A Woman's Touch

yourself in with your father and grandfather, Kyle. You’re not a reincarnation of either of them. You’re you. You can do whatever you want to do. You don’t have to repeat their mistakes.“
    „Thank you, Miss Therapist.“ Kyle picked up a shard of granite and tossed it out over the edge of the ridge. „So much for confession time. Are you satisfied?“
    „No. But we can worry about that later.“ She smiled brightly when he shot her a glowering look. „According to Alice Cork’s journal, the Bal-lards haven’t had a particularly admirable record with women, either. She said the Ballard men were all womanizers. Seducers of innocent females. Glen’s mother and grandmother apparently suffered in tearful silence for the most part while their husbands chased anything in skirts.“
    „The famous Ballard charm,“ Kyle said scathingly.
    „Is Glen Ballard like that?“
    „Wouldn’t surprise me. I warned Darla about that but she wouldn’t listen. She was convinced Glen was different.“
    „Come on, Kyle. Tell me the truth. Is Glen like his father or grandfather?“ Rebecca persisted.
    „How the hell should I know? I don’t keep track of Ballard’s affairs.“ Kyle leaned back on his elbows and scowled at Rebecca.
    „In a small community like this everyone can’t help but keep track of other people’s affairs. You’d hear gossip if Glen Ballard was running around on his wife.“
    „Okay, okay. So maybe Glen isn’t as bad as his old man in that department.“
    „Aha! You mean he’s been faithful to Darla?“
    „Far as I know,“ Kyle admitted grudgingly. „Let’s change the subject. The last thing I want to talk about this morning is Glen Ballard.“
    „What do you want to talk about?“
    „You.“
    „What about me?“
    „You’re thirty years old, and you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met,“ he said bluntly. „So why weren’t you married long before I met you?“
    Rebecca was taken aback. „The sexiest woman you’ve ever met?“ she asked in amazement.
    „You can drive me crazy just going through the weekly report in my office,“ he said flatly. „You walk through the door on Friday morning with your little clipboard in your hand, and the first thing I want to do is tear off your clothes and lay you down on the office sofa.“
    She turned pink as she heard the ring of sincerity in his voice. She had to remind herself that Kyle’s desire for Harmony Valley was the strongest motivating force in his life. It could lead him to make a lot of wild, exciting statements that sounded quite sincere. In other words, he might be lying through his teeth.
    Still, the thought of being able to drive him nuts with the weekly report was a dangerously thrilling one. Until she had met Kyle, Rebecca had never thought of herself as a particularly sensual woman. One of the things he had given her, she realized suddenly, was a new level of confidence in her own sensuality.
    „Why, Becky?“ he asked again when she remained silent.
    „There was a man once,“ she admitted slowly. „About four years ago. Everything seemed right.
    We were both getting established in our careers. Both on the way up. We laughed a lot together. We enjoyed doing the same things. We talked a lot. About old films. Good food. Cats. We were in love.“
    Kyle seized another chunk of granite and sent it hurling out into the valley below. „Go on,“ he said roughly. „What happened to this paragon of modern manhood?“
    „We were together for about a year and a half. We were planning a wedding. Trying to set a date that wouldn’t conflict with my schedule or his. I should have realized something was wrong when we couldn’t seem to pick a date that fit his timetable. It took me quite a while to realize he had gotten cold feet and was looking for a way out.“
    „Why did he want out?“
    Rebecca folded her arms on top of her updrawn knees. „He said I overpowered him. That I was too assertive. Too aggressive for a woman. Too independent. Too managing. My biggest fault, I think, was that I was making as much money as he was. That bothered him. Really bothered him.“
    „Guy sounds like a real jerk.“
    „I eventually came to that conclusion myself.“
    „What happened to him?“
    Rebecca smiled briefly. „He married some little harebrained ex-cheerleader who happened to be his secretary.“
    „Sounds like he got what he deserved,“ Kyle scoffed.
    „Goes to show that everybody is capable of making a few mistakes in