âIâm not here because Iâve changed my mind.â
Allison took a deep breath before clarifying. âAbout the money or the contract.â
Red smiled. âWhat contract?â
She couldnât help smiling back, but she gave it a wry twist, so that he would know she was onto slick guys like him. Heâd promised he wouldnât talk about the contract, and he wouldnâtâat least until he thought he had her softened up. He wasnât a fool. But neither was she.
âBut the truth isâ¦I got the impression that you really cared about Victor, that the two of you were close. And that you might be sincerely concerned about the welfare of his family.â
He nodded. His expression was guarded, now, less slick but no less handsome. That great bone structure and that dramatic Black Irish coloring werenât dependent on a twinkle or a grin. As she poured the thick cream into her cup of coffee she found herself wondering whether he was married, or engaged.
Then she told herself to stop wondering things like that.
Dear Reader,
One of my favorite quotes says, âIf you donât make mistakes, you donât make anything.â I heard it long ago, at a time when I really needed it. Iâm not much of a risk-taker, and that quote opened my eyes to a new way of looking at my life.
Even though taking risks is daunting, always playing it safe can be scary, too. Isnât every important move forward a risk? Wouldnât it be safer never to fall in love, have children, start a business, travel the world or even write a book? And yetâ¦how boring utter safety would be! Think how much weâd miss!
Allison York has just made one of the biggest mistakes of her life, and she wants only to hunker down and protect her infant sonâand her heart. No more risks. No more blunders.
But then sexy, charismatic Redmond Malone enters her worldâthe one man who poses a threat to everything she holds dear. Letting him in might well be the ultimate mistakeâ¦but does she have the strength to send him away?
I hope you enjoy their story. And I hope that, as you go through life, all the mistakes you make turn out to be blessings in disguise!
Warmest wishes,
Kathleen OâBrien
P.S.âI love to hear from readers! Visit me at KOBrienonline.com, on Facebook or Twitter, or email me at [email protected].
Kathleen OâBrien was a feature writer and TV critic before marrying a fellow journalist. Motherhood, which followed soon after, was so marvelous she turned to writing novels, which could be done at home. A born sentimentalist, she believes a person can never have too many old friends, sad movies, spoiled pets or corny songs. Sheâs never met a book about a baby that she didnât love.
To Ann Evans.
Your friendship, your generosity and your talent have made all the difference.
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
REDMOND MALONE HAD BEEN PARKED in front of the Windsor Beach Peacock Café for a full five minutes. He kept going back and forth, one minute gazing at the oceanâwhich glittered invitingly between the buildingsâand the next minute glaring at the restaurant, with the blue-and-green-striped awnings and kitschy matching outdoor umbrellas.
So what was it going to be? Hit the gas, find a beach shop that sold surfboards and trunks, and wash his cares away in the Pacific? Or open that shadowy café door and scope out the mysterious, adulterous Allison York?
Yeah, right. As if he had any choice.
With a heartfelt, under-the-breath curse, he met his own eyes in the rearview mirror. Note for next time: donât make deathbed promises. First, obviously everyoneâs too emotional to think straight when a good friend is dying. And second, promises like that are set in stone. Impossible to renegotiate them when you wake up and realize youâve stepped in a big pile ofâ
The thought broke off as, without warning, his parked car lurched forward sharply. Simultaneously, he heard a grating, metallic sound. Harsh, piercing, up close and personalâ¦
Aw, hell. He swiveled to look out the back window. Some jackass in a fat black Rolls Royce just rear-ended him.
God, could this damned errand get any worse? He yanked the keys from the ignition, shoved open the door and climbed out. Luckily for the blind fool in the Rolls, Red wasnât the yelling, punching kind, or the âouch, my neckâ kind. But the fool had better have insurance.
The other driver was slower to emerge, so Red was almost at the door of the Rolls when it opened. Great. The guy must have been eighty, easy. Suit, tie, pocket kerchiefâ¦definitely overdressed for early-morning pancakes, so maybe he hadnât been headed to the Peacock Café. Maybe the bank down the street.
âYou all right, son?â The manâs long, seamed face looked worried. He reminded Red of a wood carving of an ancient Chinese philosopher.