“Wow.”
“That’s what I say.” Bridgette came up behind her. She’d been surprised herself to see just how beautiful Fiona actually looked “enhanced.” “I feel a little like Dr. Frankenstein, awed at what I’ve created, but not really too sure if I want to take a chance and unleash you on the unsuspecting world.”
Though impressed, Fiona wouldn’t have gone as far as call herself beautiful. Words like that belonged to Bridgette and to their mother, not her. “It’s not that much of a change.”
Bridgette knew what she saw, knew, too, that Fiona was stubborn. She remained undaunted. “See, I win both ways, don’t I?” Still behind Fiona, she leaned forward, bringing her face next to her sister’s. “Bottom line is, it’s what you have inside that counts, Fiona. And from what you’ve told me, Hank picked up on that. I think you owe him an apology.”
Fiona shrugged, turning away from the mirror. “I don’t think he’ll talk to me. He hasn’t called in over a week.” She sighed, going over the tally. “One week, two days, five hours and twenty-six minutes.”
Fiona had it bad, Bridgette thought. “Not that anyone’s keeping track,” she murmured wryly. “Maybe you really hurt his feelings.”
Fiona had another take on the situation. She couldn’t picture anyone pining over her. “And maybe he’s consoling himself with someone else.” She saw the protest rising to Bridgette’s lips. “No matter what I look like on the outside, I can’t throw myself at him.”
Bridgette had had just about enough of this holding back nonsense. You didn’t just let a man like Hank Cutler get away over a misunderstanding. “How about if I threw you at him?”
Fiona gave her a warning look. “Bridgette, don’t you dare do anything.”
“You can be a very infuriating person, you know that?”
Fiona shrugged. “Stubbornness is my best feature, don’t you know that?”
Bridgette’s expression softened. She touched Fiona’s cheek. “No, your heart is. Don’t you know that?”
“Thanks.” But she still didn’t want Bridgette interfering. “’Member what Grandma used to say? If something was meant to be, it would be?”
They both knew what their grandmother had been like. Blending in with the times, she pretended to be meek and mild. But she’d never fooled the women in the family. “Yes, but that was also her facade. She was a conniver, remember?” Bridgette hooked her arm through Fiona’s. “C’mon, I feel a shopping spree coming on.”
For once, Fiona had no work planned for the afternoon. Unwilling to be alone with her thoughts, she offered no resistance to the suggestion.
But just as they reached the door, the fax machine perched on the kitchen counter came to life. Fiona looked at it over her shoulder, hesitating.
Bridgette was not about to give up a shopping trip because of some wayward piece of paper. “If it’s business, it’ll keep until we get back,” she coaxed.
Work was better for her than the mall any day. Fiona went back to the kitchen. “I’m not doing that well yet, Bridgette. Every potential client is important.”
The machine had spit the paper out onto the floor. She picked it up just as another was peeking out of the opening, snaking its way out.
Resigned, Bridgette walked into the kitchen. “So, is it for another wedding?”
Fiona stared at the paper in her hand, rereading it. “No.”
There was an odd expression on her sister’s face. Curious, Bridgette pressed, “Anniversary?”
“No. It’s a proposal.” Fiona looked up. She was afraid to let herself believe that what she’d read was on the level. “From Hank.” She held up the page for Bridgette to look at. All it said was, “Marry me. Hank.” Fiona bit her lower lip. “Think he sent it to the wrong number again?”
About to throw her arms around Fiona in congratulations, Bridgette stopped dead. How could she even suggest that?
“No, and if you do, you’re about to get the beating of your life.” Bridgette looked down at the other sheets that were coming out of the fax machine. They all said the same thing. The man was in love with her sister, there was absolutely no doubt in her mind. She saw Fiona scribble a message on the back of one of the sheets and place it into position. “What are you doing?”
“Answering.” But the parade of pages wouldn’t stop long enough for her to break the connection and send her reply. Frustrated, she headed for the door.
“Now where?” Bridgette called after her.
“I’ve got to go see him,” was all she said before she ran outside.
And see him she did.
Because Hank was parked right in front of her house. When he saw her, he quickly got out of the car. He wasn’t sure if she was bolting again.
Blocking her way to the van, he asked, “Well?”
What was he doing here? “My machine is spitting out your faxes. How did you—”
He nodded toward the curb and his car. “My cell phone, hooked up to my portable fax.” He grinned. “Technology is a wonderful thing. I figured since we met because of a fax, maybe I could get you back that way.”
