Free Convince Me (Holton Series #1) by B. L. Blair Page A

own.  She was totally dependent
on him and had no way of supporting herself and me.  My father spent money
quickly and without thought for the future.  When he died, we had
nothing.  One small insurance policy, which barely covered the bills.”
    “Anna, what does this have to do
with Nick?” Steven knew she had left out a great deal of the story but he
needed to know what she was trying to tell him.
    She turned to look at him. 
“Holton is as WASP a town as I have ever seen.  Even more than
Mayville.  Do you know other than Jake Carr I haven’t met another black
person?  And he doesn’t even live here.”
    “Nick seems to fit in so well and I
have heard nothing but good things about him.  Is Holton really so
different?”
    “People are people, Anna. 
There are people in Holton that are prejudice.  Just like there are people
in Mayville that are prejudice.  Or Dallas.  Or New York.  It
doesn’t matter where you go.  You just have to look beyond them. 
They don’t matter.”
    “Are you sure, Steve?”
    He rose from his chair and walked
toward her.  It was the first time she had called him Steve and not
Steven.  He saw it as a sign.  He reached out to hold her arms. 
Looking into her eyes, he answered with utter conviction, “Very sure.”
    She sighed softly and rested her
head on his chest.  He gathered her close and held her to him. 
Stroking her hair, he asked, “Is this why you have been keeping me at arm’s
length?”
    She jumped out of his arms and
Steven shook his head.  She still wasn’t ready.  He had pushed too
hard again.
    Her eyes blazing she said, “I
haven’t been doing anything of the sort.  I don’t know where you get these
crazy ideas.”
    “Okay, if that is true then you
should have no problem having dinner with me tomorrow night in Dallas.”
    She looked momentarily confused and
Steven took advantage of the situation.  He walked quickly over to her and
kissed her lightly on the forehead before turning and walking to the door.
    “You should get some rest,
Anna.  I’ll pick you tomorrow around six.  Don’t forget to lock the
door behind me.  Goodnight, sweetheart.”
    Steven closed the door behind him
and ran lightly down the stairs.  He felt better than he had all
week.  Anna had finally opened up to him she was beginning to trust
him.  He just had to be patient.
    Smiling, Steven drove home,
planning a romantic evening in his mind.  Flowers, candlelight, the
works.  Suddenly the smile turned into a grin.  Victoria, he
thought.  She would know how to make the evening perfect.  He would
call her when he got home.  It was still early enough with the time
difference.  Anna would have a night she would never forget.
    Overcoming her fears wouldn’t be
easy but now that he knew what they were, Steven could plan his strategy. 
With any luck, in a few weeks, he and Victoria would be planning more than a
romantic evening.  They would be planning a wedding.

Chapter 5
    The bright sunlight of late morning
crept across the bedroom to shine on Anna’s face.  She slowly opened her
eyes before quickly raising a hand to cover them.  Groaning she rolled
over, burying her face in the pillows.  The movement drew a protest from
Sophie who was curled up at the foot of the bed.  The cat stretched and
then jumped to the floor.  Anna looked at her, peering out from the bed
covers with one eye.  Disgusted, she flung back the covers and sat up.
    “I hate that you are so energetic
first thing in the morning,” she said to the cat.  “It’s simply not fair.”
    Once again, she had not slept
well.  The evening before had taken its toll and she had been up half the
night worrying about Steven.  She had revealed a great deal about her life
and her feelings.  Anna was a very private person and did not usually talk
about her past.  She wondered if she had left herself open to pain. 
Her views did not seem to bother Steven and he certainly had no issue with