Mergers & Matrimony Allison Leigh Synopsis: To: Helen Hanson From: Richard Warren Re: Almost Through! It's been an exhausting battle, but we're almost done with the merger between Hanson Media and the Japanese powerhouse TAKA Corporation. And we couldn't have done it without your business savvy, Helen. Your late husband, George, would be proud of all you've done to salvage the business for his kids. I hear that you and the fierce head negotiator, Morito Taka, are getting on famously. I'm surprised that he'd even talk to someone from the other side of the negotiating table, but your all-American beauty and sparkling blue eyes seem to have captivated him! Just be careful, Helen: mixing work with pleasure can be a very risky business.... 4 Thank you to Brian France and Caren Quintanilla who graciously shared with me their experiences of Japan. If the setting for Helen and Mori's tale is half as vivid as their insights, I will consider myself fortunate. All errors are definitely my own. Thank you, also, to Susan Mallery, Wendy Warren, Victoria Pade, Elizabeth Harbison and Brenda Harlen. It was a pleasure working with you all. And lastly, to Greg. Thank you for being in my life. MERGERS & MATRIMONY ALLISON LEIGH SPECIAL EDITION' Published by Silhouette Books America's Publisher of Contemporary Romance 5 If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this "stripped book." Acknowledgment Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Allison Leigh for her contribution to the FAMILY BUSINESS miniseries. SILHOUETTE BOOKS ISBN 0-373-24761-3 MERGERS & MATRIMONY Copyright �2006 by Harlequin Books U.S.A. All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A. All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books U.S.A. �and are trademarks of Harlequin Books U.S.A., used under license. Trademarks indicated with �are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries. Visit Silhouette Books at www.eHarlequin.com Printed in U.S.A. Books by Allison Leigh Silhouette Special Edition Srav... #1170 The Rancher and the Redhead A Wedding for Maggie #1241 A Child for Christmas #1290 Millionaire's Instant family #1312 Married to a Stranger #1336 Mother in a Moment #1367 Her Unforgettable Fianc� #138) The Princess and the Duke #1465 Montana Lawman #1497 Hard Choices Secretly Married #1591 Men of the Double-C Ranch Home on the Ranch The Truth about the Tycoon #1651 All He Ever Wanted The Tycoon's Marriage Bid #1707 A Montana Homecoming #1718 Mergers & Matrimony #1761 ALISON LEIGH started early by writing a Halloween play that her grade-school class performed. Since then, though her tastes have changed, her love for reading has not. And her writing appetite simply grows more voracious by the day. She has been a finalist in the RITA�Award and the Holt Medallion contests. But the true highlights of her day as a writer are when she receives word from a reader that they laughed, cried or lost a night of sleep while reading one of her books. Born in Southern California, Allison has lived in several different cities in four different states. She has been, at one time or another, a cosmetologist, a computer programmer and a secretary. She has recently begun writing full-time after spending nearly a decade as an administrative assistant for a busy neighborhood church, and currently makes her home in Arizona with her family. She loves to hear from her readers, who can write to her at P.O. Box 40772 Mesa. AZ 85274-0772. 6 GLOSSARY JapaneseEnglish haiyes sumimasenI'm sorry; pardon me NesutotakaMori's (fictional) birthplace domo arigato gozaimasu thank you very much dozo yoroshikupleased to meet you kombanwagood evening kampaicheers sayonaragoodbye konnichiwagood afternoon genkanentry of Japanese house ojiisangrandfather ohashichopsticks gaijinforeign person TakayamaA (real) city in Japan Senseiteacher Ojama shimashitaI have disturbed you-said when leaving someone's home or office Morito (Mori) Takahero's name Shiguro TakaMori's brother Yukio TakaMori's father KimikoMori's daughter MisakiMori's cousin SumikoMori's deceased wife AkiraMori's driver 7 She was never going to be happy again. Why couldn't she stop that thought from circling her head? Helen Hanson quietly rose from her chair and made her way from the wedding reception. Not a single person sitting at the crystal-bedecked table gave her a second glance. Why would they? They were all virtual strangers, connected strictly because of their connection to the bride, who'd already departed the reception with her devoted groom. The ballroom was filled with people who were virtual strangers. And the ones who weren't strangers--most of them, anyway-would probably be glad of Helen's absence, should they happen to notice. 8 Her knees felt weak. Her heart was thudding. She very much feared she was beginning to sweat. Perhaps she was having a hot flash. She was only forty-one, but that didn't mean much. Menopause? Perimenopause? Simple insanity? She pasted a pleasant smile on her face as she nodded blankly at the gazes she happened to intercept while she wound through the tables. She might be falling apart, but she'd be damned if she'd let it show. She was never going to be happy again. "Stop it," she whispered to herself as she slipped out into the solitude of the corridor. The narrow heels of her Manolos sank into the thick ivory carpet and she pressed her palm flat against the silky-sheened wallpaper, steadying herself. A young couple, laughing, rounded the corner at the end of the hall and Helen lowered her hand, managing another smile. "Mrs. Hanson," the young woman, Samara, greeted her. "Didn't Jenny look beautiful?" Helen nodded. Samara had been Jenny's maid of honor. "She did. As do you." The girl flushed prettily and waved a little as her date dragged her back to the reception. Alone again, Helen's smile faded and she walked down the hall. She wanted nothing more than to escape. To close herself in her hotel room where she could replace her couture gown with her soft fleecy sweats that were about a hundred years old and bury her head in her pillows. There, she wouldn't have to maintain the smile, the pleasant facade, the veneer of confidence that was meant to assure everyone that she knew what she was doing. Damn you, George. Wasn't anger one of the typical stages of grief? If it was, she didn't feel as if she'd ever get off that particular tread-board. Her eyes burned and she started to duck into the ladies' restroom, but the sound of feminine laughter coming from inside stopped her, and she kept walking down the hall, turning corners, this way and that, only reversing her direction once again when she'd reached the kitchen and realized she was getting in the way of the busy catering staff. She hauled in a shaking breath, smoothing her hands over the sides of her drawn-back hair. Get a grip, Helen. This is a happy day. Jenny's, wedding day. Your daughter's wedding day. To a man, a truly good man whom Helen considered a friend, even. She closed her eyes for a moment. It was a blessing. Jenny and Richard were married. And Jenny had wanted Helen to be there. The baby girl that she'd given up so very long ago had welcomed her. Helen had no reason for tears. They burned behind her eyes, anyway. "Mrs. Hanson." The voice was deep. Only slightly accented. It could have belonged to any man, anywhere. She still recognized it, and it made her spine go ramrod straight. She wasn't just anywhere. She was in Tokyo. 10 And he wasn't just any man. She blinked hurriedly, then angled her chin toward him, sending him a pleasant smile. "Mr. Taka," she greeted. "I hope you and your guest are enjoying the festivity." Morito Taka-she knew some called him Mori, but those who did were close to him, which she was not- did not have an expression of happiness on his stern countenance. He looked the way he'd looked in every business meeting he'd grudgingly taken with her. Disinterested, aloof and completely dispassionate. "Jenny and Richard, all of us, are honored by your presence this evening." The words were as sincere as she could make them. Not only was Jenny employed by a TAKA-owned newspaper, but it had been Helen's idea for Hanson Media Group to climb into bed with TAKA. It was the only way to save the company her husband had left in shambles. But that didn't mean she had enjoyed a moment of the experience. "You seem...disturbed." He made the comment almost unwillingly. His gaze-so dark a brown it was almost obsidian-was unwavering. She'd seen an occasional picture of the Japanese mogul before they'd met face-to-face-all part of her research-but it had in no way ...
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