Accidental Family Read Free Page B

had gone into overdrive. But Alan knew it was time to face reality now—whatever the outcome. A shadow of movement through the glass on the door made his heartbeat quicken. Was it her? Squaring his shoulders, he raised his hand to knock on the door, preparing himself for the worst. But his knuckles rapped only once against the glass before the door opened.
    He blinked at the vision standing before him.
    The top of her head reached above his chin, which made her at least five foot seven. Her long blond hair hung in silky ringlets almost to her waist. A loose raspberry sweater concealed the upper part of her body, but the black stretch pants she wore revealed a pair of endless legs that made him swallow hard as his gaze slowly moved down the length of her. “Are you Rowena Dahl?”
    She smiled and nodded. “You must be from Twin Oaks. Clint called a few minutes ago and told me one of his guests might be stopping by for a haircut.”
    Her voice carried a hint of smoke that made his gaze travel once again the endless miles of her slender legs, all the way up her luscious body until he met her eyes. They were the color of amethysts, glittering with a warmth that made him feel both hot and cold.
    This woman had to go all the way to Toronto for a sperm donor? He was surprised the men of Massachusetts weren’t lining up at her door!
    He kept staring at her until he saw a tiny wrinkle form on her delicate brow. Then he finally came to his senses and cleared his throat. “I heard you’re the best barber in town.”
    She laughed. “Could it be because I’m the only barber in town? Or hairdresser, for that matter. I bill myself as both, since some of the men around here are more comfortable sitting in a barbershop than a beauty shop.”
    “I practically grew up in my mother’s beauty shop, so that’s not a problem for me.” Then he pointed to the closed sign hanging on the door. “But it looks like I’m a little late.”
    She opened the door wider, waving him in. “Not at all. My last appointment of the day just left a little while ago, but I’m always happy to take guests from Twin Oaks.”
    He stepped inside her shop and was met by the warmth from the radiator against one wall as well as the bright cheeriness of the room. Soft white walls served as the backdrop for a retro decor that featured a checkered blue and white tile floor, two drier chairs upholstered in red and blue gingham fabric and a vintage red Formica counter filled with bottles of shampoo, mousse and styling gel. The shop looked like something he might find in a trendy city salon, not tucked away in a small town like Cooper’s Corner.
    “I’m Alan,” he said, suddenly wondering if the Orr Clinic had released his name to her. “Alan Rand.”
    But there was no spark of recognition in those unusual eyes. She swiveled the red leather barber chair toward him. “Are you in town for business or pleasure, Mr. Rand?”
    “Business,” he said curtly, as if he needed to remind himself of that fact. “And please call me Alan.”
    He shrugged out of his coat and leather gloves, suddenly finding the room almost unbearably hot. He wanted to blame it on the space heater sitting on the floor next to the chair, but he feared the explanation wasn’t that simple. He could feel his pulse pick up as he watched her bend over to sweep some hair clippings on the floor into a dustpan.
    “Go ahead and have a seat,” she said, her back to him. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”
    Alan settled into the barber chair, wondering why he was letting her affect him this way. He’d formed an image of Rowena in his mind—a simple countrywoman who might be a little plain, a little shy, perhaps even somewhat repressed.
    Instead, he’d found a fantasy woman who could easily grace the cover of the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated magazine. She wasn’t some young bimbette, though. A keen intelligence glittered in her eyes, and he’d guess her age to be close to