beautiful grandchildren in the history of grandchildren. She’d meet Colin a single time, have him in her house a single time, for Sunday dinner or something, and the whole time she’d grill Holly hourly about “How’s it going, dear?” until Holly ran screaming from the room. Except she couldn’t run screaming from the room because then her mother would only turn to Colin and ask, “So, how’s it going, dear?”
Five, and most important, Holly wasn’t about to let her heart get broken again. Not that Richard had exactly broken her heart, but he’d definitely bruised it, bent it, left it and her self-esteem sort of scuffed and walked-on. Richard had been big on “I love you.” Real big on “I love you.” Said it all the time. She just hadn’t realized that he’d probably been addressing his reflection in her gullible eyes.
Holly couldn’t trust a man who said “I love you” so glibly, said , “I’m going to marry you” so gli bly. Who would?
Unfortunately she would, and had … because she’d believed Richard for a while, at least for a little while. But that didn’t mean she was going to trust another pretty face mouthing pretty words.
Not in this lifetime! Once bitten, twice shy, and all that good stuff that was so trite, yet so true. That’s what Holly was, twice shy, and what she would wisely continue to be—and Colin Rafferty wouldn’t stand a chance.
Not if he camped on her doorstep, brought her dozens of yellow flowers, smiled that kneecap-melting smile of his that went right up to his eyes. Not if he said silly, outrageous things to her. Not if he wooed her and chased her from now until the end of time.
Yeah, sure. He’d chase her all right. About as long as Richard had chased her. Handsome men didn’t have to waste their time chasing after women who didn’t want them; they were too busy either running from women who did, or allowing themselves to be caught.
None of which, of course, really explained why Colin Rafferty had asked Julia for directions to Allentown, to Holly’s apartment.
Holly got up and walked over to switch on the lights inside the large fitting area, an area equipped with several floor-to-ceiling mirrors. She stepped up on the platform positioned in front of a trio of those mirrors, and tipped her head to one side as she examined her triple reflection, looking for clues.
Nothing. There was nothing reflected in any of the mirrors that would have made her look irresistible to Co li n Rafferty. Hair, spiky. Face, holding up well, considering s he was zeroing in on her twenty- ninth birthday. Body, short. Curved in the right places, granted, but short.
Nope, nothing. This was not a face or body that would launch a thousand ships. Maybe a canoe—on a good day, a tugboat—but not a thousand ships.
So what about her had appealed to him? She knew now what had appealed to Richard. He’d fallen in love with her connection to Sutherland, plain and simple.
But Colin didn’t need connections. He was Colin Rafferty. He was a big cog in the huge wheel of Ma jestic Enterprises, Max’s company. The man had lived in Paris, for crying out loud, home of more beautiful women than most any other city in the world. The saying was “How ya gonna keep ’em down on the farm after they’ve seen Paree.” Not, “See Holly Hollis and forget Paris.”
“I’m a challenge,” she decided at last, hopping down from the platform and heading back to her office. “That’s it, plain and simple. I didn’t go gaga over him, fall all over him because he’s so gorgeous, turn on my back and wag my tail like some pathetic puppy, hoping he’d scratch my belly. In fact, I told him I was turned off by his good looks. Man, I’ll bet he hasn’t heard that one before! So now he thinks he’s interested, just because I’m not.”
She shook her head as she picked up her purse, walked over to punch in the security code. “Sure. I’m not interested. Not a bit. Hollis, lie to Julia. Lie to
Five, and most important, Holly wasn’t about to let her heart get broken again. Not that Richard had exactly broken her heart, but he’d definitely bruised it, bent it, left it and her self-esteem sort of scuffed and walked-on. Richard had been big on “I love you.” Real big on “I love you.” Said it all the time. She just hadn’t realized that he’d probably been addressing his reflection in her gullible eyes.
Holly couldn’t trust a man who said “I love you” so glibly, said , “I’m going to marry you” so gli bly. Who would?
Unfortunately she would, and had … because she’d believed Richard for a while, at least for a little while. But that didn’t mean she was going to trust another pretty face mouthing pretty words.
Not in this lifetime! Once bitten, twice shy, and all that good stuff that was so trite, yet so true. That’s what Holly was, twice shy, and what she would wisely continue to be—and Colin Rafferty wouldn’t stand a chance.
Not if he camped on her doorstep, brought her dozens of yellow flowers, smiled that kneecap-melting smile of his that went right up to his eyes. Not if he said silly, outrageous things to her. Not if he wooed her and chased her from now until the end of time.
Yeah, sure. He’d chase her all right. About as long as Richard had chased her. Handsome men didn’t have to waste their time chasing after women who didn’t want them; they were too busy either running from women who did, or allowing themselves to be caught.
None of which, of course, really explained why Colin Rafferty had asked Julia for directions to Allentown, to Holly’s apartment.
Holly got up and walked over to switch on the lights inside the large fitting area, an area equipped with several floor-to-ceiling mirrors. She stepped up on the platform positioned in front of a trio of those mirrors, and tipped her head to one side as she examined her triple reflection, looking for clues.
Nothing. There was nothing reflected in any of the mirrors that would have made her look irresistible to Co li n Rafferty. Hair, spiky. Face, holding up well, considering s he was zeroing in on her twenty- ninth birthday. Body, short. Curved in the right places, granted, but short.
Nope, nothing. This was not a face or body that would launch a thousand ships. Maybe a canoe—on a good day, a tugboat—but not a thousand ships.
So what about her had appealed to him? She knew now what had appealed to Richard. He’d fallen in love with her connection to Sutherland, plain and simple.
But Colin didn’t need connections. He was Colin Rafferty. He was a big cog in the huge wheel of Ma jestic Enterprises, Max’s company. The man had lived in Paris, for crying out loud, home of more beautiful women than most any other city in the world. The saying was “How ya gonna keep ’em down on the farm after they’ve seen Paree.” Not, “See Holly Hollis and forget Paris.”
“I’m a challenge,” she decided at last, hopping down from the platform and heading back to her office. “That’s it, plain and simple. I didn’t go gaga over him, fall all over him because he’s so gorgeous, turn on my back and wag my tail like some pathetic puppy, hoping he’d scratch my belly. In fact, I told him I was turned off by his good looks. Man, I’ll bet he hasn’t heard that one before! So now he thinks he’s interested, just because I’m not.”
She shook her head as she picked up her purse, walked over to punch in the security code. “Sure. I’m not interested. Not a bit. Hollis, lie to Julia. Lie to
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