Read Online A Long Tall Texan Summer: Tom Walker by Diana Palmer - Free Book Online Page A

"I'm sorry. If I’d been more streetwise than I was—"
    "Crissy is a treasure," he said, interrupting her. "I'll never regret her."
    She brightened a little. "Honestly?"
    He smiled. "Honestly." He glanced around. "Speaking of Crissy, where is she?"
    "There's a carnival in town. Luke took her to eat cotton candy and go on the rides," she replied. "After he'd made sure they were safe, of course." She grinned. "He's very protective of her."
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    "I noticed. I like Luke," he added.
    "So do I. He was my guardian angel when our father was still alive." She searched his bitter eyes. "Oh, Tom, we didn't have much of a childhood, either of us, did we?"
    His jaw tautened. "No. It wasn't my father's
    fault, but that doesn't make the memories
    any easier." He
    reached out slowly and touched her soft hair. He grimaced as he moved a little closer, his smile almost apologetic.
    "I'm not used to touching, or being touched. It's hard for me to talk about how I feel, much less show it."
    "I understand."
    His dark green eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Yes, I think you do." He searched her face. "Could you live
    with it, though, from day to day? You'd have no guarantee that I could ever be like a normal man."
    "If by normal you mean ready, willing and able to sleep with every woman you date, then I'd just as soon
    have you the way you are," she said flatly. "I'm not risking my life with a man who sees women as a party
    favor."
    He chuckled softly. "Funny, that's just how I feel about women who are rounders."
    "See? We have plenty of things in common."
    "We always did. You were the only thing that made New York City bearable, and I never even told you. Just seeing you at your desk every morning, smiling and cheerful, made my day." He sighed. "Not that I realized
    it until you were gone, of course," he added ruefully.

    "They say we never know what we're missing
    until we don't have it anymore."
    "So they do."
    She frowned suddenly. "You asked if I could live with the way you are," she recalled.
    He shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Maybe it was too soon to say anything.
    But eventually,
    I'd like it if we got married.
    I hope you would, too."
    She whistled silently. "There'd be a lot of adjustments to make," she said.
    "Oh, yes, there would," he agreed. "Cris-sy's never known any father except your late husband. This house has been home for you both for a while. She's used to Uncle Luke being around constantly. I'm not an easy companion,
    and I like my own way—I expect you do, too. We'd have to do a lot of compromising."
    "I like paying my own way," she added.
    "So do I." He smiled. "So what?"
    "I don't plan to give up my boutique."
    His eyebrows arched. "Did I ask you to?"
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    "It takes up a lot of my time," she began.
    "My work takes up a lot of mine," he told her. "But we'd have weekends with each other and Crissy.
    She'd have a balanced family."
    "She doesn't know that you're her father," she said worriedly.
    "One day, she will. We don't have to decide
    anything in the next five hours, do we?"
    She laughed out loud. "Tom, you make it all seem so simple."
    "Generally life is simple. People complicate
    it when emotions get in the way." He looked at her openly, with tender appreciation. "You're amazingly pretty."
    She flushed. "I am not. I'm five pounds overweight for my height and I have wrinkles."
    "I'd be getting there, myself, if I didn't spend so much time chasing Moose out of things."
    "Your dog?"
    "My small horse. Once you meet him, it will take a while to get used to him. It would be all right as long
    as you don't have anything fragile."
    She cocked her head at him. "This sounds serious."
    "It is. He's still a puppy and he has no respect
    for personal property, unless it's his."
    "I like dogs," she said.
    "That's because you haven't met Moose."
    "When am I going to?"
    He eyed