Kipp Llewellyn, the proverbial poor little rich boy, can have whatever he wants, except the one thing he wants most: his father’s love. When the opportunity arises to obtain it, Kipp jumps at the chance, even though it means breaking a date with “Ham,” the man he’s sure he’s falling in love with. However, the opportunity turns out to be an arranged marriage with his father’s biggest competitor. Even worse, Kipp discovers his proposed groom is Hyde Wyndham, the man of his dreams. Having lived in a gilded cage his entire twenty-one years, Kipp refuses to settle for anything less than love and walks away from both his father and his future husband. Hyde didn’t achieve his position in the financial world by taking no for an answer, however, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make Kipp realize he’s wanted for himself, including wooing the young man he intends to marry, prenuptial agreements be damned. He’s certain he’s succeeded, until Kipp learns something that puts an insurmountable barrier between them. Will Hyde be able to overcome Kipp’s doubts, and will Kipp realize that some things are worth the sacrifice?

Two Lips, Indifferent Red

I walked into the spacious foyer of Promise Hospice. Late-afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows with their plantation shutters. Potted plants and vases of fresh flowers gave the area a feeling of welcome, and if there was a scent of illness elsewhere in the building, there was none here.


“I’m here to see Bradley Martin,” I said to the receptionist at the front desk. “I’m Kipp Llewellyn, his grandson.”


“He’s in the garden.” Her smile was filled with compassion. “Mindy, please take Mr. Llewellyn to the garden.”


“Sure.” The girl who came to the desk looked vaguely familiar. She was a pretty brunette wearing a beige shirt and slacks, with an amethyst scarf threaded through the belt loops at her waist. “Hi, Kipp. It’s nice to see you. Come on, it’s right this way.”


“Um…” I followed her down the corridor, trying to peer unobtrusively at the name tag clipped to the breast pocket of her shirt. It just read Mindy, which I already knew.


Chapter 20