The Life of Riley by Lenora Worth

Author:Lenora Worth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-09-19T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

RILEY CHECKED HER dress one more time.

The lightweight red wool sheath was A-line and sassy, with three-quarter-length sleeves and a nice round neckline that just begged for pearls. The dress hid her bulging tummy without being too tight. She’d decided to wear her tall brown boots and dark tights with it since the weather was turning nasty—rain with a chance of sleet—which only happened every few years around these parts. And why, oh why, today of all days? She’d worn her brown leather topper coat and brought a leaf-embossed scarf to throw on in case the magazine crew wanted to join her for lunch at the Hamhock.

Now all she had to do was wait for them to arrive. It should be a quick shoot since they’d saved two pages before they went to print next week. No margin for errors on such a tight timeline however.

Margie Sue twirled into the office, wearing a pretty green cashmere tunic-length sweater and black knit ankle pants. Her soft brown kid loafers made her outfit look effortless. And her serene smile calmed Riley’s scrambled nerves.

“Almost time, honey,” Margie Sue said, checking her watch. “The shop looks great. Very Christmas-y. I hope we get lots of shoppers for the Black Friday open house.”

Riley glanced around at her office, satisfied that she’d done the best she could with making it homey and holiday ready. Even little Killer looked festive with his big red bow. “The shoot today and then the open house in a couple of weeks. We’re having a busy fall season.”

“That’s good, in this economy,” Margie Sue replied. “How you feeling?”

“I feel great,” Riley said. “The morning sickness has subsided a little and Jackson isn’t pestering me as much since I’ve announced this pregnancy to the family.”

Margie Sue played with a tassel on the hurricane lamp on Riley’s desk. “But he still wants to be more involved?”

“Yes.”

Riley thought of their kisses and how he’d asked her to let him in. Into her heart? Into her mind? He was already there. The man haunted her dreams and stayed front and center in her mind every day.

“You don’t look so thrilled about this,” Margie Sue pointed out. “Do you feel okay?”

“I feel fine,” Riley said. She turned to an oval mirror centered over an antique hutch she used as a storage cabinet and patted her upswept hair. “It’s been hard, you know, seeing Jackson again after so long. He says he’s changed. He wants to prove that to me, but I’m so afraid. So afraid that if I give in, he’ll just go back to the same old pattern of shutting me out.”

“I’d like to see some of that change myself.” Margie Sue frowned at Riley’s reflection in the mirror. “Delton tells me Jackson is like a new man. He’s making all kinds of improvements at the lodge, but he’s staying within budget. And it’s not like he can’t manage the whole estate. He’s certainly capable.”

“But he never wanted all of that before.” Riley turned and straightened the papers on her desk.

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