Once and Always (Women of Character) by Grace Brannigan Read Free Book Online Page B

done enough of that to people when he was younger. His
mother and later her family had washed their hands of him, no doubt thinking
he'd come to a bad end, but luckily for him, his father had taken him in hand.
    "The light's green."
    Tyler looked up at the
streetlight, then drove through the intersection, telling himself to pay
attention before he caused an accident. He'd seen Annie's careful scrutiny of
the building where her lawyer worked, and then the way she'd avoided letting
the receptionist see the scarred side of her face. She wore makeup which
concealed the worst of the scarring, so he wondered if her responses were
unconscious. Her vulnerability affected him.  Part of him wanted to shield her
from the hurt of someone's stares, the murmurs, but he also knew it was
unrealistic to think he could protect her or even that she wanted him to. She'd
been on her own long enough, he sensed she wouldn't want any interference from
him, however well-intentioned.
    Something had stirred in him when
that guy almost ran into her in the office. Maybe it was old-fashioned, but
he'd felt protective, even though she'd stiffened away from him. Maybe she'd
been expecting the guy to say something. He'd had a moment where he thought
about pulling her closer, and he'd felt caught up in her scent, which was
familiar and sweet, reminiscent of the old days.
    He pulled into a parking area and
turned off the car. "I know this hasn't been easy," he said, drumming
his fingers on the steering wheel. "It was probably hard as hell, putting
the ranch up for lease, but if you're honest, you'll admit this arrangement can
work for both of us."
    "I have high hopes."
    Some of the tension eased inside
Tyler. "Good. Let's go inside, order lunch and then we can talk."
    Tyler exited the car and walked
around to open Annie's door. She didn't move.
    "We're eating here?" She
looked through the windshield at the fancy curved doorway of the restaurant, as
if she'd just realized where he'd parked.
    Tyler looked over his shoulder.
"I remember this place as one of the nicer places in town. The food always
used to be decent."
    "It's the most heavily
trafficked restaurant in town," she said, her voice stiff. "Or at
least it used to be."
    He bent toward her, shading his
eyes against the sun so he could see her better. Her face had paled and she
held her hands clenched together as she leaned back against the seat. "I
thought I could do this, but I can't." Several strands of hair fell across
her cheek. Tyler wanted to feel the soft texture between his fingers but he
gripped the metal of the car door instead.
    Annie raised one hand to her
cheek, then dropped it and darted him a glance, her eyes holding the sheen of
moisture. "This doesn't make sense to you, but it's just too hard,
especially―" she stopped.
    "Especially?"
    "Looking the way you do,
compared to the way I look."
    Tyler shook his head and
straightened. "You're still on that, aren't you?" he asked
impatiently. "Your looks, your face, just like it was six years ago. Back
then you didn't have scars, but if you didn't have your makeup perfect I
remember you wouldn't go into a place. Christ, Annie, you still don't realize
you've always been more than a face."
    "You don't understand."
    Tyler crossed his arms. "No,
I don't." He stared across the parking lot at the restaurant. "What I
understand is some things don't change. You're still doing what you want, not
what's good for me. . .for us . . . the ranch."
    "What are you talking
about?"
    "This is the hottest spot in
town. It's a great place to show up together, get the talk going about us,
about the ranch. Small town gossip and all that."
    "That's why you came
here?"
    Tyler pulled his dark glasses from
his pocket, avoiding her doubtful expression. "Of course, why else?"
He paused. "Sure you don't want to go in? I hear they've got chocolate
desserts people kill for."
    She looked at him with startled
surprise, then looked at the restaurant again, where people entered