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After the Loving (The Harringtons, 2) - Softcover

Buch 2 von 5: The Harringtons

Forster, Gwynne

 
9780373534463: After the Loving (The Harringtons, 2)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0373534469 ISBN 13: 9780373534463
Verlag: Harlequin Kimani Arabesque, 2011

Inhaltsangabe

In the much anticipated follow-up to Once in a Lifetime, full-figured caterer Velma Brighton is constantly comparing herself to her thin, beautiful sister, Alexis, who seems to have everything. On Alexis's wedding day, Velma's insecurity kicks into overdrive when she puts on a formfitting maid-of-honor gown that reveals all of her curves. Worse still, the man who makes her heart race will be escorting her down the aisle. How will he react to her very shapely physique?

Rugged, tough and a loner, Russ Harrington is every woman's dream. And Velma is his type of woman. He fell for her—beautiful curves and all. But he has little patience with her lack of self-esteem. Setting aside his concerns, Russ pursues Velma…until she tries to undergo a complete makeover. Ironically, Velma's attempt to attract Russ could cause her to lose the very thing she wants the most—his love.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Gwynne Forster is an Essence bestselling author and has won numerous awards for fiction, including the Gold Pen Award, the RT Book Reviews Lifetime Achievement Award.
She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology and a master’s degree in economics/demography and has traveled and/or worked in sixty-three countries.
She lives in New York with her husband.

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Velma Brighton zipped up the mauve-colored, strapless silk-and-lace gown, fastened a strand of eight-millimeter pearls at her neck, and forced herself to look in the floor-length mirror that leaned against the wall. Grimacing at the sight of her more than amply rounded figure in the fitted gown, she cringed with embarrassment.

"Now, he'll know what I really look like," she said to herself, lamenting the fact that she couldn't wear her usual caftan and wishing that she was tall and slender. As she stared at the mirror, she saw not only her own likeness, but a reflection of the groves of snow and icicle-laden trees on the north side of Harrington House that created an idyllic dream world. For a better look, she walked over to the window of the guest room she occupied and fixed her gaze on the broad expanse of snow-covered beauty, shaking her head in wonder at the sunlight dancing against the icicles. No bride could ask for a more beautiful wedding day.

This was her fifth or sixth visit to Harrington House, an enormous red-brick colonial set off by a great circular driveway, dominating John Brown Drive in Eagle Park, Maryland. She first visited it in order to be with her sister, Alexis, but on each subsequent trip to visit her sister, her heart had fluttered wildly in her eagerness to see Russ Harrington again. And though he always welcomed her, often being especially attentive, she didn't think she'd made much headway with him.

She checked her hair and make-up and went downstairs to the rooms her sister occupied with her five-year-old daughter, Tara.

"How do I look, Aunt Velma?" Tara asked the minute Velma walked into the room.

"Beautiful. You'll be the perfect flower girl."

Smiles enveloped Tara's face. "My mummy said I looked, uh…spec…spec… what, Mummy?"

"Spectacular."

Velma regarded her sister—tall, willowy and beautiful in the ivory-colored silk-satin-and-lace wedding gown. "I was a little surprise when you said you'd wear white, but I'm glad you did."

"Telford asked if I would—he wanted a traditional wedding. I wasn't going to deny him because of a foolish convention that a divorced or widowed woman shouldn't wear white at a subsequent marriage. Brides wore white traditionally because they were virgins. Honey, that was then. Telford's never been married, and he deserves a good old-fashioned wedding if that's to his liking."

"You're the most beautiful woman I ever saw," Velma said. "Just wait till Telford sees you. The poor man's heart will jump right out of his chest."

"I certainly hope not," Alexis said, adjusting her tiara. "I haven't seen him since last night, and it seems like years."

"You're not supposed to see the groom on your wedding day until you meet him at the altar. You know that."

"I do know it. I just wish I could see him. Velma, I can't believe this is happening to me. I'm.I'm so happy. If I'm not careful, I'll bawl."

