Read Online Emily and the Stranger by Beverly Barton - Free Book Online
Authors: Beverly Barton
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him."
"The first man since Stuart that you've been attracted to! Of course you had to tell me about him." Nikki sat down, then tucked her feet back on the bottom support round of her chair. "Weeks of watching him, and now you've met him. It must have happened yesterday because you didn't say a word about it Saturday."
"I was on the beach yesterday afternoon, doing some sketches, when he just came walking along." Emily unwrapped her sandwich and pulled the two cut halves apart. "He watched me for a while, then came closer and closer."
"Does he look as good close up as he did at a distance?"
"Better."
"Better!" Nikki's expressive hands waved about in the air, slamming into the pitcher.
Emily grabbed the iced-tea container, sighing when she realized she had avoided a minor disaster. "I'll pour the tea."
"Forget the tea. Tell me more about our muscle-bound blonde. Is he or is he not your mystery man?"
"I really don't think he is," Emily said. "He doesn't seem the type. I doubt he knows anything about poetry and the letter I received quoted Byron and Shelley. Besides, Ray Mitchell could probably have any woman he wanted without resorting to secret phone calls and letters."
"Any woman?" Nikki asked. "Does that include you? Just what happened between y'all?"
"We talked for a while. That's all."
"You're holding back." Nikki bit into her large dill pickle.
"We have a date for dinner tonight. I'm cooking."
Nikki choked on the pickle. She spit it out on her napkin, her watery eyes opening wide. She stared at Emily's smiling face. "You have a date with a stranger? You, Emily McLain Jordan?"
"I can't explain it, Nikki. I've never felt anything like this before in my life. Mitch is so … so … so much a man."
"Uh-oh. Are you ready for that? I mean, you've said you'll never … that is—"
Heat spread up Emily's neck, flushing her face a warm rose beneath her tanned complexion. "Even if I'd like to have sex with Mitch, I won't. I can't."
"I've told you a thousand times that you cannot cut yourself off from life, from a future with a husband and kids, just because of your scarred back."
Reaching across the table, Emily patted Nikki's hand, then gave it a tight squeeze. "I wish you were right about that, but … I've offered Mitch friendship and he's accepted."
"If he's anything like you've described him, then a man like that isn't going to settle for hand-holding."
"Did I do the wrong thing by inviting him to dinner?" Emily wondered if she wasn't asking for trouble, asking to be hurt when Mitch wanted more and she rejected his advances. Or even worse, when she agreed to more and he rejected her. She couldn't bear the thought of Mitch seeing her scarred back and being repulsed by it.
"No, you did the right thing. It's long past time you were dating someone besides Charles Tolbert. And there's no law that says you have to have sex. Look at me, I've dated half the eligible bachelors in the world and I haven't had sex with any of them."
Emily knew that Nikki's reluctance to have sex was based on her memories of her abusive stepfather. Warner Richards had been wealthy, ruggedly handsome and very macho. He'd also been a wife beater and a child abuser. His treatment of Nikki had made her fear most men, especially rugged, powerful, macho men. And although Nikki flitted from one boyfriend to the next, like a love-starved butterfly, she had never given her heart to any man.
"Someday, Nikki, you'll meet a man … a man like Mitch, and you'll want him to make love to you."
"Maybe." Nikki sighed, shaking her head, tossing about her short reddish brown curls. "I'm just glad that you've finally met someone special, and that he's living right next door. It makes me feel better knowing you aren't out there all alone."
Emily lifted her sandwich to her lips. "Do you think the person who has called me and sent me a love letter could actually be dangerous?"
"Who knows? Maybe it is just Charles Tolbert or Rod Simmons or some other guy
"The first man since Stuart that you've been attracted to! Of course you had to tell me about him." Nikki sat down, then tucked her feet back on the bottom support round of her chair. "Weeks of watching him, and now you've met him. It must have happened yesterday because you didn't say a word about it Saturday."
"I was on the beach yesterday afternoon, doing some sketches, when he just came walking along." Emily unwrapped her sandwich and pulled the two cut halves apart. "He watched me for a while, then came closer and closer."
"Does he look as good close up as he did at a distance?"
"Better."
"Better!" Nikki's expressive hands waved about in the air, slamming into the pitcher.
Emily grabbed the iced-tea container, sighing when she realized she had avoided a minor disaster. "I'll pour the tea."
"Forget the tea. Tell me more about our muscle-bound blonde. Is he or is he not your mystery man?"
"I really don't think he is," Emily said. "He doesn't seem the type. I doubt he knows anything about poetry and the letter I received quoted Byron and Shelley. Besides, Ray Mitchell could probably have any woman he wanted without resorting to secret phone calls and letters."
"Any woman?" Nikki asked. "Does that include you? Just what happened between y'all?"
"We talked for a while. That's all."
"You're holding back." Nikki bit into her large dill pickle.
"We have a date for dinner tonight. I'm cooking."
Nikki choked on the pickle. She spit it out on her napkin, her watery eyes opening wide. She stared at Emily's smiling face. "You have a date with a stranger? You, Emily McLain Jordan?"
"I can't explain it, Nikki. I've never felt anything like this before in my life. Mitch is so … so … so much a man."
"Uh-oh. Are you ready for that? I mean, you've said you'll never … that is—"
Heat spread up Emily's neck, flushing her face a warm rose beneath her tanned complexion. "Even if I'd like to have sex with Mitch, I won't. I can't."
"I've told you a thousand times that you cannot cut yourself off from life, from a future with a husband and kids, just because of your scarred back."
Reaching across the table, Emily patted Nikki's hand, then gave it a tight squeeze. "I wish you were right about that, but … I've offered Mitch friendship and he's accepted."
"If he's anything like you've described him, then a man like that isn't going to settle for hand-holding."
"Did I do the wrong thing by inviting him to dinner?" Emily wondered if she wasn't asking for trouble, asking to be hurt when Mitch wanted more and she rejected his advances. Or even worse, when she agreed to more and he rejected her. She couldn't bear the thought of Mitch seeing her scarred back and being repulsed by it.
"No, you did the right thing. It's long past time you were dating someone besides Charles Tolbert. And there's no law that says you have to have sex. Look at me, I've dated half the eligible bachelors in the world and I haven't had sex with any of them."
Emily knew that Nikki's reluctance to have sex was based on her memories of her abusive stepfather. Warner Richards had been wealthy, ruggedly handsome and very macho. He'd also been a wife beater and a child abuser. His treatment of Nikki had made her fear most men, especially rugged, powerful, macho men. And although Nikki flitted from one boyfriend to the next, like a love-starved butterfly, she had never given her heart to any man.
"Someday, Nikki, you'll meet a man … a man like Mitch, and you'll want him to make love to you."
"Maybe." Nikki sighed, shaking her head, tossing about her short reddish brown curls. "I'm just glad that you've finally met someone special, and that he's living right next door. It makes me feel better knowing you aren't out there all alone."
Emily lifted her sandwich to her lips. "Do you think the person who has called me and sent me a love letter could actually be dangerous?"
"Who knows? Maybe it is just Charles Tolbert or Rod Simmons or some other guy
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