Claiming Her Billion-Dollar Birthright Read Online Free PDF Page A

Aspen. Worked at the Jarrod Resort as a teenager.”
    â€œSo you knew my—” she stopped and rephrased what she’d been about to say “—Don Jarrod a long time.”
    â€œSince I was a kid.”
    â€œSo you know his children, too.”
    â€œSure. We didn’t hang out together as kids, but I knew them. Got to know them better later on.”
    â€œWhat’re they like?”
    â€œYou know,” he said, glancing around for the waiter that had apparently given up on them ordering lunch, “we should get a meal while we talk.”
    â€œI’m not hungry, thanks.”
    â€œOh.” He should have figured she’d still be too shaken to eat. “Are you sure?”
    â€œI am. Just tell me how they took this news. Are they furious? Am I going to be facing a firing squad in Colorado?”
    He gave her a smile he hoped was reassuring. “Nothing so dramatic. I admit they were as stunned as you. But they’re nice people. They’ll deal with it.”
    She took a deep breath and blew it out again. “I suppose we’ll all have to.”
    There it was, he thought, that thread of steel running through her slender, feminine body. “I have to say, I’m surprised at how well you’re taking this. I actually expected you to need more convincing.”
    She shook her head and thought about that for a moment before answering. When she did, her voice was soft and low. “I’ve just discovered that my entire life has been built on lies.” Her eyes met his and Christian felt the power of her stare slam into him. “I have to knowthe truth. I don’t expect you to understand this, but I feel as though I have to go. Not for the inheritance. I don’t need Don Jarrod’s money. I have to go for me. I have to find out who I really am.”
    He had the oddest urge to reach across the table and cover her hand with his. His palm actually burned to touch her, but he resisted, somehow knowing that one touch would be both too much and not enough. Instead, he kept his voice deliberately businesslike as he said, “I do understand. You need to see both of your lives to be able to accept either one.”
    She tipped her head to one side and studied him. “You do understand.” After a long moment, she turned her head to look out at the street pulsing with life behind them. “Until this morning, I thought my life was pretty dull. Routine. The biggest problem facing me this morning was getting through the morning meeting at the office. Now, I don’t know what to think.”
    â€œMaybe you should give yourself a break. Don’t try to figure anything out yet.” He saw confusion and hurt in her eyes and he didn’t like the fact that it bothered him. “All I’m saying is, wait. Go to Aspen. Meet your other family. Take some time.”
    She nodded thoughtfully. “Before I can do that, I have to go see my father,” she said. “I need to hear what he has to say about this.”
    â€œOf course.” He stood up as she did and held out one hand toward her. When she slid her palm against his, heat skittered up the length of his arm to reverberate through his chest. Oh, yes, touching her was an invitation to disaster. Instantly, he released her handagain. “I’ll be flying back to Aspen tomorrow, so if you have any other questions, I’m at the Hyatt at the Embarcadero.”
    She smiled. “I love that hotel. Good choice.”
    â€œNice view of the bay,” he admitted. As she picked up her purse and the manila envelopes he’d given her, Christian heard himself say, “Call me when you’re ready to come to Colorado. I’ll tell you what to expect when you arrive.”
    â€œI will.” She swung her purse up onto her shoulder, held on to the manila envelopes he’d given her and said, “I guess I’ll be seeing you again soon, then.”
    â€œSoon.”