Scrooge had it right. Bah, humbug!
Christmas sucked long and hard.
Lights twinkled on the tree, reflecting off the windows of the darkened office. The smell of holiday spices wafted from the potpourri dish on Zoe Hillman’s desk, filling the room with false cheer. It was Christmas Eve, and not even the large, make that huge, bonus check lifted her spirits.
“Bah, humbug.” She sniffed, wiped her tears for the umpteenth time before she checked her resignation letter to Cox, Zuckerman, Howe & Stanford. No matter that her heart was shattered, her life over, it wouldn’t do for her last act as Alex King’s personal assistant to be sloppy and unprofessional.
She reached into the candy dish on her desk, absentmindedly unwrapped one of the truffles, and popped it in her mouth. The chocolate melted in a creamy, dark lushness designed to put a Band-Aid on her broken heart, but tonight her drug of choice didn’t work. Candy wrappers littered the floor, along with half a box of used tissues. The clock on her computer read 7 p.m. Alex would be married and on his way to Las Vegas by now. Bianca Freemont would be his bride. Zoe’s brain whipped up an X-rated vision of the wedding night, and she grabbed another tissue to wipe her red nose and puffy eyes.
Her breath hitched, and she hit the SEND key before she could change her mind.
God, she was so stupid.
A Perfect Bride
for Christmas
The Three Kings, Book I
by
Dyann Love Barr
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
A Perfect Bride for Christmas: The Three Kings, Book I
COPYRIGHT 2010 by Dyann Love Barr All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: [email protected] Cover Art by Angela Anderson The Wild Rose Press
PO Box 706
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0706
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com Publishing History
First Champagne Rose Edition, 2010
Print ISBN 1-60154-858-3
Published in the United States of America Dedication
To my mother, Violet Love.
This book should've been hers all along.
Thanks Mom.
And to Claire Ashgrove and Alicia Dean for all the craziness.
A shout out to Shannon K. Butcher, and most of all to my husband, Dennis.
Chapter One
December 2005, Kansas City Scrooge had it right. Bah, humbug! Christmas sucked long and hard.
Lights twinkled on the tree, reflecting off the windows of the darkened office. The smell of holiday spices wafted from the potpourri dish on Zoe Hillman’s desk, filling the room with false cheer. It was Christmas Eve, and not even the large, make that huge, bonus check lifted her spirits.
“Bah, humbug.” She sniffed, wiped her tears for the umpteenth time before she checked her resignation letter to Cox, Zuckerman, Howe & Stanford. No matter that her heart was shattered, her life over, it wouldn’t do for her last act as Alex King’s personal assistant to be sloppy and unprofessional.
She reached into the candy dish on her desk, absentmindedly unwrapped one of the truffles, and popped it in her mouth. The chocolate melted in a creamy, dark lushness designed to put a Band-Aid on her broken heart, but tonight her drug of choice didn’t work. Candy wrappers littered the floor, along with half a box of used tissues. The clock on her computer read 7 p.m. Alex would be married and on his way to Las Vegas by now. Bianca Freemont would be his bride. Zoe’s brain whipped up an X-rated vision of the wedding night. She grabbed another tissue to wipe her red nose and puffy eyes.
Her breath hitched, and she hit the SEND key 1
Dyann Love Barr
before she could change her mind.
God, she was so stupid.
She’d been in love with Alex from the first day he walked through the door of the law firm. He winked at her as he passed her desk. How could she not fall for all that dark hair, startlingly blue eyes, and a smile designed to charm the panties off any woman under the age seventy?
Not that Alex ever tried with her.
Another wrapper and tissue hit the floor.
Alex relied on her. She organized his office, his life—hell, she even organized his house when he complained he never could find his socks. Zoe became his best friend, his confidant. She sent flowers to his women, found a housekeeper to keep him from living in bachelor squalor. She did everything a wife did for a man, except share his bed. The hours they spent working together, alone at night in the office, were the gems in her pathetic life.
He’d drop by her apartment after his Sunday jogs with Lamar’s donuts. They’d discuss various cases, the news and sometimes watch a DVD. She had him to herself for those few brief hours. But nothing she did could get him to see her as a woman, a woman who’d walk over hot coals if it meant he would say he loved her.
Instead, he told everyone she was his right hand, and sometimes his left. His pal. Zoe blinked tears out of her eyes and turned off her computer.
Over the last three years, he’d risen in the firm from a new hire to junior partner. Everyone loved him.
The man could do no wrong.
Except marry the right woman.
Bianca Freemont was cold, calculating, and just plain mean. Alex’s life didn’t have room for both Bianca and Zoe. He couldn’t see they were like cats in a bag. Hissing and snarling at each other. But 2
A Perfect Bride for Christmas Alex saw Bianca as the perfect wife for an attorney going places. So did the partners.
Zoe sniffed and reached for another truffle. She suffered in silence, despising herself for being the stereotypical secretary-falling-in-love-with-her-boss like the plots of many of the romance novels she devoured, along with six thousand calories a day. So, here she sat with a hundred and fifty extra pounds of requited love.
