by Ana E Ross
“Those are the unpleasant facts.”
“Well, here’s my fact,” she replied as fear of the unknown mounted inside her. “I can’t stay in Granite Falls now. I have to return to Palm Beach as soon as possible, and I have no choice but to take the children with me.”
Steven rose and strolled around the desk. “I’m aware that you and your sister weren’t very close, Kaya, and that there are events about her life you may not know. But, I was Michael and Lauren’s friend, and if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that they would not want you to take their children to Florida. Granite Falls is their home.”
“Was, Steven. Was.” Kaya threw her hands up in frustration. “Everything is changed now. I was willing to settle down in Granite Falls, put my life on hold for a while until they got used to me as their caregiver. But that option is off the table. My career in Palm Beach is the only fighting chance I have to provide a decent living for all of us.”
“I understand the financial dilemma you’re facing, but it won’t be wise to uproot the children so soon after the loss of their parents. They have ties in Granite Falls. Ties that shouldn’t be severed at this particular time.”
“You’re talking about Bryce Fontaine,” she said of the children’s godfather who’d left for Europe the same day Michael and Lauren died in that fatal crash.
“Bryce is a big part of their lives. Despite the fact that you are their aunt and only living relative, they will need him to get them through this tragedy. He has been like a second father to them ever since they were born, and now that Michael is gone, they need him more than ever.”
Kaya tried to ignore the insinuations in Steven’s words. She needed no reminders that the children didn’t know her, that they’d never met her until yesterday. “When is he coming back?”
“He should be back today. You know what that means for Jason.” Steven’s blue eyes clouded with concern. “I can’t force you to stay in Granite Falls, Kaya. I can only strongly advise that you reconsider. Stick with your initial plans, at least for the moment.”
Kaya walked to the window and stared out across the parking lot. She felt as listless as the windblown snowflakes tumbling aimlessly to the ground. Steven was right about the children’s need to remain in a familiar environment, around familiar faces for the moment. But what was she to do? They were destitute. Returning to Florida immediately was her only option. Even there, with three children to support, she could still end up broke like Michael and Lauren. She never anticipated that her life could spiral out of control so quickly and violently. There was only one other time in her life when she’d been this scared—the day she saw her father for the last time.
Kaya raised her hands to her chest and her fingers closed around the locket dangling from a chain around her neck. It was a locket that her father had given to her when she was only five years old. It contained a secret code to a safety deposit box at a bank in Miami. Her father had instructed her not to go to the bank until she was eighteen, and now even after seven years, Kaya was still awed at the contents of that box.
Not knowing what to do with it, she’d just left it alone. She’d moved it to Palm Beach where it now sat in another safety deposit box, perhaps waiting for this very occasion to eliminate her money worries forever. It was probably worth more than L’etoile du Nord, her sister’s estate. Had her father given Lauren a similar locket with a secret code to another safety deposit box? Had Lauren sold her inheritance to purchase her multi-million dollar estate? Had she squandered her inheritance then fallen into financial ruin?
Kaya sighed as the questions surged through her mind. Steven was right again. There was so much about her sister’s life that she didn’t know. What she did know was that the contents of that safe were all she had of her father’s memory, the only tangible bond she had to her ancestry. She couldn’t bear the thought of selling it.
What she could sell was…
She turned from the window, a glimmer of hope teetering on the horizon of her soul. “The house,” she said. “It’s worth millions, hopefully more than Michael and Lauren owed to their creditors.” She walked back toward Steven’s desk. “If I sell it, I can—”
“Um, Kaya, you can’t sell that house.”
“Don’t tell me there’s a lien against it.” That faint thread of hysteria was back in her voice.
“No. There’s no lien against it. It simply didn’t belong to Michael and Lauren. It doesn’t belong to the children.”
Kaya’s mouth dropped open. “What do you mean it didn’t... doesn’t belong to them? If it wasn’t their house, then whose is it?”
“Mine. L’etoile du Nord belongs to me,” came a deep masculine voice behind her.
Kaya spun around, her heart flying to her throat when her eyes collided with the powerful bronze body of a man standing on a pair of legs that would make a Viking proud.
Bryce Fontaine, New England’s business mogul—CEO and President of Fontaine Enterprises—in the flesh.
He was far more handsome than his pictures portrayed, she thought, gaping in admiration as he bent his snow-dusted head to get his large frame through the door.
The ample shoulders, stretching beneath a dark green sweater, the sharp chin, and generous mouth, all spoke of power and resolute strength. The man possessed a captivating presence and an air of authority that made one stop and take note when he entered a room. She was taking note—a lot of notes.
If she had to sum Bryce Fontaine up in one word, it would be, intimidating.
Kaya’s knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed against the edge of the desk.
“Bryce, thank God you’re back safely.” Steven hurried to his side. Even Steven, who was about six foot three, had to roll his head back to face the giant.
Steven had called Bryce the night of the accident, but a blizzard in the Alps where he’d gone to ski had delayed his return. He must have flown all night, Kaya thought, taking in his stubbled chin and disheveled appearance, which made him seem even more irresistible.
When Kaya had enquired about the handsome man in her sister’s family pictures, Michelle LaCrosse, a family friend and neighbor who’d stopped by to help her out last night, had given her an earful.
Bryce Fontaine had made his first millions in real estate then quickly expanded to the rest of the business world, devouring companies from glass blowing to computer software programming, and as he’d just stated, he also owned the estate on which her sister lived.
Seemed like the man owned the entire town, she thought, recalling driving by the Youth Performing Art Center, Granite Falls Conference Towers, and Country Club, to name a few buildings that bore his name. His signature was everywhere in Granite Falls. He’d even built an airport, with a runway long enough to accommodate his private jets and those of his friends, Michelle had told her.
As if sensing her scrutiny, he turned and pinned her with a sharp assessing stare. Breathless seconds ticked by before he stepped around Steven and headed in her direction, a compelling energy seemed to coil within him at each step he took.
Forcing her legs to support her, Kaya pushed off the desk, just as he came to a stop, mere inches in front of her. His gaze was dark and penetrating. Kaya had never felt so vulnerable, so defenseless in the presence of any man, not even her fiancé, Chad.
“Bryce,” Steven began the introductions, “this is Lauren’s sister, Kaya Brehna. Kaya, Bryce Fontaine.”
Table of Contents
Title Page
The Doctor’s Secret Bride
Dedication
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
&n
bsp; CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
EPILOGUE
From the Desk of Ana E. Ross:
Chapter One