The CEO's Accidental Bride by Barbara Dunlop Read Free Book Online Page B

a single, frayed and blurry photo of her mother, and theaddress of the rooming house where Yvette had been living prior to Kaitlin’s birth.
    While her anger and frustration toward Zach had diminished as the days went by, she couldn’t seem to fight off the spurt of jealousy that bubbled up when she thought about his heritage. He’d had such a safe and privileged upbringing. While she was on the outside looking in, he’d been wrapped in the loving embrace of his wealthy family, wanting for nothing, experiencing the finest life had to offer.
    â€œExplain to me again why we couldn’t go straight to Rundall’s for lunch?” called Lindsay. She’d fallen behind in her higher heels and straight skirt.
    â€œSee that?” Kaitlin turned to walk backward, banishing her negative thoughts as she swept her arm, pointing toward the deep blue Hudson River. “If I can get a permit to add three stories, the view will be amazing.”
    A steady hum of traffic rose up to meet them, while barges slipped by against the tree-dotted New Jersey shoreline.
    â€œWill that be expensive?” asked Lindsay, as she picked her way across the rough surface, steadying herself against a mechanical box, then an air-conditioning unit.
    â€œWildly,” said Kaitlin, picturing the expanse of glass and the marble floors.
    Lindsay flashed a wide grin as she came abreast of Kaitlin near the edge of the roof. “That’s my girl. Not that Harper will ever notice. The man has more money than God.”
    â€œIt would seem,” Kaitlin agreed, thinking back to the fine art and antiques that decorated his huge penthouse apartment.
    â€œI’ve been checking,” said Lindsay in a conspiratorial tone, swiping back her stray blond hairs in the freshening breeze. “Did you know it started with the pirates?”
    â€œWhat started with pirates?” Kaitlin peered over the edge to the busy street below. She wished she had a scaffolding so she could see exactly how the view would look if they went up three stories.
    â€œThe Harper family wealth,” Lindsay said. “Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. Pirates.”
    Kaitlin stretched up on her toes, shading her eyes against the brilliant sun. “I’m sure that’s just a rumor.”
    New York City was full of colorful stories of countless founding families. Most of them were concocted by the families themselves to add social cachet and impress their friends. The Harpers could just as easily have been former potato farmers who arrived in the city from Idaho in 1910. Perhaps they’d sold something as mundane as farmland and crops to buy their first boat and start Harper Transportation.
    â€œOf course it’s a rumor,” Lindsay pointed out. “It happened three hundred years ago. It’s not like they have videotape.”
    Kaitlin cracked a smile at her friend’s faux outrage. “Are you suggesting I’ve inherited tainted money?”
    â€œI’m suggesting the man you’re blackmailing was descended from thieves and murderers.”
    â€œDoes that scare you?” Zach didn’t scare Kaitlin anymore.
    Well, not much. She was still intimidated by his angry glare. And she was definitely unsettled by the sexual awareness that bloomed to life whenever he strode by. It was becoming a regular part of her workday: email, coffee, drafting, Zach. Then boom, buzz, all she could think about was kissing him.
    â€œHell, no,” Lindsay assured her. “I’m just sayin’ you should watch out for his sword.”
    Kaitlin waggled her finger at Lindsay in admonishment. “That’s a terrible joke.”
    Lindsay peered closer. “Are you blushing?”
    â€œNo,” Kaitlin answered with a shake of her head, switching her attention to the steel gray barge plodding up the river.
    â€œI didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
    â€œSure you did.”
    Lindsay leaned forward to get a