Her Frog Prince Read online

  Her Frog Prince

  By

  Shirley Jump

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  "I don't even want to kiss you!"

  What had she been thinking? Brad was the wrong man for her. He was a distraction.

  A damned good-looking distraction, but still.

  He rose, a tall stone sentry in the darkness. "Sure seemed like you wanted to kiss me a second ago."

  "You imagined that."

  "So if I kissed you right now, you'd hate it?"

  "I'd probably slap you." She could lie with the best of them. If he did kiss her, she didn't know what she'd do, but slapping him wasn't anywhere near what her body had in mind.

  "Then there's only one thing to do," he said, taking a step closer, to her coming within an inch of her mouth. His gaze flicked from her eyes to her lips and then back to her eyes. "Stay the hell away from each other." His face hardened, then he walked away.

  In a Fairy Tale World…

  Six reluctant couples.

  Five classic love stories.

  One matchmaking princess.

  And time is running out!

  THEIR LITTLE COWGIRL by Myrna Mackenzie

  (SR #1738) Oct 2004

  RICH MAN, POOR BRIDE by Linda Goodnight

  (SR #1742) Nov 2004

  HER FROG PRINCE by Shirley Jump

  (SR #1746) Dec 2004

  ENGAGED TO THE SHEIK by Sue Swift

  (SR #1750) Jan 2005

  NIGHTTIME SWEETHEARTS by Cara Colter

  (SR #1754) Feb 2005

  TWICE A PRINCESS by Susan Meier

  (SR # 1758) Mar 2005

  Dear Reader,

  When you're stuffing the stockings this year remember that Silhouette Romance's December lineup is the perfect complement to candy canes and chocolate! Remind your loved ones—and yourself—of the power of love.

  Open your heart to magic with the third installment of IN A FAIRY TALE WORLD… the miniseries where matchmaking gets a little help from an enchanted princess. In Her Frog Prince (SR #1746) Shirley Jump provides a rollicking good read with the antics of two opposites who couldn't be more attracted!

  Then meet a couple of heartbreaking cowboys from authors Linda Goodnight and Roxann Delaney. In The Least Likely Groom (SR #1747) Linda Goodnight brings us a risk-taking rodeo man who finds himself the recipient of lots of tender loving care—from one very special nurse! And Roxann Delaney pairs a beauty disguised as an ugly duckling with the man most likely to make her smolder, in The Truth About Plain Jane (SR #1748).

  Last but not least, discover the explosive potential of close proximity as a big-city physician works side by side with a small-town beauty. Is it her wacky ideas that drive him crazy—or his sudden desire to make her his? Find out in Love Chronicles (SR#1749) by Lissa Manley.

  Watch for more heartwarming titles in the coming year. You don't want to miss a single one!

  Happy reading!

  Mavis C. Allen

  Associate Senior Editor

  Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Shirley Jump for her contribution to the IN A FAIRY TALE WORLD… series.

  To my son, whose fascination with all things slimy and messy has made my life…interesting. You make me laugh more than anyone

  I've ever known and I wish I could bottle these days with my little boy forever. I love you, messes and all.

  ISBN 0-373-19746-2

  HER FROG PRINCE

  Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Books S.A.

  Books by Shirley Jump

  Silhouette Romance

  *The Virgin's Proposal #1641

  *The Bachelor's Dare #1700

  *The Daddy's Promise #1724

  Her Frog Prince #1746

  *The Dole Family

  SHIRLEY JUMP has been a writer ever since she learned to read. She sold her first article at the age of eleven and from there, became a reporter and finally a freelance writer. However, she always maintained the dream of writing fiction, too. Since then, she has made a full-time career out of writing, dividing her time between articles, nonfiction books and romance. With a husband, two children and a houseful of pets, inspiration abounds in her life, giving her good fodder for writing and a daily workout for her sense of humor.

  The Tale of Her Frog Prince

  Once upon a time a princess lost her golden ball down a deep, cool well. She cried as she heard it splash down below. She loved her ball and would give anything to have it rescued. That's when a frog popped up to offer his help.

  The frog said, "If you will love me and take me home with you I will bring your ball back."

  Thinking the stupid and ugly frog would have to stay in the water, the princess readily agreed. "I promise."

  But when the frog retrieved her ball, she hugged it to her chest and ran home, forgetting her promise—until the next day, when the frog came to her house. She slammed the door on him and tried to put him out of her mind. But her father insisted she honor her vow to the frog. Though she was horrified and afraid of the wart-covered frog, she knew she must obey her father.

  In her heart, however, she was bitter and angry. When they reached the bedroom she threw him against the wall. "Leave me alone, ugly frog!"

  But with her action he became a handsome prince, and she gladly agreed to keep her promise.

  From the Brothers Grimm

  Prologue

  Merry Montrose sat on the deck of Lady's Delight, the small cruise boat owned by La Torchere Resort and Spa, and tried not to look miserable. Being an old lady was getting to be, well…old. The curse her godmother Lissa had put on her seven years ago was nearly over, thank goodness. All she had to do was serve as matchmaker to three more couples. So far, she'd put eighteen together; surely, three more should be a cinch. Then she could go back to being twenty-nine-year-old Princess Meredith of Silestia and kiss this old-lady life—and the clunky shoes that came with it—goodbye.

