White Collar Wedding by Parker Kincade Read Free Book Online

Chapter One
    Three weeks before the wedding…
    “We’re going to have to cancel.”
    Gavin held onto his patience by a thread. “Lauren. Be reasonable.”
    His bride-to-be spread her arms and twirled in the middle of what should’ve been their new kitchen, if the fucking contractor had done what Gavin paid him a fortune to do.
    Lauren laughed with a manic tone Gavin could go the rest of his life without ever hearing again.
    “I am being reasonable. How can we leave for our honeymoon when…” She waved her hand to encompass the area. Her beautiful eyes turned glassy with tears.
    Son of a…
    Gavin wanted to hit something. Lauren wasn’t prone to shed tears over messes and missed deadlines. She shared his no-nonsense approach to business. More than once he’d been in awe of her strength, the steel in her spine as she’d out-maneuvered countless boardrooms of men.
    Every woman had her limits. It seemed the business of building their home had caused Lauren to hit hers.
    What was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives had turned into a complete nightmare.
    He glanced around the room, which was nothing more than a construction zone. The custom cabinets had been installed, leaving gaping holes where the appliances should be. There were no countertops. No trim. No. Goddamn. Sink.
    And that was just the kitchen. The master bathroom didn’t have a shower. The guest bedrooms didn’t have flooring. The walls throughout had yet to be painted.
    Anger fired his blood. Oh, he was definitely going to hit something—the chubby jaw of the bastard who’d left this shit undone.
    “We aren’t canceling our honeymoon.” He’d waited more than twelve years to make this woman his. They were less than a month from making it official. Lauren deserved the wedding of her dreams, which included their honeymoon in Hawaii. He’d be damned if she wouldn’t get it.
    Seemed Lauren had other ideas.
    “Let me rephrase. It’s done. I called the travel agent this morning.”
    “Damn it, Lauren. You should’ve talked to me before you made that decision for both of us.”
    “Talking about it wouldn’t have changed the situation, Gavin, and you know it. Look around. Our home is in shambles. We’re scheduled to move in a month. You really think that’s going to happen if we aren’t here every single day to make sure things are getting done?”
    Gavin couldn’t help but take her comment personally. He didn’t believe in micro-management. He paid good money to others so he wouldn’t have to. But the fact remained: the ranch kept him so busy these days that he hadn’t done his job to make sure their house was completed on time.
    “So we postpone our move-in date. We’ll stay at the cabin a little longer. It’s not the end of the world, and certainly not worth missing out— ”
    “No. We need to stay and deal with this mess. We can go on our honeymoon later.”
    “With calving season right around the corner? You know I can’t leave my brothers to handle all the work.”
    “They handled it themselves all the years you lived in London. You think they couldn’t handle one more?”
    Gavin stared at the woman he loved, wondering at what point she’d decided to turn on him.
    “That’s not what I meant,” he said slowly. “Clay has his hands full with the new stock coming in over at Ainsley’s. Even with Jared’s help, it’s all Pax and I can do to keep up without Clay. You know we’re hiring more help, but until then, it’s all hands on deck, baby. We’ve talked about this.”
    He reached for her and muttered a curse when she stepped away.
    “Lauren.” Gavin folded his arms to avoid the urge to reach for her again. “When I came back to Texas, I made a promise—to myself and to my family. I have a responsibility to be here for them.”
    Lauren shoved both hands through her hair, leaving behind a mess of shining waves Gavin longed to bury his own fingers in.
    She sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s