Bridleton Read Online Free
“No.”
The feel of him had every cell in her body quivering and her brain seemed to have gone to mush. “And you’re thinking we’ll all just turn over our inheritance and home to you?”
“You’ve sure as hell made yourself scarce these past few years. Why should you care if I buy the place?” he asked with an arrogance that brought her blood to a quick, bubbling boil.
“When hell freezes over!” she snapped, jerking herself out of his grasp. Turning on trembling legs, she brushed past him without another word. Sheer determination kept her head high and spine rigid as she climbed the tall, winding staircase without a backward glance.
On the second floor she paused to drag in a long, calming breath. Deep-breathing exercises had helped her in plenty of stressful situations. Inhale, exhale, she chanted, inhale, exhale, striving to regulate her breathing. It helped a little.
Then she turned toward her bedroom and opened the door into her past. The wonderfully familiar surroundings calmed her as nothing else could have done.
Decorated in peach and cream with a touch of turquoise, the room welcomed her with a rush of happy memories. Her favorite books lined one wall amidst a scattering of stuffed animals and framed pictures. The four-poster bed still reminded her of exotic movies with sheer, lacy fabric draped over the canopy.
She’d chosen the decor during high school when she’d made the momentous decision to stop being a tomboy and become a young sophisticate. She’d wanted light, airy elegance and she’d gotten it.
Someone had opened the French doors, allowing a sweetly scented breeze to fill the room. The same someone must have carried her suitcases upstairs. She glanced at them but didn’t have the energy to unpack. Instead she dropped her shoes and purse beside a padded wicker chair, reached into a dresser drawer and found an old nightgown. Next she shed her stale, wrinkled clothing, letting every item lay where it fell, and dropped the sliplike gown over her body.
The full-length mirror reflected a weary, too-thin woman with pale skin and dark circles under her eyes. Andrea pulled the pins from her heavy pile of hair and let the thick waves fall down her back. Relief from the too-tight hairdo was immediate and she sighed with pleasure. Next she collapsed across the bed, snuggled her face against the lavender-scented pillow and closed her eyes on an even heavier sigh.
A tidal wave of emotion washed over her at the exquisite pleasure of being home in her own bed. God but she loved this place, the sounds and scents that were as much a part of her as her own heartbeat. She loved every inch of it with every fiber of her being.
She’d shoved it all aside to establish a career but she’d never stopped yearning for home and the simplicity of youthful dreams. Noah held too great a part in those old dreams so she’d ruthlessly buried them with her sister five years ago. She hadn’t been home since Caroline’s funeral.
Andrea couldn’t think about him or her reaction to the feel of him. Surely exhaustion had accounted for her body’s fierce response. It wouldn’t happen once she felt more in control. As soon as she’d rested, she’d be better prepared to tackle all the new problems and maybe some old ones.
* * * * *
Noah strode out of the house and headed to the main barn without stopping or speaking to anyone. Anger vibrated through him, his body humming with pent-up frustration. No other woman had ever made him so hot yet so furious in such a short space of time. With just one haughty look Andrea could make him burn with both anger and desire.
She’d been a thorn in his side for as long as he could remember. As kids they’d always been competing in some way, on horseback, in the show ring or among their peers. As teenagers she continued to challenge him on every level, physically, mentally and emotionally. Just three years his junior, she’d wanted to do everything and anything he did and
The feel of him had every cell in her body quivering and her brain seemed to have gone to mush. “And you’re thinking we’ll all just turn over our inheritance and home to you?”
“You’ve sure as hell made yourself scarce these past few years. Why should you care if I buy the place?” he asked with an arrogance that brought her blood to a quick, bubbling boil.
“When hell freezes over!” she snapped, jerking herself out of his grasp. Turning on trembling legs, she brushed past him without another word. Sheer determination kept her head high and spine rigid as she climbed the tall, winding staircase without a backward glance.
On the second floor she paused to drag in a long, calming breath. Deep-breathing exercises had helped her in plenty of stressful situations. Inhale, exhale, she chanted, inhale, exhale, striving to regulate her breathing. It helped a little.
Then she turned toward her bedroom and opened the door into her past. The wonderfully familiar surroundings calmed her as nothing else could have done.
Decorated in peach and cream with a touch of turquoise, the room welcomed her with a rush of happy memories. Her favorite books lined one wall amidst a scattering of stuffed animals and framed pictures. The four-poster bed still reminded her of exotic movies with sheer, lacy fabric draped over the canopy.
She’d chosen the decor during high school when she’d made the momentous decision to stop being a tomboy and become a young sophisticate. She’d wanted light, airy elegance and she’d gotten it.
Someone had opened the French doors, allowing a sweetly scented breeze to fill the room. The same someone must have carried her suitcases upstairs. She glanced at them but didn’t have the energy to unpack. Instead she dropped her shoes and purse beside a padded wicker chair, reached into a dresser drawer and found an old nightgown. Next she shed her stale, wrinkled clothing, letting every item lay where it fell, and dropped the sliplike gown over her body.
The full-length mirror reflected a weary, too-thin woman with pale skin and dark circles under her eyes. Andrea pulled the pins from her heavy pile of hair and let the thick waves fall down her back. Relief from the too-tight hairdo was immediate and she sighed with pleasure. Next she collapsed across the bed, snuggled her face against the lavender-scented pillow and closed her eyes on an even heavier sigh.
A tidal wave of emotion washed over her at the exquisite pleasure of being home in her own bed. God but she loved this place, the sounds and scents that were as much a part of her as her own heartbeat. She loved every inch of it with every fiber of her being.
She’d shoved it all aside to establish a career but she’d never stopped yearning for home and the simplicity of youthful dreams. Noah held too great a part in those old dreams so she’d ruthlessly buried them with her sister five years ago. She hadn’t been home since Caroline’s funeral.
Andrea couldn’t think about him or her reaction to the feel of him. Surely exhaustion had accounted for her body’s fierce response. It wouldn’t happen once she felt more in control. As soon as she’d rested, she’d be better prepared to tackle all the new problems and maybe some old ones.
* * * * *
Noah strode out of the house and headed to the main barn without stopping or speaking to anyone. Anger vibrated through him, his body humming with pent-up frustration. No other woman had ever made him so hot yet so furious in such a short space of time. With just one haughty look Andrea could make him burn with both anger and desire.
She’d been a thorn in his side for as long as he could remember. As kids they’d always been competing in some way, on horseback, in the show ring or among their peers. As teenagers she continued to challenge him on every level, physically, mentally and emotionally. Just three years his junior, she’d wanted to do everything and anything he did and
Readers choose
Brandy Bruce
J.B. Cheaney
Tina Leonard
Auryn Hadley
Jeffery Deaver
J Robert Kennedy
Joan Reeves
Andrea Randall
A.J. Norris