A Touch of Silk Read Online Free PDF Page B

could tell by the way he said “practically” that he found the notion ridiculous. “Lloyd and I have been dating four years.”
    “Your guy’s commitment-phobic, huh? Hasn’t gotten around to popping the question, but you’re expecting him to?”
    “No, that’s not it. I mean, well, actually, he did ask me to marry him a few days ago.”
    “So you are engaged.” His tone was flat. She saw disappointment in his eyes.
    “No.”
    “You turned him down?” Hope flared fresh in his face, and the sight of his renewed optimism confused her.
    “No.”
    He frowned. “I don’t understand. You told him you’d think about it?”
    “It didn’t happen that way. Listen, I really don’t feel comfortable discussing my personal life with you.”
    “Okay.” He gave an easy shrug, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to dig deeper. What she didn’t know was why, but she certainly wasn’t going to open up and spill her guts to a stranger.
    Not even her closest friends knew what was in her heart. She’d been taught by her father, the cutthroat businessman, that the more people knew about you, the more they could use against you. Once, when she was a little girl, her father took her to work with him. When his secretary asked her if she’d rather be playing in the park, instead of touring a stuffy old building, Kay had responded with an enthusiastic yes. Her father then jerked her into his office and lectured her until her ears burned about expressing her true feelings to underlings. She never forgot that lesson.
    Quinn cleared his throat. The waiter refilled their coffee cups.
    “I’m sorry about what I said,” Kay said. “That sounded bitchy.”
    “No need to apologize. You’re right. It’s none of my business. It’s just that if I was dating a woman like you, I wouldn’t have waited four years to ask you to marry me.”
    “Which raises the question, if you’re not commitment-phobic yourself, how come you’ve stayed single so long?”
    “Not a lot of women to choose from in Bear Creek. And most of the tourists that come to town are looking for a summer fling. And who’s to say I’ve never been married?”
    “Have you?” Kay lifted an eyebrow. Although she hated answering personal questions herself, she had no compunction against asking them. Enjoyed it, in fact. Perhaps that’s what attracted her to journalism. The opportunity to discover the intimate details of others’ lives without revealing any information about her own.
    “Came close once.”
    “What happened?”
    “Now I’m the one who’s uncomfortable discussing my private life.”
    “Whoever writes the feature article on you is going to want to know the answer to these questions.”
    “Then I’ll save the interview for that reporter.”
    Silence.
    “So in general, what qualities do you look for in a woman?” She spoke lightly, but every cell in her body stood at attention as she waited for his answer.
    “I don’t really want a career woman. I know it sounds old-fashioned, but I see myself with a woman who’s mainly interested in making a home. I want kids. And I like the idea of providing for the woman in my life.”
    “Oh, I see. The caveman mentality. Keep ’em barefoot and pregnant.”
    “I don’t mind if she wants to work,” he expounded. “But the children and I should be her priority. Just as she and the kids will be my top priority, not work, not a job. Family and friends. That’s what counts. Don’t look so disapproving. I’m being honest here.”
    “I’m not disapproving. You’re misconstruing my expression. Besides, does it matter what I think?”
    The truth was, she’d been thinking that she’d never heard a New York male express such a sentiment or, for that matter, even admit to wanting children. She found it oddly refreshing, even though one side of her wanted to argue that women could have both prosperous careers and happy, well-adjusted children if they learned how to juggle.
    His