LITMIR.BIZ

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      ‘There’s nothing wrong with a good American woman. It just so happens that this Australian woman has more appeal to me than any other female inhabitant of this planet.’

      ‘This sounds too impetuous.’ A muttered grumble. ‘Good stock, the Parrishes. What do you know about this York family? Do they breed well?’

      ‘Sunny has two sisters with children. Satisfied?’

      ‘Better to have tests done.’

      ‘Did you get my mother to have a fertility test?’

      ‘Different times then. You said so yourself. Besides, I was younger than you. How old is this wife of yours?’

      ‘Plenty young enough to have children. And so am I.’

      ‘Huh! Grey in your hair already. Better get started.’

      ‘We intend to.’

      ‘Good!’

      ‘I’m glad you approve,’ Bryce said very dryly.

      ‘Don’t come that tone with me, boy. You needed pushing into doing the right thing. You just bring this wife along to me and I’ll see if you’ve done it.’

      ‘Her name is Sunny, Dad. You’d better get it right, too, or we won’t be staying long.’

      ‘Are you threatening me?’

      ‘No. Just telling you how it is.’

      ‘I hope you’re not being led around by the brain below your belt, Bryce.’

      ‘Oh, I think both brains are in fine operation.’

      His father snorted. ‘When can I expect you?’

      ‘Around noon.’

      ‘I’ll be looking forward to it.’

      ‘That was the idea.’

      He heard his father chuckling as he put the receiver down.

      It gave Bryce’s heart a lift.

      It was good that he’d got married. All the better that he was married to Sunny—a wife worth having in every sense. Producing a grandchild for his father would be no hardship. The trick was to get Sunny pregnant immediately. He’d wasted three months on Kristen. His father was counting his life in terms of one year, which meant there were only nine months left.

      Bryce decided he could afford to take a week off work for a honeymoon. Making a baby with Sunny was more important than anything else.

      Sunny was all packed and ready to leave for Sedona. Meeting and having lunch with Bryce’s father—Will Templar himself—was scary enough without getting her nerves into more of a twist. She didn’t have to check her laptop computer for e-mail. It was probably better not to.

      Back home in Sydney it was still the middle of the night, so if there was some response from her family about her marriage to Bryce, they wouldn’t be looking for any reply from her for many hours yet. Although she’d sent the announcement and the scanned wedding photograph over twelve hours ago, there was no guarantee that her sister, Alyssa, or her husband, John, had even turned on their home computer since then.

      Better not to look.

      She checked the bathroom once more in case she’d left something behind. She re-checked her appearance, hoping Will Templar would not find any fault in his new daughter-in-law. Her hair hadn’t moved too much out of yesterday’s styling for the wedding. Her make-up looked good, if anything understated, but that would probably meet more approval than overstated.

      She was wearing one of her conference suits—not the yellow one which she considered too business-like for such a personal meeting. This was a pantsuit in a terracotta gaberdine mixture that didn’t crush. Smart casual. The cream silk blouse with its geometric print in green and gold and terracotta gave it a classy touch. She hoped she looked right as Bryce’s wife.

      Bryce Templar’s wife…

      Her mind flitted to the e-mail she had sent to her family—short and to the point.

      ‘Today I married Bryce Templar, CEO of Templar Resources. See attached wedding photograph. Will explain everything when I see you. Bryce simply swept me off my feet. As soon as we can he’ll be flying home with me to meet the family and help me settle everything there. We’ll see you then.’

      She walked back into the bedroom and stared at the laptop computer again. What could they say, anyway? A whole pile of recriminations wasn’t going to change anything. It was a done deed. Maybe they’d congratulate her.

      The laptop stared back—Pandora’s box.

      Sunny took a deep breath. Not looking was really cowardly. Besides, her nerves couldn’t get into much more of a twist. She acted fast, slinging the laptop onto the dressing-table, plugging it in, opening up, switching on, her fingers moving like lightning over the keyboard. The dialling tone seemed to mock her impatience, playing its infuriating little ditty.

      Checking incoming messages.

      One clicking across the screen.

      From Alyssa!

      Sunny’s heart skipped all over the place as her eyes skated over the words.

      Wow! Some bombshell! I called Mum and she cried over missing the wedding but she says to tell you if you’re happy she’s happy for you and she’ll look forward to meeting your new husband.

      I called Nadine and she thinks you’re crazy for rushing into it. You should have brought him home first. But she wishes you all the best and hopes you haven’t made a big mistake.

      I took one look at the wedding photograph and thought, If I didn’t have John—that guy you’ve married could sweep me off my feet any day. Or night. And that sure is some ring on your finger! Good for you, Sunny.

      Lots of love and I can’t wait to see him in the flesh!

      Sunny breathed a sigh of huge relief. It was okay. They accepted it. And after a while her mother may well be relieved not to have had the expense of another wedding. Paying for her sisters’ weddings had been a struggle financially. Sunny had helped out as much as her mother would let her.

      She smiled down at the fabulous emerald ring on her finger. It was certainly a statement that none of her family would miss, with its obvious message that Sunny had done very well for herself with the CEO of Templar Resources. Not that money was any yardstick for a successful marriage. It bought things but it couldn’t buy happiness.

      As for Nadine’s hope that she hadn’t made a big mistake, well, Sunny hoped that, too, but she wasn’t going to let her mind drift down that negative path. She and Bryce had a lot of positive things going for them and they both wanted the marriage to work, especially with becoming parents. Rather than hoping she hadn’t made a big mistake, Sunny hoped she’d made the best decision she’d ever made in her life.

      She quickly typed a reply—‘Thanks, Alyssa. I’ll be in touch with details before Bryce and I fly home. ’Bye for now. Love, Sunny.’

      Having sent it off, she packed up the laptop again and was just setting it down with the rest of her luggage when she heard Bryce coming up the stairs. She swung to face him as he came through the doorway and was instantly hit anew by his strong sexual impact. Dressed in fawn slacks and a clingy green sports shirt, his magnificent physique seemed to leap out at her, and the grin on his handsome face gave it a magnetic attraction.

      Alyssa’s words zipped through her mind—he could sweep me off my feet any day. Or night.

      He’d done just that, Sunny thought, and she didn’t regret a second of it. In fact, if he wanted to do it right now…

      ‘I’ve called for a bellboy. Are you all packed, ready to leave?’

      Her hands fluttered, appealing for his opinion. ‘Do I look right to meet your father?’

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