staying.”
“Thank
you, Raymond. This is gorgeous.”
As
she walked closer, she ran her hands across the rough shells embedded
into the walls. It was truly beautiful, and even though Hudson had
described it as being small, she figured it was at least twice as big
as her apartment in the city.
Inside,
she found that she had her own kitchen, a large bedroom with a
private patio that overlooked the ocean, a huge bathroom with a
whirlpool tub, and a living room with a cozy gas fireplace. Moving
from her busy life as a low-level reporter in Atlanta to this
charming tabby cottage by the sea was like a dream. She’d
always wanted to live by the ocean.
None
of this is real , she reminded herself.
Just
as she was starting to feel better about her decision to come here,
her eyes landed on a dress laid out on the bed. She walked over to
admire the light chiffon fabric. It was the most beautiful color of
yellow, like a slice of lemon meringue pie, and she ran her hand
along its sheer length.
A
note lay near the thin spaghetti straps, and Annabelle sat on the
soft bed to read it.
Dear
Annabelle,
Please
join us for dinner at the Big House this evening at six thirty. I
look forward to meeting you this evening. Accept this dress as my
welcome gift. If you need anything else to help you settle in, don't
hesitate to ask.
The
note was signed by Hudson’s mother, Sue Ellen Montgomery.
Annabelle was touched by the sweet gesture, even though she knew his
family was well-informed about their phony engagement plan. Still, it
was sweet of his mother to treat her as a welcome guest instead of a
business partner.
Or
worse.
Annabelle
walked over to the full-length mirror and held the dress in front of
her. The image of her own mother standing behind her in a mirror
similar to this one came to her in a flash of memory that almost took
her breath away. It was her thirteenth birthday party, and her mother
had bought her a beautiful white dress to wear. That night was one of
the last vivid memories she still had of her mother.
With
a sigh, Annabelle threw the yellow dress back onto the bedspread and
walked into the bathroom to splash her face with cold water. As
tempting as it might become over the next few weeks to believe that
she was being welcomed into a new family, the Montgomery’s were
only being nice to her so she would help them with their important
business deal.
Still,
she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if she were really
in love with and engaged to a man whose
mother showered her with gifts and tender words. No matter how good
that might feel someday, Hudson Montgomery was never going to be that
man.
She
would do well to remind herself of that on a daily basis during the
months to come.
Glancing
at his watch, Hudson muttered a curse under his breath. He was
running late for dinner. He could hear a small crowd beginning to
gather in the next room, and although his mother would make a fine
hostess, he wanted to be there to introduce her to Annabelle.
Damn.
Just thinking her name sent a surge of desire through his body. Every
time he walked within twenty feet of her, he felt the air between
them crackle with energy. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since
they’d parted, and already he missed
being around her.
During
his business meetings all morning, he’d found himself wishing
he had postponed them and ridden down to
Sea Island with her. They needed some time to get to know each other
in case the press started digging into their relationship.
Oh,
hell. Who was he trying to kid? This wasn't about the press. He
wanted her. Plain and simple. From the first moment he laid eyes on
her, he knew he had to have her. The photograph in The Informer only
gave him a reason to get closer to her. Granted, the photograph had
caused a few problems once Mr. Takahashi got wind of the ordeal, but
luckily Jack was there to put out the fire before it got out of hand.
Once Jack told the old man that Hudson
“Thank
you, Raymond. This is gorgeous.”
As
she walked closer, she ran her hands across the rough shells embedded
into the walls. It was truly beautiful, and even though Hudson had
described it as being small, she figured it was at least twice as big
as her apartment in the city.
Inside,
she found that she had her own kitchen, a large bedroom with a
private patio that overlooked the ocean, a huge bathroom with a
whirlpool tub, and a living room with a cozy gas fireplace. Moving
from her busy life as a low-level reporter in Atlanta to this
charming tabby cottage by the sea was like a dream. She’d
always wanted to live by the ocean.
None
of this is real , she reminded herself.
Just
as she was starting to feel better about her decision to come here,
her eyes landed on a dress laid out on the bed. She walked over to
admire the light chiffon fabric. It was the most beautiful color of
yellow, like a slice of lemon meringue pie, and she ran her hand
along its sheer length.
A
note lay near the thin spaghetti straps, and Annabelle sat on the
soft bed to read it.
Dear
Annabelle,
Please
join us for dinner at the Big House this evening at six thirty. I
look forward to meeting you this evening. Accept this dress as my
welcome gift. If you need anything else to help you settle in, don't
hesitate to ask.
The
note was signed by Hudson’s mother, Sue Ellen Montgomery.
Annabelle was touched by the sweet gesture, even though she knew his
family was well-informed about their phony engagement plan. Still, it
was sweet of his mother to treat her as a welcome guest instead of a
business partner.
Or
worse.
Annabelle
walked over to the full-length mirror and held the dress in front of
her. The image of her own mother standing behind her in a mirror
similar to this one came to her in a flash of memory that almost took
her breath away. It was her thirteenth birthday party, and her mother
had bought her a beautiful white dress to wear. That night was one of
the last vivid memories she still had of her mother.
With
a sigh, Annabelle threw the yellow dress back onto the bedspread and
walked into the bathroom to splash her face with cold water. As
tempting as it might become over the next few weeks to believe that
she was being welcomed into a new family, the Montgomery’s were
only being nice to her so she would help them with their important
business deal.
Still,
she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if she were really
in love with and engaged to a man whose
mother showered her with gifts and tender words. No matter how good
that might feel someday, Hudson Montgomery was never going to be that
man.
She
would do well to remind herself of that on a daily basis during the
months to come.
Glancing
at his watch, Hudson muttered a curse under his breath. He was
running late for dinner. He could hear a small crowd beginning to
gather in the next room, and although his mother would make a fine
hostess, he wanted to be there to introduce her to Annabelle.
Damn.
Just thinking her name sent a surge of desire through his body. Every
time he walked within twenty feet of her, he felt the air between
them crackle with energy. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since
they’d parted, and already he missed
being around her.
During
his business meetings all morning, he’d found himself wishing
he had postponed them and ridden down to
Sea Island with her. They needed some time to get to know each other
in case the press started digging into their relationship.
Oh,
hell. Who was he trying to kid? This wasn't about the press. He
wanted her. Plain and simple. From the first moment he laid eyes on
her, he knew he had to have her. The photograph in The Informer only
gave him a reason to get closer to her. Granted, the photograph had
caused a few problems once Mr. Takahashi got wind of the ordeal, but
luckily Jack was there to put out the fire before it got out of hand.
Once Jack told the old man that Hudson
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