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tours taking in almost every country in Europe, finishing in Italy.

      ‘Your departure date is not till late April. It’s not a good idea to holiday in Europe in the dead of winter if you don’t have to,’ he added. ‘As for Murphy’s Hire Car…Jess’s brothers will look after that till you get back. They assured me it’s not a busy time of the year, anyway.’

      ‘But it says we’ll be travelling first class,’ Ruth said, amazed.

      Ben’s mother, who’d been standing nearby, suddenly came forward, her arm linked with Lionel’s. ‘Please don’t worry about the cost,’ Ava said. ‘I have more money than I need. Besides,’ she added, smiling coyly at her partner, ‘Lionel has decided to make an honest woman out of me and he has buckets of money himself, haven’t you, darling?’

      Darling Lionel just smiled.

      ‘Now,’ Ava raced on, ‘I’ve been to all those places in Europe and it would be a real shame for you not to go whilst you’re young enough to enjoy it. Oh, and Ruth, you and I are going clothes shopping in Sydney before you leave. I know exactly what you’ll need.’

      Ruth beamed at her. ‘I’d love that, Ava.’

      ‘And Lionel can take Joe clothes shopping at the same time,’ Ben suggested.

      ‘I’d be only too happy to,’ Lionel agreed. ‘If Joe wants me to, that is.’

      Joe grinned. ‘Sounds good to me. Can’t have Mother showing me up, can I?’

      ‘That’s all settled, then,’ Ben said, looking pleased with himself. ‘Then, when we both get back from our holidays, Joe, we’ll get right to work on that vintage car idea I told you about.’

      ‘Too right,’ Joe said, clapping Ben on the back.

      ‘Hey!’ Jess exclaimed, pretending to be piqued. ‘Where does that leave me?’

      ‘You can stay at home and clean that big house I bought you,’ Ben said.

      ‘But I didn’t want such a big house. That was your idea.’

      ‘You didn’t say no.’

      The three parents rolled their eyes at each other.

      ‘Are these two having their first marital spat?’ Andy said on joining them.

      ‘I hope not,’ Joe said.

      Jess and Ben looked at each other, then laughed. ‘We’re just kidding. We both love our house.’ It wasn’t on a beach; Ben had decided he needed more room if and when he had sons. Their new purchase sat on a five-acre lot at Matcham, a rather exclusive rural enclave not far from the coast. The house was huge with six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a four-car garage, a tennis court and, of course, a solar-heated pool. They had already planned to have Christmas there the following year, Jess aiming to make it a very special occasion.

      Thinking this last thought sent another thought into Jess’s mind.

      ‘Is a wedding night a special occasion?’ she whispered to Ben once they’d said their final goodbyes and climbed into the back of the waiting limousine.

      His eyes widened in mock horror. ‘Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?’

      ‘Not quite. I don’t want to have to drive all that way tomorrow with an iffy bottom.’

      ‘Hush up, wife. The driver might hear.’

      ‘You’re no fun any more,’ she said sulkily.

      Ben had actually refused to make love to her all week, saying she had to learn to wait.

      ‘No fun!’ Ben exclaimed. ‘Might I remind you what we got up to just last month in Andy’s cottage?’

      ‘Hush up, husband. The driver might hear.’

      Ten minutes later, they were safely alone in the bridal suite, which was beautifully furnished and quite seductive, with its big bed and mounds of pillows.

      ‘If you must know,’ Ben said as he busied himself with the waiting champagne bottle, ‘I packed a little box of surprises which might come in handy during our rather elongated honeymoon.’

      Jess’s heart leapt. ‘What kind of surprises?’

      ‘Just a few naughty little items which I found on a website. You’ll find out if and when required. But we certainly don’t need anything like that tonight. Tonight is meant for more romantic sex. Though even romantic sex requires that clothes be removed. Why don’t you get naked, my lovely wife, whilst I pour us some of this splendid champagne?’

      ‘Aren’t you going to get naked too?’ a fiercely turned-on Jess asked after she’d complied.

      He walked over to her slowly and handed her a glass. ‘All in good time, my darling,’ he murmured with wicked lights dancing in his beautiful blue eyes. ‘All in good time.’

      * * * * *

       An Unlikely Bride for the Billionaire

      Michelle Douglas

      To Amber and Anthony, and Jessica and Tim, who are raising the next generation of heroes and heroines with grace and style…and a splendid sense of fun!

       CHAPTER ONE

      ‘BUT—’ MIA STARED, aghast, at Gordon Coulter ‘—that’s not my job!’ She was a trainee field officer, not a trainee event manager.

      Her stomach performed a slow, sickening somersault at the spiteful smile that touched his lips. Gordon was the council administrator in charge of Newcastle’s parks and wildlife—her boss’s boss and a petty bureaucrat to boot. Plum Pines Reserve fell under his control. And he’d made no secret of the fact that he’d love to get rid of her—that he was simply waiting for her to mess up so he could do exactly that.

      She did her best to moderate her voice. ‘I’m in charge of the weed extermination project that’s to start on the eastern boundary. Veronica—’ the reserve’s ranger ‘—insists it’s vital we get that underway as soon as possible. We’re supposed to be starting today.’

      ‘Which is why I’ve handed that project over to Simon.’

      Every muscle stiffened in protest, but Mia bit back the objections pressing against the back of her throat. She’d worked ridiculously hard on fine-tuning that project, had gathered together an enthusiastic band of volunteers who didn’t care one jot about her background. More exciting still, she and Veronica had planned to take a full botanical inventory of the area—a comprehensive project that had filled Mia with enthusiasm. And now she was to have no part in it.

      ‘This isn’t up for debate, Mia.’

      Gordon pursed his lips, lifting himself up to his full paunchy height of five feet ten inches. If it was supposed to make him look impressive, it failed. It only drew her attention to the damp half-moons at the armpits of his business shirt.

      ‘You have to understand that teamwork is vital in an area as poorly funded as ours. If you’re refusing to assist the administrative team in their hour of need then perhaps this isn’t the right organisation for you.’

      She wanted to know where Nora was. She wanted to know why Simon hadn’t been given this job instead of her.

      ‘The Fairweathers will be here at any moment, so if you are refusing to assist...’

      ‘Of course I’m not refusing.’ She tried to keep her voice level. She couldn’t afford to lose this job. ‘I’m surprised you’d trust me with such an important assignment, that’s all.’

      His

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