One Bridegroom Required!. Sharon Kendrick
Чтение книги онлайн.

Читать онлайн книгу One Bridegroom Required! - Sharon Kendrick страница 10

Название: One Bridegroom Required!

Автор: Sharon Kendrick

Издательство: HarperCollins

Жанр: Современные любовные романы

Серия:

isbn:

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ make sure it is,’ promised Doug nervously.

      ‘Just do that!’ And Luke put the phone down roughly in its cradle.

      

      

      Holly washed out the two mugs she and Luke had used, put them on the drainer to dry, then set about trying to make the place halfway habitable before all the thin afternoon light faded from the sky.

      The ‘hot’ water was more tepid than hot, so she boiled up a kettle, added the water to plenty of disinfectant and cleaning solution in a bucket, and began to wipe down all the surfaces in the kitchen. Next she scrubbed the bathroom from top to bottom, until her fingers were sore and aching and she thought she’d better stop. Her hands were her livelihood and she had to look after them.

      She sat back on her heels on the scruffy linoleum floor and wondered how many kettles of water it would take to fill the bath. Too many! she thought ruefully. She had better start boiling now, and make her bed up while she was waiting.

      She gathered together clean sheets and pillowcases and took them into the bedroom, and was just about to make a start when she noticed a dark patch on the mattress and bent over to examine it. Closer inspection revealed that it was nothing more sinister than water from a tiny leak in the ceiling, but she couldn’t possibly sleep on a damp mattress—which left the floor.

      She bit her lip, trying not to feel pathetic, but she was close to tears and it was no one’s fault but her own. Not only had she stupidly rented a flat which looked like a slum, but she had brought very little in the way of entertainment with her, and even the light was too poor to sew by. The only book in her possession was some depressing prize-winner she had been given as a present before she left, and a long Sunday evening yawned ahead of her. And now she couldn’t even crash out at the earliest opportunity because the bed was uainhabitable!

      So, did she start howling her eyes out and opt for sleeping on the floor? Or did she start acting like a modern, independent woman, and take Luke Goodwin up on his offer of a bed?

      Without giving herself time to change her mind, she pulled on a sweater, bundled on a waterproof jacket, and set off to find him.

      Luke was sitting at the desk in the first-floor study, working on some of his late uncle’s papers, when a movement caught his attention, and he started with guilty pleasure, his eyes focussing in the gloomy light as he saw Holly walk through the leafy arch towards his house.

      He watched her closely. With her long legs striding out in blue denim, she looked the epitome of the modern, determined woman. And so at odds with the fragility of her features, the wild copper confusion of the hair which the winter wind had whipped up in a red storm around her face.

      He ran downstairs and pulled the front door open before she’d even had time to knock. He saw that she was white-faced with fatigue, and the dark smudges underneath the eyes matched the dusty marks which were painted on her cheeks like a clown. Again, that unwanted feeling of protectiveness kicked in like a mule. That and desire.

      For a split second he felt the strongest urge to just shut the door in her face, telling himself that he was perfectly within his rights to do so. That he owed her nothing. But then her dark lashes shuddered down over the slanting emerald eyes and he found himself stepping back like a footman

      ‘Changed your mind about staying?’ he asked softly, though he noticed that she carried no overnight bag.

      ‘I had it changed for me,’ she told him unsteadily. ‘And you’re right—it is a dump! There’s no hot water, there’s a big patch of damp on the mattress and springs sticking through it! And before you point anything else out, I admit I should have checked it out better—insisted it be cleaned out before my arrival, or something. And I came ill prepared. No radio, no television, and the only book I brought with me is buried at the bottom of a suitcase I daren’t unpack because there’s nowhere to put anything! Just don’t make fun of me, Luke, not tonight—because I don’t think I can cope with it.’

      He heard the slight quaver in her voice and saw the way her mouth buckled into a purely instinctive little pout. He thought how irresistible she was, with her powerful brand of vulnerability coupled with that lazy-eyed sensuality. ‘Come in,’ he growled quietly, and held the door open for her. ‘I have no intention of making fun of you. I’d much rather you came here than have you suffering in silence.’

