The Bride Means Business by Anne Marie Winston

Author:Anne Marie Winston
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-05-26T16:00:00+00:00

The following Tuesday was the monthly meeting of Piersall’s board of directors. Dax arrived early and went to his office for a final review of the materials he intended to present. He’d been in and out of the building throughout the week before, acquainting himself with Charles’s staff and reviewing procedures, checking inventory and familiarizing himself again with the process of manufacturing the steel beams that the company produced.

He’d grown up here, had been groomed for a position managing the company, but his father had died when Dax was seventeen, and a hired C.E.O. had stepped in while Dax went to college. Dax had stayed in school for two additional years to complete his graduate work and had planned to come home and gradually take over the reins after that.

He’d also planned to come home and marry Jillian, but neither of those plans had materialized. When he’d been betrayed by his brother and his fiancée, he hadn’t been able to get away from Butler County fast enough.

Charles, apparently, had been expected to become the company’s standard-bearer, but from what he could see, Charles had been a paper figurehead, leaving most of the decisions as well as the day-to-day management in the hands of the board of directors and the employees. So far, he’d read minutes from the past three years’ worth of board meetings, and it appeared Charles had missed more meetings than he’d attended.

He, Dax, had no intention of being an invisible presence.

The door of the conference room was open and he strode in. More than a half dozen men and one silver-haired woman were seated around the table. All rose at his entrance and introductions began. Roger Wingerd was there, neat piles of printouts stacked in front of him for distribution to the board. Several of the men were longtime stockholders he’d known before he left, and one, Gerard Kelvey, had been a friend of his father’s. Two others were young, shrewd-eyed, ambitious-looking types. The woman was another person he recognized. Naomi Stell’s husband had held stock, and Dax learned that since his death three years ago, Naomi had become active on the board.

The chairman of the board banged his gavel amid the chatter and the meeting was called to order.

And then the door opened.

Everyone turned automatically to see who else was attending the meeting. No one looked away as Jillian appeared in the doorway.

She paused for a moment, and Dax unconsciously held his breath, releasing it only when she stepped forward. She was wearing a stylish navy suit with bold brass buttons that fit her perfectly—too perfectly—managing to look risqué without revealing a single hint of cleavage. The skirt of the suit was shorter than he thought was appropriate for a business meeting, but he doubted a man there would object. Her navy pumps made her legs look even longer, her ankles even trimmer, and when she walked in the high heels, the muscles in her calves and along her shins slipped rhythmically beneath her silky skin.

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