As Cathy approached the gleaming BMW waiting for her on the curb, she had to laugh. Here she was being driven around the city in an expensive car, and on her way back to the fabulous mansion where she was staying, she wanted to stop at a bargain store. What on earth was wrong with this picture?
* * *
Cathy hurried up the front stairs as quickly as her healing knee and her cane would allow her. She was beaming with excitement and happiness. The shopping trip had been so successful, she’d worn her new jeans out of the store. She kept glancing down in disbelief. They were a whole size smaller.
Granted, she wore baggy clothes and for the first time in years, she’d bought something that actually fit, but it was still a size smaller! She’d splurged on a couple of new T-shirts, too, wanting to celebrate. When she’d studied herself in the full-length mirror in the dressing room, she would have sworn she saw the first hint of muscle definition in her arms. Her stomach wasn’t as round, and her thighs looked a tiny bit more trim. Maybe it was the lighting or her imagination. She didn’t care. All she knew was that she’d actually been eating right and exercising for two whole weeks, which was about thirteen and a half days longer than she’d ever managed before. She loved her new haircut, her makeup and most especially her new attitude. For the first time in a long time, things were looking up.
She headed toward the kitchen to share her new look with Ula, then, on a whim, headed up the stairs. She wanted Stone to see her. After all, the last time he’d seen her in the light had been when she’d been in the hospital. Not exactly a flattering image.
As usual, the door to his office was closed. Cathy hesitated, fighting back sudden shyness. What would he think about her new haircut? Would he hate it? Would he think it was silly that she wanted to share her news with him? Maybe she should wait for tonight, or—
“Stop it!” she whispered fiercely. “Do it or don’t do it, but for once quit dithering.”
That decided, she knocked firmly, then pushed the door open.
“Stone, I’m sorry to bother you, but Ula suggested I get a haircut and I did and—”
Her gaze settled on him at the exact moment she realized what she’d done. In all the excitement of the day, she’d simply forgotten about the fact that she’d never seen him before. At least not in the light. And there was a very good reason for that.
He stood by the window. The drapes were pulled open, and harsh afternoon sunlight spilled into the room. He looked up, and his dark eyes bore into her. She told herself to apologize or run or something, but all she could do was stand there and stare at him.
Chapter Seven
The scars were on the left side of his face. She had a brief impression of thick, harsh red lines scoring his skin from his cheekbone to his chin. His hand came up and covered them, while at the same time, he turned away.
Cathy’s breath caught in her throat. Not because his disfigurement had been worse than she’d imagined, but because his profile from the right side was incredibly handsome.
If men were allowed to be called beautiful, the description would fit him perfectly. His hair was dark and a little too long—at least down to the middle of his collar. His nose was straight, his mouth well formed, his eyes an unusual shade of blue gray. He could have been a male model, or a heartthrob in the movies, she thought with some dismay.
He was tall and lean. Ula had hinted that Stone didn’t eat much, so his shape didn’t surprise her too much. However, she hadn’t expected the layer of muscle that was obvious even though he wore a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. He must work out, but not too much. He looked strong but not overly developed.
She knew she should say something. After all, she’d barged in on him. The realization made her flush. She’d wanted to show him her new hairstyle and makeup, but what was the point? Even with the scars, he was an incredibly handsome man. She hadn’t thought much about what he might look like, and when she had tried to picture him, she’d foolishly assumed he would be fairly average. Someone in her league. She’d been wrong.
Stone Ward was many things, but mostly he was out of reach. Rich and now good-looking. What on earth would he see in someone like her?
The crash of her dreams was as audible as the echo of the tide on the shore below. She felt defeated and more than a little foolish. All this time, she’d thought she meant something to him. Instead, he was only being kind. He must despise her.
“So it’s that bad,” he said lightly. “I’ve left you speechless.” He gave her a mocking smile. “I don’t suppose I should be surprised.”
At first she thought he was angry, but then she realized he was as embarrassed as she was—but for different reasons. He thought she was horrified.
Compassion filled her. She was still feeling off guard and more than a little foolish, but his pain mattered more than hers. She would worry about herself later.
So instead of running, which was what she wanted to do, she squared her shoulders and walked toward him. “They’re just scars, Stone. To be perfectly honest, I’d imagined something a lot worse.”
He half turned toward her, then stopped himself, as if wanting to keep that side of his face away from her. She sighed as her heart went out to him. So much for self-preservation where this man was concerned. Maybe it was her lack of experience with the opposite sex. Or maybe it was Stone himself.
“Shades of the Elephant Man?” he asked.
“That would have been an improvement over my imagination.” She paused in front of his desk. “I didn’t mean to barge in and disturb you. I just wasn’t thinking. I’ll leave if you want me to.”
Stone gave her a quick glance. He didn’t know what he wanted. Now that Cathy was here, he didn’t want her to go. But he also didn’t want her to see him. Unfortunately it was too late for that. Shehadseen him. And while she’d seemed surprised, she hadn’t run screaming from the room.
“Why did you come to see me?” he asked, as if the reason would be significant.
She bit her lower lip. He thought she might be blushing, but it was hard to tell. “This is going to sound really stupid, but I got my hair cut and I wanted to show you.”
Her chin dipped toward her chest and she stiffened, as if expecting punishment for her confession. They were, he realized, a sorry pair. If nothing else, maybe they could work on healing each other’s wounds.
