Read Online A Christmas Bride by Hope Ramsay - Free Book Online

to get away from Roxy, but there was no graceful way to escape. So he let her hang on his arm as he snagged a glass of Bordeaux from one of the circulating waiters. And then he followed her lead as she headed toward the fireplace, which was roaring away in full holiday blaze, its mantel festooned with greenery and colorful quilted Christmas stockings.
    His mother was waiting there, sipping a glass of red.
    “Hello, dear,” Mother said, giving him a warm and somewhat intense hug. She pushed him back at arm’s length. “I heard that you and Heather had a visitor this morning.”
    Here it came. He braced for her displeasure.
    “Did you really tell Jeff he should elope?”
    “What?” Roxy pulled away a fraction of an inch. “David, you didn’t. Really?”
    “I wasn’t the one who put the idea in his head. Jeff made it quite clear that Melissa didn’t like your plans for her wedding. He asked me to host the wedding at Eagle Hill Manor and then threatened to elope. I called his bluff. It seemed the simplest solution to his problem.”
    Mother and Roxy rolled their eyes in unison. He sipped his wine, fortifying himself for the battle to come.
    “They can’t elope,” Mother said in her take-no-prisoners tone. “It would be a disaster. We need that wedding, David. You of all people should realize that. We’re inviting all the A-list New York donors, most of whom are Nina’s good friends.”
    Mother hadn’t said anything he didn’t already know. But for some reason the truth, spoken out loud in that tone of voice, raised a deep shame that spilled through him like a poison.
    Shelly would be so disappointed in you .
    Willow’s parting words, meant to hurt, had done their job. She’d left him scored and bloody on the inside.
    “Did Shelly cry the night before our wedding?” he asked.
    Mother’s gaze narrowed. “David, what on earth…?”
    “Did she? Willow Petersen says she did.”
    “I have no idea. David, your wedding was beautiful. My goodness, we had the vice president there. And your father managed to work out that deal on—”
    “She did cry. And she never said one word about it.”
    “David, really, we’re not talking about Shelly. I know this is hard for you, but—”
    “Yes, Mother, I know. We’re talking about my political career and Dad’s political career and how my wedding was mostly about that deal Dad worked out with the vice president. And, you know, I can suddenly see Jeff’s point.”
    “David, really, listen to—”
    “No, you listen.” He pulled away from Roxy and pointed rudely at his mother’s chest. “I don’t want this wedding to be about my election. And I sure as hell don’t want to play host to anyone at Eagle Hill Manor. So if neither of those options is going to work for Jeff and Melissa, then the best thing they could do for themselves and the rest of us is to elope.”
    He turned away and strode through the crowd looking for Natalie. He found her sitting on Uncle Jamie’s lap, having a fabulous time being the center of attention.
    Damn. He didn’t want to stay here a minute longer. He wasn’t in any kind of holly-jolly mood. He just wanted to be alone. Didn’t people understand that? The second anniversary of Shelly’s death was coming up. This time of year would never, ever be happy for him again.
    What he wanted was to drown himself in the bottle of bourbon waiting for him at home.
    “Natalie. We’re going,” he said.
    His daughter looked up. He wasn’t immune to the disappointment in her dark chocolate eyes.
    Damn.
    That look clawed at him, and he had to suppress the urge to drop to his knees and give his child an endless hug and promise that he’d find some way not to disappoint her all the time.
    But he didn’t know how to make his knees bend or his arms open. Besides, if he stopped and gave Natalie a hug right here in front of everyone, he might hold on to her forever. He might not be able to let go. He might weep.
    And Lyndons weren’t supposed