So if he hurts you again, I’m going to hate to have to get nasty.”
“My hero,” Laura said, smiling.
“Men may come and go,” Georgia told her as she lifted her coffee cup in toast, “but sisters are forever.”
“And I’m grateful, believe me.” Laura shook her head and stared into her coffee cup as if looking for answers she couldn’t find anywhere else. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, you know? I didn’t want to fall for him.”
“I know, but really? Look at the man. Who could blame you?”
“So, what am I supposed to do about it?”
“Not much you can do, but wait it out,” Georgia told her. “He left before, sweetie. He’ll probably leave again.”
Very true, Laura thought grimly. Ronan wasn’t the kind to stay. She had known that going in and had thought she could deal with it. Well, she was wrong about that. And the longer he hung around now, the more her heart was engaged.
Probably a good thing that he was out of town for a bit. That would give her a chance to push him from her mind and wrap a little more metaphorical padding around her heart to try to protect it from the inevitable crushing.
* * *
He was gone for three days.
Laura didn’t want to miss him, but she did. Why was the big question. She had spent the six weeks he was gone on that job convincing herself that it was for the best that they’d split up. She had allowed herself to feel too much for a man she knew was only temporary. And if they’d been together much longer, the pain of separation would have been that much harder to survive.
Yet, she couldn’t seem to let go. Couldn’t get him out of her mind. Couldn’t even concentrate on work enough to stay settled, so early in the morning she grabbed her paints and headed to the beach.
That’s where he found her.
She didn’t have to hear him approach to know he was close by. Laura could feel his presence as surely as she would have a touch. Which only served to warn her of what she already knew: she was in deep trouble with no escape route.
“I went by the office, looking for you,” he said, leaning casually against the iron railings that separated the greenbelt and sidewalk from the drop to the beach below.
“Yeah, I didn’t go in today.” Clearly. She didn’t look at him. Instead, she kept her gaze locked on the ocean. After the stormy weather, the sky was a brilliant blue and the sea was still choppy, throwing up foam with every crashing wave against the shore.
“Georgia told me where to find you.”
“So much for sisterly loyalty,” she muttered with a quick glance at him. Oh, she wished she hadn’t looked at him. He was wearing dark jeans, a thick, forest-green Irish sweater and the wind was tangling his hair just as she wanted to.
He smiled as if he knew what she was thinking. “I told her we had things to talk about.”
“Do we?”
She was nervous. She hated that she was nervous. Her hand was shaking, so she took a tighter grip on her paintbrush and willed herself to even out. To get steady. No way would she let Ronan know how he affected her.
A few hardy surfers were out, looking for the perfect swell, but the sand was empty, and even the sidewalks were practically deserted. Not that many people interested in sitting out in a cold wind first thing in the morning. And a winter beach didn’t attract many takers. Not even in southern California.
“You know we do,” he said quietly.
“I know our conversations never go anywhere, and I’m too busy to run in circles today,” she told him.
He moved away from the railing, walked around to stand behind her and look at the canvas that was nearly completed. She wasn’t comfortable having anyone looking over her shoulder as she painted. Ronan only upped the nerve factor.
“I’ve no interest in circles, either,” he said, lowering his head until his whisper sounded against her ear.
His breath on her skin was a sinful caress she sooo didn’t need.
“Then go away.”
“’Tis a
“My hero,” Laura said, smiling.
“Men may come and go,” Georgia told her as she lifted her coffee cup in toast, “but sisters are forever.”
“And I’m grateful, believe me.” Laura shook her head and stared into her coffee cup as if looking for answers she couldn’t find anywhere else. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, you know? I didn’t want to fall for him.”
“I know, but really? Look at the man. Who could blame you?”
“So, what am I supposed to do about it?”
“Not much you can do, but wait it out,” Georgia told her. “He left before, sweetie. He’ll probably leave again.”
Very true, Laura thought grimly. Ronan wasn’t the kind to stay. She had known that going in and had thought she could deal with it. Well, she was wrong about that. And the longer he hung around now, the more her heart was engaged.
Probably a good thing that he was out of town for a bit. That would give her a chance to push him from her mind and wrap a little more metaphorical padding around her heart to try to protect it from the inevitable crushing.
* * *
He was gone for three days.
Laura didn’t want to miss him, but she did. Why was the big question. She had spent the six weeks he was gone on that job convincing herself that it was for the best that they’d split up. She had allowed herself to feel too much for a man she knew was only temporary. And if they’d been together much longer, the pain of separation would have been that much harder to survive.
Yet, she couldn’t seem to let go. Couldn’t get him out of her mind. Couldn’t even concentrate on work enough to stay settled, so early in the morning she grabbed her paints and headed to the beach.
That’s where he found her.
She didn’t have to hear him approach to know he was close by. Laura could feel his presence as surely as she would have a touch. Which only served to warn her of what she already knew: she was in deep trouble with no escape route.
“I went by the office, looking for you,” he said, leaning casually against the iron railings that separated the greenbelt and sidewalk from the drop to the beach below.
“Yeah, I didn’t go in today.” Clearly. She didn’t look at him. Instead, she kept her gaze locked on the ocean. After the stormy weather, the sky was a brilliant blue and the sea was still choppy, throwing up foam with every crashing wave against the shore.
“Georgia told me where to find you.”
“So much for sisterly loyalty,” she muttered with a quick glance at him. Oh, she wished she hadn’t looked at him. He was wearing dark jeans, a thick, forest-green Irish sweater and the wind was tangling his hair just as she wanted to.
He smiled as if he knew what she was thinking. “I told her we had things to talk about.”
“Do we?”
She was nervous. She hated that she was nervous. Her hand was shaking, so she took a tighter grip on her paintbrush and willed herself to even out. To get steady. No way would she let Ronan know how he affected her.
A few hardy surfers were out, looking for the perfect swell, but the sand was empty, and even the sidewalks were practically deserted. Not that many people interested in sitting out in a cold wind first thing in the morning. And a winter beach didn’t attract many takers. Not even in southern California.
“You know we do,” he said quietly.
“I know our conversations never go anywhere, and I’m too busy to run in circles today,” she told him.
He moved away from the railing, walked around to stand behind her and look at the canvas that was nearly completed. She wasn’t comfortable having anyone looking over her shoulder as she painted. Ronan only upped the nerve factor.
“I’ve no interest in circles, either,” he said, lowering his head until his whisper sounded against her ear.
His breath on her skin was a sinful caress she sooo didn’t need.
“Then go away.”
“’Tis a
Similar Books
