The Millionaire's Wish

Abigail Strom

All she had to do was say yes! It was the easiest deal in the world. All Allison had to do was date CEO Rick for a few months. In return, he’d help fund her financially strapped charity. Rick had a reputation to uphold – but continuing his playboy ways meant losing the only home he’d ever known.Which made Allison so perfect – after all, neither of them was looking for a permanent relationship. Yet she was soon making him dream about forever – and Rick knew he’d do whatever it took to seal this deal…

“I’ll do it.”

Rick blinked at her in surprise. “What?”

“I accept your proposal.”

“You do?”

“On one condition.”

“What if I say no?”

Allison shrugged. “You’ll have to find another woman of character who’s not attracted to you. It won’t be that hard. From where I sit, those two qualities seem to go together naturally.”

“I should have realized you were capable of driving a hard bargain. You don’t give up easily, do you?”

She took a quick breath. “So do we have a deal, or not?”

His eyes didn’t leave hers. “We have a deal.”

Dear Reader,

On the surface, Allison Landry and Rick Hunter don’t have much in common. She’s the director of a non-profit agency; he’s the millionaire CEO of a software company. Allison is passionate about helping others; Rick believes he’s too jaded to care about helping anyone. Allison avoids relationships and hasn’t been on a date in more than a year. Rick, on the other hand, has a well-earned reputation as a playboy.

But appearances can be deceiving. And underneath the surface, these two have a lot more in common than they realise.

When Rick makes Allison an offer she can’t refuse, the two of them enter into a dating bargain that’s supposed to be all business. The only thing that could derail their perfect plan is the one thing they could never have predicted: falling in love.

Rick and Allison have a special place in my heart, and I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

My very best wishes,

Abigail

About the Author

ABIGAIL STROM started writing stories at the age of seven and has never been able to stop. She’s thrilled to be published by Mills & Boon. She works full-time as a human resources professional and lives in New England with her family, who are incredibly supportive of the hours she spends hunched over her computer. She loves hearing from readers and can be reached at abigail@abigailstrom.com.

The

Millionaire’s

Wish

Abigail Strom

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

To my husband

Authors are often encouraged to write what they know.

Thanks to you, when I write about true love … I am

Chapter One

“How hard would it be to rob a bank?”

Allison Landry frowned at the financial statements covering her desk. One of her volunteers, who also was one of her best friends, had just come into the office with a letter in her hand.

“That bad, huh?” Rachel asked sympathetically. “Or maybe we could pull off a jewel heist.” “We could wear black leather catsuits,” Rachel suggested. “And hire a professional thief to help us. You know, like the guys in Ocean’s Eleven. Preferably a George Clooney look-alike. I’d also be willing to consider Brad Pitt.”

Allison’s mouth tipped up in a smile. “I’d go with Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief, but then I’m old-fashioned.”

Rachel laughed. “I’m liking this idea more and more.” She paused. “Okay, fill me in for real. What’s going on?”

Allison sighed, closing her eyes briefly as she ran both hands through her short brown hair. “It’s been a bad day. Kevin Buckley is in the hospital again—I heard from his parents this morning. And our financial outlook for the coming year is pretty grim. Donations have been down ever since the recession started, so we’re going to have to cut back on some of our existing services. And we’ll have to put the plans for Megan’s House on hold again—indefinitely, this time. It’ll be a struggle to keep some of our programs going at all, and it’s not the time to start something new.”

She felt the disappointment all over again as she spoke the r