Cross My Heart Read Online Free PDF Page A

feed the dog, which in Spanish is, por favor, no les des comida al perro —which actually translates to please do not give food to the dog,” Lacey said, her Spanish grammar lessons coming back to her. “Serena’s insulted because you’d think she’d do such a thing.” Lacey swallowed another chuckle.
    Amanda, meanwhile, who truly did have a decent disposition and treated hired help nicely, flushed in mortification. “I asked my daughter for help. She takes Spanish in school,” the other woman explained.
    At least Amanda was too embarrassed by her mistake to complain about Serena’s overreaction, something Lacey would have to deal with later on. For now, Lacey repeated the mix-up to Serena in Spanish before turning back to her client.
    â€œDon’t feel bad. There’s actually no real verb for feed, which probably resulted in things getting twisted around.”
    â€œI’m sorry you came all the way over here,” Amanda said.
    â€œI’m not. I wish all my crises could be resolved so easily.” After making certain both Serena and Amanda were fine with her leaving, Lacey headed for home.
    Her dog, Digger, met her at the door, her stubby tail wagging like crazy. Lacey liked nothing better than coming home to find her pet jumping up and down with excitement.
    â€œHey you,” Lacey said, patting the dog’s head.
    With the pooch at her heels, Lacey tossed her purse onto the bed and hit the Play button on her answering machine. The only message was from Alex Duncan, an investment banker she’d met and recently become close to thanks to an introduction by a client. He treated her well, took her to Broadway shows and upscale restaurants, and bought her expensive things that reminded her more of her upbringing prior to her parents’ deaths than her life since. He brought forth a longing for things she missed, like security and caring, luxury and stability.
    He wanted to take care of her in the old-fashioned sense by providing her with a home and a family. Lacey had craved those things ever since she’d lost her parents. Her mom, Rhona, had been home every afternoon when Lacey returned from school and her dad, Eric, had tucked her into bed each night. Losing them had been traumatic, and had upended her entire world. In her innocence she’d turned to her uncle Marc and he’d betrayed her.
    Other than Ty and Hunter, she hadn’t allowed anyone to get close to her in years. But she desired intimacy with another human being. She needed affection and wanted someone to come home to each night. Alex was a good man. The best, really, yet he hadn’t breached her barriers. And she hadn’t accepted his marriage proposal….
    Not yet. Something she couldn’t define was missing and no matter how much she cared about him, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t quite say she’d fallen in love with him. They’d even been intimate for a while now but still, a deeper connection was missing.
    But Alex understood she had a rocky past—though he didn’t know all the details—and he was willing to give her time to come around because he loved her. And because he was convinced that love could grow over time. Lacey wanted to believe, so she hadn’t given up on a future with him.
    With a groan, she pressed the delete key on the answering machine and quickly stripped for a long, hot shower. She’d spent the afternoon food shopping for a busy working mother, then she’d walked an array of dogs down Fifth Avenue, before heading out to solve the crisis between Serena and Amanda. Lacey had been looking forward to some downtime all day. Time that didn’t include worrying about her business or dissecting her feelings for Alex.
    Half an hour later, she was wrapped in a terry robe and scrambling eggs, enjoying the low hum of music and cooking in her own kitchen, when the doorbell rang. Digger immediately began her