Beautiful young Nicola Warren was amazed when her boss, high-fashion photographer Alex Laird, called from California with orders for her to meet him in San Diego. She'd thought that Juliette Denver, Alex's latest model, would be keeping him so busy he wouldn't need or want his secretary hanging around. Yet Nicola was in for an even bigger surprise when she arrived. With next to no explanation, Alex swept her across the Mexican border for a "marriage of convenience!' Having Nicola for a temporary wife would afford Alex protection, both from the predatory Juliette and as a cover for staying in town to assist the police in cracking an international smuggling ring. But becoming Mrs. Alex Laird opened the way to a new life for Nicola— a life filled with unexpected dangers and the dawning of romance. . .