The Laws of Attraction Read Online Free PDF Page A

with us. If you break it, then we’ll know you’re in some sort of emotional meltdown that probably requires hospitalization.”
    Ashley scowled. “Not even remotely funny.”
    “I didn’t mean it to be,” Maggie assured her. “You need this sabbatical, Ashley, and one way or another we’re going to see to it that you take it. Rose Cottage is much cheaper and a whole lot more pleasant than some quiet sanitarium in a tranquil setting with shrinks watching your every move.” She let that image sink in, then asked, “Don’t you agree?”
    Ashley stared hard at her sister to see if she was joking. She didn’t appear to be. “You wouldn’t do that to me.”
    “If it was the only way to assure that you get somerest, we would,” Maggie retorted emphatically. “Don’t test us. That’s how worried we are about you.”
    “Mom and Dad would never allow it,” Ashley said.
    “Are you so sure of that? They’re worried sick, too.”
    “I’m not having a damn breakdown, though you could easily drive me to one,” Ashley said, barely keeping a grip on her temper. The last thing she needed to do was give them ammunition to have her committed. And they would do it. She could see that now. There was no mistaking the resolve in Maggie’s eyes.
    “You’re not having one yet ,” Maggie agreed. “But you’re on the verge, Ashley. None of us have ever seen you strung this tight before. Everyone has their limits. What happened in court was only the final blow. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard for too long.”
    “I think we need to change the subject before you really get on my nerves,” Ashley told her sister. She deliberately turned to Rick. “Do you know of a Josh around here?”
    Rick looked as if he didn’t really want to be drawn into the conversation, even if the subject seemed to be neutral. Ashley could hardly blame him. When he shrugged, she turned back to Maggie. “What about you? Do you know a Josh?”
    “Is that the man you hit?” Maggie asked.
    Ashley nodded.
    “No last name?”
    “He didn’t offer one,” Ashley said, then remembered the exchange of notes. Maybe he had written it down. “Wait. Here it is. Madison. Josh Madison.”
    Maggie’s expression turned thoughtful. “There were some Madisons who had a summer place not far fromRose Cottage. I think Grandma knew them. Maybe he’s related to them. That would certainly explain why he was on that road. Melanie and Mike might know him.”
    “I suppose that’s possible,” Ashley said. “But he said he was local.”
    “Maybe he is now,” Rick finally chimed in. “But I don’t recall the name, and I talk to a lot of people around the area. I could ask Willa-Dean next time I go to Callao for lunch. That girl knows everybody, especially the single men.”
    Ashley shook her head. “No need. I doubt we’ll even cross paths again, unless he changes his mind about me paying for the damage to his car.”
    Maggie grinned. “Why so interested, Ash? Is he gorgeous? Sexy?”
    “Nice,” Ashley said, refusing to be drawn into a discussion of Josh Madison’s appeal. Nice was safe. Nice didn’t stir up hormones.
    Unfortunately, Josh Madison was a bit more than nice. As rattled as she’d been by that stupid accident, she’d noted that he was sexy and gorgeous, just as her sister had guessed. Not that Ashley cared, of course. Men were the last thing on her mind these days. But accepting that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate a fine specimen when one happened to cross her path, even if this one was clearly not her type.
    After all, he’d been dressed in a faded T-shirt and equally faded jeans, with boat shoes and no socks. It wasn’t a look that appealed to her. She was drawn to men in designer suits and expensive imported footwear. She was drawn to men who reeked of ambition and success. Josh Madison looked…normal. Just an everyday guy. Ashley didn’t do ordinary.
    Not that she’d done all that well with the overly ambitious