Accidental Heiress Read Online Free Page A

face-to-face, trying to reach each other over a rickety bridge of years suspended precariously over oceans of differences. But when she’d decided to come back to St. Michel she’d resigned herself to the fact that it wouldn’t be easy.
    He was sick and this wasn’t about her or the past. All that mattered was what happened from this moment forward.
    â€œI’m sure you’ll understand that I need to talk to your doctor as soon as possible. If for no other reason than to make sure I understand your care plan?”
    He didn’t answer her, and a food-service attendant broke the silence when she entered with a tray.
    â€œGood evening, Monsieur Broussard,” she said. “I certainly hope you’re hungry. Tonight’s meal is a treat—chicken scaloppini. You’re going to love it.”
    She offered him a broad grin as she set the tray on the bed table and rolled it in front of him. “And who is this lovely lady?”
    Her father stiffened ever so slightly. It wasso subtle that it would’ve gone unnoticed by most, but Margeaux saw the reflex. She wasn’t sure if he was reacting to the woman’s acting so familiar or if he was embarrassed by Margeaux.
    â€œHi, I’m his daughter, Margeaux Broussard.”
    â€œMy name is Nadine. So nice to meet you. For some reason, I was under the impression that the Monsieur did not have family…or at least none close by.”
    â€œWell, I’m all he has. I live in Texas right now, but I came as fast as I could when I learned my father had taken ill.”
    â€œSo good of you to come and care for him.”
    Colbert cleared his throat, “Excuse me, my dinner is not getting any warmer. Would you please allow me to enjoy it before it becomes any more unpalatable?”
    Nadine gave a quick nod and excused herself, and Margeaux settled back into her seat, waiting for him to uncover the tray and take the first bite.
    Instead, he cleared his throat again.
    â€œYou should go, too.”
    His dismissal was formal and impatient.
    â€œWhy? I want to stay with you while you eat.”
    He shook his head. “You watching me eat would be awkward. Please go. You may come back tomorrow and take me home.”
    Margeaux stood, not wanting to leave. He was sending her away so that he could eat dinner alone. She wondered if she should push or comply. He’d always been blunt. In fact, the thing about Colbert Broussard was he always said what he meant—for better or worse. Her mother, Alice, had always been the buffer between father and daughter, smoothing the rough edges of his candid comments. After she died, things fell apart.
    In hindsight, Margeaux knew both she and her father had been devastated by her death. But at the time, she’d felt lost and alone. A motherless sixteen-year-old and a despondent widower—not a good recipe for a functional family.
    She wondered if Henri, who had once been like the son her father never had, had looked in on him. But the last she knew, her father had banished Henri, too.
    Now was not the time to open that box.
    Later.
    They’d have plenty of time to sort that out in the coming months.
    Colbert picked up his knife and fork and carved a small bit of chicken, but he set down his fork rather than taking a bite.
    â€œThere’s nothing you can do tonight. The doctor won’t make his rounds until tomorrow, and it will be too uncomfortable for me if you sit there and watch me eat. So go. Come back tomorrow, when you’ll have a purpose for being here. Tomorrow, you’ll take me home.”
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    Having been relieved of her hospital duty, Margeaux got back to the hotel earlier than she’d expected. She’d left her father only because he’d insisted. She left because she didn’t want to fight with him.
    Surrender. That was the name of the game right now. All in the name of keeping the peace. She hadn’t come here to fight. She’d come