A Very...Pregnant New Year's. Doreen Roberts

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ had no intention of getting involved with another man. Ever. Convinced that all men were scum, she had no trouble adding Bradley Irving to that list when her sisters filled her in on the latest gossip.

      Eighteen years had gone by since the last confrontation in high school. Brad now had a successful law practice right there in Grand Springs, and was gaining a reputation as the town’s most eligible bachelor. Since his father had died two years earlier, leaving Brad sole heir to his estate, this came as no surprise to Anne. He might be an Irving, but there was no denying Brad was devastating to look at. That combination of money and looks would be enough to draw the women like flies to a garbage can.

      According to her sisters, Brad’s conquests were numerous and well publicized. That, and the fact that he was in his thirties and still single only confirmed Anne’s opinion of him. Brad Irving was a no-good womanizer with the manners of a barbarian. No better than a Viking savage.

      When Anne discovered that her father had arranged to take the family to Mountview Ski Lodge for the New Year weekend celebrations, she did her best to get out of the popular social event. She just wasn’t in the mood for partying. The combined efforts of her parents, sisters and brother failed to change her mind, but when James Parker put in his own plea, she found it impossible to refuse her beloved grandfather.

      On the night she reluctantly checked into the lodge, she was determined to make the best of things for the sake of her family.

      After settling into her room, she hurried down the wide stairs to join her family in the dining room for dinner. As she rounded the corner of the crowded lobby, she ran smack into someone coming the other way.

      With a surprised yelp, she bounced off the man’s muscular body and hit the wall hard with her shoulder. The impact jolted her purse out of her hand and it skidded across the polished floor between the feet of two young women who had just entered the lodge.

      Anne didn’t need to look at the man she’d collided with to recognize him. She’d have known that deep, mocking voice anywhere.

      “Are you always this clumsy, Annie Parker, or is this just your way of getting my attention?”

      Anne gritted her teeth. It seemed she was destined to spend her life crashing into Brad Irving.

      Chapter 1

      Embarrassed, Anne retrieved her purse from the two grinning young women, then turned to face the man who seemed determined to make a fool of her.

      He towered over her, like some awful instance of déjà vu, with just a hint of amusement in his expression. His hair looked darker than she remembered—more gold than yellow—and curled almost to his collar.

      Determined not to let him destroy her composure, she decided that to attack was her best defense. “Well, if it isn’t the delinquent,” she murmured. “I’m surprised to see you. I would have thought a town like Grand Springs would have cramped your style by now.”

      “Ah, that’s just where you’re wrong. Grand Springs still holds plenty of opportunities for an enterprising young man or woman with ambition.”

      “So I heard,” Anne said dryly.

      He gave her an audacious grin. Against her will, she noticed how well his creamy white sweater emphasized his broad shoulders, and how closely his black wool slacks skimmed his hips in a perfect fit. Brad Irving had grown up. And he was still drop-dead gorgeous. No wonder the women were falling all over him. If she’d known he was going to be at the lodge, she told herself fiercely, she definitely would have stayed at home.

      “Rumor has it that you’re thinking about coming back here to live,” Brad said casually. “Big city life got to be too much for you?”

      She shrugged, wondering how much he’d heard on the small town grapevine. “Something like that.”

      “You’ll find the town has grown quite a bit since you left. Let me know if you need some pointers on the hot spots. I’m always available for advice and assistance.”

      Annoyed at the way her pulse had jumped, Anne said cooly, “Thanks. I’m sure you’re an expert on the subject but I’m not interested in the nightlife of Grand Springs right now.”

      She didn’t like the gleam in his eye when he answered her. “I was talking about apartments, places of business, that kind of thing.”

      Again, he’d managed to make her feel foolish. “I think I can find my way around.”

      “Well, the offer’s always there.”

      She wasn’t about to be added to his list of conquests, she vowed silently. “I’m sure you have better things to do than entertain a Parker. Unless you’re figuring on starting World War III.”

      He shook his head. “I decided a long time ago to stay neutral as far as the Irving versus Parker feud is concerned. All that pent-up hostility and backstabbing takes up too much energy.”

      She suspected he was making fun of her family, but wasn’t sure enough to call him on it. Anxious to escape the magnetism of that killer smile, she said cooly, “Well, I have to run.” Good manners nudged her to say something conventional, such as how nice it was to see him again. She smothered the urge and turned to leave, just as the clatter of high heels echoed across the spacious dark-paneled lobby.

      “Really, Brad,” a husky voice exclaimed, “can’t you find something better to do than hang around the lobby all evening?”

      Brad’s face seemed to close up. “I was just on my way in to dinner, Mother.”

      With a great deal of reluctance, Anne paused to acknowledge the woman standing behind her.

      Darlene Irving was not a tall woman, but what she lacked in height she made up for in flamboyance. Taste had never been one of Darlene’s attributes. Her long, tight black skirt was slit up to her thigh, and she’d teamed it with a low-cut red halter top that revealed more of her uplifted bosom than Anne cared to see. Obviously Darlene had not lost her fondness for exploiting her generous figure. Her bleached platinum hair was drawn back in a tight knot at the back of her head, which displayed her cheekbones but emphasized the deep wrinkles in her neck.

      Darlene looked like an aging hooker, Anne thought, and immediately chastised herself. “Good evening, Mrs. Irving,” she murmured, wishing she’d simply pretended not to notice the woman.

      Darlene patted her immaculate hair, allowing Anne to see the flash of light explode from the large square-cut diamond on her right hand. “Oh, it’s you, Annie.”

      Anne pursed her lips. “I prefer to be called Anne.”

      “Really.” Darlene looked momentarily taken aback, but instantly recovered. “I heard all about your unfortunate experience, you poor dear. Fancy being dumped practically at the altar like that. Must have been devastating for you. Men can be such arrogant beasts. I suppose some people might say it was poetic justice, considering what happened to poor Henry Irving, but of course I wouldn’t dream of making such an assumption.”

      “Mother—”

      Brad’s muttered protest was ignored as Darlene rushed on. “One has to be so careful whom they trust in a big city. So many weirdos. And all that pollution! Such an aging effect on one. You look positively worn out, Annie. СКАЧАТЬ