Suzanne McMinn - The Billionaire And The Bassinet

Ben had grown distant and morose, alternating between long silences and angry outbursts. And Lanie knew she’d made a mistake—that they had both made a mistake. But she wasn’t a quitter and she’d tried to make their marriage work despite the coldness with which he’d pushed her away.

By the time he died, she wasn’t sure if Ben had ever loved her or if she had merely been a means to break away from his father. But whatever the fate of their marriage might have been if he’d lived, she still mourned him—that his life had been cut too short, that her baby would never know its father.

She had little family of her own left—only a brother on military duty overseas. But Ben had family, and so did her baby.

Her gaze moved out the window again. The yard was empty now, the clothesline bare. Garrett was gone, which was just as well. She didn’t need to be tempted by his strong arms, to fantasize what it would feel like to have those arms around her, to feel that exciting ripple of warmth inside her when he looked at her. Not when she felt so very lonely.

Thoughts of Garrett were dangerous. Garrett was dangerous. He was the sort of man who would have everything he wanted, wouldn’t settle for less.

And he wanted something from her.

This time, Lanie couldn’t hide from the little ripple that shuddered inside her. This time it was fear.

“Your home is lovely.”

Garrett opened his mouth to explain to the Berringers, Lanie’s guests for the night, that the Sweet Dreams Bed and Breakfast wasn’t his home, but a soft voice from behind stopped him.

“Thank you.”

He turned. Lanie, dressed now in a flowing yellow undress that lit up her eyes and hair, seemed to float into the parlor. She smiled at the Berringers, looking rested and relaxed.

Weren’t pregnant women supposed to be awkward? Garret thought. There was nothing ungainly about Lanie.

She moved like a feather. A delicate, beautiful feather. Garrett found her gracefulness annoying.

But then, he found her mere presence annoying, he decided. He hadn’t meant to call her down when her guests arrived—despite her instructions. He’d intended to avoid her entirely for the rest of the evening. But here she was, anyway.

“I hope you had a nice trip,” Lanie was saying. She still hadn’t looked at him.

He, on the other hand, was having a hard time taking his eyes off her.

“Oh, yes,” Mrs. Berringer replied. She was a heavyset woman and the sofa made a groaning noise when she sat down on it. “But I’m so glad to be here.”

She reached for one of the canapés artfully arranged on a tray on the coffee table. Garrett had placed the tray of appetizers out, just as Lanie had instructed.

Mr. Berringer settled into an armchair.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Lanie indicated a bottle of wine chilling in a bucket near the canapés. Another tray held several glasses.

The Berringers accepted, and Lanie sat down, leaning forward to pour the wine into the glasses. Garrett watched her long hair fall over her bare shoulders in shimmery, touchable waves. Unbidden came the urge to reach out, to wrap a finger around one of those locks, to discover just how soft and touchable they really were....

Garrett’s chest tightened, and he realized he’d almost forgotten to breathe. This whole domestic setup was doing a number on his brain, he told himself. Either that, or she was, indeed, a sorceress.

“I’ll take these things upstairs,” he announced abruptly.

He grabbed the bags and bounded up the creaking, narrow stairs. When he came back down, he found Mrs. Berringer stuffing a canapé into her mouth and Lanie in the middle of what sounded like a history of the house.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.