Inheriting His Secret Christmas Baby (15 page)

It was Christmas Eve.

Snow was falling softly outside the windows of one of the Manor’s gorgeous ballrooms. Strands of tiny lights were strung along the walls and ceiling like a starry sky, and a humongous Douglas fir decorated with gold ribbons and ivory bulbs stood at the far end of the room.

Round tables draped in white linens spread out all around, leaving only the center dance floor bare, and guests mingled at both, dancing to a mix of romantic and holiday music played by a string quartet, or enjoying the last bites of wedding cake.

The guests of honor, the newly united Mr. and Mrs. Christian Hanford, were seated at a long, rectangular table reserved for the wedding party, but they had eyes only for each other. In fact, the longer the reception went on, the more they looked as though they couldn’t wait to thank everyone for sharing in their special day, then take off for more enjoyable honeymoon pursuits.

Not that Haylie could blame them. She imagined that when her turn came to tie the knot, she would be just as eager to shed the formalities of the official event and get Trevor alone and out of his tuxedo.

A ripple of excitement ran beneath her skin, letting her know just how much she was anticipating her own wedding day. They’d barely discussed plans of any sort since he’d shown up at her door and proposed to her on bended knee, mostly because there were just too many other things going on at the moment.

She’d still needed to see to last-minute preparations for Erica and Christian’s wedding. Then there was Melissa and Shane’s New Year’s Eve wedding, which she would be attending only as a guest, thank goodness. And immediately after, Avery and Guy’s nuptials to contend with.

She still didn’t know exactly when that would be taking place, but Avery had assured Haylie that she wanted her help with everything from setting a date to deciding on centerpieces.

Which was fine. Better than fine, actually, since one of the things she and Trevor had discussed was her carrying on her work here at the Ridge. Rather than closing down or relocating It’s Your Party, they’d agreed that it would probably be smarter to leave the Denver business open and put one of her senior employees in charge.

Trevor had suggested that she then branch out and turn the company into a bit of a franchise, opening a second location—at the Ridge itself, if she preferred. He’d promised to help her find the perfect site on the premises to set up shop, but also wanted her to take over as the resort’s event coordinator. It would mean getting involved in more than just weddings—it would mean anniversaries, birthdays, engagements, bachelorette parties, and she would certainly be available for any family celebrations.

She liked that idea. She liked the idea of working at the Ridge, being able to keep Bradley with her much of the time or leave him with very reliable day care when she couldn’t, and of being able to walk down the hall or across the street whenever she felt compelled to see her soon-to-be husband. Maybe distract him from his computer screen or latest marketing plans.

When a pair of strong male hands slid around her waist and pulled her back against an equally strong male chest, she grinned, thinking that someone else’s thoughts must have been running along the same lines as her own.

“You know,” Trevor whispered in her ear, “I may have to change my mind about you becoming the event coordinator for Jarrod Ridge.”

She jerked her head back, shocked and hurt.

“You’re a little too good at this, and I’m afraid you’ll be in such high demand once people figure that out that I’ll never get to have you all to myself.”

As the rest of his words sank in, she released a relieved breath, the cold chill of his perceived criticism replaced by a pleasurable warmth.

Of all the weddings she’d taken part in, she thought she was probably most proud of this one. Not only because she’d pulled it all together in such a short amount of time—and no matter how “simple” Erica had assured her she wanted her special day to be, there wasn’t really anything simple about a wedding unless the couple eloped to Las Vegas. And even that involved booking airline tickets and finding a chapel.

But in addition to the food and decor, and keeping everything and everyone on schedule, the entire immediate Jarrod family was in attendance this evening. All the brothers and sisters, husbands and wives. And most surprising of all, Erica’s father and stepmother were not only there to help celebrate their daughter’s big day, but seemed to be getting along well with all of the Jarrods.

During their time together, Erica had told her about the shock and hurt of discovering that Walter Prentice, the man who’d raised her from birth, wasn’t her biological father and that Donald Jarrod was. A fact she hadn’t become aware of until after Donald’s death. Given that the Prentices and Jarrods apparently hadn’t gotten along all that well to begin with, it had taken all these months for the two families to overcome their differences.

Haylie was glad. Erica deserved to enjoy her wedding day without the stress of worrying about how the people she loved most in the world were going to act once they were in the same room together.

Turning her attention back to the man who was holding her snuggly against his chest, swaying back and forth to the airy notes of Chopin, Haylie said, “I was just thinking about that myself. Mostly about how convenient it would be to work here, knowing we could drop in on each other throughout the day.”

“And why would we want to do that?” he murmured, feigning puzzlement even as his tone rang with amusement.

“Oh, I don’t know. In case we need to discuss some pressing matter where Bradley is concerned. Or for the occasional office quickie. I’ve always had a fantasy about making love on a desk in the middle of the workday.”

Her head spun as he whipped her around to face him. The tea-length skirt of her emerald-green gown swirled around her legs before rustling to a stop.

“You never told me that,” Trevor ground out, his coffee-brown eyes narrowed and intense, one brow raised in keen interest.

She cocked her head to the side. “It’s never come up before now. And you never asked,” she replied primly.

His other brow went up in what she could only perceive as a challenging expression. “I’ve got a desk. Downstairs. And that’s one fantasy I’d be happy to realize right now.”

“But how would that look,” she began, reaching up to straighten his already perfectly straight black tie, “for the wedding planner to go missing in the middle of the wedding reception? And you’re the bride’s brother. Your disappearance would look even worse.”

Sliding a hand to the small of her back, he tugged her close, letting her feel the proof of his interest.

“You’re assuming I care what anyone thinks. Let me assure you, I don’t.”

“I know you don’t,” she murmured softly.

That poise and self-confidence was one of the reasons she loved him. And it was going to come in handy once the media found out he was marrying her, the aunt of his nearly five-month-old illegitimate son. She couldn’t wait until that hit the fan. But as Trevor said and had assured her numerous times before, it didn’t matter what others thought or how many crazy headlines the national tabloids invented. Only the truth mattered, and the truth was that she loved him to distraction, just as he loved her.

They had each other and Bradley, and maybe one day more children to add to their happy family. As far as Haylie was concerned, that made her life just about perfect.

“An hour,” she told him, leaning her face into his. “One more hour, and whether the bride and groom have left or not, I’ll let you whisk me down to your office and seduce me on top of your desk.”

To her delight, Trevor responded with a low growl. The sound made her shiver, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Sixty minutes,” he agreed, synchronizing his watch, “and not a second more.”

She nodded.

“In the meantime, how about a dance?”

Taking slow steps backward, he pulled her with him, and she went willingly, following him onto the dance floor and into the rest of her wonderful, happy-ever-after life.

ISBN: 978-1-4268-7598-4

INHERITING HIS SECRET CHRISTMAS BABY

Copyright © 2010 by Harlequin Books S.A.

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