Secret Millionaire For The Surrogate

They met at a wedding...

Will they say “I do”?

It’s wedding photographer Harper’s job to capture other people’s happily-ever-afters, but she doesn’t believe in one for herself. Until she meets ruggedly gorgeous best man Drew. Having offered to be a surrogate for her best friend, Harper tries to fight their instant chemistry, until Drew sneaks past her defenses. But she’s about to learn this extraordinary man has an extraordinary secret!

DONNA ALWARD lives on Canada’s east coast with her family, which includes a husband, a couple of kids, a senior dog and two crazy cats. Her heart-warming stories of love, hope and homecoming have been translated into several languages, hit bestseller lists and won awards, but her favourite thing is hearing from readers! When she’s not writing she enjoys reading (of course!), knitting, gardening, cooking…and is a Masterpiece Theater addict. You can visit her on the web at donnaalward.com and join her mailing list at donnaalward.com/newsletter.

Also by Donna Alward

Hired: The Italian’s Bride

The Cowboy’s Christmas Family

The Cowboy’s Convenient Bride

Marrying a Millionaire miniseries

Best Man for the Wedding Planner

Secret Millionaire for the Surrogate

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Secret Millionaire for the Surrogate

Donna Alward

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09055-1

SECRET MILLIONAIRE FOR THE SURROGATE

© 2018 Donna Alward

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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For Barb—my soul sister.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

March

IT WAS ODD being the person in front of the camera rather than behind it.

Harper McBride smiled once more as she looked around the room, trying to keep her smile genuine, but not quite liking the feeling of being so conspicuous. She was used to being the wedding photographer, in the background and out of the spotlight. Not tonight. The silky dress clung to her curves...what she had of them. She’d always had more of an athletic-type figure and broad shoulders that made buying tops and dresses slightly problematic. The cut of this dress, though...well, it left her shoulders bare, and a slit up the leg to midthigh left her feeling adventurous but also a little awkward.

But it was Adele’s wedding day, and Harper was the only bridesmaid, and she’d do anything for her best friend.

Anything. As she’d just proved when she gave Adele and Dan their wedding present. If Harper could help her best friend start the family she’d always wanted, she was all in.

She snagged a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and took a deep drink. She only had to get through maybe another hour of the dance and she could sneak away, back to her little bungalow and into a pair of soft flannel pajamas. That was how she preferred to spend her evenings, if she wasn’t photographing a wedding or special event. Out of the spotlight.

“You disappeared for a while.”

A deep voice sounded by her shoulder and she suppressed a delicious shiver. Drew, the groom’s brother and the best man. Harper and Drew had walked down the aisle together...and back up again when the I dos had been said, her fingers on his sleeve. Not too tightly, but not too loose, just enough to feel the warmth and strength beneath her fingertips. They’d sat next to each other at dinner, where she’d inhaled his cologne and his warm laugh had washed over her, making her smile even when she didn’t quite want to. Drew Brimicombe was sexy and charming—the kind of man she didn’t quite trust.

Drew and Dan were similar but also so very different. Accountant Dan kept his hair short and tidy and looked very James Bond in his tuxedo. Outdoorsman Drew, on the other hand, was a few inches shorter, his hair was a few inches longer, and he always seemed to have a little bit of scruff on his jaw. His tux fit perfectly, but there was a roughness to his appearance that was appealing. He wore designer threads as effortlessly as he wore faded jeans and a Henley shirt. Like the ones he’d worn to the rehearsal last night, and her mouth had gone dry just looking at him.

She half turned and smiled at him, her stomach flipping a little. “I went to talk to Dan and Adele on the terrace.”

“It’s cold outside.”

“I wasn’t out there very long.” She lifted her glass again, hoping she wasn’t blushing in the dim lighting. A small band played in the corner, some sort of jazzy blues-type music that made her think of Diana Krall. Drew’s hand touched the hollow of her back lightly, and she was ready to move away when she realized he was merely guiding her slightly to the right to make room for a server with a tray of hors d’oeuvres.

His body was too close.

Just when she was ready to say something, he stepped back. “Sorry about that. She was trying to get through and I could envision a tray of cocktail shrimp going everywhere.” He smiled at her, a genuinely friendly smile, but with that edge of ever-present impishness she had to guard against.

