2. Come Be My Love Read Online Free PDF

She wondered why he seemed to withdraw a little at her words. "I was eight when my father died. Mom and I were taken care of financially, but I'm afraid we were both rather helpless. Tim's family adopted us, looking after things, seeing that repairs were made, inviting us to family gatherings, that sort of thing."
    He nodded, as though waiting for her to continue.
    "That's about it. Mom died in my second year of college. She'd appointed Tim the trustee of my financial estate." She laughed. "He's only a few years older than I am, but he's always been so responsible. She knew he would look after me, and he has."
    "I'm surprised you haven't married him," he offered, looking into the flames rather than at her.
    "Marry Tim?" she repeated, surprised at the idea. "It would have been like marrying my brother. I mean, we don't see each other in that light. Tim has always been there for me—" she paused, thinking about the past few days "—well, almost always, but he's not the least bit interested in me romantically, I assure you."
    "I suppose I'm just surprised that someone like you is not already married," he said finally.
    "Someone like me? What does that mean?"
    "You have so much to offer a man."
    "I do? I would hardly agree with that. I get too wrapped up in my work to pay attention to what is going on around me.''
    "You're a great cook."
    "Thank you, kind sir. But then, I forced myself to concentrate. Besides, casseroles are easy—you dump the ingredients together, stick it in the oven and wait for the timer to go off." She grinned. "Of course, there have been times when I was concentrating so much on my work that I didn't hear the timer. The first thing I knew, the smoke alarm alerted me that dinner was slightly overdone."
    They laughed at the verbal picture she painted.
    "How about you? Why aren't you married?" she said after a few moments.
    "I almost was, once."
    She waited, but he didn't say anything more. "Don't tell m.e you're going to stop there, leaving my curiosity unrelieved?''
    "It's a very boring story, really," he offered reluctantly.
    "Nonsense. I can't believe you'd be involved in a romance that was boring." Her adamant remark surprised them both, and she found herself blushing.
    Greg watched her discomfort with amusement. He was a little surprised by her comment. He knew himself very well and recognized that he was in fact more than a little boring. His surprise was that she hadn't already seen that.
    Greg had never talked about his engagement to Penny Blackwell to anyone. It was a closed chapter in his life. Now, for some reason, he found himself wanting to look at it again, with another person. To be more precise, he wanted to share what had happened with Brandi Martin. More surprises.
    He stood up and walked over to the small cabinet where Tim kept his liquor. Picking up a bottle, he said, "How about a snifter of brandy while I tell my tale of unrequited love?"
    She wrinkled her nose. "Despite the name, I've never cared for the taste of the stuff. Does Tim stock any amaretto?"
    He found the appropriate bottle and poured her a glass, then joined her in front of the fire once more. This time he sat down on the sofa beside her, handing her one of the glasses he held in his hands.
    "I had a large law practise in St. Louis and decided to move to Payton, a small town that reminded me of the hometown where I'd grown up back east. Penny Blackwell taught high school in Payton. We were introduced. I noticed that she didn't seem to be dating anyone, so I began to ask her out. The more I was with her, the more I came to love her. After we'd dated for several months, I asked her to marry me. She accepted."
    Greg had started off in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, as though he were explaining the facts of a case to a jury. However, Brandi heard a hesitancy toward the end, as though a slight note of pain had colored the timbre of his voice, when he'd mentioned his proposal and her acceptance.
    For the first time, Brandi