THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT – Kat Cantrell
Billionaires and Babies Series
Harlequin Desire #2515
ISBN: 978-0-373-83842-4
May 2017
Contemporary Series Romance

Near Astoria, Oregon – Present Day

Elusive billionaire inventor Desmond Pierce wanted a child so badly—but without the complications of love—that he signed a contract with a medical student for her to give birth to his child via surrogacy. They married via proxy, without ever having met. On the day his child, Conner, is born, it's discovered the infant is allergic to formula, and the only way for Conner to survive is breast milk. The logical course of action is to have Conner's mother be the provider. Desmond meets the mother, McKenna Moore, and convinces her that it'll only be for a few months, and then they can go back to their original plan that they divorce and she exits from his and Conner's lives. But once McKenna is under his roof, an attraction develops between them.

McKenna grew up in a commune that rejected medical care, and her issues with that upbringing led her to decide to become a doctor. The training is expensive and long, and she is not figuring on marriage and kids anytime soon, but when the offer of being a surrogate mother came along, and then walking away in exchange for a lot of money, she accepted. McKenna knows the risk of spending time with her son, but she didn't anticipate the affect Desmond would have on her. He's spent a lot of his adulthood holed up in a secluded mansion overlooking the Columbia River with little contact from the outside world except for his staff. There isn't much to do, and soon McKenna and Desmond are talking to each other . . . and learning they like each other. Will this lead to more than a friendship?

THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT is almost like reading a gothic novel. The hero is dark and brooding, but falls for the sweet and innocent woman who enters his lair. McKenna accepted the marriage and baby contract terms Desmond had his team of lawyers draw up. She took all precautions to prevent herself from caring for the baby she carried for nine months, but she'll do whatever it takes to feed him after he develops an allergic reaction to formula. She is a bit afraid of Desmond at first because he keeps to himself and appears annoyed when she “invades” his workshop at the mansion. But they're really alike in intellect and personality, plus they share a child, so it doesn't take much before they're attracted to each other. Add in the isolation of the mansion, and desire soon turns into passion.

The chemistry between Desmond and McKenna is as sizzling hot as it is intriguing, with their intellectual conversations giving rise to a nice, comfortable friendship. Neither has had many long-term relationships, so when they're practically falling into bed with each other, the intense feelings it provokes surprises them. Yet, at the back of McKenna's mind is that there is still the contract between them. If she falls in love with Desmond and Conner, will her heart be broken into pieces? For Desmond, he starts out in THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT having a distrust of women and love after a prior disastrous relationship, but McKenna is soon changing his mind. Can he convince her to stay?

A sizzling and emotional tale of building trust and finding love, grab a copy of THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT.

Patti Fischer