Inheriting His Secret Christmas Baby by Heidi Betts Page A

brown and copper in her honey-blond hair.
    His fingers itched suddenly to reach out and touch the silky strands, to find out if they truly were as soft and warm as they looked.
    “Won’t my staying with you, living under your roof, bring about a media frenzy just as much as if I were to go back to Denver and someone inadvertently found out about Bradley’s parentage?” she asked.
    Valid point. “We would keep that under wraps as much as possible, but if the question comes up, you’re a family friend. That’s all. A family friend and her son, staying with me rather than at the resort. We can even make it look as though you’re a paying guest and I’m staying in the family quarters at the Manor so that you have this place all to yourself.”
    She cocked her head, looking skeptical, so he glossed over that sticking point and moved on to another of her bigger concerns.
    “As for you taking time away from work, I don’t know how long you took off after your sister’s death, but surely folks would understand if you needed a bit more of a mourning period. And as I mentioned before, my sister really is in the process of planning her wedding. I’m sure she’d love having the help of a professional, and we can arrange it so that your stay here is actually a working visit.”
    Glancing down into her glass before lifting her gaze back to his, she murmured, “Are you sure your sister hasn’t already hired a wedding planner? I mean, she is a Jarrod, after all, and can afford the very best. I would think hiring a professional is the first thing she’d think to do.”
    “I can’t be sure, but I haven’t heard anything about a wedding planner being hired, so I sort of doubt it.” With a shrug, he drained the last of his wine and set the glass on the low, glass-top coffee table in front of the sofa. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll call her right now.”
    Haylie opened her mouth to stop him, but he was already headed for the cordless on the kitchen counter.
    To be honest, he hadn’t intended to tell even his family about Haylie’s sudden appearance and disturbing claims just yet, but he supposed they would find out soon enough, anyway. It wasn’t as if he could take a few days off work or drag her to the Manor with him without the rest of the Jarrods swooping in to pepper him with questions. Sometimes, he thought wryly, they were worse than the press.
    Hitting one of his many speed-dial numbers, he listened to the rings and waited for Erica to pick up. When she did, he greeted her with an upbeat, “Hey, sis, it’s Trevor. I’ve got a question for you.”
    A second later, he shot Haylie an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “So how would you like to hire one? I’d consider it a personal favor, actually.”
    “Please tell me you aren’t asking me to hire one of your temporary bimbos to plan my wedding,” Erica begged with a groan.
    Trevor didn’t know whether to chuckle or be offended by her low opinion of his usual female companions. Not that he hadn’t earned the reputation, he supposed.
    But while it had never bothered him before, he found himself suffering a twinge. Of guilt? Embarrassment? He wasn’t quite sure, but he didn’t like the sensation.
    Letting his gaze drift over Haylie’s straight blond hair, conservative sweater and slacks, and classy but sensible shoes, he knew Erica would never mistake her for a bimbo. Or one of his temporary distractions, either.
    “No,” he answered firmly. “She’s a very talented professional event planner, and I need to give her a really solid reason to stick around Jarrod Ridge for a couple of weeks.”
    “Why?” his sister asked without a hint of finesse.
    “It’s a long story,” he muttered, looking down at the floor. “I’ll explain later. So are you interested? Will you at least talk to her?”
    “Of course. Frankly, it would be a relief to have someone else worry about the details for a change. And someone to talk to about the wedding other than