A New Year Marriage Proposal (Harlequin Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

of a jury. I prefer the backroom stuff—working with the law, with words and people.’
    ‘So it’s in the family? Being a lawyer?’
    ‘On my mum’s side, yes. I think Gramps was a bit disappointed that she never became a lawyer, but she met Dad at a gig when she was a student, fell in love with him, and then I came along.’ She smiled. ‘Though I think Gramps was quite pleased when he realised I was more likely to follow in his footsteps than in Dad’s.’
    Quinn had had nobody’s footsteps to follow in. He’d made his own way. ‘I guess that made it easier for you.’
    ‘More like it meant I had something to live up to,’ she corrected.
    He’d never thought of it that way before—that privilege could also be a burden. Tabitha’s friends and family had all been privileged, and they’d taken their easy life for granted; they’d also looked down on those who’d had to work for what they had, like him. Clearly Clarissa saw things very differently.
    ‘I had to be the best, because I couldn’t let Gramps down,’ she continued. ‘If I fell flat on my face, it wouldn’t just be me that looked an idiot. No way would I do that to him. I wanted him to be proud of me, not embarrassed by my incompetence.’
    Quinn hadn’t known Carissa for very long, but incompetence was a word he’d never associate with her. And he’d just bet that her grandparents adored her as much as her parents obviously had, because her voice was full of affection rather than fear or faint dislike. ‘Do your grandparents know what you’re doing about the ward?’
    ‘The ward itself, yes, of course—Gramps was really good at helping me cut through the red tape and pushing the building work through endless committees. Plus, obviously he’s one of the trustees. But I haven’t told them anything about the virtual Santa. I wanted to make sure it could work first.’
    ‘If you hadn’t met me, what would you have done about it?’ he asked, suddenly curious.
    ‘Found a programmer. Talked to his clients. Offered him a large bonus to get the job done in my timescale.’ She shrugged. ‘Standard stuff. But it’s irrelevant now, because I’ve met you.’
    ‘How do you know I could...?’ he began, and then stopped. ‘You talked to some of my clients, didn’t you?’
    ‘I couldn’t possibly answer that,’ she said, making her face impassive and clearing away their empty plates.
    He sighed.
    ‘OK. I won’t say who I spoke to, but they said that if you run a project then it’ll work the way it’s supposed to work. No compromises and no mistakes.’
    He prided himself on that. ‘Yes.’
    ‘And that you call a spade a spade rather than a digging implement,’ she added with a grin.
    ‘What would you call a spade?’ he asked.
    ‘That rather depends on the context.’
    He smiled. ‘A very lawyerly response.’
    ‘It’s who I am,’ she said.
    ‘No. You’re more than your job,’ he said. ‘You could’ve just got the rest of your dad’s band to come and play some of his most famous songs at the opening. That would’ve been enough to wow everyone. But you went the extra mile. You’re arranging a very special Santa for the kids. It’s personal—and I don’t mean just for them, I mean for you.’
    ‘That hospital saved my life when I was a baby. I owe them,’ she said. ‘The virus meant that I was more prone to chest infections when I was really small, and I can remember spending my fourth birthday in hospital with pneumonia, being too ill for a birthday party and balloons and cake. The staff were really kind, but I knew what I was missing. And being in hospital at Christmas is especially hard on kids. They miss out on Santa and all the parties. It’s hard on their families, too. I just want to put a bit of sparkle into their day and make a difficult Christmas that little bit better for them.’
    ‘Christmas isn’t always good outside hospital,’ he said, and then he could have kicked himself for letting the