He’d answered her question; now it was Fiona’s turn to answer his. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
Sunshine and roses filled her. She couldn’t explain it any better than that. “It wasn’t a question, it was a command.”
“A plea,” he corrected. “The downside about a fax is that you can’t hear the person’s voice. If you had, you would have known that it wasn’t a command or an order, it was a plea.” He knew he had to backtrack and start over. “Fiona, I’m—”
“Sorry,” they both said at the same time, then laughed.
When they both began talking at the same time, Hank held up his hand. Eschewing niceties, he wanted his day in court before he lost precious ground.
“Me first. Fiona, I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but I am not into just looks. I was, once, as my sister so obligingly pointed out, but no more than anyone is.” He pinned her with a look that was at once loving and firm. “No more than you. Admit it, what first attracted you to me was my looks.”
It wasn’t just his looks, it was a myriad of things, things he’d referred to as chemistry. “Yes, but—”
“Okay, and my butt,” he allowed with a grin. “Want to know what attracted me to you?”
She wasn’t sure if she was ready for this. “What?”
“Same thing. Looks.” Fiona sighed in response, but he wasn’t about to recant. “You have got the greatest legs I’ve ever seen, even better than my first filly.” He winked at her, sending ripples through her system. “And as far as I was concerned, the rest of the package was just as good.”
She began to protest, then thought better of it. Bridgette’s warning rang in her ears.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I go for the total package. You’re funny, sweet, and you turn me inside out when you look at me with those sexy eyes of yours. I don’t want just looks, Fiona, I want the total package, the woman you’ve learned to become while everyone else was trying to figure out how to make their eyes look bigger with the right application of eyeliner and mascara.” He took her into his arms, aware that several curtains along the block, as well as in her own house, had been drawn back and that they had an audience. He didn’t care. “I just want you to leave one thing out of the deal.”
“What?”
“Your insecurity.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Because more than anyone else I’ve ever known, you have nothing to be insecure about. So, what do you say?” He pulled her back so he could look into her eyes. “Will you marry me?”
“Depends.”
He raised an eyebrow. “On what?”
“Do I have to cater the wedding?”
He laughed, hugging her. “No, we’ll give you the day off. But I would like you to wear these under the wedding dress.” As she watched, curious, Hank produced a pair of fishnet stockings out of his pocket and held them up in the air.
/> Fiona laughed as she snatched them from him. What more could she ask for than a man who was romantic enough to remember the first thing he’d said to make her tingle? “I love you.”
He tilted her head back with the tip of his finger on her chin. “Does that mean the answer’s yes?”
Her eyes smiled at him even as she did. “It was from the first minute I saw you.”
He kissed her then, because words failed him for once. Kissed her because that was all he’d been thinking about since he’d walked out of her house one week, two days, five hours and thirty-one minutes ago.
Kissed her because he knew he’d go crazy if he didn’t.
“By the way,” he whispered as he pulled his head back.
“Hmm?” Beauty was not in the eyes of the beholder, she realized, it was a feeling. And she had it. She felt beautiful.
His lips passed over her face ever so lightly, drawing Fiona further into a vortex of emotion. “You don’t need all that makeup to make you look gorgeous, you already are.”
On her toes, she brought her body up against his. “Did I tell you I loved you?”
He inclined his head, his words flirting with her lips. “You might have mentioned it.”
“Well, I do.” She loved him so much, it hurt.
“That’s good,” he said, bringing his mouth down to hers, “because I’d hate to be in love all by myself.”
“That,” she assured him as she closed the gap, “will never happen again.”
* * * * *
Look for Hank’s story in COWBOYS ARE FOR LOVING, coming in September only in Silhouette Yours Truly.
Books by Marie Ferrarella
Silhouette Yours Truly
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The Gift #588
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‡ Baby’s Choice
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* Those Sinclairs
** Two Halves of a Whole
‡‡ The Cutlers of the Shady Lady Ranch
Books by Marie Ferrarella writing as Marie Nicole
Slihouette Desire
Tried and True #112
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Silhouette Romance
Man Undercover #373
Please Stand By #394
Mine by Write #411
Getting Physical #440
eISBN 978-14592-6726-8
FIONA AND THE SEXY STRANGER
Copyright © 1998 by Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office. Silhouette Books, 300 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of Harlequin Books S.A., used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
Printed In U.S.A.
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Excerpt
Dear Reader
Title Page
Dedication
From the Author
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Books by Made Ferrarella
Copyright
Fiona And The Sexy Stranger Page 14
