The Temporary Mrs. King by Maureen Child Read Free Book Online Page A

you’re not here.”
    â€œWon’t Stanford expect your family to be there?”
    Damn . Wincing, he silently acknowledged that he hadn’t really considered that.
    â€œProbably,” he admitted, but shook his head again anyway. “I’ll just tell him it happened too fast for you guys to get out here.”
    â€œYeah, that’ll go over big,” Rafe muttered.
    â€œLook,” Sean told them both with a tired sigh, “I’ll take care of the details here. You guys get hold of Rico and tell him we’re on. I’ll check out the small construction company here on the island, see what we can use and what we’ll need to bring in.”
    â€œI’ve got a cargo ship putting out to sea in a week or so,” Rafe said. “We can get most of our equipment onboard and get to work as soon as possible.”
    â€œSounds good,” Sean said, relieved to be back on safer terrain. Talking about the job, the business, he felt more in control. “With the weather here, it being fall won’t be a problem. We should be able to keep the job running right through winter without many weather delays.”
    â€œSounds good,” Lucas told him with a grin. “Rico’s going to want to jump into this project. Oh, and he’s having us build him a house on the island too. Guess he’s decided to make Tesoro his main residence.”
    Sean held up one hand. “All I negotiated for was the hotel property. Rico’s on his own with the house deal.”
    â€œSeriously,” Lucas muttered with a snort, “what do you have left to bargain with? Your soul ?”
    â€œFunny,” Sean told him.
    â€œOh, Rico’s got the land for the house,” Rafe told him. “Walter had no problem with that. It was the beachfront property he was hanging onto. Until now.”
    â€œYeah,” Sean said, feeling that metaphorical noose tightening around his throat again. “Until now.”
    â€œAre you sure you’re okay with this?” Rafe asked.
    â€œWhy wouldn’t I be?” Sean answered his question with a question and let it go.
    â€œAlways were the most stubborn one of us,” Lucas said.
    â€œYeah, right.” Rafe laughed. “You make Dad look reasonable.”
    â€œNo reason to be insulting,” Lucas countered.
    â€œYou want insulting?” Rafe argued.
    Sean smiled to himself as he watched his brothers fall into a familiar argument. They were in California, but they might as well have been on Mars for as far away as Sean felt from the family he loved. But it was better this way, he told himself.
    No reason for them to meet Melinda or to celebrate a marriage that had a two-month expiration date.
    He’d made the deal and he’d stick to it. But damned if he’d have an audience for it.

Four
    â€œY ou’re doing what ?”
    â€œI’m getting married,” Melinda said and waited for the crushing, debilitating panic she kept expecting to set in. It didn’t, which was completely weird because if anyone had the right to panic, it was her.
    After Sean and her grandfather had had their meeting, she’d spent five quick minutes with the man who would soon be her husband. Sean hadn’t said much, just told her that it was set and that he was going to have dinner with her grandfather. Then he told her he’d call her sometime today. Which, so far, he hadn’t.
    She shot a quick look out the kitchen window. It was only late morning. Still plenty of time. So why was her stomach doing a jittery dance and her throat occasionally closing up so even breathing was becoming an Olympic event?
    Oh, God.
    She had spent all of last night, sitting on the terrace of her hotel suite, staring out at the ocean. The trade winds ruffled through the leaves of the trees and the scent of night-blooming jasmine had wrapped itself around her and still, she couldn’t find any peace.
    And she knew why.
    Sean King