A Perfect Bride For Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page B

still felt fresh and raw. It had been hard, unexpected, and left their usually strong mother an emotional wreck. If the news rocked
    Heath’s world this much, Mom’s would be
    devastated.
    This was the last thing she needed.
    “Dad’s name is on her birth certificate. Franklin Keeley King. Her name is Keeley, Keeley Jacobs.”
    “Shit.” Clint always had a way with words. “This woman is running a scam like Heath said. I’m not buying any of this until we know more. Look, I don’t mean to sound harsh or like I don’t care. I’ve got stuff going on here that makes it impossible for me to get away, but keep me posted, okay?”
    “All right, but I hate being the one to tell Mom about this woman.”
    “Hey, the youngest gets to be the scapegoat.
    That’s the way it works,” Clint snarked. “Besides, you’re closest, and this isn’t something to tell her by phone or with an email. We’ve got your back.”
    With that, Clint disconnected to do whatever he did at his Thoroughbred racing facility.
    “Look, it’s almost noon,” Heath said. “And I have a lunch with a prospective client. Let me do some investigating. I’ll get back to you. If this woman so much as has a hang nail, I’ll know about it.”
    “Noon.” Alex looked at the time on the new
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    Dyann Love Barr

    Rolex Sydney gave him last night. “Sydney and I are going to Mom’s to talk about the reception. Let me break the news about this woman, but I’ll tell her you’re checking it out. Anything you dig up on her will be useful.”
    “Will do, little brother. Like Clint said, keep us posted. I’ll check my email.” Heath’s voice sounded strained. “Give my love to Mom. I’m sure Clint
    would’ve said the same thing. He’s got his mind so worked up about this pregnant horse, he’s not
    thinking straight.”
    “I’ll let you know how it goes. Bye.” Alex put the receiver down and flipped open the file. A picture of a woman, about five years older than him stared up at him with sandy blonde hair, cut chin length with big green eyes. She had same cleft in her chin, and from the looks of it, Dad’s nose.
    Oh, man, how could he begin to tell Mom about
    this woman’s claims? Worse, it appeared they might be true. He didn’t want to believe this—he wished his father were here so he could hammer away at him and make him tell the truth.
    He brushed his hand over his face and tried to
    figure the best approach. Several scenarios played out in his head, but none of them added up to a happy ending. Mom was strong, one of the strongest women he knew, but this could throw her back into the depression she’d just managed to shake. The preparations for the wedding reception gave her a reason to get out of bed and take her focus off losing their father. Now this.
    He envied his brothers. He wished he lived far
    enough away to have an excuse to get out of talking to Mom. To avoid giving her the news that her
    devoted husband of almost forty years had strayed early in their marriage. Their perfect marriage had been an illusion. His father lived a lie all those years ago.
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    A Perfect Bride for Christmas

    The Christmas Eve wedding tradition now
    seemed nothing more than a superstition that didn’t work. Alex heaved a sigh. Look what happened at his first two Christmas attempts at marriage — his other trips to the altar ended in disaster.Regardless, he and Sydney’s would be perfect, tradition or no tradition. The third time had to be the charm.
    The door to his office opened, and Sydney
    Stanford, his fiancée, burst through in a flurry of motion. She’d dressed for a trip to the country, but her interpretation of bucolic living made him smile and kicked his libido into high gear.
    Skintight denim covered her very fine,
    aristocratic ass. The jeans probably cost more than the daily budget of a small third world country.
    Sydney’s Irish, hand knit, cream-colored sweater, along with the embroidered, suede leather jacket, were straight