Read Online Dad's E-Mail Order Bride by Candy Halliday - Alaska Bound 01 - Dad's E-Mail Order Bride - Free Book Online

present, and how can he stay angry?
    His daughter was still smiling when she reached under the table and produced a small black gift bag with Over the Hill written across the front. “Happy Birthday, Dad.”
    Rachel slid the bag in his direction.
    “You’ll notice I’m ignoring the over the hill part,” Graham grumbled as he unwrapped the present and pulled out a CD.
    “It’s a mix I made of your favorite Sinatra songs that you’ve bored me with my whole life,” Rachel teased.
    In spite of his irritation with her, Graham leaned over and kissed his daughter on the cheek. “Thank you, pumpkin. You couldn’t have gotten me anything I’ll enjoy more.”
    It crossed Graham’s mind he hadn’t used his pet name for Rachel in a long time. He was still wondering why when Rachel looked at Courtney.
    “Dad’s a closet romantic, Courtney. So don’t let him fool you. He does have a sensitive side.”
    And then Graham remembered. His pumpkin could be downright rotten sometimes.
    “Courtney’s a big Sinatra fan, too,” Rachel said.
    Graham looked over at Courtney. “Really?”
    Courtney shrugged. “What can I say? You can’t grow up in New York and not be a Sinatra fan.”
    Rachel was out of her chair in a flash. She pointed a finger at both of them as she said, “You two stay right here until I get back. I’ll only be gone a minute.”

    C OURTNEY LOOKED at Graham when Rachel left.
    “Do I dare ask what’s coming next?” he asked.
    “I have no idea,” Courtney said, and it was true.
    “Then maybe we should run for our lives,” he said.
    Courtney laughed. “Don’t worry. Between the two of us, I think we can take her.”
    He leaned back in his chair and took a sip of wine, and all Courtney could think was how gorgeous he looked in a tux. And that led her to thoughts of how good Graham would look out of his tux.
    Finally, she’d met a man who held her interest. And not just physically.
    Courtney was attracted to everything about Graham. His intelligence. His wit. His quiet confidence. The love she saw in his eyes every time he looked at his daughter—even when Rachel was being a total pain. If she could place an order for everything she wanted in a man, Graham would be the man UPS delivered on her doorstep.
    How tragic there was nothing she could do about it.
    Not in three short days.
    Graham hadn’t even known she existed until seven hours ago. Yet, he’d been on her mind for three long months. It wasn’t fair to expect Graham to treat her like anything other than what she was—a total stranger.
    A weekend wouldn’t be long enough to change that.
    But Courtney did hope one thing. She hoped Graham would at least think about her now and then after she was gone.
    Rachel rushed back into the room holding a portable CD player, and two seconds later Old Blue Eyes was singing about strangers in the night exchanging glances.
    “See,” Rachel said brightly. “Even Frank is trying to tell you guys something. So be a gentleman, Dad, and ask Courtney to dance.”
    Courtney could tell from Graham’s expression he hadn’t seen that one coming. Neither had she. She was going to have a serious talk with Rachel about her constantly trying to push them together.
    Courtney didn’t want Graham to be forced into dancing with her, or hooking up with her, or anything else. She was still trying to think of some way to rescue both of them when Graham stood and held out his hand.
    “May I have this dance, Courtney?” he asked politely.
    The next thing Courtney knew, she was in Graham’s arms. And her head wasn’t reeling from just the fancy turns he was making as he twirled her around the great room of the lodge.
    It barely registered when Rachel called out she was going to her room to call her friend Tiki. But the second Rachel left, Graham pulled Courtney even tighter against him.
    She gasped, barely able to breathe.
    He threw in a few more fancy dance steps as Sinatra sang “Under My Skin.” Graham whispered