  Today, with the horrendous heat, Lissa's spell seemed especially onerous. The air was sticky and thick, the kind of weather that made her wish it would just rain and get it over with.

  Merry had gotten on the boat early, to make sure she got the biggest, best and comfiest deck chair. As the resort manager, she should have deferred to a guest, but she did, after all, deserve the good chair, being a member of the elder set. Anyone who looked at her crone-like face and wrinkled skin would think she was at least…well, she didn't want to think about how old she looked. That kind of thought did nothing but depress her.

  She glanced down at her vein-mapped legs and age-spotted hands and bit back a sigh. Soon. Soon she'd be her young self again and the only wrinkles she'd have would be in her favorite linen suit.

  If the heat didn't kill her first. Once the boat got moving, the ocean breeze would cool her down and take her mind off the fact that she had only a few weeks until her thirtieth birthday. If she didn't finagle three more happily-ever-afters, she'd be stuck in this crone body forever.

  Merry had been forced to leave the kingdom of Silestia where her family—the royal family—lived and relocate to this island in southwest Florida. Once upon a time, she'd been a corporate lawyer. Now, without her resume, her looks or her money, she'd had to talk herself into this job as resort manager at La Torchere Resort and Spa.

  Well, she'd worked a little magic along the way, too. Thank God for that Bessart Family perk. Then Lissa had gone and followed
Merry here, getting a job as Lilith Peterson, the concierge. Probably so she could make sure Merry stuck to the conditions of the curse: No telling who she really was. No overt magic. And no return to her old life until she helped along twenty-one happily-ever-afters before she turned thirty. Now Lissa had added a twist—she wanted Merry to work this happy ending without the aid of any magic at all. She'd accused Merry of using it as a crutch. Well, what did Lissa expect? Merry was walking around in the body of a member of the elder set. She needed all the help she could get.

  She really needed to get Lissa a hobby so her godmother would stop interfering with Merry's life and quit this lesson-teaching thing. All it did was make her joints ache.

  Finally the resort guests began boarding the boat. The last one on—and in three-inch pink Prada heels no less—was Parris Hammond. They'd attended the same college together years ago, back when Merry had been Princess Meredith. Parris had arrived a few weeks ago to help with the resort's charity auction coming up soon and had been a thorn in Merry's existence ever since.

  Parris the Princess. Parris the Persnickety. Parris the Annoying.

  She'd run out of "P" words, but she had quite a few left from other letters of the alphabet to describe the former debutante.

  A lot had changed for Merry in the years since college, but from what she'd seen of Parris lately, not much had changed for—or about—her former classmate.

  Parris took a menu from the cook's assistant as she stepped into the boat and immediately let out a sharp sound of disapproval. "I cannot believe the catered lunch for this cruise is nothing more than tea and a bunch of garden vegetables between two slices of bread."

  The skinny sous-chef looked like he wished he'd stayed belowdecks instead of greeting passengers. "Ma'am, I assure you, the chefs portabello and artichoke sandwiches are a delight. They'll be quite filling."

  "Steak is filling. Lobster is filling. A mushroom, however, is a fungus." Parris shook her head, dug in her purse and tugged out a minirecorder. "Note to self—double-check the menu for the charity auction. If people have empty stomachs, they'll leave with full wallets." She clicked the recorder off, then slid it back into the tiny pink purse dangling from her wrist.

  Parris. Still the same as she had been back in college. A major pain in the—

  "Can I get you anything, Miss Montrose?"

  Merry pressed a handkerchief to her forehead. "Ice water. Extra ice."

  "Are you people ever going to get this boat moving?" Parris asked, toe tapping against the wooden deck. "We're ten minutes late leaving. I have a meeting with the Phipps-Stovers at three." She parked her hands on her hips and eyed another crew member. "Well? Are we leaving or not?"

  The mate, who couldn't have been more than nineteen, scuttled back several steps. "Right away, ma'am."

  As they got underway, Merry thought if there was anyone she'd known over the years who needed to learn a little humility, it was Parris Hammond. The woman had all the warmth of a porcupine. Somebody ought to teach her a lesson. Maybe put a heel in her pink designer-clad behind when she got too close to the edge. Let some fisherman find her.

  Merry smiled and adjusted her sunglasses. The cruise boat was coining upon a small fishing vessel with a very scruffy looking fellow sitting in it. Hmm…

  Now that was a match she hadn't tried before. Uppity Parris Hammond and a male who spent his days in the dregs of the ocean—a fisherman.

  Well, she always had liked a challenge. And Parris looked awfully hot. A little cooling off might do them all a world of good.

  Chapter One

  There it was. Smooth, pink, and gorgeous as hell. Well, gorgeous to him. Everyone else in the world would probably look at the object of Brad Smith's desire and lose their lunch.

  Or worse, consider it lunch. In some parts of the world, she'd be considered a delicacy.