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEBLAEsAAD/4RjlRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAcAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAjodp AAQAAAABAAAApAAAANAALcbAAAAnEAAtxsAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTMyBXaW5kb3dz ADIwMTY6MTA6MDMgMTE6MTU6MTAAAAAAA6ABAAMAAAABAAEAAKACAAQAAAABAAACE6ADAAQAAAAB AAADUgAAAAAAAAAGAQMAAwAAAAEABgAAARoABQAAAAEAAAEeARsABQAAAAEAAAEmASgAAwAAAAEA AgAAAgEABAAAAAEAAAEuAgIABAAAAAEAABevAAAAAAAAAEgAAAABAAAASAAAAAH/2P/gABBKRklG AAECAABIAEgAAP/tAAxBZG9iZV9DTQAB/+4ADkFkb2JlAGSAAAAAAf/bAIQADAgICAkIDAkJDBEL CgsRFQ8MDA8VGBMTFRMTGBEMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAENCwsN Dg0QDg4QFA4ODhQUDg4ODhQRDAwMDAwREQwMDAwMDBEMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM DAwM/8AAEQgAoABkAwEiAAIRAQMRAf/dAAQAB//EAT8AAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAMAAQIEBQYH CAkKCwEAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAQACAwQFBgcICQoLEAABBAEDAgQCBQcGCAUDDDMBAAIRAwQh EjEFQVFhEyJxgTIGFJGhsUIjJBVSwWIzNHKC0UMHJZJT8OHxY3M1FqKygyZEk1RkRcKjdDYX0lXi ZfKzhMPTdePzRieUpIW0lcTU5PSltcXV5fVWZnaGlqa2xtbm9jdHV2d3h5ent8fX5/cRAAICAQIE BAMEBQYHBwYFNQEAAhEDITESBEFRYXEiEwUygZEUobFCI8FS0fAzJGLhcoKSQ1MVY3M08SUGFqKy gwcmNcLSRJNUoxdkRVU2dGXi8rOEw9N14/NGlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vYnN0dX Z3eHl6e3x//aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AnWTY50iY4VDO21WtsB9zIcJ4kGV0FVFbKxGhH0lx/XL3fanM YdCTChx4Y44gANieaU5EkvQ0so6ljUvNTH4NoFbwRLg6D/OPad29lv6Jmxn/AA3rKXS+iV9MORss Nrb3AsDvpNDRGxxHtf8A11S+qFeQz12y4V2sBcIkBwMMcQfbuc3euj9OBP5zdCfH/wA6VacOAmI2 3bkMnuCMyPVsXE6jlZOPW4VsLWwfe1u52vl9JG6J1i49HxPtWPdY977afW/RsLtjzscRfZV7nsex af2VmS8VkAF3J8AOXKxmdMwepYr+n31/oHM2trIj2tM76z+9u/wjUcd14Kykad93gfrxhlmS3qWM HN3wzJY9pa5lg9rHWMP+kZtXKvvJ9w9pHPkvXr+iYzME4mQ9+RSW7ALXb3bfD1Ppf1V5x176u3dN sLmTbjfmW9wD/g7x/wCjFJjyAHglp+6wZMRI44693Cc7f5OGoj8idj2iYaHOP0S4nTx2hpHuUvRI IcO3Pl4Jn1H6Te/PkVYa6aq3G2fpKNxPDqzG13f1a43XV/1LKl1H1e6tVThMda5of9oZXdQ9sVvx rTXTZ9H+asxq9ltbv5f84uZw2bHi24AvJ21gRJcdN39lX8YU2ZeL6gNzS8NvqDhXO0kbTafUpayz /tpNnqF+PQ+ej2v2vL/Y/wC0v0nq7N/ra7vR9bZ9p3fS3fY/ekt/7Dj+r6mx3p7N/wBnlnp7Y27d /wDNeh6f8j+aSUen/NZbPYfPb//QtdTzmVSWkAlcrYTmZbnj6I4J0EDVzlq1dK6j1otdUBVjTDsq 2Qwj/gm/Tv8A7H6P/hFX+suLj9GYzpuMSbLG7si9xl7wS7YGtb7aqvZ9BqfixGZF6D+WysuQQBrU j83sPqxTjZX1bryMKX2C6z1x3c5n6P6H5u2va+mv/R2f8IlY4glzfmPFc1/i564cPqx6Xa79X6l/ NydG5DB+i/8AYiv9D/xnoLtOv3dGxPSfmZdfT78lzhS+2fTscwb3+ttG2v2/4b2f9cUPN8uTK4dN o9wy8nzIEaydf0uxci5r76nMY4sJGjxyI/78iYzrWuDqqjfc0FrX2PduH7zPUe19fu9v/f0zRn5W QyjCxPUstYHtzAd2KKz9HJF9P9JZ/o6Kv01n/BLRdd01mYOkYOWy/NAc+6guBczbt373VjbW/wB3 8yqkMGQ2eE6fa3snMY41EkHi210+1BYXWbgVQvoYGuLtRB3Trp8FpnGvF4xHurrvta59LHOMWbfp trs27N7P3FSswMh1zqcmWtBh1fcjzcPzXfyUzJinEAyiRe1qhljKxGQNdnhOodKxMvJ
СКАЧАТЬ