Free To Have and To Hold by Tracie Peterson, Judith Miller Page A

but the sight of a tall, muscular man on the other side of the threshold made any such idea flee from mind. She judged him to be no more than a few years her senior, but she couldn’t be certain. The intensity of his dark brown eyes caused her to wonder if he might be somewhat older than he appeared.
    Audrey took a step forward to block his entry. With her father away from the house, she didn’t intend to invite a stranger inside. Offering only a slight smile, she nodded. “Good afternoon. If you’re looking for the work site, you need to take the road that leads to the left at the end of the path.”
    â€œThank you for the directions, but I’m searching for Boyd Cunningham, not a work site.” He craned his neck and attempted to peer over her head. “This is his home, is it not?”
    Audrey tipped her head to the side, hoping to obstruct his view. She was certain she’d never before seen this man. “Yes, but he isn’t here right now.”
    The moment she’d uttered the words, Audrey wanted to stuff them back into her mouth. She shouldn’t have told him she was alone. Then again, there was no reason to worry. He was a stranger who had no idea who else might be inside. For all he knew, there could be any number of men in the house—all of them prepared to come to her aid if needed.
    â€œYou must be his daughter, Audrey. Am I correct?”
    Her mind raced as she attempted to place the tall, dark-eyed stranger. For the life of her, she couldn’t connect him to anyone from their past. He didn’t look familiar, and he didn’t have a Southern accent.
    Without giving him an answer, she jammed a fist on her hip and further blocked the doorway. “And you are?”
    A slight twinkle sparked in his eyes as he dropped his traveling bag onto the porch. “I’m Marshall Graham, one of Wilbur Graham’s sons. From Pittsburgh.”
    Feeling every ounce of strength drain from her body, Audrey slumped against the doorjamb for support. Her thoughts whirred at the memory of the Graham men. All of them in the construction business, all of them talented, and all of them rumored to be drunks, just like their father. She didn’t have the vigor to deal with ghosts from the past—not now.

Chapter 6
    Marshall stared in dismay as the young woman listed to one side and propped herself against the wooden framework. Surely it hadn’t been his arrival that had caused such a reaction. He didn’t even know Audrey Cunningham. Perhaps she was one of those timid women who fainted at every whipstitch. He mustered what he hoped was a friendly smile and reached forward to lend a hand. Before he could provide any assistance, she jerked away.
    Surprised by her behavior, he retreated several steps. “I only wanted to help. I thought you were going to faint right there in the entrance.” He remained at a slight distance. “You’re quite pale. I’d be happy to help you inside, where you can rest.”
    The young woman brushed her fingertips along the sides of her face. From the defiant look in her eyes, he halfway expected her to pinch her cheeks just to prove him wrong. “When I need your help, Mr. Graham, I will ask for it.”
    Suddenly she’d regained her strength and assumed an air of authority that baffled him. “Well, excuse me. In the future, I’ll remember that, Miss Cunningham. It is Miss , is it not?” If this woman thought she was the only one who could assume a prickly attitude, he’d set her straight right then.
    She jutted her chin. “Indeed it is, though I don’t believe my marital status should be of any importance to you, sir.”
    â€œBelieve me, ma’am, your marital status is the furthest thing from my mind.”
    For the life of him, Marshall couldn’t figure out what he’d done to offend this woman, but she wasn’t the reason he was there. Doing his best to overlook her