Free MacNamarasLady by N.J. Walters Page B

whatever needed to be done.
    She admired the fact that he’d been able to
keep his company not only going, but successful through the downturn in the
economy when so many other businesses had faltered. He was a loyal friend to
Lucas and Candy. He was a fabulous lover.
    Missy’s hand shook as she lifted her mug to
her lips and took a sip of coffee. Damn him, he even made great coffee. This
wasn’t good. One night of sex was fine, but no way was she allowing herself to
fall head over heels for a guy like T.S. She wasn’t ready to settle down yet
and he wasn’t the right guy for her. They didn’t have enough in common to last
for the long haul.
    “You okay?” T.S. placed his hands on her
shoulders. When she peered up at him she could see the concern in his eyes.
    “Yes.” No way was she letting him in on her
thoughts.
    He gave her a little squeeze before turning
back to making breakfast. She felt the loss of his touch and sighed. She was
obviously losing her mind. “Can I do anything to help?” She needed to keep
busy. Doing nothing gave her too much time to think.
    “Nope. Got it all under control.”
    “I didn’t know you cooked.” Was there
anything more lethal to a woman’s senses than a man who cooked?
    “I do okay. I serve a mean breakfast and
can grill a steak, make some basic stuff.” As she watched, he served up
scrambled eggs, hash browns and toast onto two plates and took them to her
table. “Sit. Eat.”
    He waited until she was seated before he
sat. The gesture was totally unconscious, an ingrained part of his personality.
The man might be a little rough around the edges but he had great manners.
    Missy picked up her fork and stabbed a
small bite of the fried potatoes. They were seasoned to perfection. Bemused,
she pointed her fork at him as a thought occurred to her. “I didn’t have any
frozen hash browns, where did these come from?”
    T.S. chewed and swallowed his mouthful of
food before speaking. “You had a couple potatoes in your fridge.”
    He’d made them from scratch. Now she was
seriously impressed. “They’re wonderful.”
    He grinned. “Glad you like them. I wasn’t
sure you would. A lot of women don’t like to eat real food.”
    Missy snorted. “I’m not one of them.” She
dug in and ate, not talking until she’d had her fill. There were still some
hash browns and eggs left but she simply couldn’t eat everything he’d put on
her plate. She sat back and shoved it away.
    “You done with that?” T.S. waited until
she’d nodded before dragging her plate over by him and finishing up what was
there.
    While he ate, she studied him. He was a
contradiction. He was all male from his sleek, hard muscles to his choice of
profession. Yet, he cooked breakfast like it was no big deal. He was rough and
crude, yet kind and mannerly. She couldn’t pigeonhole him and that concerned
her. He kept her off balance. Uncertain.
    “What are your plans for today?”
    Plans? She didn’t have any. Hadn’t thought
that far ahead. Thankfully, it was Sunday. After last night’s episode she was
glad she didn’t have to go to work. She had a lot of muscle aches and light
pain from her various bruises. She felt…fragile. And that was a feeling she
didn’t like. Reminded her too much of her childhood.
    Don’t go there, she told herself. But that
was easier said than done. The similarities were too close. Her father had been
in construction. An angry man who drank too much and had a quick hand when
displeased. He was a bigot too, always pulling the race card when he was turned
down for work. Missy could have told him it had nothing to do with the dark
color of his skin but his crappy attitude and his explosive temper.
    He’d been an uneducated man who didn’t see
the value in books and learning, especially not for a woman. Her mother was a
weak woman. A frightened one who’d lost herself in a liquor bottle whenever
possible. Missy had vowed to be different.
    She’d stuck it out at home