Millionaire in a Stetson by Barbara Dunlop Read Free Book Online Page A

When it came to seduction, this woman could write the book. Or maybe she’d read the book. Her mother’s book.
    He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being manipulated. But he also couldn’t figure out why. She didn’t know who he was, or she’d already have run for the hills.
    Then again, maybe she did this to all men. Maybe it was as natural for her as breathing.
    “We have to go back,” he told her. If they didn’t leave now he was going to kiss her all over again.
    “Thanks.” She spoke softly, innocently, all traces of teasing replaced by sincerity. “For everything.”
    Sawyer turned for the shore, ruthlessly switching his mind to his uncle’s dilemma and the dire price his family would pay if he failed. He couldn’t afford to lose focus. He couldn’t afford to let Niki get under his skin.
    * * *
    In the attic the next day, Niki was still trying to wrap her mind around the effect of Sawyer’s kiss. For her, it had been a mind-blowing, earth-shifting experience. The kind of kiss she hadn’t even known could exist. For him, apparently, she was just another pair of lips.
    She’d struggled not to feel insulted by his cavalier attitude. Surely her ego couldn’t be that fragile. It wasn’t as if she was hopeless in the romance department. Okay, it was true that she hadn’t had a date since she’d left D.C. And her most recent college boyfriend had broken up with her a few months before that.
    So, maybe it had been a dry spell.
    In fact, she told herself, perhaps that’s why Sawyer’s kiss had made such an impact. It wasn’t the kiss itself, it was her pent up lust from so many months of being alone. Yes, that made a lot more sense.
    “This is their wedding picture.” Katrina rose to carry a framed photograph to where Niki perched on the corner of the wooden crate, browsing through pieces of old, floral patterned china.
    The attic was slightly dusty, but well-organized, each cardboard box labeled and stacked in a neat row. It was sultry warm, the air close from the midday heat. Streams of sunshine came through the paned windows, making geometric patterns on the worn, wood floor.
    Niki accepted the picture, gazing down at a burly, stern-looking man dressed in a dark suit. Next to him was a small, slight woman, smiling in a full-length white dress. It was a simple, classic a-line with a scooped neck. Her bouquet looked as if it had been picked from the garden, and her veil was a single layer of gauze. But nothing could detract from the woman’s beauty.
    “So this is Sasha?”
    “Yes, it is.”
    “She was gorgeous.”
    “I don’t remember her very well. But I do remember thinking she was beautiful.”
    “It’s hard to imagine she had a baby like Reed.” Niki caught herself. “I mean—”
    But Katrina laughed. “You don’t think I’ve noticed my husband’s size?”
    “I didn’t mean it to sound insulting.”
    “It didn’t. Sasha was never even remotely robust. It’s funny, not ha-ha, but ironic. When we first met again as adults, Reed nearly killed himself trying to stay away from me, because he was afraid this way of life would kill me, too.”
    Niki looked up at Katrina. “I thought he blamed his father.”
    “He does.” Katrina’s tone was quiet. “This place just gave Wilton the means to do it.”
    “Is that why Reed’s so protective of you?”
    Katrina seemed surprised. “You think he’s protective?”
    “Yes,” Niki drawled, adding a chuckle for good measure. “And hopelessly in love. I’d give a lot to have a guy watch over me the way Reed watches over you.”
    Katrina’s cheeks were slightly red. “What about Sawyer?”
    Niki stilled.
    “It took him a while to pull you out of the river yesterday. And, when you came back to the water polo game, the two of you looked a little…” Katrina grinned as she waggled her brow.
    “A little what?” Niki stalled.
    “You know.” Katrina nudged her in the arm. “A little shell-shocked and in awe of each other.