Million Dollar Christmas Bride - Holly Rayner Page 0,11

over his shoulder in an attempt to catch sight of Bianca one more time.

As soon as he located her in the crowd, she turned as well. He wasn’t surprised by this at all. He felt a strange connection to the woman, Bianca Jones, who had entered his life so unexpectedly. He had to give Rufus a slight tug, due to the fact that the dog had stopped to stare longingly at Bianca as well.

“Come on, buddy,” he said, once he’d redirected Rufus. “We’d better get to the office.”

I’ll see her tonight, he thought to himself, as he whistled on his way to his car.

Chapter 4

Bianca

Bianca turned, examining her reflection in the mirror. She still couldn’t believe that the handsome man she’d rear-ended had asked her out on a date.

After coffee with him, she’d arrived home to walk Peaches and then catch some shut-eye. Since four p.m. she’d been getting ready. Despite the hours of cleaning the cottage, showering, dressing, and trying out different hairstyles, she still didn’t feel adequately prepared for the evening. She’d settled on a blue-and-white-striped dress and a jean jacket, along with large hoop earrings, but she wasn’t sure that the look was right.

She was pulling the hoop from her left ear when she heard the doorbell ring, and Peaches started barking with excitement. Bianca could see Sandy, her neighbor, standing on the porch through the window to the right of the door. She crossed the living room while pulling out her right hoop earring.

“Come on in,” she said, after putting the earrings on a table and yanking the door open.

Sandy stepped over the threshold without hesitation. She was over so frequently that Bianca almost considered her a roommate.

“I’m taking Bernard out for a walk and thought I’d see if Peaches wanted to go too,” Sandy explained as she greeted Peaches, Bianca’s golden retriever, with a friendly rub around the neck and shoulders.

Peaches looked up at the petite older woman with adoration. Her tail wagged back and forth, and she put up a paw.

“I think that’s a yes!” Bianca said with a laugh.

Sandy stood and reached for the leash that hung up on a hook by Bianca’s front door. Catching sight of Bianca’s dress, she paused and lowered her hand. “Oh, look at you! You look great. Where are you off to?”

“A date,” Bianca said with a smile. She did a little twirl. “What do you think of the dress? Too summery?” She faced Sandy again and bit her lip as she looked down at the fabric, unsure about her choice.

“It’s cute!” Sandy said. “Who’s the guy?”

“Thanks,” Bianca said, as she smoothed the fabric of the dress and then eyed her selection of shoes. “I thought the stripes might be kind of cool because he’s taking me out on a boat. You know, a nautical vibe. Maybe if I pair it with boots, it’ll look a little more appropriate for the season.”

She reached for a pair of cowboy boots and slipped one on. “He’s going to be here any minute, actually, so it’s perfect that you’re taking Peaches out. His name is Jackson Wylde. I met him yesterday evening and then saw him again this morning. Nothing major—just coffee.”

She blushed as she thought of the chemistry she’d felt brewing between her and Jackson that morning. It had only added to the sense of star-struck attraction that she’d felt the night before.

In fact, she’d been in a good mood for her entire night shift, even though the activity on the floor had been hectic and challenging. Nicky had indeed been able to cover for Bianca’s tardiness, but that hadn’t stopped Gail from giving Bianca a hard time as the night went on. Despite all of this, Bianca had felt almost like she was floating on puffy clouds of white as she worked, and seeing Jackson for coffee the next morning had been the cherry on top of the sundae. She felt so lucky that she was going to see him again.

“Did you say Jackson Wylde?” Sandy asked, raising her brows.

Bianca pulled on a second cowboy boot. “That’s right,” she said.

“Is he sort of young… maybe early forties? Blond, blue-eyed, extremely handsome?”

Bianca nodded. “That’s him. Why?”

Sandy’s eyebrows rocketed up. “Whoa…” she said with an exhale. “Do you know who he is?”

Bianca wasn’t sure what Sandy was getting at. Peaches was circling the two of them, eager to go out. Bernard, Sandy’s St. Bernard who was out on the front porch, gave a plaintive howl. He didn’t appreciate being stuck