The Billionaire's Christmas Gift: An Inspirational, Small Town Romance (Christmas Billionaires) by Laura Haley-McNeil

Author:Laura Haley-McNeil [Haley-McNeil, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Huerfano Press, LLC
Published: 2020-09-29T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

Chrystelle led Quint out of the master bedroom and into the hallway.

“What’s on the third floor?” Quint moved to the staircase that was narrower than the steps leading to the second floor.

“Those rooms are smaller. When the teachers lived here, the cook would sleep up there if she didn’t live in town with a family of her own. Same with the laundress and the housekeeper. After the laws were changed and the teachers could marry, my great-great-grandfather bought this house. He and Eleanor lived here and raised their family. Grandma said that sometimes they’d take in young women who were in trouble or abandoned or had fallen on hard times, and they’d sleep on the third floor.”

“That was a magnanimous thing to do.”

“Grandma Eleanor had a heart for the downtrodden even when she lived in an elegant home in New York. The women she and Grandpa Noah took in weren’t always angels. Grandma’s told me stories about some of the problems the women caused, which I hope to turn into another series.”

“I think you should. Maybe we can talk about that.” The interest in his voice made her wonder what he’d think of that script. Would he accept what she’d write, or would he insist on changes? He was a powerful Hollywood producer who was used to having his way.

“We haven’t come to terms on this series.” She met his calm gaze with narrowing eyes.

“Not yet.” His smile was broad and confident. “Let’s walk around the house outside. I’d like to see the rest of the property.”

On the front porch, Quint turned the heavy lock. Chrystelle replaced the key and led him down the front steps. When they reached the bottom, something soft struck the middle of her back.

“Did you just—” She whirled around.

“Yes, I did.” Quint was scooping up snow and packing it into a ball.

“That isn’t fair.” She shaped a handful of snow.

“What isn’t fair?” He shot her a too-innocent look.

“If we’re having a snowball fight, I have to know.” She scowled at him.

He straightened and she let the snowball fly, hitting him square in the chest.

“That’s how you want to fight.” His laugh was guttural and deep. Amusement flickered in his gaze that never left hers.

She scooped another handful of snow, tossed it in his face and ran.

“Now who isn’t playing fair?” he called out.

“The rules only apply to you.” She laughed and stumbled through the snow. She glanced over her shoulder. He was a foot behind her, and she yelped.

“Now you’re afraid.” He laughed.

“I’m not afraid of anything.” Her temper spiked at his accusation, but angst pounded through her veins. The fear propelled her through the snow. What would Quint do to her if he caught her? She didn’t relish being tackled. Tackled by Quint? Maybe that wouldn’t be as bad as she thought.

“Then face me like a man ... a woman.” Quint’s voice was deep and commanding.

“You asked for it.” Scooping up more snow, she pulled back her arm. He caught her hand and pulled her into his chest.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.