Hard Hat Man Read Free Page A

offer. You can hardly blame me for taking the highest offer. ”
    “ Humph. Well, I ’ ve got a new lawyer working on this. I ’ ll stop you, yet! ” He sent them all a nasty look and strode off, his back ramrod stiff.
    Kyle stared after him, then turned back to Laura and Jan with a long sigh. “ I ’ m sorry, ladies. I picked this restaurant because it ’ s new and I thought we ’ d have a little privacy here. Guess I was wrong. ”
    Jan had barely lifted her fork again when a tall, willowy blonde stopped beside him, chiding, “ Why, Kyle, you ’ re never wrong about anything, are you? ”
    He jumped and turned to her, a frown once more creasing his brow. “ Hello, Sylvia. I ’ m always wrong where you ’ re concerned, aren ’ t I? ”
    She dropped a red-tipped hand on his shoulder in a very familiar gesture and smiled at Jan as though to warn her off. “ Kyle and I are only kidding, of course. We play these little games all the time, don ’ t we, dear? ”
    Kyle said dryly, “ Oh, all the time. Jan, Laura , this is another member of Lakeview ’ s Chamber of Commerce, Sylvia Netters. She runs a decorating shop here. ”
    “ Pleased to meet you. And I ’ m always happy to give free estimates if you ’ re redoing anything. ”
    “ Hardly, ” Jan said with a little smile. The woman ’ s possessive gesture irritated her. And why should it? Why should she care if Kyle and this woman were more than friendly? It was none of her business!
    “ They ’ re only closing out the sale of Horace ’ s farm so I can get my project underway, Sylvia, ” Kyle told her, irritation thick in his voice.
    “ Oh. ” Sylvia looked back at Laura and Jan. “ Then you aren ’ t going to live there? ”
    Laura laughed. “ Hardly. ”
    Jan raised an eyebrow. “ Live there? Why would you think that? ”
    Sylvia shrugged. “ I guess I assumed...I mean, if it ’ s a family inheritance, people often do want to keep it. Memories and all that. ”
    “ No, we won ’ t be living there. ”
    Sylvia turned back to Kyle. “ Surely you aren ’ t going to tear it down? ”
    “ Why should you care what I do with it? ”
    She flushed and shrugged. “ I don ’ t. I only thought -- well, never mind. Will I see you at the Chamber luncheon meeting tomorrow? ”
    “ No. I won ’ t have time for that. ”
    “ Oh. Well, nice meeting you ladies. ” With a flutter of fingers, she undulated back to her table.
    Jan watched her go, then returned to her meal, taking a strange satisfaction in Kyle ’ s less than polite treatment of the lady.
    Their waitress brought a fresh pot of tea and refilled their cups.
    “ Again, sorry about the interruptions, ” Kyle said. “ Would you like some dessert? ”
    “ No thanks, ” Laura said to the hovering waitress.
    Jan shook her head and the waitress hurried off.
    Kyle picked up the check and stopped at the cash register to pay it on the way out. He helped them into his car, once more putting Jan in front with him. But she was no more friendly now than she had been earlier.
    Back at their motel, he said, “ I ’ ll call you when I get the closing set up. Goodnight. ”
    “Goodnight,” Jan replied and closed and locked the door after him.
    “ Nice young man, ” Laura said. She kicked off her high heeled pumps and turned on the TV.
    “ Mother-- ” Jan warned. “ Don ’ t start. ”
    “ Why not? It ’ s well past time for you to settle down. ”
    “ Signing a teaching contract and living in one place for years isn ’ t settled? ”
    Laura tossed her a scathing look. “ You know what I mean. ”
    Jan sighed. “ Yes. Well, if and when I decide to ‘ settle down, ’ as you put it, I ’ ll pick the man, Mom. Not you. ”
    Laura ’s lips tightened for a long moment. Then she said, “ Someone like Bob, I suppose? ”
    Jan cringed at the reminder of her disastrous former engagement. Yes, she’d broken up with him, but she still didn’t like her mother’s criticism. It wasn’t