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.Marcus, Aimee Carson, Megan Mulry, Janet Lane Walters, Liz Matis, Barbara T.Wallace, Abbi Wilder, and Julia Brooks.Shout-out to Tiffany Reisz for being my deadline buddy!To the fabulous crew I met and celebrated with at RT and RWA 2012.All the Harlequin authorswere amazing and fun and there are too many to name here personally! Special shout-out goes toMegan Mulry for drinking champagne with me when I discovered I hit the Times; Cat Schield andBarbara Longley for hanging with us at the gangster ball; Katee Roberts for her energy and humor;Caridad Pinerio for being so sweet at the book signing; and Catherine Bybee for talking shop.I can’twait to do it again!Finally, to the amazing Entangled crew who blow me away with their talent and efficiency, and mynew Gallery Books team who welcomed me with open arms and amazed me with their skills—yourock!Continue reading for an exclusive excerpt from the sizzling final installment in the Marriage to aBillionaire seriesThe Marriage Mistakeby Jennifer ProbstAvailable in November 2012 from Gallery BooksPrologueCarina Conte stared into the flickering flame of her homemade campfire and reminded herself shewasn’t crazy.She was just a woman in love.Her hand trembled around the piece of paper.The violet fabric book of love spells nestled in thegrass beside her feet.She glanced around and hoped to God her family didn’t wake.She’d promisedher sister-in-law she’d never attempt to cast a spell, but Maggie didn’t need to know.Tucked towardthe back of the property, the scents of crackling burnt wood and sweet crocus filled her nostrils, andshe prayed the firelight wouldn’t reveal her location.Carina glanced down at the page.Okay, time to summon Earth Mother.She hoped Father Richardwouldn’t get upset.She quickly recited the words to summon the powers of female earth to conjureher a man with all the qualities written on her list.Then threw the paper in the fire.Lightness flowed through her and she let out a relieved sigh.Done.Now all she had to do was bepatient.She wondered how long Earth Mother usually waited to bestow her gift.Of course, she’dmade the job quite easy for the entity.Instead of a long list of qualities, her list held the power of onesingle name—the name of the man she’d been in love with her whole life.The man who looked uponher as a little sister; who was worldly and sexy and dated some of the most beautiful women in theworld.The man who left her tongue-tied during the day and wracked her body with hot-blooded needduring the night.Maximus Gray.Carina waited until the entire paper turned to ash, then dumped the bucket of water onto the fire.She cleaned up with quick, efficient movements, scooped up the fabric book, and made her way backinto the house.The soft grass tickled her bare feet, and her white nightgown billowed around her like a ghost.Asense of excitement shivered down her spine as she snuck back to her room.She slid the book backinto the drawer and crawled into bed.Finally.It was done.Chapter One“I’ve hired a new associate.She’ll be under your direction and you will be responsible for hertraining.”Max cut his gaze to the man seated across the table.His nerve endings prickled at theannouncement, but he remained silent.He stretched out his legs under the conference table, crossedhis arms in front of his chest, and quirked a brow.He’d worked endless hours and sweat blood to getthe family empire of La Dolce Maggie off the ground, and damned if he’d step aside nicely.“Lookingto replace me, boss?”More like a brother than a boss, Michael Conte shot him a grin.“And deal with your mama comingafter me to kick my ass? No such luck.You need help with the expansion.”Max smirked.“Seems your mama is tougher than mine.Didn’t she instigate a shotgun wedding withyour wife? Good thing you loved her or you would’ve been screwed.”“Funny, Gray.The wedding wasn’t the problem.It was your doubts about my wife that trulyscrewed us up.”Max winced.“Sorry.Just trying to protect a friend from a money-hungry woman.Anyway, I loveMaggie now.She’s strong enough to take your crap.”“Yeah, now it’s like a mutual admiration club between you two.”“Better than war.So, who’s the hotshot coming in?”“Carina.”Max snapped his mouth shut.“Excuse me? Carina, your baby sister? You’ve got to be kidding me.Isn’t she still in school?”Michael poured himself some water from the cooler and took a sip.“She graduated last May withher MBA from SDA Bocconi and she’s been training at Dolce di Notte.”“Our competitor?”Michael smiled.“Hardly.They are not looking to conquer the world like us, my friend.But I cantrust them to teach her basic skills in the bakery business.I wanted her to train with Julietta but sherefuses to lag in her older sister’s shadow.She’s been begging me to come to America, and herinternship is up.It is time she now join the family company.Capisce?”Ah, hell.Yeah, he understood.Max was being reassigned babysitting duty to the youngest sister ofthe clan.Sure, he loved her like a sibling, but her tendency to burst into tears over emotional scenesdid not bode well for business.Max shuddered.What if he hurt her feelings and she crumbled? Thiswas a bad idea all the way around
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