A Spanish Engagement by Kathryn Ross Read Free Book Online Page A

turned the key in the engine.
    ‘Bye, now.’ She gave him a half-wave as the car moved forward.
    He smiled. ‘Until next week.’
    As Max stood and watched her drive away he wondered whom she was seeing tomorrow night for dinner. Was it business or pleasure? He found himself hoping it was the former…he wanted to see much more of Carrie Michaels. He sensed a challenge there and that interested him greatly.

CHAPTER THREE
    M OLLY had got hold of Carrie’s lipstick and trailed it everywhere; red was smeared over her cute heart-shaped face and over her sweet cupid lips in a swirling sea of colour.
    ‘Hey, you, what have you been doing?’ Carrie asked playfully as she emerged from her en suite bathroom and saw the little girl sitting at the dressing table going through her make-up bag.
    Molly chuckled happily and dived back into the bag to take out some blusher, putting it on her cheeks in big dabs that made her look like a clown.
    ‘I know we are going out for lunch, and you want to look good for Grandma and Grandpa, but I don’t think they will appreciate the make-up, darling,’ Carrie said, taking the brush away from the little girl.
    She picked the child up and brought her into the bathroom to shower her. Molly giggled with pleasure as Carrie teased her and tickled her. It was amazing how a child could lift your spirits, Carrie thought. She was dreading this meeting with Carmel and her husband because she was going to have to own up to the fact that she was on her own, that there was no wonderful fiancé. She had been trying to gather up the courage to tell Carmel this since coming back from the Santos vineyard yesterday, but the truth kept sticking in Carrie’s throat. Maybe with Molly’s grandfather there it would be easier, she told herself now. Because the whole thing was ridiculous; she was morethan capable of giving her niece a good home life all on her own.
    Taking Molly out of the shower, she brought her back to the bedroom. ‘What shall we wear for lunch with Grandma?’ she asked the little girl as she opened the wardrobe and raked through the contents. ‘How about your pink dress?’ She took the garment out and examined it carefully. It was an outfit she had bought for Molly when she had been on a business trip to the Paris office a few months before Tony had died; she remembered ringing him from the store and asking his opinion about the size.
    ‘Get the bigger size,’ he had said immediately. ‘She’s growing up so fast, it’s quite scary. I’ll be walking her down the aisle before we know it.’
    The memory made Carrie’s eyes blur with sudden tears. Hurriedly she blinked them back. She needed to be in complete control this afternoon; there was no time for grief.
    Towel-drying Molly’s black curls, she then sat her at the dressing table and brushed them neatly into place before pulling the pink dress over her head. The effect was perfect; she looked like a little princess, her hair shining and her large eyes dominating the small face.
    ‘Can I take Mojo with me?’ Molly asked, picking up the white rag dog that she liked to take everywhere she went.
    ‘Of course you can,’ Carrie said quickly.
    ‘Will Daddy be at the hotel?’ the little girl asked suddenly.
    The question made Carrie’s heart catch. She had tried to explain to Molly about her father’s death, and the little girl had seemed to understand, but every now and then she still asked for him. How did you explain to a childwho was only just four that Daddy was never coming back? Carrie wondered, drawing the child up and into her arms and holding her tight. ‘No, darling, do you remember what I told you about Daddy?’
    Molly pulled away from her and nodded. ‘He’s in heaven,’ she said solemnly.
    ‘But he still loves you very much and so do Grandma and Grandpa, and they are looking forward to seeing you. Grandpa just flew in from Australia on a big plane last night. He’s going to tell you all about it. Isn’t that