"You won't. It's not your style." She reached up to Alexis with open arms. "I'm happy for you, sis. After all you suffered with Jack, you deserve this wonderful man. Turn around and let me fasten these buttons. I never could figure out why they put these tiny things on the back of a wedding dress, unless it's to frustrate the groom when he tries to get the gown off the bride."

She loved Alexis's low, sultry laugh when she said, "I hope to have him in such a state that he'll rip 'em off."

Velma stopped her task and wondered aloud, "Would he do that? Good Lord, how exciting! I would never have believed him capable of it."

"Can't judge a book by its cover, hon, nor a man by his height. And that's gospel. Seen Russ today?"

Velma shrugged as if didn't matter, but it did. "Not since last night. If he ate breakfast, he did it before I went downstairs. That man is an enigma. Last night, he laughed, joked and teased with me, and this morning, he acted as if I wasn't in the house."

Alexis placed a hand on her sister's arm. "Understanding Russ may prove to be a full-time job, Velma. He's tough and sometimes he seems cynical, but dig deeper. He's loving, caring and if he tells you he'll do something, he does it."

"I believe that, but—"

In the act of inspecting the long white leather gloves she planned to wear, Alexis stopped, threw them on the bed and stared at her older sister. "I want you to listen to me. No buts. Russ is straight. What you see is exactly what you get. Don't bother to look for hidden meanings either in his words or his actions. There won't be any. What you see is exactly what you get."

"Not many people are like that. I guess he's too ornery to be dishonest."

"No," Alexis said. "Russ is too self-assured to lie or to be devious. Pay attention to him if you want him, otherwise forget it. When it comes to Russ, those notions about how to get a man aren't worth the mental energy required to remember them."

"I know he's special," Velma said. She finished buttoning the dress, checked its hem and train. Her happiness for her sister was boundless, but she couldn't help wishing for Alexis's beauty, her flawless figure and her self-confidence.

"I've been a bridesmaid half a dozen times," Velma said, "each of which was increasingly painful for me. This is the last time I'm doing it. It hurts too badly."

"Aunt Velma, has Grant come yet?" Tara asked of Grant Roundtree, her friend and the son of Adam Roundtree and Melissa Grant-Roundtree.

"I didn't see him, but don't worry—it's a bit too early for the Roundtrees."

"My mummy said he's the ring bearer. Can Mr. Telford and my mummy get married if Grant doesn't bring the rings?"

"He'll be there," Alexis said. "Anyway, we can get married without rings, although I wouldn't like to. But relax. Grant will be here on time."

"Yes, ma'am. You already told me to relax four times. How do I do it?"

"Excuse me for a few minutes," Velma said, and made her way down the corridor toward the stairs.

"Well, now don't you look real special?" Henry said as he met her near the bottom of the stairs.

"Thanks, Henry. What about you? You look great. With that tux on, you could snare a princess."

"Yeah? If I believed you, I'd get out of this monkey suit fast as I could."

"Did…er…re—" Velma began tentatively, so that Henry wouldn't think her question important.

He second guessed her anyway. "The boys ate breakfast in town this morning. Drake and Russ had to keep a lid on Tel. Never saw anybody so shook up about getting married as Alexis and Tel." With an expression of reverence, he glanced toward the ceiling, then smiled, a rarity for him. "They're meant for each other sure as my name is Henry Wooten."

Velma started up the stairs. "What are you going up there for?" he asked her. "Ain't gonna be nobody up there but you. Stop worrying about him. Can't nobody second-guess Russ."

"I'm not worrying about him."

"You are so, and he won't appreciate it. You listen to what I say. You hear?"

First Alexis and now Henry lectured her on how to deal with Russ. Life didn't revolve around that man; not so far, anyway. "Thanks, Henry. I'll…uh…see you later."

Inside her room, she closed the door and, for a minute, had an urge to lock it. Fighting back moroseness, she admonished herself sharply.

It's her day, so put a smile on your face and grin if it kills you. For years, you've gone alone...

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Verlag
Harlequin Kimani Arabesque
Erscheinungsdatum
2011
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0373534469
ISBN 13 
9780373534463
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
320
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
HarperCollins Publishers, Product Safety Manager
enquiries@harpercollins.ie

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