“We wouldn’t want that,” she replied, trying to let out a breath and calm down. For heaven’s sake, he was just a guy, and she wasn’t truly interested, even if he did fluster her with his sideways smile and twinkly brown eyes. After the wedding he’d be going back to California or wherever it was he called home.

“Hey, Harper?”

“Hmm?” She had been trying to keep her gaze on the band, but when he said her name, she turned back to him and met his eyes. They weren’t so twinkly now, but warm and melty. At least that was how they made her feel...

“If I didn’t tell you already today, you look killer in that dress.”

Heat rushed into her cheeks and she bit back a curse. “Thanks. I clean up once in a while. Even break out the high heels.” She tried a nonchalant shrug. “I’m more of a jeans and hoodie person.”

“Me, too. But it’s nice to get dressed up now and again. Especially for an important occasion like this.”

She smiled. “You’re right.”

“I know.” His confidence was at once attractive and maddening, and she snorted a laugh despite herself. When she lifted her head, he was holding out his hand. “Care to?”

He was asking her to dance. Her laughter died a quick death. She was no good at flirting, but even worse when it came to personal space and touching. She never quite knew where to put her hands or where to look. There was a reason why she spent her time behind the camera rather than in front of it. She did a good job faking it most of the time, but inside she was awkward as anything. Always had been.

“I don’t really dance.” She suspected that she had two left feet when it came down to it, though it had been ages since she’d tested that theory.

“I don’t believe you. Besides, I think it’s tradition for the best man to dance with the maid of honour.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m letting you off the hook.”

He still held out his hand. “What if I don’t want to be off the hook? What are you so afraid of? I promise I’m well behaved.”

She couldn’t see a polite way out of it, so she put her hand in his.

He closed his fingers over hers.

Oh, no.

The butterflies in her stomach multiplied as he led her to the parquet and folded her into his arms. His scent wrapped around them, cocooning her in a cloud of masculinity. She took a breath and let it out slowly as their feet began to move.

“This isn’t so bad, is it?” Piano and soft vocals swirled around them, lulling her closer to his chest. When she realized it, she shifted back a bit, putting more space between them.

“It’s okay,” she replied, secretly thinking it was the most wonderful thing to happen to her in months. The last time she’d been this breathless she’d been hiking near Emerald Lake and had caught a shot of a grizzly mom and cubs in the morning mist. It was one of her favorite shots, and she’d framed it and highlighted it in her studio window just off Banff Avenue.

His chest rose and fell as he silently chuckled. “Harper, you are not an easy woman.”

She looked up at him, lifting her chin. “I surely hope not.”

“I like challenges.”

“I’m not a challenge, Drew. And not a trophy.”

His eyes lit with a new light. “Thank God. I mean... I like someone who can keep me on my toes.”

He tried a small turn and she stumbled a little. His arm tightened around her waist, keeping her upright.

“Careful, or I’ll actually be on your toes,” she warned.

He laughed, once again a warm sound that lulled her closer and made her smile. Damn him. Dan was a great guy, but his brother was all charm. Stupid thing was, Harper figured it was actually genuine, not an act or a cover-up. He was warm and funny and put people at ease.

At least she would be at ease if she weren’t so aware of him.

“You’re something else, you know that?” he said, softer now, his body brushing hers. Their feet had slowed and their steps shortened, so they were barely more than swaying. Harper swallowed against the nervous lump in her throat. She was so not confident when it came to men. Particularly good-looking ones who said all the right things without trying. They had a habit of turning around and walking away, just when you thought it was safe to believe. To trust.

“Um, thank you?” she murmured, knowing she should pull away, but wanting deep down to enjoy the moment a bit longer.

“I mean it.” He leaned back and met her gaze. “Dan told me about how you’ve been such a good friend to Adele and all the things you did to help with the wedding. I went to your studio the other day, you know. You do some amazing work.”

Heat flushed her chest and up her neck. “Oh. I...well. I didn’t expect you to say that.”

“Your nature photographs are some of the best I’ve seen. The one of the mama grizzly and her cubs? I love it.”

Since it was one of her favorites, too, she smiled, more relaxed now. Talking about her work was much easier than anything overly personal. “I’m pretty proud of that one,” she admitted.

