A Promise for Her Love Read Free

or family oriented.
    She heaved a groan and dropped her head in her hands. "What a mess. I love him, but I hate his house."
    "Good thing it's just a house then," came a deep voice she hadn't been expecting.
    Heart in her throat and cheeks hot with mortification, Caylie chanced to glance up at Rick standing over her. An insecure giggle escaped before she could stop it.
    He held his hand out and wiggled his fingers. "Come on, I need to show you something."
    Unsure, Caylie slipped her fingers into his and stood. Kyle gave a goofy thumbs up when they walked by. In the four months they'd been official— engaged and ready to start a future together— Rick had been patient while Caylie tried to sort out what was soon to be her new identity. The wife of a wealthy man, part of a society she knew nothing about. Soon though, she figured his patience would run out.
    His hand gave a brief squeeze, and he pushed the door to his office open. The quiet room was often their only opportunity for privacy, one they'd taken great advantage of in the past. Tonight though, Caylie couldn't help but wonder if this was more like her detention. Releasing his hand, she wrapped her arms around herself and strode into the empty chamber.
    Leather, old books, and cedar logs stacked in a cold fireplace softly scented the room. Caylie waited in the center of the room while Rick closed the door. The faint click of the lock had her heart skipping a beat. She wondered why he wanted guaranteed privacy.
    In a slow stride, he crossed the room. He encircled her waist with his arms and pulled her close. All misgivings melted away at his touch. She slid her hands up to his shoulders.
    "Why can't we just stay here," she whispered, her body relaxed against his.
    His hold tightened, and he rested his chin on top of her head. "How long has it been since you've done a family Christmas?"
    "I don't know... a long time. It's just been Kyle and I since Mom and Dad died. And when will your house feel like Christmas? You don't even have a tree."
    Laughter shook his chest. "We wait until the kids get here. We go out and they pick a tree, then Dan will take a chainsaw to it. When we get home, the decorations are waiting. Usually while we're out, my housekeeper, Lisa, has started with the rest of the house. Don't worry. You will have a festive, beautiful Christmas, I promise."
    Love bloomed in her heart, spreading a pleasant flush along her skin. "I'm sorry. I swear I don't think you live in doom and gloom."
    His body stiffened. Confused, worried she'd opened her big fat mouth at the wrong time, she pulled away. The light mood from earlier had disappeared from his handsome face.
    "I didn't mean—"
    "Caylie," he sighed, his hands slipping from her hips to her hands. "There's something I need to talk to you about, before everyone gets here."
    Dread formed in the pit of her stomach, and she wanted to pull away, but his grip tightened. "I promise I will try to say as little as possible."
    His brows drew together. "Why would I want you to be quiet?"
    "Um, because I'm not like you all?"
    "Caylie, I love you. I'm going to marry you. I don't care if you tell everyone they're stuck up and think too much of themselves, because they do. I'm with you because of you . I hope my family can accept that. If they don't, it's their loss."
    "Why couldn't we just have spent this Christmas alone, just the three of us?"
    He sighed and released her. "I wish we could have too, but it's my year to host, and everyone wants to meet you. We'll spend New Year’s together, just us, I promise."
    The urge to kick something and whine like a three-year-old nearly overwhelmed her. Instead she settled on a very mature pout. "I thought rich people spent Christmas in the Alps or Italy or something."
    "You're lucky. Most of my family is. But, if you can believe it, not everyone is as wealthy as my parents. Some of them can only afford to go out of the country once a year, not all the time."
    "Oh, only,"