June Bride: Now and Forever Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

red Honda in the fast lane, but it never passed them. Could someone actually be following them? Then he felt silly. There were millions of cars on the California highways, and a lot of them liked to drive in the fast lane. It was foolish to think Meredith’s ex could actually be following them. Besides, Dwayne had no claim on Meredith. He’d thrown her over for another woman. He was a jerk and a loser. He’d probably flown to Sacramento on a business trip.
    On that note, he pulled off the highway and headed toward a neighborhood in the low-lying hills, with just enough roll in the landscape to afford privacy between the luxury homes. A few minutes later, he pulled into his long, brick driveway and stopped in front of his castle Tudor home. The exterior was sandstone brick, with a brown metal roof, and the tower next to the arched entryway had narrow windows that stair-stepped down the turret.
    Meredith’s mouth dropped open. “This is your ‘bachelor pad’? It’s magnificent! A fairy princess must be watching from the tower.” She turned to him and grabbed his arm. “Are you seeing a fairy princess behind my back?”
    Chris laughed. “You like the house?”
    Meredith put a hand over her mouth. “I’m stunned. There must be four bedrooms at least. You live here all alone?”
    “Five bedrooms, six and a half baths, and servants’ quarters in the back. Well, that’s actually another little house. So technically, I guess I live here alone at night. But during the day, there are three other people. And right now, there’s even more, because I’m having a pool installed. Want to see?”
    “Oh my God, I want to see every square foot.” Meredith was already getting out of the car.
    Chris grinned. Her reaction was better than he had hoped. “Wait for me.”
    He gave her the tour of the house, and introduced her to his housekeeper, the groundsman, and Toby, a large German shepherd.
    Meredith melted at the sight of the dog. “I didn’t know you were a dog person. Why doesn’t Toby go to work with you?” She stopped and looked around for a second, then asked, “Why do you go to work at all?”
    Chris shrugged. “I need something to do, and since Gran earned a fifth-degree black belt in tae-kwon-do in her youth, she made sure I took lessons for years. A gym seemed like the natural thing to do. Toby is home security, not work security.” He turned to the housekeeper. “Imelda, where’s Ron?”
    “He’s out back, keeping an eye on the construction people.” She smiled at Meredith. “Nice to meet you.”
    “Thanks, same here,” said Meredith. “Who is Ron?”
    Chris said, “He’s our bodyguard. Imelda and her husband are here alone a lot of the time, and their grandkids come to visit. Sometimes our neighborhood is targeted by burglars, and I want her to feel safe. Come on, I’ll show you the pool. Or rather, the hole in the ground where the pool will be.” He led her through the great room, the dining room, the huge kitchen, the mudroom, and out the back door.
    Chris waved at Ron and commented to Meredith, “Ron’s the one who’s not wearing an orange construction vest. He was on the pro wrestling circuit before I hired him. Impressive, no?”
    “Very,” said Meredith, wide-eyed.
    “Mr. Dann, welcome home.” Ron lifted a hand in greeting, then strode toward them. “Is this the young lady you’ve been talking about?”
    Chris made the introductions. “How’s the work coming?”
    “They’re waiting for a piece of equipment to arrive,” said Ron. “Since they can’t do much for an hour or so, I told them they could drive to the Village Store.” He nodded as the three construction workers trudged past. “And if it starts raining,” said Ron, glancing up at the gathering clouds, “we won’t see them until tomorrow.”
    “Did they lock up that front loader?” Chris gestured at the huge John Deere tractor with its earth mover wedged in the dark soil.
    “Yes, sir.” Ron gave Meredith a