Free Christmas Holiday Husband by Kris Pearson Page A

should have seen it would be impossible.”
    “Where did you meet her?”
    “At a summer camp in the States. She’d gone there as a gym instructor. Darren and I were on the homeward leg of the trip by then. The American summer camps often have overseas helpers.”
    He ran his fingers back across his closely-cropped scalp. He’d closed his eyes. Against the light, or unwanted memories? Ellie had no idea.
    “So that was a while after you met me?”
    “Ages. A couple of years. She was a pretty thing. Blonde like the girls.” He opened his eyes again and reached up to touch Ellie’s dark hair.
    “Good thing I’m not a blonde then.”
    He gave a mirthless laugh at that, then asked a few seconds later, “Were you sure of what you wanted ten years ago, Ellie? I know you’d enrolled to be a teacher—you told me that in Sydney. But with your life? Did you have plans beyond teaching?”
    She shook her head, careful to give nothing away. Any plans she might have had were well and truly rearranged by becoming pregnant with his child.
    “Julia was ambitious. She was absolutely sure of what she wanted—and the moment we met again at Matt’s wedding, it was me. I’ve never known a girl so single-minded. She was quite something.”
    “And hard to resist?”
    “Damned hard. She was a dynamo. She tended to get what she wanted.”
    “Not that you objected, obviously?”
    “Not hard enough, anyway. She was pretty, affectionate, from a well-to-do family. I thought she’d make a good wife. But she was a real schemer—tough as nails—although she kept that well hidden to start with. Both her brothers are competitive as hell. I suppose she took her cue from them—or from her dad, David, while he was still alive. Ginny’s a honey by comparison.”
    He reached across and linked his fingers through hers so she couldn’t pull free. He’d been a hand-holder in Sydney; she’d loved being out in public with him, branded as his by a casual warm clasp.
    “I’m not interested,” she growled, gazing down at their joined hands.
    “You were into my pants before lunch. That felt pretty damned interested.”
    “A moment’s aberration,” she declared, knowing she was on very shaky ground.
    Tony let loose a whoop of laughter. “That’s a new name for it.”
    “It won’t happen again.”
    “We’ll see.” He let go of her hand, and she pulled it back well out of his reach.
    “And then she announced she was pregnant.” The humour had fled from his voice.
    Ellie’s world stood still.
    “So that was me, ready-trussed for roasting. She really put the acid on after that. Marriage was a foregone conclusion as far as she was concerned.”
    Ellie breathed out very slowly with the pain, and lowered herself to lean back on her elbows. She stared ahead, trembling, seeing nothing, as her emotions seethed and boiled almost out of control.
    “Condom must have failed,” Tony continued. “Or maybe she sabotaged it? That nasty little possibility did occur to me. I was always careful with my ladies. You were already on the pill, and I was careful with you, wasn’t I?”
    “After the first night,” she agreed in a small voice.
    The unfairness of the situation was horrendous. Worse than she’d ever imagined possible.
    Julia had become pregnant and gained everything—the man Ellie had wanted, his children, a luxurious lifestyle.
    Ellie had become pregnant, and lost, and lost, and lost.
    Lost her mother’s esteem for long months. Lost the opportunity of training as a teacher until the following year. Lost the company of her son while she was away achieving her diploma. Lost any chance of Callum knowing his father.
    And lost her heart forever, she acknowledged. Tony had spoiled her for any future man.
    “So there we were,” he continued. “City girl and country guy, stuck miles out in the back-blocks, her as sick as a dog most mornings. I wrecked her life, all right. She never really recovered.”
    “You seriously think she got