Read Online Inheriting His Secret Christmas Baby by Heidi Betts - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Heidi Betts
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Love Stories, Christmas stories, Dynasties: Jarrods, Paternity, Businessmen - Colorado - Aspen, Aspen (Colo.)
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finally poking her head out of the bedroom and once again coming face-to-face with her host.
It had taken every ounce of composure she possessed just to get through last evening. Especially after half the bags from Jarrod Ridge had been unpacked and he’d carried plates of food to the dining area and invited her to eat with him.
What she’d really wanted to do was race upstairs and lock herself into the guest bedroom with Bradley. Bury her head under the quilted satin duvet and not come out until morning.
Playing ostrich seemed like such a good idea compared to remaining in Trevor’s presence. She hated to admit it—really hated to admit it—but he intimidated her. In addition to his significant wealth, his towering height, broad shoulders and movie-star good looks were more than a little overwhelming.
Oh, she hadn’t been the least bit overwhelmed or intimidated when she’d stuffed Bradley in his car seat and headed for Aspen to confront the man who’d unwittingly impregnated her sister and left a child fatherless.
Nor had she felt so much as a twinge of nerves while she’d stared down Trevor’s overprotective secretary, demanding an appointment with him, or sat in his office waiting for him to arrive so she could toss the cold bucket of reality in his face.
She hadn’t even been worried when he insisted they go for blood tests immediately, even though it meant getting into a car with a man she’d never met before and letting him drive away from a public place crowded with witnesses.
Not the smartest thing she’d ever done, admittedly, but none of that had caused her a moment’s hesitation.
Then somehow, somewhere along the way, the tables had turned and she’d gone from being a woman in control and on a mission, to a woman completely out of her element, maneuvered as easily as a remote-control airplane by her nephew’s absentee father.
She felt completely at his mercy. Not only because she was staying under his roof, but because she knew how easy it would be for him to take Bradley from her if he really wanted to.
Which made her wonder if this luncheon with Trevor’s sister was a good idea…or a mistake of epic proportions. Given how Haylie was feeling at the moment, she suspected it could go either way.
With a sigh, she took one last look around the room to be sure she had everything, then collected her purse and Bradley’s diaper bag, and finally Bradley. The bedroom door swung open without a sound, and she moved just as quietly down the hall, down the stairs and into the main area of the house.
Trevor was already in the kitchen, awake and ready to start his day. Well, no surprise there, since it was past 10:00 a.m. He’d told her last night to take her time getting ready; that they would both go into the Manor just before she was supposed to meet Erica.
But unlike yesterday, he was quite obviously dressed for the office. Instead of a warm, thick sweater, comfortable jeans and Timberland boots, he wore a blue suit so dark it was nearly black, a bright red tie and dress shoes polished to a high shine.
She didn’t know enough about designer clothes to properly place each item of his wardrobe, but she would have bet money none of them came off the rack, and that each bore some fancy, posh name like Gucci or Valentino or Armani.
Her own ensemble, provided by one of the exclusive Jarrod Ridge boutiques, had come with similar tags, but not by any designers she recognized. Just wearing them made her feel as though she was covered in something very fragile and valuable. Not the sort of clothes you wanted to snag or dirty or, God forbid, spill something on. And with a four-month-old whose favorite pastimes were chewing on her sleeve or spitting up on her shoulder, she was a walking bundle of nerves—for more reasons than one.
“Good morning,” Trevor murmured as soon as he saw her.
He stepped forward, coffee cup in his hand, and she caught a sudden whiff of his cologne. Something crisp and
It had taken every ounce of composure she possessed just to get through last evening. Especially after half the bags from Jarrod Ridge had been unpacked and he’d carried plates of food to the dining area and invited her to eat with him.
What she’d really wanted to do was race upstairs and lock herself into the guest bedroom with Bradley. Bury her head under the quilted satin duvet and not come out until morning.
Playing ostrich seemed like such a good idea compared to remaining in Trevor’s presence. She hated to admit it—really hated to admit it—but he intimidated her. In addition to his significant wealth, his towering height, broad shoulders and movie-star good looks were more than a little overwhelming.
Oh, she hadn’t been the least bit overwhelmed or intimidated when she’d stuffed Bradley in his car seat and headed for Aspen to confront the man who’d unwittingly impregnated her sister and left a child fatherless.
Nor had she felt so much as a twinge of nerves while she’d stared down Trevor’s overprotective secretary, demanding an appointment with him, or sat in his office waiting for him to arrive so she could toss the cold bucket of reality in his face.
She hadn’t even been worried when he insisted they go for blood tests immediately, even though it meant getting into a car with a man she’d never met before and letting him drive away from a public place crowded with witnesses.
Not the smartest thing she’d ever done, admittedly, but none of that had caused her a moment’s hesitation.
Then somehow, somewhere along the way, the tables had turned and she’d gone from being a woman in control and on a mission, to a woman completely out of her element, maneuvered as easily as a remote-control airplane by her nephew’s absentee father.
She felt completely at his mercy. Not only because she was staying under his roof, but because she knew how easy it would be for him to take Bradley from her if he really wanted to.
Which made her wonder if this luncheon with Trevor’s sister was a good idea…or a mistake of epic proportions. Given how Haylie was feeling at the moment, she suspected it could go either way.
With a sigh, she took one last look around the room to be sure she had everything, then collected her purse and Bradley’s diaper bag, and finally Bradley. The bedroom door swung open without a sound, and she moved just as quietly down the hall, down the stairs and into the main area of the house.
Trevor was already in the kitchen, awake and ready to start his day. Well, no surprise there, since it was past 10:00 a.m. He’d told her last night to take her time getting ready; that they would both go into the Manor just before she was supposed to meet Erica.
But unlike yesterday, he was quite obviously dressed for the office. Instead of a warm, thick sweater, comfortable jeans and Timberland boots, he wore a blue suit so dark it was nearly black, a bright red tie and dress shoes polished to a high shine.
She didn’t know enough about designer clothes to properly place each item of his wardrobe, but she would have bet money none of them came off the rack, and that each bore some fancy, posh name like Gucci or Valentino or Armani.
Her own ensemble, provided by one of the exclusive Jarrod Ridge boutiques, had come with similar tags, but not by any designers she recognized. Just wearing them made her feel as though she was covered in something very fragile and valuable. Not the sort of clothes you wanted to snag or dirty or, God forbid, spill something on. And with a four-month-old whose favorite pastimes were chewing on her sleeve or spitting up on her shoulder, she was a walking bundle of nerves—for more reasons than one.
“Good morning,” Trevor murmured as soon as he saw her.
He stepped forward, coffee cup in his hand, and she caught a sudden whiff of his cologne. Something crisp and
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