How lame. All she got for her efforts for years of devotion was a stuffy head, runny nose, and puffy eyes to go with a broken heart.
A surge of anger replaced the hurt.
Let Alex find out who really watched over him, cared for him, loved him. He wouldn’t be able to function without her. Bianca wouldn’t know where his socks were, but then again, there’d be no need for socks on the honeymoon.
She had to strike out on her own, find a new life that didn’t center on a man she could never have.
Zoe opened the drawer of her desk where she stashed her purse, grabbed up another tissue to stem the tears washing over her cheeks. The clutter on the floor by her chair made her stop. Her bulk made it impossible to bend down and pick up the evidence of her emotional tsunami. Zoe let out a sigh as she got on her hands and knees. Voices on the other side of the door stopped her cold. Zoe’s hand smothered her squeak of surprise. Everyone had left for the Christmas holiday. She’d thought she was
alone in the office, maybe even the building.
The cleaners had already come and gone. Her heart stammered in her chest, her breath came in short pants. Part of her breathing problem came from the effort of getting to the floor in the first place, but she didn’t want to be caught alone by some burglar…or worse. She couldn’t get to her feet and run, not with bad knees and ankles. She scooted 3
Dyann Love Barr
under the cubby of her large antique desk, hoping the small enclosure would provide an
adequate hiding space. Zoe held her breath.
The door of Alex’s office burst open. Tommy Dunne’s voice slurred. “Why the hell do you want the tickets to Vegas if the bitch dumped you at the altar?”
Relief washed over her. No rapist, just an asshole. What had he said? Dumped at the altar?
Alex hadn’t married Bianca?
“Because, my friend, I’m getting married tonight.” Alex sounded as drunk as his best man.
“You’re full of crap, and booze. Who are you going to get to marry you?” He paused. “At seven in the evening?”
“I’ll marry the first single woman I see, “Alex snorted. “I’ll bet you a thousand dollars, no make that five thousand I can get someone to do it.”
“I still say you’re full of crap, but it’s a bet.”
“Just watch me. Bianca isn’t the only one who can make a point. I’m getting married on Christmas Eve, so screw her. Family tradition and all that. Got to get married on Christmas Eve. Mom and Dad got married on Christmas Eve, and they have a perfect marriage.” Anger wove through his voice. “Bianca overreacted. A pretty girl smiles at me, I smile back.
I wasn’t flirting with her bridesmaid. Damn it, I’m not going to walk on eggshells just because I smile at a woman. I like women, I can’t help it. It’s my nature.”
“I noticed.”
“S’not my fault she backed me up against the wall and tried to kiss me.”
“Not your fault at all.”
“S’truth.”
“Right.” Tommy Dunne’s voice held a touch of disbelief.
“Honestagod,” Alex slurred his words together.
4
A Perfect Bride for Christmas Zoe leaned back against her desk, hoping they would go into Alex’s office so she could make a hasty and quiet escape. No such luck.
“Where are the tickets?”
“Zoe’s desk.”
Oh, dear God, don’t let them come over here. She stuffed her hand into her mouth. The tickets were in Alex’s desk; she’d put them there this morning and specifically told him they were in the upper left drawer. How could he have forgotten? Oh yeah, she was talking about Alex. If it didn’t involve jurisprudence, Alex was an organizational disaster waiting to happen.
She heard one of them come closer.
“Know s’it’s here somewhere.” Alex shuffled things around on her desk.
“S’not here. Wait, wait, s’it’s in my office.”
She held her breath until little spirals of color and black dots danced in front of her eyes. Zoe squeezed her eyes shut, but it didn’t stop her internal light show.
“Zoe?”
Busted. She let out the breath with a whoosh.
“Yes?”
Alex came around the desk and perched his fine butt on the edge. Tommy couldn’t resist following Alex.
“Whatcha doing, Zoe Pie?” Tommy smirked.
Zoe ground her teeth. She disliked Tommy as much as she loved Alex. How could he have such a stupid and offensive friend? Being rich shouldn’t give him a license to be an asshole. In his mind, however, it did.
Tommy came up with the vile nickname. Alex told her he liked it but hadn’t known the real reason behind it. The nasty barb resulted when Tommy once found her face-first in a large piece of French Silk pie. Sending flowers to Alex’s flavor of the 5
Dyann Love Barr
month always took its toll.
“Leaving.” She threw the trash into the waste can and picked up her purse. Her position made it hard to look dignified, but she managed to stand.
Her hands brushed down over her loose brown slacks. “For good.”
Alex jumped to his feet and wobbled. “Whoa, head rush.” He steadied himself by using Zoe’s shoulder. His hand sent little shivers of delight through Zoe’s body, the tingling sensation landing square between her legs. She closed her eyes, trying to resist the pull Alex had on her. Maybe she should seek professional help. That’s it, she planned to thumb through the Yellow Pages as soon as she got home.
“Wait, wait, what do you mean?” Alex frowned.
“You can’t leave me.”
