The Jilted Bride

By Shadonna Richards

Jody Anders' adoptive grandparents surprised her with a short visit from New York and they can't wait to meet Gregory, her wonderful new husband with whom she had eloped. Trouble is, she forgot to mention that he jilted her at the altar and is no longer in the picture. Now what to do? Turn to her hot, sexy  neighbor, Jake, whom she knows very little about? Will he pretend to be Greg, her-would-have-been husband, for the day?  This will be one night to remember ... or one to never forget.

Jake Anderson had always been attracted to his cute neighbour ever since she moved into his condominium building owned by his family—a secret nobody knows. When she propositions him for one night to pretend to be her husband—he's determined to make her wish it were for real. But can he have her for more than just a day?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shadonna Richards
• Release date: May 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781501499968

Shadonna Richards

USA Today bestselling author Shadonna Richards enjoys reading and writing about the magic of romance and the power of love. She has sold over 500,000 copies of her bestselling romance novels. Born in London, England, she has a B.A. Degree in Psychology. She is also the winner of Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write 2010 Day Two Challenge. She's a proud mommy and wife and lives with her husband and son. Books by Shadonna Richards BILLIONAIRES OF BELMONT (The Belmont Family) The Billionaire's Bride for a Day #1 (Dane & Olivia) The Billionaire's Promise #2 (Brandon & Faith) The Billionaire's Housekeeper #3 (Chase & Abbi)  The Billionaire's Lost & Found Love #4 (Cole & Hope)  The Billionaire's Redemption #5 (Leo & Honesty)  THE ROMERO BROTHERS The Billionaire's Second-Chance Bride, #1 (Antonio III & Lucy) A Bride for the Billionaire Bad Boy, #2 (Lucas & Maxine) The Playboy Billionaire, #3 (Zack & Blue) The Billionaire's Island Romance, #3.5 (Christian & Arianna) The Billionaire's Proposition, #4 (Carl & Venus) The Billionaire's Baby, #5 (Jules & Amber) The Billionaire's Assistant, #6 (Dion & Jenna-Lynn) Snowbound with the Billionaire, #7 (Troy & Pamela) The Billionaire's Marriage Proposal, #8 (Alonso & Britney)   THE BRIDE SERIES An Unexpected Bride The Jilted Bride  The Matchmaker Bride His Island Bride (Free) An Unexpected Baby (The sequel to An Unexpected Bride)   WHIRLWIND ROMANCE SERIES Accidentally Flirting with the CEO (Books 1 -3)  

Book preview

CHAPTER 1  

A woman has got to love a bad man once or twice in her life to be thankful for a good one. ~Mae West

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Jody Anders felt her throat close up.

You’re what?

Darling, we’re on a bus trip in Canada for our church’s annual one-day shopping excursion. We’re on the Highway 401. We thought we’d surprise you and Greg.

Me and Greg?

Oh, she was surprised! More like shocked out of her wits. She pulled back her bangs in astonishment as she clutched the receiver in disbelief. Jody hadn’t seen her adoptive grandparents in more than a year since she moved to Toronto from New York. She told them she’d met Gregory—which she had, a real life prince charming and that he had proposed to her with a beautiful diamond ring. He had told Jody he couldn’t wait to get married and wanted to elope right away and then have a big wedding and invite the family later. It seemed like a fairy tale come true.

But then it turned out Greg wasn’t a prince charming, after all. He turned out to be a toad when Jody kissed him instead of the other way around like in fairy tales—so much for prince charming and happily ever after. He also jilted her at the registry office—then had the nerve, would you believe it?  The nerve to call her later that evening to tell her he got tied up—on his wedding day! He should have been tying the knot, not getting tied up by some other business!

Jody was too ashamed to tell her grandparents at the time—bless their dear hearts. Probably because she was too busy stuffing her face with a double serving of chocolate mint ice cream and eating a whole coconut cream pie every day of the week afterwards.

She knew they’d be heartbroken after what happened to her, especially after her adoptive parents passed away the same year in a freak house fire. It would’ve been too much of a shock. They even told Jody how thankful to the universe they were that she had finally found happiness in her life at last. How could she tell them, her life was just as demolished as theirs were? That she’d suffered a different kind of loss—a humiliating one.

Darling, are you still there?

Um, yeah, Grams. I’m just... in a state of shock right now. Jody’s heart pounded in her chest. She thought she could hear the sound of her own heart smashing against her rib cage.

Breathe, Jody! Just breathe!

What’s the matter, dear? You sound as if you’re not happy we’re here.

Oh, no, Grams. It’s nothing like that. Nothing at all. I just...well....my place is a mess. Jody forced a nervous chuckle as she felt a vein throb at her temple.

Oh?

Well, actually, so is my love life but I really don’t want you to see that.

Her friends and family always wondered if the shy and sometimes insecure girl would find true love and happiness. She always felt she’d have to prove herself worthy because of her past. They all knew the story of how Jody came into the picture. She was abandoned on the doorsteps of a church in winter when she was eight months old. It had been all over the news. The thought that she was now abandoned at the altar—she could not face that ironic shame twice.

From that day forward Jody made a pact with herself. Her heart was officially under lockdown from future perpetrators to protect it from any further harm that may be done. Of course, her grandparents hoped they would live to see her get married and even have a child one day. So Jody really didn’t have the heart to squash their dream—not at this point in their golden years.

As much as Jody loved the Big Apple, she just had to take a bite out of another city and taste a new freedom. As far away as possible. So when a fabulous career opportunity came up in Toronto, she scooped it up faster than a tub of delicious gelato.

Well, Jody got the job up north and moved to Toronto to escape any reminders of her past and better herself—or was that to find herself? In Toronto, no one knew her as Baby X, the abandoned Christmas infant. Still, she tried not to feel bitter about it. Maybe her real folks were desperate and on the run for their lives...or maybe they were just crazy.

Then she met Gregory—a smooth talker who turned out to be a real fraud. Of course, when he popped the question—the first time anyone asked her to walk down the aisle, she couldn’t wait to share the good news. Of course, he didn’t walk down the aisle—he walked off the aisle! And the diamond ring! Whoa—what a beautiful ring he gave her—until the cops told her it was stolen!

Jody also found out that Greg was an illegal immigrant and wanted a fast way to stay in the country—he assumed she was a Canadian citizen. Well, he got it, all right. He had been in trouble with the law and it caught up with him. His name wasn’t even Greg. Boy, she really knew how to pick ‘em!

A knock on the door derailed her train of thought. Jody quickly hurried over to answer the door with her cordless in her hand pinned to her ear—she’d even forgotten she wasn’t properly dressed. She had on a t-shirt that barely reached her thigh and fuzzy slippers. But it was too late, her mind was all over the place with her surprise phone call and she’d answered the door anyway.

When she opened it, her jaw fell open. Jody almost melted.

"Hey, Jody, seems like the