Virgin Princess, Tycoon’s Temptation / The Secret Child & The Cowboy CEO: Virgin Princess, Tycoon’s Temptation. Michelle Celmer

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СКАЧАТЬ seemed ridiculous to Garrett that, at twenty-seven years old, Louisa wasn’t allowed to make her own decisions regarding who she wanted to see socially. “Her Highness invited me to dinner and I accepted,” he said.

      The simplicity of his answer seemed to surprise the Prince. “That’s it?”

      “I admit I find your sister quite fascinating.”

      “Louisa is … special.”

      He said that as though that was an impediment, and Garrett felt an odd dash of defensiveness in her honor. Which was a little ridiculous considering he barely knew her.

      “I’ve never met anyone quite like her,” he told the Prince.

      “She tends to be a bit naive when it comes to the opposite sex. Men have taken advantage of that.”

      Maybe if her family stopped sheltering her, she would learn not to be so gullible. However, that particular trait was working in his favor, so he could hardly complain. “Rest assured, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Princess. I pride myself on being a very honorable man. I would never do anything to compromise her principles.”

      “I’m glad to hear it,” Chris said. “But of course I will have to discuss the matter with the King.”

      “Of course, Your Highness.”

      The shadow of a smile cracked the serious expression. “We’ve known each other a long time, Garrett. Call me Chris.”

      With that request Garrett knew he was as good as in. Chris needing to speak with his father was merely a formality at this point. “I’m very much looking forward to getting to know you better,” Garrett told him.

      “As am I.” Chris paused, his expression darkening, and said, “However, if you did take advantage of my sister, the consequences would be … unfortunate.”

      The fact that Garrett didn’t even flinch seemed to impress Chris. Still, Garrett was going to have to be very cautious while he courted Louisa.

      Chris rose from his chair and said, “Shall we join the others?”

      Garrett stood and followed him to the dining room. The first course was just being served, and as soon as they entered the room, Louisa shot from her seat and gestured him to the empty chair beside her.

      When they were seated again, she leaned close to him and whispered, “I’m so sorry he did that. I hope he wasn’t too hard on you.”

      He gave her a reassuring smile. “Not at all.”

      If he thought the worst was over, he realized quickly that it had only begun. He barely had a chance to taste his soup before Anne launched into the inquisition portion of the meal.

      “I understand your father was a farmer,” she said, her tone suggesting that made him inferior somehow.

      It had only been a matter of time before someone broached the subject of his humble beginnings, but he wasn’t ashamed of his past. He was instead very proud of his accomplishments. Although for the life of him he never understood why his parents hadn’t strived to better themselves. Why they settled for a life barely a step above poverty when they could have done so much more for themselves and their sons.

      “All of his life,” Garrett told her. “My earliest memories are of working beside him in the fields.”

      “Yet you didn’t follow in his footsteps,” Anne noted, her words sounding an awful lot like an accusation. Much the way his father had sounded when Garrett had informed him that he planned to leave the island to attend college.

      “No, I didn’t. I wanted an education.”

      “How did your father feel about that?”

      “Anne,” Louisa said, plainly embarrassed by her sister’s behavior.

      “What?” Anne asked, her innocent look too manufactured to be genuine. He wasn’t sure if she was jealous of Louisa, or simply being difficult because she could. If there was one thing Garrett knew for sure, he’d definitely chosen the right sister. Had he picked Anne, he would be asking for a life of misery.

      “Stop being so nosy,” Louisa said.

      Anne shrugged. “How else can we get to know Mr. Sutherland?”

      “Please call me Garrett,” he told Anne. “And in answer to your question, my father wasn’t at all happy with me. He expected me to take over the farm when he retired. I wanted to do something more with my life.”

      “Which you certainly have,” Chris said, and maybe Garrett was imagining things, but he almost sounded impressed.

      “If there’s one thing I’ve learned,” Garrett said, “it’s that you can’t live your life to please other people.” He glanced over at Louisa, catching her eye for emphasis. “You have to follow your heart.”

      “I believe that, too,” Olivia said. She reached over and placed a hand on her husband’s arm. “Aaron is starting back to school in the fall. Premed.”

      “I’d heard that,” Garrett said. He made it his business to know everything about his stiffest competition. Aaron’s leaving the family business would create the convenient opening he required to insinuate himself inside.

      “He’s going to be a brilliant doctor,” Olivia said, beaming with pride. She was a plain woman, very young and unassuming, but pretty when she smiled … and quite the brilliant scientist from what he understood. The previous autumn, an unidentifiable blight potentially threatened all the crops on the island. The effects would have been devastating on the export trade, the main source of income for the country, and Olivia had been hired by the royal family to find an eco-friendly cure.

      “I’ve heard that your own brilliance saved the livelihood of every landowner in the country,” Garrett told her. “Myself included.”

      Olivia grinned shyly and blushed. It would seem that he had won over at least three-quarters of the females at the table. Anne seemed a lost cause at this point. Chris and Aaron, he wasn’t sure about, but it looked promising. Now it was time for a change of subject, and he’d done his research.

      “I understand you spent quite a lot of time in the States,” Garrett said to Melissa.

      “I was born on Morgan Isle but raised in New Orleans,” she told him.

      “A lovely city,” he commented.

      “You’ve been there?”

      He nodded. “Several times in fact. For business. Terrible what happened during Katrina.”

      “It was. I started a foundation to fund the rehabilitation of the city.”

      “I had no idea. I’d love to make a donation.”

      Melissa smiled. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

      “I’ll have a check sent round next week.”

      “What other places have you visited?” Louisa asked СКАЧАТЬ