The Bridesmaid's Baby. Barbara Hannay

      

      The Bridesmaid’s Baby

      Barbara Hannay

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      Table of Contents

       Cover Page

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dear Reader

       Prologue

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Copyright

      Barbara Hannay was born in Sydney, educated in Brisbane, and has spent most of her adult life living in tropical North Queensland, where she and her husband have raised four children. While she has enjoyed many happy times camping and canoeing in the bush, she also delights in an urban lifestyle—chamber music, contemporary dance, movies and dining out. An English teacher, she has always loved writing, and now, by having her stories published, she is living her most cherished fantasy.

      Visit www.barbarahannay.com

       Dear Reader

      Just as I finished writing THE BRIDESMAID’S BABY my son’s wife gave birth to not one but two darling girls, Milla and Sophie, identical twins. They are the sweetest little heroines, and their safe arrival was a wonderful thrill for all of our family. For me it was also the perfect way to end my project Baby Steps to Marriage…

      It’s been a huge pleasure for me to write two linked books, and I’ve had such fun making the dream of a much-wanted baby come true in two quite different stories.

      In THE BRIDESMAID’S BABY, which is Lucy and Will’s story, I had the extra pleasure of sharing Mattie and Jake’s wedding with you. It was lovely to revisit the heroine and hero from EXPECTING MIRACLE TWINS, and to let you see that the babies, Jasper and Mia, are thriving.

      In Lucy and Will’s story I was also able to explore one of my favourite romantic themes—friends to lovers—and to set their romance in the idyllic country town of Willowbank, where Lucy and Will, Mattie, Gina and Tom had all grown up.

      As you can imagine, Willowbank and these characters are now incredibly special to me, as are the dear little babies. I can already imagine a new generation…and who knows where that will lead?

      I hope you enjoy Lucy and Will’s journey to marriage and parenthood.

      Warmest wishes

       Barbara

      PROLOGUE

      A PARTY was in full swing at Tambaroora.

      The homestead was ablaze with lights and brightly coloured Chinese lanterns glowed in the gardens. Laughter and the happy voices of young people joined the loud music that spilled out across the dark paddocks where sheep quietly grazed.

      Will Carruthers was going away, setting out to travel the world, and his family and friends were sending him off in style.

      ‘Have you seen Lucy?’ Mattie Carey asked him as he topped up her wine glass.

      ‘I’m sure I have,’ Will replied, letting his gaze drift around the room, seeking Lucy’s bright blonde hair. ‘She was here a minute ago.’

      Mattie frowned. ‘I’ve been looking for her everywhere.’

      ‘I’ll keep an eye out,’ Will said with a shrug. ‘If I see her, I’ll let her know you’re looking for her.’ He moved on to top up other guests’ glasses.

      But by the time he’d completed a circuit of the big living room and the brightly lit front and side verandas, Will still hadn’t seen Lucy McKenty and he felt a vague stirring of unease. Surely she wouldn’t leave the party without saying goodbye. She was, in many ways, his best friend.

      He went to the front steps and looked out across the garden, saw a couple, suspiciously like his sister Gina and Tom Hutchins, kissing beneath a jacaranda, but there was still no sign of Lucy.

      She wasn’t in the kitchen either. Will stood in the middle of the room, scratching his head and staring morosely at the stacks of empty bottles and demolished food platters. Where was she?

      His brother Josh came in to grab another bottle of bubbly from the fridge.

      ‘Seen Lucy?’ Will asked.

      Josh merely shook his head and hurried away to his latest female conquest.

      A movement outside on the back veranda caught Will’s attention. It was dark out there and he went to the kitchen doorway to scan the veranda’s length, saw a slim figure in a pale dress, leaning against a veranda post, staring out into the dark night.

      ‘Lucy?’

      She jumped at the sound of his voice.

      ‘I’ve