something, Ty glanced
back over his shoulder in the direction in which she was staring. The
barest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he turned
back to her. "I get the distinct impression that you dislike Kirt."
"You're right. I don't like him," she answered candidly,
then lifted her hand in an uncertain gesture. "But I suppose I
shouldn't say that to you. If you're his friend…"
"Frankly, I don't count Kirt as a friend," Ty said flatly.
"He's a client, and we have mutual acquaintances, but that's about the
extent of our relationship."
"I wonder why he leads such a shallow life," Anne mused.
"There must be something better for him to do than chase after women."
"I guess he just doesn't choose to do anything better," Ty
answered. Then he grinned as he looked at her. "But I suppose you'd
rather believe he had a very unhappy childhood and that's why he lives
the way he does now. Maybe if you had been able to go to medical
school, you would have pursued a career in psychiatry. I've noticed
that about you—you watch people. You were very interested in
Jenny this past weekend."
"She seems so vulnerable." Toying with her napkin, Anne looked at Ty directly. "That's why I was worried
about Mr. Callen's obvious interest in her. She might not be able to
see what kind of man he really is."
"Fortunately, she probably won't be seeing him at all
anytime soon. I don't see him that often myself," Ty replied softly,
his gaze narrowing as he leaned forward slightly, his arms resting on
the table. "But I appreciate your concern for Jenny. Maybe you identify
her with your own younger sisters."
"Probably," Anne confessed, smiling. "And I must admit
that Sue and Amy—they're my sisters—have accused me
more than once of trying to mother them too much. I recall being quite
a tyrant when I was ten or so and Sue was five and Amy only two."
Though Ty smiled, he eyed her speculatively, then shook
his head. "I simply can't see you as a tyrant, Anne. Gently persuasive,
perhaps, but never a tyrant."
"A very chivalrous thing to say, Mr. Manning, but I assure
you I can have quite a temper," Anne replied wryly. "You just don't
know me."
"Ah, but I have every intention of changing that," he
promised softly.
For an instant, Anne's heart stopped as she imagined there
had been some hidden message in what he had said. Then she managed to
convince herself that he was only trying to make up for his harsh words
that morning and hadn't meant anything at all provocative by his
statement. She smiled politely at him, but just as he started to speak
again, he was interrupted by the waiter with their lunch. As they ate,
the conversation remained lively, though less personal. Anne learned
that he read a great deal, as she did, so there were never any periods
of uncomfortable silence when neither of them could think of anything
to say. One topic of conversation led to another, then another,
including global politics, their favorite literature and even recent
astonishing advances in the field of medicine, which was a subject
that, of course, intrigued Anne.
By the time she had finished the delicious fillet of sole,
Anne was beginning to realize that Ty was probably the most interesting
man she had ever met. Knowledgeable in many subjects, he was never
boring and he certainly wasn't the type of businessman who could only
think in terms of profits and losses. And he could laugh at himself, a
trait she found particularly appealing. As she refolded her napkin and
tucked it beneath the edge of her plate, Anne smiled to herself when Ty
asked the waiter, obviously a longtime acquaintance, about his family.
He obviously had a genuine interest in people and that indicated a
depth of character that rather surprised Anne. Because she knew there
were many young women in his life, practically a different one every
night, she had expected him to be a shallow person. Clearly, nothing
could have been further from the truth. In less than three weeks she
had
back over his shoulder in the direction in which she was staring. The
barest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he turned
back to her. "I get the distinct impression that you dislike Kirt."
"You're right. I don't like him," she answered candidly,
then lifted her hand in an uncertain gesture. "But I suppose I
shouldn't say that to you. If you're his friend…"
"Frankly, I don't count Kirt as a friend," Ty said flatly.
"He's a client, and we have mutual acquaintances, but that's about the
extent of our relationship."
"I wonder why he leads such a shallow life," Anne mused.
"There must be something better for him to do than chase after women."
"I guess he just doesn't choose to do anything better," Ty
answered. Then he grinned as he looked at her. "But I suppose you'd
rather believe he had a very unhappy childhood and that's why he lives
the way he does now. Maybe if you had been able to go to medical
school, you would have pursued a career in psychiatry. I've noticed
that about you—you watch people. You were very interested in
Jenny this past weekend."
"She seems so vulnerable." Toying with her napkin, Anne looked at Ty directly. "That's why I was worried
about Mr. Callen's obvious interest in her. She might not be able to
see what kind of man he really is."
"Fortunately, she probably won't be seeing him at all
anytime soon. I don't see him that often myself," Ty replied softly,
his gaze narrowing as he leaned forward slightly, his arms resting on
the table. "But I appreciate your concern for Jenny. Maybe you identify
her with your own younger sisters."
"Probably," Anne confessed, smiling. "And I must admit
that Sue and Amy—they're my sisters—have accused me
more than once of trying to mother them too much. I recall being quite
a tyrant when I was ten or so and Sue was five and Amy only two."
Though Ty smiled, he eyed her speculatively, then shook
his head. "I simply can't see you as a tyrant, Anne. Gently persuasive,
perhaps, but never a tyrant."
"A very chivalrous thing to say, Mr. Manning, but I assure
you I can have quite a temper," Anne replied wryly. "You just don't
know me."
"Ah, but I have every intention of changing that," he
promised softly.
For an instant, Anne's heart stopped as she imagined there
had been some hidden message in what he had said. Then she managed to
convince herself that he was only trying to make up for his harsh words
that morning and hadn't meant anything at all provocative by his
statement. She smiled politely at him, but just as he started to speak
again, he was interrupted by the waiter with their lunch. As they ate,
the conversation remained lively, though less personal. Anne learned
that he read a great deal, as she did, so there were never any periods
of uncomfortable silence when neither of them could think of anything
to say. One topic of conversation led to another, then another,
including global politics, their favorite literature and even recent
astonishing advances in the field of medicine, which was a subject
that, of course, intrigued Anne.
By the time she had finished the delicious fillet of sole,
Anne was beginning to realize that Ty was probably the most interesting
man she had ever met. Knowledgeable in many subjects, he was never
boring and he certainly wasn't the type of businessman who could only
think in terms of profits and losses. And he could laugh at himself, a
trait she found particularly appealing. As she refolded her napkin and
tucked it beneath the edge of her plate, Anne smiled to herself when Ty
asked the waiter, obviously a longtime acquaintance, about his family.
He obviously had a genuine interest in people and that indicated a
depth of character that rather surprised Anne. Because she knew there
were many young women in his life, practically a different one every
night, she had expected him to be a shallow person. Clearly, nothing
could have been further from the truth. In less than three weeks she
had
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