Love and Honor: The Coltrane Saga, Book 7 Read Online Free PDF Page B

was on my own.”
    “Mother doesn’t think that way.” Kit sighed. “She’s perfectly content for you to raise Travis along with Marilee, but she wants me with her every second.”
    “Well, it’s different with a daughter, I suppose. She loves you, and she means well. She just doesn’t realize that she’s smothering you. Maybe tonight’s little display will make her see that she’s wrong.”
    While her grandmother waited, Kit quickly washed and dressed. She was wearing a simple white blouse and a long blue wool skirt. November could be quite cold in Madrid, so she slipped on a short, snug-fitting seal jacket. She hated to wear a hat but she knew her mother would fuss if she didn’t, so she chose a small button-type, with a veil only to her nose. Picking up her leather gloves, she announced, “Well, I’m ready, but I haven’t got the slightest idea where to go to look for the kind of gown I need on such short notice.”
    “Well, I do!” Kitty was happy to announce, her lavender eyes bright with anticipation. “I happen to know the perfect place—the Casa del Pasion, a shop that has all the latest and most daring fashions from Paris. The owner is Mademoiselle Denise Delacorte, and her mother is a good friend of mine in France. She has the only shop in Spain that’s able to offer the creations of Paul Poiret. You’ve heard of him, haven’t you?” She did not give Kit a chance to admit that she hadn’t. “He’s considered the most fashionable designer in France, and he’s credited for doing away with that unbearable ‘kangaroo’ corset. I hate those things—hide a woman’s curves, make her bend over like she’s got a bellyache. Anyway, he’s designed one with a natural shape, as well as some new and sophisticated evening gowns, so he’s quite famous in the fashion world. I’m sure we’ll find exactly what we’re looking for.”
    When they reached the foyer, Marilee was waiting anxiously, nervous that Kit would be angry. “Was it all right that I told her?” she asked. “I mean, you didn’t tell me not to tell.”
    “I didn’t think I had to,” Kit told her, “but it’s all right since it’s just Grandma you told.”
    Marilee breathed a sigh of relief, and they hurried on their way. Kitty had one of the family cars waiting. Once they were settled in the back seat, Marilee declared exuberantly, “I’m so excited about tonight that I can’t wait!”
    Kit and Kitty exchanged amused smiles, and Kitty observed, “Well, bless your heart, child, you really are beside yourself, aren’t you? So tell me about this young man who has you all aflutter.”
    Marilee blinked in astonishment. Kit laughed at the expression on her face as Kitty said with feigned indignation, “Well, I was young once myself, and I know all the signs of a young lady being smitten with a young man. But who do you know in Spain?”
    “I don’t actually know him,” Marilee admitted reluctantly. “I mean, I’ve never met him, but I don’t suppose there’s a girl in Europe who hasn’t heard about him…how handsome and exciting he is.”
    “Who?” Kit prodded, trying to hide her amusement. She didn’t want her cousin to think she was making fun of her.
    Marilee turned on her almost angrily. “Well, you should know,” she said defensively. “He lives near Valencia, and it’s said he owns one of the largest ranches in all of Spain.”
    Kit raised an eyebrow. Surely, she didn’t mean…
    “Yes!” Marilee’s long auburn curls danced about her face as she confirmed Kit’s unspoken question.
    “Kurt Tanner. He’s rich and handsome and exciting, and—”
    “And he’s legend with women,” Kit supplied harshly. “And I said women , not girls .”
    “Oh, what difference does that make? Lots of girls my age are married!”
    “You just get those kind of thoughts out of your head, Miss Mikhailonov,” Kitty admonished quickly. “Your father would have a fit if he heard you talking like that. He promised