Praise for the novels of New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author
DIANA PALMER
Palmer demonstrates, yet again, why shes the
queen of quests for justice and true love.
Publishers Weekly on Dangerous
Nobody does it better.
New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard
The popular Palmer has penned another winning
novel, a perfect blend of romance and suspense.
Booklist on Lawman
Palmer knows how to make the sparks fly heartwarming.
Publishers Weekly on Renegade
Diana Palmer is a mesmerising storyteller who
captures the essence of what a romance should be.
Affaire de Coeur
Sensual and suspenseful
Booklist on Lawless
White Christmas
Woman Hater The Humbug Man Diana Palmer
Table of Contents
Praise
Title Page
Woman Hater
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
The Humbug Man
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Copyright
One
When Gerald Christopher first suggested going to his family ranch in Montana to rest his recently diagnosed ulcer for a few weeks, Nicole had instant reservations. He was the boss, of course, and if he wanted to go to Montana, there was no reason he shouldnt. But Nicole liked the pleasant routine of life in Chicago, where shed spent the last two years working for the Christopher Corporation. At twenty-two, Nicole White had found a nice, pleasant rut for herself and she didnt particularly like change.
The problem was that if Mr. Christopher went to Montana for a month, as he was threatening, and closed down his personal office while he was gone, Nicole would be out of a job until his return. Despite her adequate wages, trying to live for a month without any salary was a frightening thought. That was almost laughable considering her background, because Nicoles family had been one of the old moneyed ones of Kentucky. Her father, in fact, was still one of the jet set, a noted sportsman as well as a horse-racing magnate, and lived the part. Nicole had long since renounced her share of the family fortune and gone to work for a living.
Her mothers death had been the last straw. Her father had been with his latest mistress at the time, not that hed ever been home a lot. That hadnt mattered at the time, because Nicole had been sure that her new fiancé, Chase James, would set up their marriage and that his job as a real estate agent would make it possible for him to support the two of them. Shed figured wrong. Once Chase found out that Nicole had been foolish enough to give up her family fortuneand when he realized that she couldnt possibly be talked out of ithe asked for his ring back. His immediate defection to one of Nicoles moneyed and eligible girlfriends had shattered her young life.
At the age of twenty, shed left the elegant brick mansion of her childhood in Lexington, Kentucky, and a racehorse farm worth millions, to live the frugal life as a secretary in Chicago, where she had a friend with whom she could room. She smiled, remembering her lack of skills at the time, and how patient Mr. Christopher had been until shed crammed in some courses at the local secretarial school. Lucky for her that hed liked her personality and had decided to take a chance on her secretarial skills improving. They had. Shed graduated from the course at the top of her class.
It all seemed a long time ago now, a part of her life that was like some slowly fading photograph of a reality she no longer belonged to.
Youll like it there, Nicky, Gerald Christopher said dreamily, staring out the window. The ranch is in the southern part of the state, nestled in the Rocky Mountains. Its rich with forests, lakes, rivers, peace and quiet. Just the thing to help me get over this ulcer theyve diagnosed. We can work in peace and you can have plenty of free time to yourself.
But your brother and his familywont they mind having your secretary to house and feed? she asked, her pale green eyes hesitant in a plain but interesting oval face, surrounded by naturally curling short dark hair. Despite the fact that shed worked for him for two years, she knew very little about his private life. Hed never made a habit of talking casually about anything personal, as some employers did. She knew he had a brother, and hed mentioned a woman named Mary, whom shed assumed was his sister-in-law. But that was really all she knew about him in any personal way.
Winthrop doesnt have a family, he said, smiling as he turned toward her. He was tall with brown hair and dark brown eyes. Not a bad-looking man and he seemed pleasant enough, but he wasnt a woman chaser or a ladies man. He was very businesslike and a terrific boss, and Nicky adored him. In a purely businesslike way, of course. Her heart was pretty impregnable these days, hardened by Chases cruel defection. That had ended her dreams of marriage. The hated wealth that had blinded her to mens greed was gone now, too. And without her designer clothing and her diamonds, men didnt seem to notice her at all. Of course, her manner was stiff and off-putting with most men, but she didnt even realize it.
Your brother came to the office once, didnt he? she ventured, recalling vaguely a tall, very cold sort of man shed barely glimpsed on an unusually hectic day and had learned later that it was Mr. Christophers mysterious older brother.