  Brad was inches away from scooping up another prize squid out of the ocean. It wasn't the species he was seeking, but it was one that could provide a few bonus points when he presented his research to The National Aquatic Research Foundation in two weeks. He needed every boost he could get.

  He'd been out here the entire day, and all he had to show for his efforts was one sunburned nose—he'd forgotten the zinc smear on the bridge again—and three dead mackerel, probably thrown back by fishermen who'd accidentally caught them in their nets in their quest for the big-bucks tunas and marlins of Florida's southwest coastline.

  The flash of pink went by again, close enough to the surface that Brad could have almost caught it by hand. He dropped his net into the water slowly, hoping he wouldn't startle the creature before he could catch it and study it.

  With his other hand, he dipped an oar into the water and pushed the boat to the left. Gentle. Quiet. Easy now, here she comes again.

  He reached forward and—

  Before he could net anything at all, a full orchestra of screams arose from behind him, punctuated by a splash, scaring off the fish, the seagulls and the specimen.

  Brad cursed and yanked the empty net into his boat. He wheeled around and saw a pleasure boat tooling away, its wake coming for his little craft like a wave of ants determined to knock over a picnic basket. Caught in the undulating waves behind the retreating Lady's Delight was a screeching woman.

  Definitely not a mermaid. Too obnoxious sounding to be a whale.

  Had to be a tourist.

  "Just when I'm about to catch a good one," Brad muttered to Gigi, his shelter-rescued chow, who'd taken her favorite spot on the bow of the inflatable Zodiac boat. "Why do people tour anyway? Why can't they swim in their own pools and stay the hell out of southwest Florida?"

  Gigi gave him a soulful look, then lowered her head to her paws.

  Brad shouted at the pleasure boat but it didn't turn around. The woman hadn't stopped shrieking, either. He braced his hands on the sides of his eighteen-foot-long boat, holding on as the waves rocked the little craft to the side and back again, each wave lessening in strength.

  And still the banshee went on screaming.

  Gigi perked up her ears and gave him a bark.

  "Oh, you think I should rescue her, huh? Like some knight in shining armor?" Brad looked over the side of his boat, hoping in vain for another flash of pink, but there was nothing. As long as the she-devil was in the water, all marine life was heading for the northern panhandle. If he were smart, so would he. "All right, I'll help her out. But only for the sake of the sea creatures."

  Gigi yipped approval and got to her feet. A forty-pound chow in an inflatable research boat wasn't a good combination, but his dog had long ago gotten her sea legs.

  Brad tugged up the anchor, yanked the cord on the electric motor, then, with a scowl and several muttered curses, guided the boat to the thrashing woman. He turned off the motor to coast the last few feet toward her so the propeller wouldn't turn her into bait.

  Gigi held her ground, balancing on the little wooden seat with all four paws, letting out barks like a canine version of hot-cold as they got closer.

  The woman's blond head bobbed in the water, went under, then back up again. A wave dipped beneath her chin.

  "You all right?" he called to her.

  "Do I—" she spit out a swallow of seawater "—look all right to you?"

  He tossed the anchor over the opposite side, then turned back to her, draping his arms over his knees. "What you look is wet."

  Beneath the water, he could see long legs and arms making broad strokes as she treaded water with fast, anxious moves, her pink skirt billowing out like the mantle of a jellyfish. If she kept up like that, she'd wear out in five minutes and sink.

  Getting a squid into his boat wasn't a problem. Helping a full-grown woman into it was another story. She could easily swamp them and then they'd both be shark snacks. He cast another glance toward the pleasure boat, but it was quickly becoming a dot against the horizon.

  She bobbed down, then up again. "Hey, fisher boy! Could you pay attention? There's a drowning
—" she spit out more seawater "—woman here!"

  Calling him "fisher boy" did not induce him to give her a helping hand. "You're not drowning. And you look like you can take care of yourself," he said. "Land's only about three, four miles away."

  "Get me out of this water," she said, pronouncing each word with the precision of the Catholic nuns who'd taught him multiplication. "Now."

  He didn't move. "Why are you in it?"

  She gave him a look that said she thought he was an idiot. "I fell in. Obviously."

  "Or did your friends push you in?"

  Behind him, Gigi barked. Clearly his chow thought he should stop torturing and start rescuing.

  "And what on earth—" more water out "—is that supposed to mean?"

  "Well frankly, you don't seem very pleasant."

  "Excuse me?"

  He had never seen anyone look so haughty while they were treading water. "I'm choosy about who rides in my boat."

  She gave him a glare that could have melted a diamond. Her arms started moving even faster at her sides, her legs kicking like hyperactive jackrabbits beneath her. "I'm wet. And late for a meeting. And getting very angry. Before I yank you in the water by your flannel shirt and use your head as a life preserver, would you please get me out of here?"

  If he'd been raised a jerk, he'd have left her there. Her "please" had sounded about as pleasant as turnips for lunch. Maybe he should leave anyway. Start a new trend of jerkiness. Being a nice guy certainly hadn't gotten him much in life thus far.

  But…she did have pretty green eyes. And green happened to be his favorite color. Despite her words, he felt himself relenting. A little. "Gee, when you ask so nicely, how can a guy refuse?"