“Check your interoffice memo. Not only am I leaving the firm, you, and your charming associates…” She gave Tommy the stink-eye. “I’m moving to St. Louis. I’ve got a job there starting in the middle of January and a new apartment.”
“No, no, no.” Alex waved his hand around as if trying to wipe away her words. “I won’t allow it.” An edge of panic crept into his voice. His eyes went a bit wild. “Who’s going to take care of me? You’re my friend, why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
Zoe heaved a sigh. “It’s already done, Alex. Your new bride will take care of the house. I’ve hired a new PA as well. Her name is Virginia Hamilton, is very sweet, very efficient. Be nice to her.”
Tommy sniggered. “Wait, why don’t you marry Zoe, win the bet, and that way, she can’t leave.”
It took a millisecond for Tommy’s suggestion to hit Alex’s alcohol-soaked brain. “S’it’s perfect. You’ll be my perfect bride for Christmas.”
“You’re crazy and drunk.” Zoe tried to go around Alex.
6
A Perfect Bride for Christmas
“No, Bianca dumped me, and we’re pals, Zoe.
Come on, let’s do it. The three of us,” he nodded toward Tommy, “can go to Vegas. We’ll get married and have a great time. What do you say? Hmmm?”
The temptation to say yes beckoned to her. She couldn’t say yes, could she? Could she? Maybe this was her chance. It might be so wrong, on so many levels Screw it. She’d grab for the golden ring while she could. She could change Alex. It might take more than a few prayers in the process, but given enough love, he’d come around.
Alex needed someone to guide him. That someone was her.
“All right.” She hitched her purse high on her shoulder. “Let’s go to Vegas.”
7
Dyann Love Barr
Chapter Two
Alex squinted through his bloodshot eyes at his left hand draped over a mountainous rump. The sunlight sneaking through the drawn drapes glinted on the gold band on his third finger. In spite of the thundering headache, along with the greasy roll of nausea, he sat up and stared at the strange woman lying next to him in an equally strange room.
“Oh God.” He groaned and gently lay back down.
His tongue worked to get the sour taste from his mouth. He couldn’t remember what he’d been swilling down last night, but he vowed would be a long time before he took another drink. Right now, even the idea of water made his stomach lurch.
A soft sigh brought his attention back to the woman nestled underneath the covers. Tendrils of light honey brown hair peeked over the top of the blanket, but the mass of the body underneath that made him cringe.
She was fat.
He couldn’t think of any other polite way to describe the mystery hippo lying beside him. Alex King, known for his discriminating taste in women, had gone to bed with someone he would never have given a second look, had he been sober. He inched away from her until he could no longer feel her body heat.
Alex scrubbed his face with his hands. He took in the elegant room, the empty champagne bottle upside down in the ice bucket. A vague memory of something important wafted through his alcohol-8
A Perfect Bride for Christmas fogged brain. Vegas, he was in Las Vegas. Another memory clicked into place. Christmas morning. He’d gotten married yesterday, or had he? His brain felt like Swiss cheese.
Sex. He remembered the most fantastic sex he’d had in years. Yet nowhere did saying I do ring a bell.
He glanced over at the gently snoring mound and shuddered. The woman under the covers would make two of Bianca Freemont.
He raised his left hand to cover his eyes, both from the sight of the woman next to him and the blinding light creeping into the room. The gold ring on his hand glinted. His breath caught short, and the contents of his stomach made it halfway to the light of day b
efore he swallowed hard. Another fuzzy image danced away as he tried to capture the memory of last night.
A plump white arm emerged from the tangle of covers to rest on the woman’s side. A matching ring graced her left hand… A wedding band? No surely not. Cold sweat broke out on his brow. No, his mind screamed. Then the frantic thoughts came to a screeching halt. Tommy Dunne had pulled off another of his practical jokes, this time, one of the worst. Alex felt obligated to Tommy. He got Alex’s foot in the door of one of the most prestigious law firms in Kansas City, but it didn’t mean Alex had to put up with shit like this.
“I’m going to kill his ass,” he ground out between clenched teeth. With a manly effort, he sat up in bed and reached over to shake the woman awake. “Fun’s fun, Sugar. I don’t know what Tommy paid you for, but it’s time to hit the road.”
She gave a groan and heaved her bulk over to face him. It took a moment before the shock of recognition allowed him to speak.
“Zoe.” He gulped when her kaleidoscope hazel 9
Dyann Love Barr
eyes met his. This couldn’t be right. Zoe should be back at the office, keeping everything going. If truth be told, she knew more about what went on at his law practice than he did. Who else could broker a peace with the worst client, remember the birthdays of everyone in the office, and make sure he was on time and prepared for court?
Besides that, they were good friends. How many times had he poured his heart out to her when some woman had bruised his ego, or helped him celebrate after he won a particularly worrisome case? Zoe laughed at his awful jokes, didn’t mind if he came over to her apartment in the dead of night just to talk. Why would she be lying here next to him?
Unless…
“Zoe,” he mumbled around the rising grip of nausea. “This isn’t funny. I’m going to wring Tommy’s neck for involving you in one of his practical jokes.”
Perfect Bride for Christmas, A Page 1