Нина Сингх – Snowed In With The Reluctant Tycoon (страница 1)
The spirit of Christmas...
His family’s business may thrive on Christmas, but Justin Hammond holds bad memories of the festive season. So being drafted in to make some tough financial decisions should be easy—until he meets executive Carli Tynan!
Determined to save her favorite Hammond’s store, Carli vows to remind Justin of the holiday’s magic—starting with a kiss in the snow! Can she show the reluctant tycoon just how special Christmas can be?
Meet the Hammond brothers—will they find their own happiness under the mistletoe?
For James and Justin Hammond, Christmas should be the most joyful time of year. It’s Hammond’s Toy Stores’ most profitable time of the year, and their Christmas window displays are legendary. Yet it reminds them of the most heartbreaking event in their family history.
But when they meet two delightful women for whom the festive season means everything, the Hammond brothers can’t help but be captivated by their infectious Christmas spirit! This year, can they make Christmas the most magical time of all?
Don’t miss this sparkling Christmas duet!
Christmas with Her Millionaire Boss
by Barbara Wallace
November 2017
Snowed in with the Reluctant Tycoon
by Nina Singh
December 2017
Snowed in with the
Reluctant Tycoon
Nina Singh
Nina Singh lives just outside of Boston, USA, with her husband, children and a very rambunctious Yorkie. After several years in the corporate world she finally followed the advice of family and friends to ‘give the writing a go, already’. She’s oh-so-happy she did. When not at her keyboard she likes to spend time on the tennis court or golf course. Or immersed in a good read.
To my mother and father. For all their faith.
‘Ms Singh has done an interesting job with this novel...her characters came to life and you didn’t want to close the book on them.’
—Harlequin Junkie on Miss Prim and the Maverick Millionaire
Contents
THE HOUSE WAS COLD.
Carli Tynan wasn’t surprised. In fact, she’d never once entered this mansion and ever felt warm. Regardless of the season. And, despite the myriad of Christmas decorations currently adorning the foyer, nothing about the home felt particularly festive. Or even like a home. No, the Hammond estate felt more like a staid museum.
The eleven-foot-tall pine Christmas tree that nearly touched the ceiling notwithstanding.
Shaking the thin layer of snow off her wool coat, she peeled off her faux leather gloves, the bound portfolio tucked under her right arm. The darn portfolio was the only reason she was here, the reason her usual morning routine had been so handily disrupted. Carli was not a fan of disruptions. She’d already had to deal with way too many in her twenty-six years.
Her boss, Jackson Hammond, had asked her just this morning to drop off the file on her way in to work. Right after she’d gotten back from her early-morning run. It had barely given her time to shower, let alone to put herself together as well as she normally liked. As a result, her unruly curls were now a mess of tangles hastily secured in a haphazard bun on top of her head. She hadn’t even had a chance to iron her remaining clean suit. The only other option was a stretch pencil dress that had recently shrunk after she’d accidently thrown it in the dryer. Comfortable, it was not.
But she had a day full of meetings in the office, and this was the best she could do. Not at all the way she would have preferred to start off her morning. Or any morning for that matter.
All because the prodigal son was returning home.
Justin Hammond, Jackson’s second-born, had been the one to request the portfolio. And apparently, he needed it before he could make it into the office. Carli had to accommodate him. Why was he suddenly heading back into town anyway? Justin hadn’t had anything to do with Hammond’s Toys since she’d been employed there. Now, suddenly, he was interested. Carli stepped farther into the foyer and couldn’t resist the urge to roll her eyes. No doubt Justin’s sudden interest was due to his older brother James’s recent distractions, so to speak. James had apparently met someone and was now taking a well-deserved break from the day-to-day business. Little brother must have concluded that this was an ideal time to strike.
Never mind that Carli should be the one next in line to take over any of the duties James may be ready to relinquish. She couldn’t help but feel a little insulted.
And hurt. Well, she’d just have to get over it. Then she’d have to work even harder to ensure she got the position she deserved.
She walked up to the foot of the stairs and yelled up toward the second floor. “Mr. Hammond, I’m dropping off the file.”
No answer.
Jackson’s hearing wasn’t what it used to be. She shrugged off her coat and dropped it on the nearby black leather settee, then walked halfway up the grand spiral stairway.
“Mr. Hammond, where would you like the files?”
Again, nothing. Carli let out a huff of frustration. She certainly didn’t want to risk having come out here only to have the portfolio overlooked because the Hammond men couldn’t find it. She would have texted Jackson, but he was notorious for wanting to have nothing to do with technology. He probably didn’t even look at his phone every day. Hence the request for a paper file. As for Justin Hammond, she barely knew a thing about him, let alone his cell phone number.
She walked all the way up to the hallway and toward Mr. Hammond’s suite. The shower was running. Great. She would have to yell through the door at the top of her lungs, or he would never hear her.