Her Heart's Desire Read Online Free PDF Page A

now, Ivan needed to gather all the facts about the mishap to do damage control. At Mangum, an unhappy client was completely unacceptable.
    * * *
    On Wednesday, Tiffany closed up the shop early to accommodate Ivan and his brother. She set out snacks and drinks on the table in the storage room. She was working on inventory orders when a man walked through the door.
    She knew immediately that he was Ivan’s brother. The resemblance was strong, but Ivan was broader in build, taller, and his eyes were more golden. She went to greet him. “You must be Cole.” She smiled.
    He shook her hand. “I am. How are you, Miss Gentry?”
    “I’m well, and call me Tiffany. Thanks for coming.” She looked behind him to see another man following. They made introductions. “Good to meet you, John.” Tiffany couldn’t help but ask, “Is Ivan on his way?”
    Cole shook his head. “He’s been unavoidably detained. He asked me to apologize, and to let you know he’ll arrive as soon as he can.”
    “Oh. No problem. I’ll show you around.”
    Tiffany was disappointed, but tried to hide it. A short time later, Milán and Norma Jean came through the door.
    When she saw them, she had to stifle a groan. “What a nice surprise,” Tiffany said pointedly.
    “Isn’t it? Jeannie thought you’d like to join us for dinner,” Milán replied brightly.
    “Yeah, and I wanted to see how Ivan was working out,” Norma Jean added.
    Tiffany schooled her features. She didn’t need Norma Jean’s radar going off. “Oh, well, Colonel Mangum isn’t here, but should be soon. Dinner sounds great. I’ll go get my purse.” She sped off.
    “Hello, Cole,” Norma Jean said when she spotted him. She walked over and hugged him. “Deciding to give the ladies a break this evening?”
    “Now why would I do that, Ms. Jeannie?” Cole grinned. “Besides, it’s early yet.”
    “Scoundrel,” she replied in mock disapproval. “Where’s that brother of yours? He’d better not be loafing around. I talked him up to Tiffany, so my reputation is on the line.”
    “Don’t worry, it’s still intact,” Ivan called from the doorway.
    Tiffany’s pulse quickened. He wore army fatigues, and looked more delectable than usual.
    He went straight to Tiffany. “I’m sorry I’m late. I had an emergency crop up at work.”
    It was tough concentrating on the words with his face inches away. His close proximity wreaked havoc on her senses.
    “No problem,” she assured him. “The guys are moving right along.”
    “Glad to hear it.” He turned to the other women. “How are you ladies?”
    “Fine,” Norma Jean replied. “We’re going to dinner. Care to join us?”
    “No, ma’am. We’ve got work to do.” He and Cole exchanged glances. His brother nodded. “We’ll be finished by the time you return.”
    “Can I bring you something back?” Tiffany offered.
    “We’re good, thanks,” Cole chimed in.
    Norma Jean swung into action. “You heard the man. Let’s get a move on. I’m hungry, and the lines aren’t getting any shorter.”
    * * *
    The moment they left, Ivan turned to his brother.
    “How are we really doing?”
    Cole rolled his eyes. “Ivan, it’s not rocket science. I’ve got this.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    He flooded Cole with a barrage of questions. With a loud sigh, Cole brought him up to speed. Walking around, Ivan began spot-checking his brother’s work.
    “Top-notch,” he confirmed after a full inspection.
    “Thank you, Colonel Mangum,” Cole replied with a salute before giving his brother an “I told you so” look. Ivan was about to walk away when Cole said, “She’s fine, by the way.”
    “Cole,” Ivan ground out.
    “I’m just saying, she’s a cute little thing. Kind of short for you, isn’t she? But then again, you can make up the difference when you’re horizontal—”
    A small box sailed past Cole’s head. He reached out and caught it. He flashed a huge grin at his brother. “You’ll have to do better than