The Cowboy's One Night Bride Read Online Free PDF Page A

the moment of truth.
    “Feng Ling.” She prayed her voice reflected none of the nervousness she felt.
    Raising both eyebrows now, he searched her face and she forced herself to hold his gaze.
    “Feng Ling’s mother is Italian. Such a lovely mixture, isn’t it?”
    Gianna could have hugged Mrs. Beauchamp. The old woman twinkled kindly at her and smiled reassuringly.
    “Is that right? Yes, quite lovely.” Not releasing her hand, Anthony walked in the direction of the hotel and she matched her pace to his. As they reached the glass doors, she stared in wonderment at the stone statue to her side. It looked intimidating, with a flat nose and great mouth that opened to reveal sharp stone fangs, reminding her of a cat. One paw lined with sharp claws rested on an intricately carved ball.
    “I trust you like the shishi?” he murmured as he followed her gaze. Confused, Gianna looked at him. His eyes flickered as he tipped his head towards the statue.
    “Oh, yes,” she hastened, cursing herself for her carelessness. This must be one of those dreaded Chinese statue things that she was supposed to be familiar with. “Yes, it is beautifully crafted. I’ve never seen a bear quite so majestic and unique. It’s truly one of a kind.”
    Raising an eyebrow in a quizzical expression, Anthony intoned, “Then you must not have noticed his exact twin.” Looking around him, she was dismayed to see the exact same statue in a mirrored pose. Those cursed things must come in pairs. Unsure of how to react, she jumped a little as Anthony guffawed loudly.
    “Forgive me, my beauty. I have a weakness for bad jokes. Do come in, out of the sun.” He opened the glass door for her and stepped back with a little bow.
    “After you.”
     
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    Anthony wasn’t sure if the strong emotion that pulsed through him was one of rage or amusement. Perhaps both. One thing was for sure, she was a tricky little thing. She had obviously pulled the wool over the eyes of the unsuspecting Mrs. Beauchamp. He was surprised by the boldness behind the blatant lie as she revealed her name to him without so much as blinking. There was some steel behind this one, but if there was one thing Anthony hated, it was being lied to. He had deliberately tested her by using the less common name of the Chinese stone lions and derived some wicked pleasure at watching her squirm. A bear.
    This could be interesting.
    As they entered the hotel lobby with Mrs. Beauchamp in their wake, Anthony turned to his false bride. Her flushed reaction to the stone-lion fiasco left her cheeks colored prettily pink and her long lashes framed her nervous eyes. Pleased at the impact he had on her, he nodded at his housekeeper.
    “I’d like some time alone with my prospective bride,” he announced. Smiling brightly, the good Mrs. Beauchamp replied, “I’ll get Jack to send her suitcase up in a bit.”
    “No need for that, I’ll take it from him now.” Anthony swiftly plucked the case from the stable boy’s hands. “Thank you, Jack.”
    “Would you please ensure that we are not disturbed?” He called back as he ascended the staircase with his bride in tow. This earned him a tittering of assurances from his housekeeper, who no doubt had some assumptions of the activities they would soon be engaging in. He smirked inwardly. Oh, he had activities planned, alright.
    “Right this way, my lovely Feng Ling ,” he enunciated her name deliberately.
     
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    To her dismay, Gianna followed Anthony up the flights of stairs. She hadn’t expected to be left alone with him so soon. Despite his polished politeness and well-mannered charm, there was an undercurrent in his actions that made her extremely nervous.
    “If I may ask,” she whispered softly, “where are we going?”
    “I thought we might have a chat in my study: get to know each other a little better.”
    As they passed through the hallway on the third floor, he stopped to point out a particularly breath-taking painting on