MILLION DOLLAR BABY – Janice Maynard
Texas Cattleman's Club: Bachelor Auction , Book 3
Harlequin Desire #2624
ISBN: 978-1-335-97184-5
November 2018
Contemporary Series Romance
Royal, Texas – Present Day
Frustrated with her controlling parents, heiress Brooke Goodman decides to go out of town to a bar one night and find herself a one-night stand. It doesn't take long because the moment she spots the sexy cowboy, she knows he's the one. While Austin Bradshaw tries to brush off Brooke's advances, he is intrigued and finally gives her what she wants. But the condom breaks, though she tells him there is no way she could be pregnant. They walk away from each other, expecting to never cross paths again. However, they do…
Brooke has taken on the job of painting murals at the Texas Cattleman's Club for the upcoming Bachelor Auction. Austin is in Royal City for a couple of architectural jobs, including at the club, and runs into Brooke. Just like the first time they met, sparks fly, and they're soon back in bed together. Then, she discovers that she's pregnant. Austin immediately offers to marry her but she wants a marriage that includes love. He's still mourning the death of his wife six years ago. Will a baby tie them into a marriage neither wants?
MILLION DOLLAR BABY is part of the Texas Cattleman's Club: Bachelor Auction series but other than the fact that Brooke and Austin are involved in the preparations for the auction, this can be read as a standalone without too much difficulty. A minor plot throughout the series has been an elderly couple who are trying to prevent their respective grandchildren from getting together. But in this tale, there isn't much going on in regards to that subplot.
As for Brooke, she wants to get her hands on her trust fund because she has plans to open her own art studio. However, her uptight parents are refusing to hand the funds over to her until she turns thirty—or gets married. In MILLION DOLLAR BABY, before Brooke finds out she's pregnant, she toys with the idea of having Austin marry her long enough so that she can get the money. But everything changes once there's a little one on the way. She wants love, and he seems to be still in love with his late wife. No way is she going to play second fiddle.
Austin is scared. He lost one wife and is now afraid of falling in love again for fear of losing a loved one. However, with Brooke pregnant, he wants to do the right thing and offers her marriage. Because their relationship flashed from the moment they met in the bar, they never went through the getting-to-know-each-other phase. As Austin and Brooke struggle with what they need to do, one thing is still perfectly clear: they're attracted to each other. In fact, they can barely keep their hands off each other.
In MILLION DOLLAR BABY, Brooke and Austin have to decide whether their future means being together or not. Will they find love with each other? Find out in this sizzling tale.
Patti Fischer
