A Fortune's Children Christmas (Anthology) by Lisa Jackson; Barbara Boswell; Linda Turner

Author:Lisa Jackson; Barbara Boswell; Linda Turner
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: American Light Romantic Fiction, Christian fiction, Family, Romance: Modern, Contemporary, Christmas stories, General, Romance, American, Romance & Sagas, Romance - Contemporary, Fiction, Romance - Anthologies, Fiction - Romance
ISBN: 9780373217540
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2004-12-01T08:00:00+00:00

The first thing Ryder noticed when he entered the building was Joanna seated behind the reception desk…and two young hotshots from the marketing department hanging all over the desk. Vying for Joanna’s attention. All but drooling over her!

And no wonder. She was wearing her dark strawberry-colored suit, the one with the short skirt and fitted jacket, the one that drove him crazy every time she wore it because it revealed hints of tantalizing curves while discreetly concealing them. His rational mind appreciated the garment as a masterpiece of product design—except the sight of Joanna wearing it effectively rendered him irrational.

He stopped at the desk, a fixed smile on his face. “Slow day, huh?”

The tone of his own voice startled him. He had intended to sound jovial, like one of the guys. What he’d heard was his father, in full executive mode, about to deliver an admonishment on the perils of wasting time.

Aaron apparently heard the same thing. He abruptly straightened, his expression a portrait of guilt. “Ryder, we—um—were just—er,” he began.

“We heard a rumor and came seeking proof,” Warren interjected with a winning schoolboy smile. “We had to see with our own eyes that it’s not a mirage, that Miss Volk isn’t here. And it’s true, she’s really gone. ‘Ding Dong the Witch is Dead,’ hey, Ryder?”

Ryder decided that Warren bordered on smarmy. His jokes weren’t funny, either.

“I’d like you two to bring me up to speed on the Gladwin project first thing tomorrow morning,” Ryder said, and felt a twinge of satisfaction at the sudden panic in their eyes. Since the Gladwin project was brand-new, very little would’ve been done on it, certainly nothing worth sharing with the boss at this point.

But he’d made it sound like there ought to be!

Warren and Aaron immediately announced that they were returning to their offices. But as they were leaving, Ryder saw Aaron wink at Joanna, heard him hum a verse of “Surf City” under his breath.

Joanna gave a brief nod. She appeared sorry to see the pair leave.

Ryder narrowed his dark brows, subjecting her to a piercing stare. “‘Surf City’?”

She shrugged, and he noted that she diligently avoided any eye contact with him. “Good night!” he all but roared. “You’re not planning to go back to that place with them, are you?”

She gaped at him, and Ryder felt a flash of pride. He’d put together the clues with astute ease.

“I…said I’d meet them there tonight.” Joanna was defensive. “A group from marketing are going. It…it could be fun.”

“Fun?” Ryder echoed incredulously.

He wished that his keen powers of perception had failed, because he hated what he’d just learned. Joanna was going to Surf City with two junior marketing executives who were clearly smitten with her. And if they were all over her like a rash here at work, in the anything-goes atmosphere of Surf City they would surely—

Ryder blocked that thought. “You know what that place is like, Joanna. You detested it as much as I did.”

“I thought maybe I ought to give it another try.

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.