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      MILLS & BOON

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      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

      One

      “W ould you do it if I beg?”

      Marina Nelson was careful to keep from smiling at Julie’s dramatic plea. Of course she was going to agree to help her sister, but not right away. After twenty-four years of being the baby of the family, it was nice to finally have a little power.

      “You know I’m busy,” she said slowly. “It’s the start of a new quarter and I have a full class schedule.”

      Julie sighed. “Yes, and your work is very important. But so is this. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t. I really need someone to take charge while I’m on this business trip. We have similar taste and you’re organized and I thought…” Julie tucked her blond hair behind her ears and looked sad. “Am I asking too much? I am. I know it’s crazy. I’m the one getting married, not you. So I should do the planning. But this trip to China is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Six weeks of Ryan and I working together before we settle in to being married and parents.”

      Marina glanced down at her sister’s stomach. Julie was only about three months along and not showing at all. One of the advantages of being tall, she thought humorously—it takes longer to see the bump.

      “I can see how a trip to China would be far more thrilling than the messy details of choosing a menu and picking out flowers,” she said, still not allowing herself to smile. “Not to mention deciding on a dress. What if you hate what I pick?”

      They were close enough in size for the actual gown itself not to be a problem. Any minor tailoring could be done right before the wedding, after Julie got back.

      “I won’t,” Julie promised earnestly. “I swear, I’ll love it. Besides, you’ll send me pictures, right? We talked about that. You’ll upload them into e-mail and I’ll write back with my opinion.” Her blue eyes widened. “Marina, please say yes.”

      Marina sighed heavily. “No. I can’t. But thanks for asking.”

      Julie’s mouth dropped open, then she reached behind her for one of the small, floral sofa cushions and swatted Marina with it.

      “You’re horrible! How could you let me go on and on like that? I was practically begging.”

      Marina laughed, then grabbed the cushion. “There’s no ‘practically,’ Julie. You begged. You whined. I have to tell you, I was a little embarrassed for you.”

      Julie sighed. “So you’ll do it?”

      “Of course. You’re my sister. Just give me a list and I’ll take care of everything.”

      “You have no idea how you’re helping. Between getting married and our trip and closing on the new house, my life is a nightmare.”

      They sat in Ryan’s study—an uncomfortably modern condo in West Los Angeles. It had a great view and electronic everything, but it lacked color and soul, except for a few throw pillows Julie had contributed. Rather than try to make it homey, Julie and Ryan had decided to buy another house that they both liked. Marina knew that Willow, their middle sister, was going to oversee the minor renovating Julie and Ryan’s new place needed, which left the wedding to Marina.

      “I think of this project as practice,” Marina said with a grin. “I can figure out what I want and don’t want should I ever take the plunge.”

      “Oh, please. You’ll get married,” Julie said confidently. “The right guy’s out there somewhere. You’ll find him.”

      Marina wasn’t currently looking, but it would be great when it happened. Assuming she could trust herself to fall in love without losing her soul in the process.

      “Until then, just call me the wedding planner,” Marina said. “Now, where’s that list of yours?”

      Julie reached into her purse, then straightened without removing anything. “There’s just one other thing.”

      “Which is…”

      Julie drew in a breath. “Okay, so this is Ryan’s wedding, too, and he’s a little nervous that it’s going to be too girly. He wants a vote in what’s happening.”

      Marina didn’t get the problem. “Fine. You two can argue all you want, then e-mail me the compromise. I don’t care.”

      “Um, yes, well, that’s not exactly the plan. Ryan wants a representative to be with you for all the important decisions. The food, the cake, the band, the decorations, the flowers.”

      “A representative? Like his mother?”

      Marina had never met the woman. No doubt she was perfectly lovely, but another opinion could seriously slow the process.

      Julie tried to smile and failed miserably. “Actually, no. More like Todd.”

      “Todd? As in Todd Aston the Third, all around rich guy and jerk?” Marina couldn’t believe it. “Anyone but him,” she muttered.

      “He’s Ryan’s cousin and they’re as close as brothers. You know that. Todd is the best man and he offered to help. Do you hate me now?”

      “No, but I should.” Marina sighed. “Todd? Yuck.”

      Nearly six months ago, the three sisters had been introduced to their maternal grandmother for the first time in their lives. Grandma Ruth had been estranged from her only daughter, the girls’ mother, ever since Naomi had run off and gotten married.

      Now Ruth was back and she wanted a relationship with her daughter and granddaughters. In addition, she had a burning need to connect her family with her second husband’s family through marriage.

      In a moment of dinner conversation that Marina was confident would go down in family history, she’d offered each of her granddaughters a million dollars if one of them would please marry Todd Aston the Third, her nephew—or maybe great-nephew, no one was sure—through marriage.

      Julie had fallen in love with Ryan and Willow had found Kane Dennison, which left only Marina for toady Todd. Talk about bad luck.

      For reasons she was still trying to figure out—maybe it had been a momentary brain injury—Marina had agreed to one date with the obnoxious Todd.

      It’s not that the guy wasn’t good-looking—at

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