Saved by the CEO
Authors: Barbara Wallace
Her knight next door!
After a horribly public divorce, Louisa Harrison has escaped to Tuscany craving peace and quiet. But gorgeous local tycoon Nico Amatucci sends her heart into overdrive...especially when he kisses her!
Nico comes to Louisa’s rescue when their romance makes headlines, but Louisa’s determined to prove she’s no damsel in distress! Being in Nico’s arms makes her feel stronger than she’s ever felt before, but is she brave enough to entrust him with her just-healed heart?
The Vineyards of Calanetti
Saying “I do” under the Tuscan sun...
Deep in the Tuscan countryside nestles the picturesque village of Monte Calanetti. Famed for its world-renowned vineyards, the village is also home to the crumbling but beautiful Palazzo di Comparino. Empty for months, rumors of a new owner are spreading like wildfire...and that’s before the village is chosen as the setting for the royal wedding of the year!
It’s going to be a roller coaster of a year, but will wedding bells ring out in Monte Calanetti for anyone else?
Find out in this fabulously heartwarming, uplifting and thrillingly romantic new eight-book continuity from Harlequin Romance!
A Bride for the Italian Boss
by Susan Meier
Return of the Italian Tycoon
by Jennifer Faye
Reunited by a Baby Secret
by Michelle Douglas
Soldier, Hero...Husband?
by Cara Colter
His Lost-and-Found Bride
by Scarlet Wilson
The Best Man & The Wedding Planner
by Teresa Carpenter
His Princess of Convenience
by Rebecca Winters
Saved by the CEO
by Barbara Wallace
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to Monte Calanetti!
At last, we learn why Louisa Harrison has come to Tuscany. Turns out the palazzo owner has been hiding a couple secrets—secrets that have landed her back in the tabloids. Fortunately for her, vineyard owner Nico Amatucci is around to help protect her from the paparazzi.
Un
fortunately for her, Nico is everything that she’s vowed to stay away from.
Or is he? Once she starts peeling back the layers, Louisa learns there’s a lot more to the vintner than a sexy smile and a need to take charge. Behind the good looks beats the heart of a man scarred by a chaotic childhood.
As for Nico...well, he’s about to discover what it’s like to fall in love for the very first time.
I like to tell people that their romance unfolds during harvest season when the grapes (and happy endings) are at their sweetest.
Writing this letter is a little bittersweet because it means The Vineyards of Calanetti series has come to an end. I was honored when Harlequin asked me to be part of this fantastic series as there were so many wonderful authors involved: Susan Meier, Jennifer Faye, Michelle Douglas, Scarlet Wilson, Cara Colter, Teresa Carpenter and Rebecca Winters. Each of them brought their own special vision to Monte Calanetti, and the result is an eight-book series as rich as any Italian wine. (How’s that for a metaphor?) If you haven’t read their Calanetti books yet, you’re missing out!
As always, thanks for reading.
Barbara
SAVED BY THE CEO
Barbara Wallace
Barbara Wallace
can’t remember when she wasn’t dreaming up love stories in her head, so writing romances for Harlequin Romance is a dream come true. Happily married to her own Prince Charming, she lives in New England with a house full of empty-nest animals. Occasionally her son comes home, as well.
To stay up-to-date on Barbara’s news and releases, sign up for her newsletter at
barbarawallace.com
.
Books by Barbara Wallace
Harlequin Romance
In Love with the Boss
A Millionaire for Cinderella
Beauty & Her Billionaire Boss
Daring to Date the Boss
Mr. Right, Next Door!
The Courage to Say Yes
The Man Behind the Mask
The Unexpected Honeymoon
Visit the Author Profile page at
Harlequin.com
for more titles.
To my fellow Calanetti creators for making this project so fun to work on. And to Carol, Val, Darlene and Michelle, who always make me feel like a rock star. Thanks.
Contents
EXCERPT FROM
PREGNANT WITH A ROYAL BABY!
BY SUSAN MEIER
CHAPTER ONE
“
I
THINK
I
’
M
in love.”
Louisa Harrison bit off a piece of
cornetto
, moaning as the sweet cake-like pastry melted like butter on her tongue. Crumbs dotted her chin. She caught them with her finger, not wanting to waste a drop. “Seriously, Dani, how do you not weigh a thousand pounds living with this man?” If she were married to a chef as wonderful as Rafe Mancini, she’d be the size of her palazzo, the grounds and the vineyards combined.
Her best friend laughed. “Trust me, it’s not easy. Fortunately, running around the restaurant all day keeps me in shape. Especially now. Ever since the royal wedding, we’ve been slammed with requests for reservations. Everyone wants to eat at the restaurant that fed Prince Antonio and his bride.”
