More Than Willing by Laura Landon Read Free Book Online Page A

profits in one night of gambling. A man whose charm and good looks had gotten him everything he’d ever wanted. A weak man who had let his wife’s strengths destroy him.
    Maggie walked to her father’s desk and sank into the deep cushions of the chair. She didn’t think it was possible to meet two men who were such exact replicas in her lifetime, but she had. Grayson Delaney was a mirror image of her father and as big a threat to her as her father had been to her mother.
    Her father had always told her she was more like her mother than any daughter had a right to be. And she was. She had her mother’s strengths.
    And she shared her weakness.
    If she didn’t eliminate the danger waiting to ruin her life, she’d risk falling into the same trap as her mother had. Falling in love with a man who would destroy her was a catastrophe she had no intention of repeating.
    Grayson Delaney had to go.

Chapter Four
    She was a coward.
    Instead of going to the brewery like she did every day, Maggie told herself she’d neglected the estate books too long and had to stay home to work on them. At least that was the excuse she gave so she wouldn’t risk running into him.
    Since the fire yesterday she’d thought of nothing except Grayson Delaney racing into the burning stable. She’d been terrified that he wouldn’t come out alive.
    The emotional attachment she felt toward him frightened her. She’d never experienced anything like this. Never thought she would.
    Suddenly she doubted she had the courage to do what she had to do.
    She avoided the brewery because she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to face him today. The next time she saw him, she knew she’d have to finish the discussion they were in the middle of when the alarm sounded. She knew she had no choice but to send him packing.
    If she didn’t, she’d regret it as long as he was here.
    Maggie dropped her pen onto the papers and rubbed her aching temples. She’d added this same column of numbers at least a dozen times and come up with a different figure each time. That’s what happened when she couldn’t concentrate on anything but Grayson Delaney’s handsome face and magical smile. If she didn’t quit remembering the wicked sparkle in his eyes, she was never going to get any work done.
    She lifted her pen and started to add the column of figures again, then jumped when the door flew open.
    “Maggie, you have to make Charlotte pull her nose out of her book long enough so Mrs. Crawford can fit her for her new gowns.”
    Maggie closed her ledgers in defeat to wait for Felicity to finish expounding on Charlotte’s latest travesty.
    “Aunt Hester and I have picked out the most beautiful fabrics and designs for her. All she’s got to do is stand still long enough for Mrs. Crawford to measure her. But she won’t get her nose out of her book long enough for Mrs. Crawford to finish.” Felicity held her small, heart-shaped mouth tight in frustration.
    “Have you finished being fitted?” she asked, staring into a face so beautiful it stole her breath.
    “Yes. Just. And Mrs. Crawford promised to start sewing the minute she returned home.”
    Maggie looked at her sister’s glowing cheeks. “Will the gowns be as grand as you imagined?”
    “Oh, yes, Maggie! Neither Lottie nor I have ever owned gowns so magnificent. I dare say we will be the envy of everyone in London.”
    Felicity rushed around the desk and wrapped her arms around Maggie’s shoulders. “Thank you ever so much. I know what a sacrifice you’re making to outfit Charlotte and me for a Season in London.”
    “Nonsense. You and Charlotte deserve a Season. If Mama were here she’d insist upon it. And so would Papa.”
    “Yes, but only to try to marry us off to the richest suitor who showed an interest in us.”
    Maggie wanted to argue but couldn’t.
    “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” Felicity added with a sheepish expression.
    The look of regret on Felicity’s face tugged at