“I don’t know why you do weddings and stuff, not when you have such a talent for nature photography.”

She shrugged. “Weddings are fun, too, you know. There’s so much happiness and hope. Besides, weddings and other occasions are my bread and butter. Those bookings keep me in the black so I can indulge in the other stuff. Rent in this town isn’t cheap.” At least there was happiness and hope for other people. Harper just wasn’t sure it was in the cards for her.

He nodded. “There. You’re more relaxed. I’m not going to bite, you know.”

She let out a breath, prepared to laugh a bit, until he added, “Unless you want me to.”

The breath whooshed out of her lungs and her feet stopped moving. “Uh. Drew, I...”

“I like you, Harper. A lot.”

“You barely know me.”

“I’d like to fix that.”

Oh God Oh God Oh God.

She decided to be honest. “I’m not good at these types of situations. I don’t know what to say and I don’t know how to play the game.” Besides, being the loser hurt. A lot. And she was under no illusions who’d come out the victor in this match.

He tightened his fingers over hers. “Then I’ll be clear.” His magnetic gaze held hers. “I’m attracted to you, and I think you’re attracted to me, and I’d like to know if you’d like to do something about it.”

The answer in her head was yes, and it was so disconcerting that she stepped out of his arms as her heart started a strange gallop behind her ribs. Of course her real answer would be no. For one thing, hooking up at a wedding for a fling was not her style. And for another, she’d just offered to be a surrogate for his brother and her best friend. Talk about complicating a situation...

“I think you got the wrong idea,” she said coolly. “I like you, Drew, but I’m not interested in hooking up.”

He watched her for a long moment. Then his eyes warmed and he gave a little nod. “Then, I’m sorry,” he said quietly, “for misreading the signals. And for making you uncomfortable.”

But she was uncomfortable, and not really because of him. After all, she was attracted, and she’d enjoyed dancing with him and even the bit of verbal sparring they’d indulged in now and again. But it couldn’t go any further, and he accepted that, so why was everything feeling so off balance now?

“Friends?” he asked, lifting a questioning eyebrow.

“Of course.” She smiled and let out a breath. “It would be nice to be friends, especially if your brother is married to my bestie.”

“Agreed.” He held out his hand and she shook it, but when his fingers folded over hers, those darned tingles started all over again. It sucked that her body wasn’t agreeing with her brain right now.

She pulled her hand away and stepped back. Drew led her to the edge of the dance floor again, grabbed her another glass of champagne and talked to her for a few minutes about her photographs as if nothing had ever happened. Then Dan called him over, he excused himself and, with a small touch on her arm, left her alone.

Alone was what she was used to. And when she wasn’t alone she had Adele, and her assistant, Juny, and phone calls with her mom and dad, who were currently living in Caicos, while her dad flew charter planes between islands. She had a good life.

But tonight, being held in Drew’s arms...it had been a little taste of heaven. And one she was already regretting passing up.

CHAPTER TWO

May

HARPER HELD HER breath as she sat on the closed toilet in the tiny bathroom at her photography studio. Juny hadn’t yet arrived for the day, and everything was still and quiet. Harper had wanted the few minutes of privacy to do the pregnancy test. Now she felt like she might throw up, and it had nothing to do with any potential morning sickness. It was nerves, plain and simple. A lot was riding on these three minutes of pee on a stick.

Two minutes had already passed. One more to go before she could look at the stick and know if she’d be giving her best friend, Adele, good news or bad news.

She desperately wanted it to be good. And yet the idea terrified her, too. Being a surrogate for Adele and her new husband, Dan, was something she’d really wanted to do. Adele had had cancer at a young age and couldn’t have children of her own. It had taken eight long years for her and Dan to reconnect and commit to each other, even though they knew they might never have the family they both yearned for. Harper had a completely healthy uterus and no relationship to speak of. There was no reason why she couldn’t carry a baby for the woman who’d made such a big difference in her world. The woman who’d made her finally feel as if she had a home and some roots to put down.

But now, with the seconds ticking away, Harper was afraid. Carrying a baby was a big thing. She’d attended medical appointments with Dan and Adele, had combed through research, had sat with her feet in stirrups. There had been little that was glamorous or sentimental about the whole procedure, but it hadn’t been frightening.