“As well they should.” Danielle’s husband, Rafe, entered the restaurant dining room brandishing a coffeepot. “You make it sound as though Mancini’s is some ordinary royal wedding caterer.”
“I’m not sure there is such a thing as an
ordinary
royal wedding caterer,” Dani replied, kissing him on the cheek, “but you’re right, Mancini’s is anything but ordinary. Once people taste Rafe’s food, they are desperate to come back.”
“Only they can’t for at least eight weeks. My beautiful bride is right—we are booked solid through the harvest festival.”
“That’s fantastic,” Louisa replied helping herself to a cup of coffee. Rafe Mancini not only created wonderful food, he made the best American coffee in Tuscany. That was Dani’s doing. She’d insisted Rafe add a few New World touches to his traditionally Italian menu to placate US tourists. One of many small changes she’d implemented over the past few months. It hadn’t taken long for her friend to establish herself as an equal partner both in the relationship and the business. But then, Louisa had heard there were men in this world who actually liked when their wives had minds of their own. Not to mention lives.
She just hadn’t married one.
“Mancini’s isn’t the only place that’s doing well,” Dani continued. “Business has been up all around the village. Donatella told me sales at the boutique are up over 40 percent from last year.”
Louisa wasn’t surprised. Over the past nine months, Monte Calanetti had gone from sleepy Tuscan village to must-see tourist destination. Not only had they been selected to host Halencia’s royal wedding—considered the wedding of the year in most circles—but art experts had recently discovered an unknown fresco masterpiece hidden in the local chapel. Now it felt as if every person in Italy, tourist or resident, made a point of driving through the town. That they arrived to discover a picture-perfect village
and
an Italian
Good Food
rated restaurant owned by one of Europe’s premier chefs only enhanced the town’s allure.
“Quite a change from when you and I arrived here, huh?” she noted. It’d been an early spring day when the two of them had met on the bus from Florence. Two expatriates, each on her own quest to the Tuscan Valley. For Dani, the tiny village represented a last adventure before deciding on her future. Louisa, on the other hand, had taken one look at the terracotta roofs rising from the valley and decided luck had granted her the perfect place to escape her past. A place where she could heal.
“I knew as soon as I stepped off the bus that Monte Calanetti was special,” Dani said. “There’s something magical about this town. You can feel it.”
More like her friend felt the attraction between her and the man she eventually married; there’d been sparks from the second Dani and Rafe had laid eyes on each other. Louisa kept the thought to herself. “The royal wedding planner certainly thought so,” she said instead.
“Unfortunately, we can’t ride the wedding momentum forever. Once harvest season ends, people will be more interested in the ski resorts.” Rafe said.
“People will still seek out Mancini’s,” Louisa said.
“Some, yes, but certainly not the numbers we’ve been enjoying. And they certainly won’t spend time visiting other businesses.”
True. So much of Monte Calanetti’s appeal revolved around being able to stroll its cobblestone streets during the warm weather. It would be hard to make a wish in the plaza fountain if the water was frozen. There was a part of Louisa that wouldn’t mind the crowds thinning. She missed the early days when she could walk the streets without worrying that some American tourist would recognize her. Another part, however—the practical part—knew the village needed more than a seasonal income. Prior to the wedding, several of the smaller businesses had been on shaky ground.
A third part reminded her she needed income, too. Till now she’d been surviving on the money the royal family had paid her to use her property, and that was almost gone.
“It won’t matter if Mancini’s is the best restaurant in the world, if it’s surrounded by empty buildings,” Rafe was saying. “We need something that will encourage people to spend time here year-round.”
Funny he should say that. Louisa sipped her coffee thoughtfully. The practical part of her had also been kicking around an idea lately. It was only a germ at the moment, but it might help the cause. “It would be nice to see the village continue to prosper,” she had to admit. Even though she, like Dani, was a relative newcomer, she’d already come to consider the place home, and nobody wanted to see their home suffer economically.
“What do you have in mind?” she asked him. He obviously had something up his sleeve or he wouldn’t have put on this breakfast.
Pushing up his sleeves, the chef rested his forearms against the edge of the table and leaned close. “I was thinking we could start some kind of committee.”
“Like a chamber of commerce?” Did they even have those in Italy? They must.
“Nothing so formal. I’m picturing local business leaders brainstorming ideas like the harvest festival that we can put on to attract traffic.”
“And since the palazzo is such a big part of the village...” Dani started.
“You’d like me to be on the committee.” That made sense, especially if she carried through with her own idea. “Count me in... What?”