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Category: Mainstream
Description: The biggest challenge to Grace's self-imposed celibacy? Love. As a little girl, Grace Caldwell watched her father walk out on her mother as she struggled through the final stages of breast cancer. Grace, knowing the odds that she could suffer her mother's fate, resolves to never to let any man close enough to hurt her that way. Her new boss, Aaron Severn, isn't hard to figure out--his reputation with women is legendary. She's confident it won't be hard for her to resist his charm. To her surprise, Aaron seems sensitive and caring, the kind of man who will be there for her, no matter what. Despite her vow of self-imposed celibacy, Grace finds herself allowing their friendship to grow deeper. When her worst nightmare becomes reality, Grace's past fear rears its ugly head, driving her to push him away. But Aaron's not the kind of man to give up on Grace's love--or her life--without a fight.
eBook Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd., 2008
eBookwise Release Date: February 2011

Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [362 KB]
Words: 86466
Reading time: 247-345 min.

Aaron left it up to me to choose where we would have dinner. I decided he needed a little authentic taste of Texas. So I took him to my favorite barbeque joint. The kind of place where they serve barbeque up by the pound on white meat market paper. Aaron wasn't nearly as convinced as I was when I told him he would love it.

"Come on, you have to try it just once. This place is a legend around town." Still not so sure, he took a bite of one of the well-seasoned ribs, sending sloppy barbeque sauce squirting in just about every direction. It was on his face, running down the front of his crisp, white shirt, before plopping onto the white paper. He was lucky to have taken his jacket off otherwise it would have been all over that as well. And I was almost positive I felt some of it strike my cheek.

As hard as I tried when I looked at his completely disgusted expression, I had to laugh. He was such a Yankee. Didn't he realize you couldn't eat ribs like that without a bib and whole lot of napkins?

"You did that on purpose didn't you?"

"I did not. I'm sorry. How did I know you had no idea how to eat ribs? Don't they have them in New York?" I reached for a handful of napkins, handed him several, then tucked one into his shirt. "There, you should be safe now."

That strange expression was back on his face as he leaned over and wiped the sauce from my cheek.

"Pretty good shot, don't you think?" He showed me the sauce he'd just wiped from my face.

"Remind me next time to sit at another table."

"There's not going to be a next time, so you can forget about that. You got me once. You won't be so lucky again."

"Well, maybe not with barbeque but there are lots of other ways, Mr. Severn. You are, after all, a foreigner here. You stand out like a sore thumb."

At least I made him smile a little, which diminished that disturbing expression in his eyes.