Win, Lose…Or Wed!

      Melissa McClone

      

      For Tom, Mackenna, Finn and Rose

      Special thanks to:

       Colin Goldstein, Michael Leming, PortlandHikers.com, Terri Reed, Tiffany Talbott & Virginia Kantra

      CONTENTS

      PROLOGUE

      CHAPTER ONE

      CHAPTER TWO

      CHAPTER THREE

      CHAPTER FOUR

      CHAPTER FIVE

      CHAPTER SIX

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      CHAPTER EIGHT

      CHAPTER NINE

      CHAPTER TEN

      CHAPTER ELEVEN

      PROLOGUE

      “TWO more minutes, Millie.”

      Oh, boy. Millie Kincaid shivered. It was almost time.

      She glanced at the gilded framed full-length mirror hanging on the wall of an opulent mansion in Pacific Palisades, California. She barely recognized her reflection. The curly updo, the professionally applied makeup and the elegant gown made her look like a princess, not a schoolteacher from a small town in Central Oregon.

      She felt a little like Cinderella. Not that Millie needed an invitation to the ball to find her Prince Charming. She’d already found him on a reality television show, no less. Her heart beat faster. She just had to get through the show’s final episode tonight when “The Groom,” Jace Westfall, a money manager from Philadelphia with his own company, would pick his bride.

      An aviary worth of butterflies fluttered in Millie’s stomach. She couldn’t believe she’d made it to the finale. She’d only attended the show’s audition so her friend wouldn’t have to go alone. Her father, a successful motivational speaker, who didn’t think she was living up to her potential, told her she wasn’t ready for a show like this, and she’d wondered if he were right.

      Until meeting the handsome “Groom” and falling for him.

      Despite the certainty in her heart that she’d found the “one,” she wasn’t expecting an engagement ring after only knowing each other a few weeks. What she really wanted was time alone with him, away from the cameras, crew and other contestants. How would they get along when it was only the two of them? Her head told Millie counting on forever was nothing more than a teenage fantasy. Yet, in her heart, she couldn’t help believe she’d glimpsed her future in his eyes.

      “Millie?” Avery, a young production assistant, adjusted her headset. “Are you ready?”

      “Yes.” Millie stepped over cables running along the inlaid wood floor, teetering on the crystal-encrusted high heels they’d given her to wear, and ignored the bright lights and cameras focused on her. She straightened. “I’m ready.”

      Grinning, Avery clutched a clipboard to her chest. “You look so beautiful. Just wait until Jace sees you. He’s going to love you.”

      Millie hoped so.

      I never thought I’d find someone like you on this show.

      Jace’s words, murmured in her ear after a good-night kiss, sent anticipation rippling through her.

      “Well, I think he knows the real me.” Jace saw beyond Mousy Millie, the nickname given by her father when she was an awkward, shy teenager, to the woman she really was inside. Jace asked questions about her job as a special education teacher and listened to her answers. He wanted to know her thoughts, her opinions, her dreams. He talked with her, not at her. As joy overflowed, Millie motioned to her fancy hair and beautiful dress. “The rest is window-dressing.”

      “Which is why you were selected the viewers’ bride choice on the show’s Web site. You and Jace are the perfect couple. Right up there with the ultimate reality couples Trista and Ryan and Amber and Rob.” Avery sighed. “And you are beautiful. So accept the compliment and say thank you.”

      Millie’s cheeks warmed. “Thank you.”

      She appreciated Avery’s kind words, but she couldn’t help wondering how beautiful her competition, Desiree Delacroix, a mortgage broker from New York, would look. The other bride finalist exuded strength, confidence and raw sex appeal. Desiree had no problem wearing a string bikini or just a towel in front of Jace and the cameras. Millie would rather face an entire class of kids sick with the stomach flu than wear a swimsuit on television. She’d chosen Whistler, B.C., as her final date location instead of Cancún, Mexico, to avoid wearing skimpy clothing. Two women couldn’t have seemed more different, yet they shared a love of children, a belief in the institution of marriage…and an attraction to Jace Westfall. Thinking about their similarities and differences made Millie squirm.

      The set went quiet, as if someone had hit the mute button. Avery touched her earpiece. “It’s time.”

      Every one of Millie’s nerve endings sprang to life. Excitement surged. She couldn’t wait to see Jace.

      She walked through the mansion, accustomed by now to ignore the equipment, the cameras and the crew. The show’s host, who also worked on the network’s nightly entertainment news show, gave her the thumbs-up. He’d interviewed her when she first arrived. Now it would only be her and Jace. And the cameras.

      Rounding the corner to the final set, she saw him, standing on a balcony with hundreds of flowers. Jace wore a black tuxedo with a red rose boutonnière pinned on his lapel. He seemed taller, almost larger than life, all dressed up and his light brown hair neatly styled. This was how he would look on his wedding day. She sucked in a breath.

      His eyes widened when he saw her. Uh-oh. He looked almost…scared. Her heart went out to him. This was a big moment for both of them. Millie fought the urge to run and reassure him the way he had that first night on the show when the world of reality TV had threatened to overwhelm her.

      But before she could reach him, he smiled. At her.

      Suddenly all was right in the world. In Millie’s world.

      The backdrop of the Pacific Ocean stretching to the horizon brought out the blue in his eyes. She couldn’t help but wonder if they had children whether their babies would have his eye color or green like hers. Maybe hazel.

      No, she was getting ahead of herself. But that was part of his appeal. He might be strong and solid, but he also made her loosen up and want to take chances. When Jace was around, her dreams became possible. She loved that about him.

      If they had children someday, Millie hoped the kids inherited Jace’s smile. She loved his wide, easy smile. Not to mention the determined set of his jaw and the little bump on the center of his nose. He was so handsome, so supportive, so caring.

      Contentment coursed through her. The way his gaze never left hers made Millie feel cherished and adored. She seemed to be floating, even though she knew that was physically impossible. Unless a fairy godmother had waved a magic wand.

      Millie wouldn’t be surprised. The balcony defined romance with the elegant flowers and flickering candles everywhere. Music—Pachelbel’s Canon in D—played from hidden speakers while waves crashed against the shore below.

      A breeze ruffled Jace’s hair. A strand fell forward across his forehead, making him seem appealingly real and approachable.

      Even though she knew the killer setting was as carefully contrived as her appearance tonight, Millie found herself totally caught up in the mood. The moment. The magic.

      She