friends. A man would get in the way.”
“You don’t feel that way, and you know it. A dog is no substitute for a husband, a companion who shares your life.” Gram’s voice was firm. “And I know how you love children. You’re not the tough businesswoman you seem on the outside.”
Callie tried to ignore the voice inside that said her grandmother was right, but it got harder all the time. “Men take one look at me and hightail it away,” she said. “It’s better not to get my hopes up.”
Her grandmother’s voice softened. “Callie, you know I love you, so I’m saying this for your own good. You seem to do everything in your power to make yourself unappealing. You dress in those severe suits and draw your hair back in a tight way that’s so unbecoming. When you talk to a man, you’re all business. You need to let down that guard around your heart.”
“I don’t want to be hurt, Gram.” Callie’s eyes stung, and she blinked the tears away furiously. She didn’t want to be unlovable, but she had no idea how to go about changing herself. Her grandmother was right—she longed for a family of her own. The catch was that she was never going to have it, so she kept burying those dreams under her business goals.
Unfortunately they resurrected at the least invitation.
She swallowed the congealing lump in her throat. “I’ll meet this guy, but don’t expect a miracle. Can you still love me if I never get married?”
“Oh, Darling. You know I love you. I just want you to be happy.”
“I’m fine as I am, Gram. The other girls can have the babies. I’ll make a good babysitter.”
“I haven’t given up hope for you, Callie. I pray every day for God to send the right man your way. I know He’s going to do that. Call me when you get home and let me know how it went. Some friends are coming to look at the new quartz I found while out hiking the other day, so I’ll be here.”
Callie promised to call, then clicked off the phone. She set the lamp down and rubbed her head. A throb was beginning to build behind her eyes. She did better when she focused on her career and turned a blind eye to her private life. Gram’s meddling had stirred up her discontent again.
She didn’t know this Nick Darling, but she already didn’t like him. Architects were usually stuffy, precise men who thought their ideas were the only ones that mattered. And he’d taken advantage of her grandma’s good intentions to intrude on Callie’s life. He was probably a self-centered jerk. But it was only one evening. She could do that much for her grandmother.
She stared at the lamp in distaste. Her shopping was finished for the day. She could no more concentrate on picking out a table than she could shrink her six-foot frame down to five feet six inches. Digging out her platinum Visa card, she paid for the lamp then hurried out to her car. She stopped dead in the parking lot. Where had she parked? The rows of parked cars all looked alike, and she saw no sign of her red Chrysler minivan.
The Arizona sun beat down on her head, but she barely noticed. Why was it so hard to remember where she parked? She was twenty-eight years old, but the simple task of remembering where she parked had eluded her ever since she’d started driving. She bit her lip and castigated herself for being so bubble-headed.
There was no choice but to stroll up and down the rows in the hot sun. Sighing, she tucked the lamp under her arm and trudged down the first row. Her car wasn’t in that row or the next. She went around a white Jeep and barreled into a hard chest.
Strong fingers gripped her forearms. “Ouch! You stepped on my foot,” a deep voice exclaimed.
Callie looked up into eyes as blue as the Arizona sky and just as piercing. The man’s head towered over hers. Those arresting eyes gazed out of a face that was too craggy to be handsome, but too strong to be forgotten. He wore a cowboy hat and jeans that looked as if they’d been made for
“You don’t feel that way, and you know it. A dog is no substitute for a husband, a companion who shares your life.” Gram’s voice was firm. “And I know how you love children. You’re not the tough businesswoman you seem on the outside.”
Callie tried to ignore the voice inside that said her grandmother was right, but it got harder all the time. “Men take one look at me and hightail it away,” she said. “It’s better not to get my hopes up.”
Her grandmother’s voice softened. “Callie, you know I love you, so I’m saying this for your own good. You seem to do everything in your power to make yourself unappealing. You dress in those severe suits and draw your hair back in a tight way that’s so unbecoming. When you talk to a man, you’re all business. You need to let down that guard around your heart.”
“I don’t want to be hurt, Gram.” Callie’s eyes stung, and she blinked the tears away furiously. She didn’t want to be unlovable, but she had no idea how to go about changing herself. Her grandmother was right—she longed for a family of her own. The catch was that she was never going to have it, so she kept burying those dreams under her business goals.
Unfortunately they resurrected at the least invitation.
She swallowed the congealing lump in her throat. “I’ll meet this guy, but don’t expect a miracle. Can you still love me if I never get married?”
“Oh, Darling. You know I love you. I just want you to be happy.”
“I’m fine as I am, Gram. The other girls can have the babies. I’ll make a good babysitter.”
“I haven’t given up hope for you, Callie. I pray every day for God to send the right man your way. I know He’s going to do that. Call me when you get home and let me know how it went. Some friends are coming to look at the new quartz I found while out hiking the other day, so I’ll be here.”
Callie promised to call, then clicked off the phone. She set the lamp down and rubbed her head. A throb was beginning to build behind her eyes. She did better when she focused on her career and turned a blind eye to her private life. Gram’s meddling had stirred up her discontent again.
She didn’t know this Nick Darling, but she already didn’t like him. Architects were usually stuffy, precise men who thought their ideas were the only ones that mattered. And he’d taken advantage of her grandma’s good intentions to intrude on Callie’s life. He was probably a self-centered jerk. But it was only one evening. She could do that much for her grandmother.
She stared at the lamp in distaste. Her shopping was finished for the day. She could no more concentrate on picking out a table than she could shrink her six-foot frame down to five feet six inches. Digging out her platinum Visa card, she paid for the lamp then hurried out to her car. She stopped dead in the parking lot. Where had she parked? The rows of parked cars all looked alike, and she saw no sign of her red Chrysler minivan.
The Arizona sun beat down on her head, but she barely noticed. Why was it so hard to remember where she parked? She was twenty-eight years old, but the simple task of remembering where she parked had eluded her ever since she’d started driving. She bit her lip and castigated herself for being so bubble-headed.
There was no choice but to stroll up and down the rows in the hot sun. Sighing, she tucked the lamp under her arm and trudged down the first row. Her car wasn’t in that row or the next. She went around a white Jeep and barreled into a hard chest.
Strong fingers gripped her forearms. “Ouch! You stepped on my foot,” a deep voice exclaimed.
Callie looked up into eyes as blue as the Arizona sky and just as piercing. The man’s head towered over hers. Those arresting eyes gazed out of a face that was too craggy to be handsome, but too strong to be forgotten. He wore a cowboy hat and jeans that looked as if they’d been made for
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