The Wedding Ransom by Geralyn Dawson Read Free Book Online Page A

swept the righteous pirates, and he fought a smile. The crotchety old men managed to appear both fierce and almost…cuddly, too.
Yeah, Malone, like grizzly bears are cuddly.
    He knew without a doubt who was responsible for the softness in the pirates. One beautiful, intriguing woman with sea green eyes, old-gold hair, and a smile that could light the night.
    Rafe sprawled lazily across the ground, his legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles, his torso propped on his elbows. The heady scent of magnolia blossoms drifted on the breeze, and he felt a strong urge to shift around and lay his head in Maggie’s lap. But it was too nice a day to die, so he forced his mind back to the business at hand. “So, if the cockroach won the lawsuit, why are you still living here?”
    Ben answered. “We pleaded hardship with the judge. He took pity on us and said we could have nine months to vacate the premises. More than three of them have already passed.”
    “Hardship? What hardship?” Rafe’s brows arched as Maggie’s eyes shot daggers at her grandfathers. The woman obviously didn’t want them talking.
    Gus didn’t catch her look, or if he did, he ignored it. “Hardship on account of Maggie’s rheumatism and her need for Lake Bliss water.”
    “Rheumatism?” Rafe sat all the way up. He pinned Maggie with his stare. “How can you have rheumatism? You’re young. And besides, you said you’d repaired the roof. You couldn’t climb around on the roof if you had rheumatism.”
    “You repaired the roof!” Lucky shouted.
    Mackenzie shoved to his feet, his hand gripping the hilt of the dagger at his waist. “And how did Malone learn about it? When has he been talking to our Maggie? Has he touched you, lass?”
    Maggie bounded to her feet. “Papa Snake, you calm down. Mr. Malone didn’t have to talk to me to learn what I’ve been doing the last few days. Yes, Papa Lucky, I repaired the roof, and I won’t be scolded for doing work that needed doing. If we’re going to own Hotel Bliss, then we are obliged to keep it up. I wasn’t about to let the spring rains ruin the upstairs walls.”
    Bracing her hands on her hips, she turned her glower on Rafe. “I am not sickly. I’m as healthy a person as you’ll ever meet. It’s true that when I was younger I suffered spells of rheumatism. They came as flare-ups, occasional attacks much like Papa Ben’s malaria. But I’ve outgrown it. I haven’t been bothered by it in years. I won’t have it talked about by any of you.” She fired a glare around at all the men. “Does everyone understand?”
    She didn’t give them a chance to reply. “Now, if we’re through discussing my personal business, I’d like to return to important matters.” She waited until each of her grandfathers nodded their acquiescence before turning to Rafe. He held her gaze for a long minute, silently conveying the message that the conversation was postponed, not finished.
    Regally, she took a seat on the ground. Rafe had the distinct impression that she almost stuck her tongue out at him. He gave her his wickedest wink, then spoke to Ben. “She mentioned owning the hotel. I gather this is how you intend to use your treasure?”
    Ben reached into his pocket and removed his pipe. “Yes. We convinced Barlow Hill, the viper—”
    “The varmint.”
    “The villain.”
    “The vermin.”
    “—To agree to sell the property back to us. He set an outrageous price and we agreed to it. We went so far as to have a legal contract drawn up spelling out the particulars. He has no idea we’ll be able to meet it.”
    “From your mouth to the Mayan gods’ ears,” Gus grumbled.
    “And then to the judge who will oversee the lawsuit,” Maggie added. “You can bet he won’t give up without a fight. That’s one reason it’s so important that we remain nice and friendly to the man. Surprise is a powerful weapon. We need to wield it when its power will be most effective—when we have the cash