скачать книгу бесплатно
Sinclair plunked the crop top back on the rack. “Damn it,” she swore. “I hoped he was lying.”
“Huh?”
“Hunter, dear sister.” Sinclair paced in a semicircle around Kristy. “Your cousin-in-law told me your marriage was a sham.”
Kristy opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
“He said Jack only married you to save his grandfather from a fortune hunter.”
Kristy recognized the angry crackle in Sinclair’s familiar blue eyes. She’d hated deceiving her sister.
“Am I not your partner in crime?” asked Sinclair.
Kristy struggled to frame a response.
Then a note of real hurt crept into Sinclair’s voice. “Why would you lie to me?”
“Because I didn’t want you to have to lie for me.”
“To Mom and Dad?”
“Yes!” It was a choice between bad and worse.
“I’ve been lying to Mom and Dad for you since we were born.”
“Not like this.”
“What the hell happened?”
“I thought Hunter told you.”
“Not all of it.” Sinclair took a step forward. “He didn’t know why you said yes. Why’d you go and marry Jack?”
Kristy didn’t know.
She honestly didn’t know.
“There were helicopters,” she tried. “And dinner and dancing. Oh, Sinclair, you should see him in a suit.”
“You were hot for him? That’s it?”
“Totally,” Kristy admitted.
Sinclair laughed softly. “I can respect that. But you couldn’t have settled for a fling?”
“He proposed.”
“The rat bastard,” said Sinclair, but there was a wry grin along with the insult.
“As it turned out,” said Kristy on a sigh.
“So, now what?”
“Now, I put these away, finish the real collection and go to London and try to win that darn contest.” Kristy scooped two of the fantasy dresses from the rack and headed for the closet.
“Mistake,” said Sinclair, nodding to Kristy’s armload. “Those dresses are better. And he owes you.”
“Do you have any idea how much they’ve spent on me already? I’m coming away just fine from this deal.”
“Did you sign a prenup?”
“We are not going after his money.” Kristy transferred the evening gown to the closet.
Sinclair leaned to peer out the window. “That’s a whole lot of money, babe.”
“And it’s his, not mine.”
“Depends on the state.”
“I signed a prenup.”
Sinclair gave a sigh of disgust. “Did I teach you nothing?”
“This is not a scenario even you could have contemplated.” Kristy all but sprinted to the closet with the remaining items.
“What about future planning?” Sinclair called. “Self-preservation? Keeping your sister in the style to which she’s planning to become accustomed?”
Kristy latched the closet. “Don’t you have a plane to catch?”
“I could stay through the holidays, eat caviar, sip champagne.”
“I thought you said they needed you at work.”
“They do.”
“And we can’t both miss Christmas dinner.”
“So you get to stay here with the hunky husband and eat caviar and drink champagne?”
Kristy crossed her arms over her chest in mock censure. “You got your sights set on my hunky husband?”
“Not exactly. But did you get a good look at his cousin?”
“You fought with Hunter all night long.”
“Not the entire night.”
Kristy stared at her sister’s telltale expression. “You didn’t,” she whispered.
“Got a plane to catch,” sang Sinclair, turning for the door.
Kristy hustled after her. “What happened?”
“The hot chocolate was great. He was cute. And there was all that leftover adrenaline from skating.”
“So you jumped his bones?”
“It was more the other way around.”
“I don’t believe this.” Then a memory kicked in. “Oh, wow. You have red hair.”
“Yeah? It’s how most people tell us apart.”
“Plus, I’m taller.”
“A single inch. Get over it.”
“You slept with Hunter.”
Sinclair responded with a secretive smile.
“Is this in some way going to screw up my life?” asked Kristy.
“Relax,” said Sinclair. “We’re both grown-ups, and it was a one-time, impetuous thing.”
“You’re not going to call him?”
“Not in a million years. It wasn’t that good.”
“It was so.”
“Okay, it was. But I’m not going to call him. Quit worrying. Phone me from London. And take the cool clothes!”
“Fallen for your wife yet?” asked Hunter, sauntering into Jack’s study in the early afternoon.
For a split second Jack wondered if Hunter had found out about his phone call this morning to Zenia Topaz, and the huge favor he’d just called in. But then he realized his cousin was only fishing.
He pointedly opened a financial report on a beauty products company acquisition that Cleveland was considering. “Don’t you have work to do?”
Hunter shrugged, stopping in front of the desk. “I’m on holiday.”
“Then how come I’m not?”
“Because you’re a workaholic?” Hunter picked up a round, crystal paper weight and tossed it from hand to hand. “Or maybe it’s because you’re trying to keep your mind off a certain knockout blonde who’s making you crazy.”
Jack scoffed away the notion. “In case you haven’t noticed, that knockout blonde is married to me … and sleeping with me.” The last part was only technically true, of course. But Hunter didn’t need to know that.
“Back to my original question,” said Hunter, “have you fallen for your wife yet?”
Jack glanced back down at the spreadsheet, pushing aside images of Kristy asleep in his bed. “Absolutely not.”
Only a fool would fall for his bride of convenience. Naturally, he wanted to make love with her. Who wouldn’t? And he wanted her to succeed—as much for Sierra Sanchez as anything. But he was a long way from feeling more than lust, admiration and respect.
“If you’re sure,” said Hunter.
“I’m sure,” said Jack.
Hunter set down the paperweight. “The moms wanted me to remind you about the sleigh ride tonight. Seven sharp.”
“I’ll remember,” Jack assured him.
Hunter moved to the doorway and stood there for a moment. “Mind if Kristy rides with me?”
Jack felt as if he’d been punched in the solar plexus. He glance sharply at his cousin. “Yes.” Hell, yes. He bit back an order for Hunter to keep away.
A knowing grin grew on Hunter’s face. “Gotcha,” he exclaimed, backing out before Jack could form a response.
Not that there was any response Jack could reasonably form. Because Hunter was right to laugh at him. He was feeling entirely too possessive of Kristy. He was beginning to act as if she was his real wife. In fact, he was beginning to wish she was his real wife.
He turned back to the financial report, forcing the unsettling thought from his mind.
KRISTY SHOVED Sinclair and Hunter, and Sinclair’s cavalier advice from her mind for the day. She had more pressing issues, like struggling to perfect the Irene collection and watching the clock until it was time for Isabella and Megan to head home. She couldn’t wait to talk to Jack.
Jack.
She smiled just thinking about being held in his arms again. Then she got a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach when she thought about the holidays ending.
Christmas Day was rushing up on them. And she was leaving the day after that. She’d already filled out a dozen forms for London, and her trunks were being shipped at the end of the week. The collection would be sent on a transport plane to meet up with her at the event. Cleveland had insisted on buying her a first-class ticket, accommodations at the luxury Claymore Diamond Hotel and limo service to and from the airport.
As she closed the last of the cupboards and drawers, she heard bells jingling outside. Then footsteps bounded up the stairs and Jack stuck his head in through the doorway. “You ready?”
“For what?”
“A one-horse open sleigh.”
“Really?”
“Well, two horses. We’re going along the river trail.”
The harness bells jingled louder.
Kristy smiled to herself, forgetting about the end of their relationship, forgetting everything but the night stretching out in front of her. A romantic sleigh ride. What a perfect place to tell Jack she was on board, she wanted to pretend their marriage was real for a while.
“Let me grab my coat,” she said.
“I’ve got gloves and a hat waiting for you downstairs.”
Zipping up, she all but bounced down to the driveway where, to her disappointment, she noticed each sleigh held four people.
