Quinn was frowning, shaking her head. “I just don’t know if I can—”
He cut across her, relieved. “See, Edward. She can’t do it anyway—”
“She isn’t saying she can’t do it. She was going to say that doing it inside six months is going to be a stretch.”
He felt a flamethrower blasting his ears. Putting him in his place, which, even looking through his jaundiced lens, he could see he totally deserved. He inclined his head by way of apology, which she accepted with her eyes.
He forced out a smile, opening his hands to seem reasonable and calm, which he wasn’t. “I’m just saying that if you were to turn the project down on the basis of being too busy, then—”
“It won’t make a blind bit of difference.” Edward’s voice was sharp as glass. “For the third time, William, the terms of the will are this: you inherit Anthony’s estate only when the Lisbon Hotel has been up and running for three months; you must take personal charge of the project from here on in; and Quinn is to be your interior designer. It isn’t negotiable.”
Dear Reader,
Welcome to my Lisbon story! I was lucky enough to visit this gorgeous city last year and was struck by how many once beautiful but now sadly neglected buildings there are—a consequence of complicated inheritance laws apparently! Of course, I immediately began to think about how I could create a story centered around one such building.
After a few false starts (it happens!), I devised an inheritance story of my own, wherein my tortured hotelier hero, Will, and kindhearted interior designer heroine, Quinn, are forced to take on the renovation of a dilapidated Lisbon building and launch it as a hotel. Not such a hardship, surely, considering all that warm Lisbon sunshine, fabulous seafood and those delectable Portuguese custard tarts! Sadly, since Will and Quinn aren’t exactly the best of friends, they don’t see it that way. But soon, as the old animosities start to collide with an undeniable, growing mutual attraction, they find they’ve got more to wrangle with than rotten floorboards and cracked pantiles...
I hope you enjoy reading Will and Quinn’s journey to their happy-ever-after as much as I enjoyed creating it.
Love,
Ella x
Bound by Their Lisbon Legacy
Ella Hayes
After ten years as a television camerawoman, Ella Hayes started her own photography business so that she could work around the demands of her young family. As an award-winning wedding photographer, she’s documented hundreds of love stories in beautiful locations, both at home and abroad. She lives in central Scotland with her husband and two grown-up sons. She loves reading, traveling with her camera, running and great coffee.
Books by Ella Hayes
Harlequin Romance
Her Brooding Scottish Heir
Italian Summer with the Single Dad
Unlocking the Tycoon’s Heart
Tycoon’s Unexpected Caribbean Fling
The Single Dad’s Christmas Proposal
Their Surprise Safari Reunion
Barcelona Fling with a Secret Prince
One Night on the French Riviera
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.
This one goes out to my sons, James and Matthew, who will probably never read it but will hopefully get to Lisbon one day and enjoy it as much as I did!
Praise for Ella Hayes
“Ella Hayes has surpassed herself with this delightfully warm romance. It keeps a reader on their toes with its twists and turns. The characters are believable and you can actually visualize the scenes through the exquisite descriptions. This book ambushes your senses and takes the reader on a beautiful journey with heart-stopping moments. A wonderful relaxing read.”
—Goodreads on Italian Summer with the Single Dad
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
