Sweets to the Sweet Read Online Free PDF

though, isn’t there, Owen?”
    He nodded. “Family businesses don’t work unless each member is willing to sink or swim alone. Any firm that takes on all of Uncle Johnny’s forty-seven nephews out of family loyalty is going to go down the tubes unless each is prepared to pull his weight. And I have two siblings who are dying to pull their weight. Gary’s got good marketing ideas; Susan has a degree in chemistry and wants to try a dozen new products. Neither of them wants the top chair, just a chance to try out their management wings. And that just wasn’t happening…”
    “Because you couldn’t let go of the controls,” Laura guessed quietly.
    “I told you I was a tyrant.” He shook his head. “I pulled the plug for about six months—not totally, but I’m trying to stay away unless they actually ask for help. They’ve got an experienced staff behind them, but they need time and freedom, without me constantly telling them what to do. They need their chance—and, frankly, I need to change. Anyway, enough of talking about myself.”
    The baby let out a sharp, piercing wail, and Owen gently handed her to Laura. “I’m afraid the princess just ran out of patience.”
    “Owen…” She wanted to say something reassuring but wasn’t sure how. In spite of his dry humor, Laura guessed he’d never meant to share a personal crisis. Still, he was a relative stranger and she didn’t have the right to reassure him. He’d labeled himself a domineering workaholic, but dominating wasn’t the same thing as domineering. He was a man who naturally took control, but he didn’t seem to lose any of his humanity in the process. If he saw himself as a tyrant, Laura didn’t. To her he’d shown caring and compassion for her baby, and she didn’t like to see him being so hard on himself.
    She wanted to say something, but in a minute her arms closed around the pink-wrapped bundle, and her attention was distracted. Softness glowed on her features. Mari was her world. For an instant, she’d been so immersed in Owen’s story that she’d almost forgotten that. Impossible. The baby was her life.
    “I’ll clear the table while you nurse the baby. And it’s cooled down so much I’ll lay a small fire—if you had the chimney checked out before you moved in?”
    “I…yes, and there’s even a little wood on the back porch, but you don’t have to do—” Mari let out another furious wail, and Laura looked at Owen nervously. All right, so he wasn’t quite a stranger anymore. Maybe she’d even enjoyed the past few hours, and maybe she even felt unwillingly drawn to a man who’d shouldered heavy responsibilities for too long. Still, the bottom line was that no man belonged in her living room.
    His eyes met hers. “If you’d just turn your chair around,” he suggested gently. “Laura, I won’t intrude on your privacy.”
    She flushed; he knew she was embarrassed to nurse in front of him. Paying no attention to her, he brought in an armful of twigs and knelt by the hearth, stacking them together with a few small logs. By the time he flicked the match, she had turned the chair around and bent her head away from him.
    He moved toward the kitchen, shifting plates to the counter, a faint smile on his mouth as he watched her. The fire was little more than ribbons of flame, its amber glow dancing in her hair. He heard her murmur softly to the baby, saw her fumble with her blouse buttons. The infant wailed, then fell silent. Laura’s face was only a fire-warmed shadow against the paneling, but he saw the sudden wince when the baby latched on, then the sensually radiant smile as she leaned her head back.
    He envied the baby.
    After he had disposed of the dishes, his eyes narrowed on the space around him. The clutter of packing boxes bothered him; her half-empty refrigerator bothered him. Laura clearly had too much on her plate.
    Financially, she was obviously solvent. Her property was expensive; the baby gear was the finest