All I Ever Wanted
Page 22
Opening the front door, he had to revise his earlier thought about Fallon. She was stunning in a raspberry knit top and white walking shorts. Her eyes were just as captivating as before, her mouth just as tempting. His hand clamped on the door knob as they continued to stare at each other. He wouldn’t be the first to speak. She had called him a thief.
“Hello, Lance. I guess you’re surprised to see me.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
Fallon ran her tongue over lips he’d dreamed about before saying, “I’m not sure if you remember or not, but I’m a travel writer.”
Since his mouth was dry, he simply nodded. Fallon was too much of a temptation. As soon as possible, he was sending her on her way.
“I read about this place and the auction you’re having. I came up with the idea for an article.” She glanced around the yard. “This house might not be on the historical society’s register, but it has a lot of history that will be lost once the auction is over. I’d like to preserve that.”
“By doing a story,” he said, unable to keep the derision out of his voice. Another person who wanted to profit from the misfortune of others. And she’d thought him heartless.
Her eyes narrowed briefly, then she shifted back to him, inadvertently making her breasts in the knit top jut forward. Lance gritted his teeth and opened his mouth to tell her goodbye, but she finally spoke.
“Not just a story. I want to bring the history of the house and the people who lived here to life. I also want to let readers know that it’s all right not to plan every second of a vacation. Wonderful opportunities like this auction might present itself. I’ve done a bit of research on the house already.”
“Don’t you think that was a bit premature?” he asked, glad his voice was normal even if his heart rate wasn’t.
“Yes, but knowledge is never wasted.” She stepped back and looked up at the window overhead. “Do you know that some of the timber in this house came from Yates’ grandparents’ property in Louisiana? He was a bit of a sentimentalist.” She sent Lance a quick grin. “The stained glass in the window overhead is from Paris and the chandelier in the living room is Waterford. They’re his wife’s selections.”
“Women like the finer things.” He’d learned that lesson the hard way.
Her brow arched. “So do men. Thaddeus spared no expense to build this house. It took three years. His daughter expanded it even more. From the little I was able to find, she doted on her son and wanted the house to last for generations. It’s a shame that her dreams died with him.” Fallon gave him her full attention, her expression so heartrending he had to lock his knees to keep from reaching out to comfort her. “It would be wonderful if that didn’t happen, if the family history could be preserved, and be the impetus for other family dreams and legacies.”
His gaze narrowed on her. So, she wasn’t just beautiful and brassy. It was rare to meet someone not in the business who really understood the value and importance of beloved furniture and accessories being a legacy.
Even at thirty-six, there were times when he thought of his own mortality. He never planned to marry. What would he leave behind? Who would mourn him? The answers weren’t comforting, so he continued to study Fallon. Unlike most people, his direct stare didn’t make her fidget.
He’d been devastatingly wrong about women before, but something told him that Fallon was telling the truth. This was more than a story to her. Watching her hair dance in the breeze, her steady gaze, he came to a decision.
Stepping back inside, he watched her eyes widen, her mouth open. He realized she thought he was going to shut the door in her face. It annoyed the hell out of him that she believed he was that rude. “Come in.”
Her mouth hung open for a second longer, before she snapped it shut. She quickly stepped inside. “Thank you.”
“Would you care for something to drink?”
“No, thank—” Her eyes widened and she was across the room. Reverently her hand grazed the top of an oak-finished chest of drawers. “This is one of Thaddeus’s pieces, isn’t it? His daughter used this for her hope chest.”
Lance joined her. “You did your research well, I see.”
“I wanted to be prepared.” She smiled over her shoulder at him, then turned back to the piece that was as tall as she. “He was a furniture maker before they struck oil on his property. A picture of this chest was the only one I could find of the contents in the house.”
“There are other pieces he made mixed throughout with the more famous makers like Chippendale,” he said. “The house is a treasure trove of furniture, art work, and crystal.”
Her eyes glittered with hope, one hand clamped on the camera, the other on the notebook. “Then you’ll let me do the story?”
He was probably crazy considering he barely could keep his eyes off her lips. “You can do the story.” He motioned toward her camera. “Feel free to take as many photos as you like. You seem to understand and appreciate the furnishings—that they meant something to the Yates—they aren’t just things or possessions,” he said.
