A Mother For The Tycoon's Child. Patricia Thayer

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СКАЧАТЬ that his pulse began to race. She must have felt the change, too.

      “I should go.” She backed away, but her long skirt caught on the edge of the table and she started to fall. Justin reached for her arm and pulled her upright, but the movement brought her body against his. He immediately responded to her warmth…her softness. Morgan Keenan definitely had curves. But when their gazes met, she began to tremble.

      “Are you all right?” he asked.

      She nodded, and quickly untangled herself from him. “I’m clumsy sometimes.”

      “It happens.”

      “I should help my mother with dinner.” Morgan hurried toward the door. “She wanted me to extend an invitation to you and Lauren.”

      “I don’t expect your family to entertain us.”

      “It’s a pleasure. Dinner will be at six,” she said, her hand on the doorknob. “If there’s anything you need just call down. Goodbye.”

      Then she was gone, leaving him to wonder what had happened. Why did she tremble at his touch? There were a great many questions he wanted answered, but the main one was, did he want to get involved with a woman who wouldn’t be easy to forget?

      He turned back to the scene outside the window. Well, Morgan Keenan would definitely be part of the picture if he decided to make Destiny his permanent home.

      “Dinner was delicious, Mrs. Keenan,” Justin said as he pushed his plate away with the remains of his second helping of succulent roast pork and potatoes.

      “Thank you.” She rose from her seat next to her husband at the head of the long table in the Inn’s formal dining room. Morgan was seated across from him. She’d changed into a black sweater that accentuated her fair skin. Auburn hair lay in waves around her face. He flashed back to the way she’d felt in his arms.

      Not a safe place to go.

      He quickly glanced down at Lauren seated beside him. She had wanted to change into a pretty pink dress for tonight, and he done his best to comb her hair and fasten it back with barrettes. Not his best skill.

      “I hope you saved room for dessert, Mr. Hilliard,” Claire Keenan said. “Morgan made double Dutch apple pie.”

      “Please, call me Justin.”

      “And we’re Claire and Tim,” she said as she collected plates.

      Morgan stood and looked at Lauren. “Since you finished all your food, I have a special treat for you.” Her smile and emerald gaze moved to Justin. “Of course if it’s all right with your father.”

      The impact was more than he wanted to admit. He turned his attention to his daughter. She’d eaten her food without being coaxed. “Sure.”

      Morgan held out her hand to the child. “Want to come with me and help?” she asked.

      Lauren nodded excitedly as Justin lifted her down and the twosome walked out hand in hand.

      “Daughters. They’re hard to turn down,” Tim Keenan said as the two left.

      Justin turned to the big man with the warm smile. He’d caught the loving looks Tim had shared with his wife.

      “Lauren’s had a rough time. It’s hard for me to deny her anything.”

      “Losing a parent is difficult,” Tim agreed. “Our girls lost their biological parents early on. We were truly blessed when they came to us.”

      Before coming to Destiny, Justin had dug deep into the town’s history along with the young mayor’s background. He’d learned how close the Keenan family was, and how the town helped raise the girls when they first arrived to town. It was apparent the three sisters had a special bond.

      “You must be proud of them.”

      The older man nodded. “That goes without saying. And it has nothing to do with their careers or what they’ve chosen in life. Morgan, Paige and Leah turned out to be good people. They’re kind and caring, and most importantly, happy. There’s nothing more a parent could ask for.”

      “I’d give anything to make that happen for Lauren.”

      Tim stared at him. “I’d say you’re making a good start. You brought her with you. There’s nothing better than spending time with your child.”

      “It isn’t always that simple in my line of work.” After seeing her reaction to Morgan and the rest of the Keenan family, he realized how hungry Lauren was for a stable life. He wasn’t sure if he could give her that.

      Tim leaned back in his chair. “It’s only as complicated as you make it. Of course there are choices to make.”

      “Explain that to my father,” Justin said. Marshall Justin Hilliard, Sr. believed in success at all costs. Marriage and family had always come second.

      “Hilliard Industries is a large conglomerate, with interests all over the world. I expect it takes a lot of manpower to run, but you should be able to delegate some of the work.” Tim arched an eyebrow. “In fact, you could have sent an assistant to oversee this project.”

      Justin took a drink of his wine, not sure how much he should reveal right now. In the past, honesty had always been his strength in his business dealings and it might be time to lay out his plan.

      Morgan came into the room with Lauren. His daughter was proudly carrying a small dish of ice cream with colorful sprinkles on top. He smiled and helped settle her back in her chair.

      There was nothing like seeing Lauren’s happiness. “There’s a reason I didn’t send my assistant.”

      That drew Morgan’s attention from across the table. “It’s because if I decide to open a resort here, it won’t be a Hilliard Industries investment,” Justin began. “It will be mine and Lauren’s because…if this project turns out to be right for us, Destiny will also be our home.”

      CHAPTER TWO

      THE next morning in the conference room at City Hall a familiar feeling crept into Morgan’s stomach, but she pushed away the nervousness. She could do this. She had worked for years to regain control of her life. She’d earned her position as mayor and the community trusted her to bring in new revenue. She wasn’t going to let them down now. She’d gone over her proposal so many times that she could sell the idea to anyone.

      But Justin Hilliard wasn’t just anyone. Having that good-looking man sitting across the table, studying her closely, was a little intimidating. She’d better get used to it, since he’d announced his plans to live here permanently.

      Even without his company behind him, he was powerful in his own right. He could do so much for their small community. Building the resort alone, would mean hiring hundreds of laborers. She felt her own excitement growing and took a calming breath.

      “As you can see from the chart, this area is perfect for an extreme ski resort. In fact, the established resorts are booked solid all season and have to turn people away. We’re hoping to get the skiers who want a more challenging run.”

      She СКАЧАТЬ