Read Online The Jilted Bride by Shadonna Richards - Free Book Online

The Jilted Bride
     
     
     
    Jody Anders’ adoptive grandparents surprised her with a short one-day visit from New York and they can’t wait to meet Gregory, her wonderful new husband with whom she had eloped. Trouble is, she forgot to mention that he jilted her at the altar and is no longer in the picture. Now what to do? Turn to her hot, sexy  neighbour Jake whom she knows very little about? Will he pretend to be Greg her-would-have-been husband for the day?  This will be one night to remember or one to never forget.
     
     
     
    Jake Anderson had always been attracted to his cute neighbour ever since she moved into his condominium building owned by his family—a secret nobody knows. When she propositions him for one night to pretend to be her husband—he’s determined to make her wish it were for real.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
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    “
A woman has got to love a bad man
once or twice in her life to be thankful for a good one.” ~Mae West
     
     
     
    Jody Anders felt her throat close up.
           “You’re what?”
     
    “Darling, we’re here in Canada for our church’s annual one-day shopping excursion. We’re on the Highway 401. We thought we’d surprise you and Greg.”
     
    Me and Greg?
     
           Oh, she was surprised! More like shocked out of her wits. She pulled back her bangs in astonishment as she clutched the receiver in disbelief. She hadn’t seen her adoptive grandparents in more than a year since she moved to Toronto from New York. She told them she’d met Gregory—which she had, a real life prince charming and that he had proposed to her with a beautiful diamond ring. He had told he couldn’t wait to get married and wanted to elope now and then have a big wedding and invite family later. It seemed like a fairytale come true.
     
    But then it turned out Greg wasn’t a prince charming, after all. He turned out to be a toad when she kissed him instead of the other way around like in fairytales—so much for prince charming and happily ever after. He also jilted her at the registry office—then had the nerve, would you believe it?  The nerve to call her later that evening to tell her he got tied up—on his wedding day! He should have  been tying the knot, not getting tied up by some other business. Arrgh!
     
    She was too ashamed to tell them at the time—bless their dear hearts. Probably because she was too busy stuffing her face with a double serving of chocolate mint ice-cream and eating a whole coconut cream pie every day of the week afterwards.
     
    She knew they’d be heartbroken after what happened to her and after her adoptive parents passed away the same year in a freak house fire. It would’ve been too much of a shock. They had even told her thank heavens she had happiness in her life at least. How could she tell them, her life was just as demolished as theirs were? That she’d suffered a different kind of  loss—a humiliating loss.
     
           “Darling, are you still there?”
     
           “Um, yeah, Grams. I’m just…” … in a state of shock right now.
     
           “What’s the matter, dear? You sound as if you’re not happy that we’re here.”
     
           “Oh, no, Grams. It’s nothing like that. Nothing at all. I just…well….my place is a mess.” She gave a nervous chuckle as she felt her vein throb at her temple.
     
           “Oh?”
     
           Well, actually, so is my love life but I really don’t want you to see that.
     
    Her friends and family always wondered if the shy and sometimes insecure girl would find true love and happiness. She always felt she’d have to prove herself worthy because of her past. They all knew the story of how she came into the picture. She was abandoned on the doorsteps of a church in the middle of winter when she was eight months old. It had been all over the news. The thought that she was now abandoned at