Read Online Marrying Maddy by Kasey Michaels - Free Book Online Page A

collect your thoughts,” Jessie offered. “And to wash that smear of chocolate off your cheek. And, hey, at least the hives are gone. There is that, right?”
    But it was too late. Mrs. Ballantine, who would probably swear on a stack of bibles that she hadn’t directed Matt to the kitchens, was probably in the main drawing room right now, doing her best to giggle into her sleeve—not that anyone had ever actually seen the woman laugh.
    Matthew strode into the kitchen, his white dress shirt open at the neck, his tie missing, looking like a man who had left work early and didn’t feel the least bit guilty about playing hooky.
    â€œAh, here you are, all my favorite ladies in the same place. And do I smell freshly baked brownies?” he asked, walking across the kitchen in his long-legged style to plant a kiss on Maddy’s cheek. “Yes, definitely brownies. And they taste good, too.”
    Matthew Garvey had been a part of the Chandler household for the past three years, ever since Ryan had brought his new friend home after a game of golf at the local country club.
    And Matt was definitely the country club, golf slacks and knit shirt kind of guy. The kind of guy who always looked at home in his clothes, whether in the boardroom or on the golf course. He was, Maddy always thought, so “together,” so wonderfully self-assured. And so very, very safe.
    Tall, leanly handsome, well-tanned. Hair as black as coal, contrasting well with his bright blue eyes. A social pedigree as long as his long legs. And nice. Matthew Garvey was nice; one of the good guys.
    And very safe.
    Matt was the scion of Richard Garvey, founder of the local, privately held Garvey Bank, and he hadn’t been handed a single favor by that father. He’d gotten his degree, started at the bank as a teller, and worked his way up over the past ten years. Now, with his father in semiretirement, he was president of the bank at the age of thirty-six.
    Handsome indeed, and handsome was as handsome did, so the saying went. He was not at all volatile. He was, instead, gentlemanly. Old enough to want children, gracious enough to be willing to wait until after the wedding to make demands on Maddy and sane enough to know that mad, passionate love usually doesn’t last.
    All in all, the perfect arrangement.
    All in all, the perfect groom.
    All in all…safe.
    â€œHello, Matt,” Almira said as Maddy quickly reached for a paper towel and ran it under the waterbefore scrubbing at the splotch of batter on her cheek. “Did you see the moving trucks next door as you drove up?”
    Maddy wondered how much pressure clenched teeth could take before they cracked. “Not now, Allie,” she warned from between those clenched teeth, even as she smiled and slid her hand through the crook of Matt’s elbow. “You’ve just got to come see what Great-Aunt Harriet sent us, Matt. Come on, I’ll show you, and maybe you can help me figure out where we can hide it.”
    He resisted her attempt to drag him out of the kitchen. “Just a minute, Maddy, okay? No, Almira, I didn’t notice the moving van. So, knowing you, I suppose you already know the new owner’s name, vital statistics and whether or not they own a grand piano?”
    â€œOh, God, here we go,” Maddy all but groaned, looking to her sister for help.
    Jessie, knowing how her grandmother could string out a story for best effect, and how Maddy would react, quickly stepped in. “It’s not a they, Matt, it’s a him. One owner. His name is Joseph O’Malley. I believe he’s from the Philadelphia area. He does something with computers, or software, or something like that.”
    There. She’d gotten it all out, quick and clean. All except for the fact that eighteen months ago, Maddy had been about to marry that same Joseph O’Malley. But that could wait, right?
    â€œO’Malley?” Matt frowned, repeating the