Read Online Bride by the Book (Crimson Romance) by Kathryn Brocato - Free Book Online
Authors: Kathryn Brocato
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lofty tones that cleaning duties were not in their job descriptions. Now that he’d seen the lengths to which Angie would go to impress him, Garner was willing to believe almost anything about her motives.
She had carted every stack of books out of his office, then she’d tackled the floor. After that, she had attacked his desk with the zeal of a Green Beret primed to kill. Once Garner had realized she wasn’t going to touch the papers he was working on, he had given her a key and gone home.
That had been at ten o’clock, the hour he usually went to bed. At four that morning he’d received a phone call from a client who had landed himself in jail in the nearby city of El Dorado and needed a lawyer to bail him out. When he drove by his office, he discovered the lights blazing and Angie still hard at work. She was cleaning windows with paper towels and spray cleaner.
When, he’d wondered, did she plan on sleeping?
“You’re right, Cliff.” He stared down at the shining, hardwood floor. She had actually polished it. “Why would a woman go through this much work just to get me?”
No woman would do that much hard labor just to impress a potential husband, Garner reiterated inwardly. She wanted something else. She had to. But what?
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Cliff studied the neat stacks of books waiting on the clean floor for their shelves. “It isn’t as if you’re good-tempered, or rich, or any sort of social asset …”
Garner turned and caught his brother-in-law’s grin. “You’re right about that. Maybe I’m the key to saving her beloved little brother from prison or something.”
“Actually, she’s probably just a woman trying to hold a job, and who happens to have a lot of energy.” Cliff studied a framed painting of wood ducks nesting in a hollow tree that hung in the outer office. The painting was the only tangible evidence of Garner’s former glory as a corporate attorney. “Yesterday this picture had cobwebs and dust an inch thick on the frame. The woman’s a treasure. Better give her a big raise before one of those old lawyers in the Pritchard Firm discovers her.”
Garner scowled. Any lawyer’s office would be happy to have someone like Angie Brownwood sitting at their front desk.
“At four this morning, she was still at it,” he said, inspecting the clean, polished floor in his office. “In white linen trousers, no less. What time do you think she’ll come dragging in this afternoon?”
“Who cares?” Cliff followed, gazing in awe at Garner’s diplomas, newly dusted. “Give the poor girl a break, Garner. She just did the work of six cleaning services.”
“I just hope she’s here to supervise those shelves,” Garner grumbled. “They’re supposed to be delivered at nine on the dot, just as Her Highness ordered.”
He set his briefcase on the shining hardwood floor beside his desk and followed Cliff across the street to the diner. Naturally, he was thrilled at the state of his office, but the idea that his wonderful new secretary wasn’t likely to be on time depressed him. He’d been looking forward to seeing her.
Perhaps he should make an appointment with a good psychiatrist.
On the other hand, who could blame a jaded cynic such as himself for wanting to warm himself at the blazing fire of her innocent enthusiasm for life?
He ordered his usual lean breakfast and the same for Cliff, ignoring the other man’s hangdog expression. “Cheer up. You’ve lost five pounds already.”
“Is all this suffering worth a mere five pounds?” Cliff asked Dolly Sims, who was grumpily writing down the order.
“Five pounds?” Dolly glared over the edge of her order book at Cliff’s middle. “Can’t tell it,” she said, and stalked off.
Cliff buried his face in his hands with a heartfelt groan.
“Shut up, Cliff. You have a pretty young wife to enchant. She—” He broke off and stared out the picture window. “Good God. Look who’s here.”
Cliff
She had carted every stack of books out of his office, then she’d tackled the floor. After that, she had attacked his desk with the zeal of a Green Beret primed to kill. Once Garner had realized she wasn’t going to touch the papers he was working on, he had given her a key and gone home.
That had been at ten o’clock, the hour he usually went to bed. At four that morning he’d received a phone call from a client who had landed himself in jail in the nearby city of El Dorado and needed a lawyer to bail him out. When he drove by his office, he discovered the lights blazing and Angie still hard at work. She was cleaning windows with paper towels and spray cleaner.
When, he’d wondered, did she plan on sleeping?
“You’re right, Cliff.” He stared down at the shining, hardwood floor. She had actually polished it. “Why would a woman go through this much work just to get me?”
No woman would do that much hard labor just to impress a potential husband, Garner reiterated inwardly. She wanted something else. She had to. But what?
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Cliff studied the neat stacks of books waiting on the clean floor for their shelves. “It isn’t as if you’re good-tempered, or rich, or any sort of social asset …”
Garner turned and caught his brother-in-law’s grin. “You’re right about that. Maybe I’m the key to saving her beloved little brother from prison or something.”
“Actually, she’s probably just a woman trying to hold a job, and who happens to have a lot of energy.” Cliff studied a framed painting of wood ducks nesting in a hollow tree that hung in the outer office. The painting was the only tangible evidence of Garner’s former glory as a corporate attorney. “Yesterday this picture had cobwebs and dust an inch thick on the frame. The woman’s a treasure. Better give her a big raise before one of those old lawyers in the Pritchard Firm discovers her.”
Garner scowled. Any lawyer’s office would be happy to have someone like Angie Brownwood sitting at their front desk.
“At four this morning, she was still at it,” he said, inspecting the clean, polished floor in his office. “In white linen trousers, no less. What time do you think she’ll come dragging in this afternoon?”
“Who cares?” Cliff followed, gazing in awe at Garner’s diplomas, newly dusted. “Give the poor girl a break, Garner. She just did the work of six cleaning services.”
“I just hope she’s here to supervise those shelves,” Garner grumbled. “They’re supposed to be delivered at nine on the dot, just as Her Highness ordered.”
He set his briefcase on the shining hardwood floor beside his desk and followed Cliff across the street to the diner. Naturally, he was thrilled at the state of his office, but the idea that his wonderful new secretary wasn’t likely to be on time depressed him. He’d been looking forward to seeing her.
Perhaps he should make an appointment with a good psychiatrist.
On the other hand, who could blame a jaded cynic such as himself for wanting to warm himself at the blazing fire of her innocent enthusiasm for life?
He ordered his usual lean breakfast and the same for Cliff, ignoring the other man’s hangdog expression. “Cheer up. You’ve lost five pounds already.”
“Is all this suffering worth a mere five pounds?” Cliff asked Dolly Sims, who was grumpily writing down the order.
“Five pounds?” Dolly glared over the edge of her order book at Cliff’s middle. “Can’t tell it,” she said, and stalked off.
Cliff buried his face in his hands with a heartfelt groan.
“Shut up, Cliff. You have a pretty young wife to enchant. She—” He broke off and stared out the picture window. “Good God. Look who’s here.”
Cliff
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