing as many times as it takes. He never expected to come home to Riverton, Wisconsin, let alone to find himself lost in a night of passion with reporter Emily Finnegan—and he gets an even bigger surprise when he finds out she’s pregnant. Now he’s determined to marry the beautiful brunette. It took a world-shaking surprise to make him realize what was missing in his life. But Emily has been hurt before and isn’t convinced his desire to marry her is about love. He’ll do whatever it takes to prove his heart is hers...for as long as they both shall live.

“We’ll get married,” he blurted. “Right away, as soon as you want.”

The declaration caught him completely off guard and he added, “You can move to Chicago. I’ll take care of you and the baby and...”

Horrified didn’t come close to describing her expression.

“What?” he asked.

“Oh, gee, Jack. We hardly even know one another, for one thing.”

“Emily, we’ve known each other for years.”

“All right, then,” she said. “What’s my favorite color?”

He looked her up and down, as though her wardrobe might offer up a clue. “Yellow?”

“Wrong. What’s my middle name? When’s my birthday?” she asked, relentlessly hammering her point home.

Again, he had no idea, none whatsoever.

“See? You don’t know anything about me, but you think getting married is a good idea. You think I should walk away from my family and my job and everything I’ve ever known, follow you to Chicago, waiting for you to get unbusy enough to be a husband and a father?”

“I don’t know, Emily. We’re going to be parents, and I’m trying to do the right thing.”

Dear Reader (#ulink_8142a58e-3325-5947-81a0-ba79d2aaa0ad),

Welcome to Riverton, Wisconsin! This (fictional) small town, steeped in the culture of America’s Heartland, is home to the Finnegan sisters—Emily, Annie and CJ—and I’m delighted to introduce them to you.

I grew up in a close-knit family, always knowing there was someone there to celebrate the good times and to offer support when the going got tough. I cherish all the memories of afternoon picnics and Sunday dinners, so it’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that those are the things I love to write about.

To Catch a Wife is about coming to terms with the past, learning to cope with an uncertain future and discovering that love is all about the compromise. This is middle sister Emily’s story, and I hope you enjoy it. I love to hear from readers and invite you to visit my website at leemckenzie.com (http://www.leemckenzie.com), where you can send me an email, sign up for my (mostly) monthly newsletter and find out about my other books, including future books in this series. Happy reading!

Warmest,

Lee

To Catch a Wife

Lee McKenzie

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

From the time she was ten years old and read Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, LEE McKENZIE knew she wanted to be a writer, just like Anne and Jo. In the intervening years, she has written everything from advertising copy to an honors thesis in paleontology, but becoming a four-time Golden Heart® Award finalist and a Harlequin author are among her proudest accomplishments. Lee and her artist/teacher husband live on an island along Canada’s west coast, and she loves to spend time with two of her best friends—her grown-up children.

For Johanna Raisanen, editor extraordinaire

Acknowledgments (#ulink_41e3a724-d880-5bda-8bdb-9df35b324de5)

Many thanks to Melanie Backus for entering my Name This Furry Friend contest and suggesting the name Tadpole for Emily’s hamster. It was a hands-down favorite with the judges.

Contents

COVER (#u60ee4d72-d5cb-52b1-b613-a4ff8d079caa)

BACK COVER TEXT (#uff1847e3-22c9-50f1-9eeb-aaacb03ca88d)

INTRODUCTION (#u57bbbc96-eb20-5939-b52c-536dcd71cbc3)

Dear Reader (#u663e539f-8741-5346-bcb3-59f2639da6b6)

TITLE PAGE (#uef80f250-d5f8-519a-9cc8-a9ce44be6b3c)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (#u7df3dfb7-c7f5-5567-9317-b7512a59b389)

DEDICATION (#u9027acf8-6719-5195-a56b-db3095cbe38e)

Acknowledgments (#ud0015ddf-fdb9-5bb2-b849-9ec38bdf897b)

CHAPTER ONE (#ud3516250-1b94-5aff-9d86-fd65938387f9)

CHAPTER TWO (#ua0622a9e-2363-5b66-8719-44a1a7f2ca2d)

CHAPTER THREE (#u2645f3c8-cf93-5467-bde3-2d5f72c11c85)

CHAPTER FOUR (#uc3a52087-822e-5147-9479-3e5f5f2e18a2)

CHAPTER FIVE (#u3292d93b-aa2e-5d3e-96b4-17435d901715)

CHAPTER SIX (#uaaa4aef9-9885-5200-9754-f8553f40e8b3)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)