For a second, her eyes darkened with pain. “Yes.”
He wondered if she was thinking about the incident that caused her to brand him a thief. “Feel free to look around. I’ll be in my office.” He pointed to an open door to the left. “Just let me know when you’re leaving.”
“Thank you.”
With a brief nod, he returned to his study, hoping he hadn’t made a terrible mistake.
ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS TITLES BY FRANCIS RAY
The Falcon Novels
Heart of the Falcon
Break Every Rule
The Taggart Brothers
Forever Yours
Only Hers
The Graysons of New Mexico Series
Until There Was You
You and No Other
Dreaming of You
Irresistible You
Only You
The Grayson Friends Series
The Way You Love Me
Nobody But You
One Night with You
It Had to Be You
A Seductive Kiss
With Just One Kiss
A Dangerous Kiss
All I Ever Wanted
~
Trouble Don’t Last Always
Someone to Love Me
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
Rockin’ Around That Christmas Tree (with Donna Hill)
Anthologies
Rosie’s Curl and Weave
Della’s House of Style
Welcome to Leo’s
Going to the Chapel
Gettin’ Merry
RAVE REVIEWS FOR
FRANCIS RAY
ONE NIGHT WITH YOU
“The steam the lovers create is a pleasure to behold. Ray never disappoints!”
—RT Book Reviews (4½ stars)
WITH JUST ONE KISS
“Heartwarming and fun.”
—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
NOBODY BUT YOU
“A story that tugs at the heartstrings.”
—RT BOOKreviews
“Fast and fun and full of emotional thrills and sexy chills. Everything a racing romance should be!”
—Roxanne St. Claire
“Not only does Francis Ray rock in this book but you also see a whole different side of racing that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
—Night Owl Romance
“A wonderful read.”
—Fresh Fiction
UNTIL THERE WAS YOU
“Ms. Ray has given us a great novel again. Did we expect anything less than the best?”
—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
“Crisp style, realistic dialogue, likable characters, and [a] fast pace.”
—Library Journal
THE WAY YOU LOVE ME
“As always, Ray leads her readers on a mesmerizing journey of drama and love … The Way You Love Me confirms the fact that Francis Ray is, without a doubt,
one of the Queens of Romance.”
—A Romance Review
“A romance that will have readers speed-reading to the next tension-filled scene, if not the climax.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Fans of Ray’s Grayson and Falcon families will be thrilled with the first installment in the new Grayson Friends series. And this is done very well … told with such grace and affection that this novel is a treat to read.”
—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
ONLY YOU
“Francis Ray’s graceful writing style and realistically complex characters give her latest contemporary romance its extraordinary emotional richness and depth.”
—Chicago Tribune
“It’s a joy to read this always fresh and exciting saga.”
—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
“The powerful descriptive powers of Francis Ray allow the reader to step into the story and become an active part of the surrender … If you love a great love story, Only You should be on your list.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
“Riveting emotion and charismatic scenes that made this book captivating … a beautiful story of love and romance.”
—Night Owl Romance
“A beautiful love story as only Francis Ray can tell it.”
—Singletitles.com
“Readers will find a warm and wonderful contemporary romance with plenty of humor and drama. Adding a fun warmth and reality to these characters and a plot that moves quickly add all the needed incentive to read this fun book.”
—Multicultural Romance Writers
IRRESISTIBLE YOU
“A pleasurable story … a well-developed story and continuous plot.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Like the previous titles in this series, Irresistible You is another winner … Witty and charming … Author Francis Ray has a true gift for drawing the readers in and never letting them go.”
—Multicultural Romance Writers
DREAMING OF YOU
“A great read from beginning to end, it’s even excellent for an immediate re-read.”
—RT Book Reviews
About the Author
Bestselling author FRANCIS RAY is a native Texan who lives in Dallas with her husband and daughter. Currently she has more than forty books in print. Please visit her on the Web at www.francisray.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ALL I EVER WANTED
Copyright © 2013 by Francis Ray.
Excerpt from All That I Need copyright © 2013 by Francis Ray.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
www.stmartins.com
eISBN: 9781466815322
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / March 2013
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.