Read Online The Barons of Texas: Jill by Fayrene Preston - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Fayrene Preston
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hanger. And not only that, how did you know it would fit me so perfectly? You even found matching shoes that fit.”
He shrugged, taking a corner. “Just lucky, I guess.”
“Oh, come on. Luck had nothing to do with it. You must have a lot of experience in buying clothes for women.”
“Actually, no, but I’m a quick study. And don’t forget, I did have the advantage of spending last night with you in bed.”
She closed her eyes. She’d walked right into that one. But he needn’t worry. If she lived to be a hundred, she doubted she would ever forget, in her fog of pain and medication, that she had slept the night through in his arms. “I’ll pay you back for the dress and shoes of course. Every nickel.”
“Whatever you like. By the way, did you have a chance to look over my ideas for our two properties?”
There it was. The reminder of the reason he was doing all this, and she supposed she should be relieved. She chewed on her bottom lip. If there was one thing in the world she understood, it was business. So why, then, did she have butterflies in the pit of her stomach and heat crawling through her veins? It was almost as if she was a teenager on her first date.
And why did she have the feeling that learning tobe a femme fatale with Colin as her teacher just might be the hardest thing she had ever tried to do?
From the moment she’d hit puberty, she had known that she was beautiful. She only had to watch the reaction of the boys at her school, and even some men, as she walked into a room or passed by them on the street.
Only her father appeared unmoved by her beauty. In fact, if anything, he seemed to keep her at more of a distance and treat her with slightly more coolness than he did her sisters, although it was so subtle she doubted anyone else saw it. Sometimes she was even able to talk herself into believing it was just her imagination. After all, why would he be harder on her than he was on Kit and Tess? It didn’t make sense. But then he would slight her again, and she would know she was right.
Her father never kept any pictures of her mother out, nor did he allow anyone to talk about her in his presence. But once their uncle William had pulled out an old photograph of a breathtakingly lovely young woman and had told her and her sisters that the woman was their mother. Studying the picture, she had realized that she’d been born with her mother’s classical beauty. She’d also realized that perhaps the resemblance to her mother might explain her father’s attitude toward her. She had always had the impression that her father had never forgiven his wife for having the automobile accident that had killed her.
Nevertheless, since he was the only man whose approval she wanted, she had learned early to disregard her beauty. And like any child seeking love from a parent, she would work all that much harder to pleasehim with her brains and hard work. To her knowledge, she had never succeeded.
He had been dead for many years now. And she had fulfilled the condition of his will, which stated that unless she and her sisters earned his idea of a fortune, they would lose their portions of the company. Yet, his powerful, domineering presence remained, and she still lived her life the way he had taught her. It was not only the way she had learned to survive, it was the only way she knew to live.
In order not to be hurt, she had become completely self-contained, emotionally isolating herself from people as much as possible. She didn’t even like to be physically touched. No wonder that even the idea of these upcoming lessons in learning to beguile a man was making her nervous.
“Jill?” Colin snapped his fingers in front of her face.
“What?”
“We’re here.”
“Oh.” She glanced around and saw that they were in a parking lot. “Oh.” She automatically reached for the door handle.
“Uh-uh.”
Damn. She waited impatiently for Colin to walk around to her side of the car, open the door and
He shrugged, taking a corner. “Just lucky, I guess.”
“Oh, come on. Luck had nothing to do with it. You must have a lot of experience in buying clothes for women.”
“Actually, no, but I’m a quick study. And don’t forget, I did have the advantage of spending last night with you in bed.”
She closed her eyes. She’d walked right into that one. But he needn’t worry. If she lived to be a hundred, she doubted she would ever forget, in her fog of pain and medication, that she had slept the night through in his arms. “I’ll pay you back for the dress and shoes of course. Every nickel.”
“Whatever you like. By the way, did you have a chance to look over my ideas for our two properties?”
There it was. The reminder of the reason he was doing all this, and she supposed she should be relieved. She chewed on her bottom lip. If there was one thing in the world she understood, it was business. So why, then, did she have butterflies in the pit of her stomach and heat crawling through her veins? It was almost as if she was a teenager on her first date.
And why did she have the feeling that learning tobe a femme fatale with Colin as her teacher just might be the hardest thing she had ever tried to do?
From the moment she’d hit puberty, she had known that she was beautiful. She only had to watch the reaction of the boys at her school, and even some men, as she walked into a room or passed by them on the street.
Only her father appeared unmoved by her beauty. In fact, if anything, he seemed to keep her at more of a distance and treat her with slightly more coolness than he did her sisters, although it was so subtle she doubted anyone else saw it. Sometimes she was even able to talk herself into believing it was just her imagination. After all, why would he be harder on her than he was on Kit and Tess? It didn’t make sense. But then he would slight her again, and she would know she was right.
Her father never kept any pictures of her mother out, nor did he allow anyone to talk about her in his presence. But once their uncle William had pulled out an old photograph of a breathtakingly lovely young woman and had told her and her sisters that the woman was their mother. Studying the picture, she had realized that she’d been born with her mother’s classical beauty. She’d also realized that perhaps the resemblance to her mother might explain her father’s attitude toward her. She had always had the impression that her father had never forgiven his wife for having the automobile accident that had killed her.
Nevertheless, since he was the only man whose approval she wanted, she had learned early to disregard her beauty. And like any child seeking love from a parent, she would work all that much harder to pleasehim with her brains and hard work. To her knowledge, she had never succeeded.
He had been dead for many years now. And she had fulfilled the condition of his will, which stated that unless she and her sisters earned his idea of a fortune, they would lose their portions of the company. Yet, his powerful, domineering presence remained, and she still lived her life the way he had taught her. It was not only the way she had learned to survive, it was the only way she knew to live.
In order not to be hurt, she had become completely self-contained, emotionally isolating herself from people as much as possible. She didn’t even like to be physically touched. No wonder that even the idea of these upcoming lessons in learning to beguile a man was making her nervous.
“Jill?” Colin snapped his fingers in front of her face.
“What?”
“We’re here.”
“Oh.” She glanced around and saw that they were in a parking lot. “Oh.” She automatically reached for the door handle.
“Uh-uh.”
Damn. She waited impatiently for Colin to walk around to her side of the car, open the door and
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