Until now.

Today, if the plus sign showed up on the stick, there was no going back. She either was or she wasn’t. And if she was...she’d be carrying a little human in her body for the next eight and a half months. Her mouth was dry as she tried to swallow. Thank God Adele wasn’t here now, waiting. Harper wasn’t sure she could have taken the pressure of Adele’s heart being on the line while they waited. Better to know now, get her wits about her and decide what to say. The doctor had said this was a long shot, and probably Adele and Dan’s only chance at using Adele’s eggs. Either way, there would be big news for her friends. Either a second chance or the end of this particular road, and moving on to plan B.

She checked her phone. The seconds ticked down from ten...

But she didn’t wait. She reached for the stick and stared at the result.

It was a plus sign.

She was carrying her best friend’s baby—the most precious cargo in the world.

July

Summer sun beat down on Drew Brimicombe’s head. It had been cool up the mountain, where he’d spent most of the afternoon in an alpine meadow overlooking a turquoise lake. No matter where he traveled, there was something about the Canadian Rockies that beckoned to him and made him feel at home. He’d been here half a dozen times over the past five years, mostly skiing, but now it was different. His brother, Dan, was here, and he was looking forward to some bro time.

And checking out real estate. That was his true reason for the impromptu trip—a tip from a contact about a real estate opportunity. He was always looking at expansion, and this might be his chance to open an Aspen Outfitter store north of the border. He couldn’t think of a better opportunity than in the heart of the Rockies. And when one store opened, he was sure others would follow, making his brand North America-wide.

The townsite of Banff was hotter than he’d expected, though, considering how it was nestled smack in the middle of the mountains. He had on his sunglasses but not the standard ball cap he usually wore, and he could feel the heat soak into his scalp. Today had been a light hike, so he’d worn jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of lovingly broken-in boots. Water, a small digital camera, and some trail mix had been in his day pack, but he’d stayed to the marked trail and not ventured into backcountry. Not today. He’d just arrived and had chosen the easy hike to blow off the dust and claustrophobia of travel. Now he’d stop in at Dan and Adele’s and let them know he’d arrived before heading to his hotel.

The house was tucked into a little side street, with a simple sign boasting Hawthorne Weddings out front. Adele’s business was planning weddings, and one of her clients had been a good friend of Dan’s, causing them to meet again after she’d broken his heart years earlier. No one had been more shocked than Drew when Dan had announced they were getting married, but Drew had come to the wedding and it had been clear to see that they still adored each other. Enough that Dan had uprooted his life as CFO of his company and moved here to be with her. Drew shook his head as he climbed the steps to the second floor of the house where Adele and Dan lived. He couldn’t imagine doing anything like that. Settling down wasn’t even on his radar, let alone leaving everything he’d worked for behind. He’d watched his dad give up dreams and aspirations for marriage and family, and he’d seen the unhappiness in his eyes.

Not that Drew didn’t like Adele. He did. And Dan could make his own choices and he seemed to be happy. It just wasn’t for Drew. He liked his freedom far too much.

His knock was answered by Adele, whose face lit up when she saw him. “Drew! What on earth are you doing here?”

He grinned. “Surprise trip. Are you surprised?”

“Very.” But she smiled back at him. “Dan’s going to flip. He was just talking about you last night. Come on in where it’s air conditioned and I’ll get you something to drink.”

He stepped inside and heard another female voice. “Who is it, Del?”

He remembered that voice, sweet and musical. Harper. The maid of honour at the wedding. He’d turned on the charm a little, but she’d made it clear that she wasn’t the type for a casual fling so he’d behaved himself.

“A surprise guest,” Adele answered as Drew took off his boots. He went into the living room area in his sock feet and saw Harper seated in a plush chair, legs folded beneath her yoga-style, her hair pulled up in a pert ponytail. It highlighted her face and the light smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Beautiful, he thought, but with a definite girl-next-door vibe. He much preferred her natural looks to a lot of makeup and just the right clothes. And shoes. Why women put so much emphasis on shoes, he could never figure out.

“Harper,” he said warmly, stepping forward and holding out his hand. “Good to see you again.”