Read Sealed with a Kiss for Free Online

bride.”
    He was never going to let her forget her uncharacteristically bold confession and the subsequent kiss. And, it seemed, he would use it against her.
    â€œIf you intend to humiliate me at every turn, this has no chance of being a cooperative effort.”
    â€œIf you’re waiting for an apology, don’t waste your time or mine. I have a lot to do in the next few weeks.” Sam dipped his head and resumed drawing on the large pad of graph paper, which lay atop his makeshift desk, a sheet of plywood balanced over two saw-horses.
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    Tara’s eyes followed the movement of his thick mahogany mane as his head dropped forward. The devastating appeal of his clean-shaven profile was undermining her determination to remain calm. Against her better judgment, she admired the tanned arms stretched forward across the drawing. Her attention was drawn to the white paper where Sam was positioning windows and doors against a solid wall.
    â€œHow about number three?” she asked.
    â€œWhat?” He glanced up, a puzzled expression in his eyes.
    â€œYou told me to name three reasons. Don’t you want to hear number three?”
    The confusion left his face, replaced by a look of expectation. Sam sat tall on the stool he’d fashioned from concrete blocks, folded his arms and cocked his handsome head to one side as he waited.
    She had his full attention and no idea what to say next. “Even if you can sell a few motorcycles, it’s only a matter of time before you get bored with this place and want to leave again,” she blurted.
    The deep crease between his brows softened as he dropped his arms to his sides and indulged in a slow shoulder roll followed by a patronizing smile.
    â€œI can see where a city woman like you might think that,” Sam reasoned, “but there’s still plenty for me in Beardsly. But have you considered thatfolks might be a bit suspicious of your staying power?”
    â€œWhat’s that supposed to mean?” She bristled.
    â€œI was forced to relocate when my opportunity here dried up. But you had every advantage and every reason to stay. These folks may talk slow but their minds work just fine. They know the difference between being left behind and being dumped. I think they’ll give me another chance. You, however, might have some charred bridges to rebuild.”
    Sam’s insight was a punch to the solar plexus. Had she been a fool all these years, unconcerned about how the hometown folks would react to her refusal to visit? Suddenly she envisioned her grand opening with no one to sample her fancy cappuccino, no kind face to purchase her hardbound books, no supporters to guide well-heeled shoppers her way.
    She knew a thing or two about changing. She might have accepted her grandmother’s challenge without seeing all the relationship repairs that would be necessary but, thanks to Sam, the blindfold was off.
    She had a name for her store. Bridges to build.
    Literally.
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    Five days after her loan application was accepted, Tara was still without funds. Buying on credit and scrimping to cover her few personal needs broughtback memories of her early years in the city, years she’d sooner remember with distant nostalgia than with familiar clarity.
    Sam made building an exterior entrance for the second floor his top priority. By the end of today she would no longer need to bother him for passage upstairs. The thought of not seeing him at his homemade drafting table made her heart sink a bit. But it was just as well, since he goaded her at every turn.
    Sitting behind the scarred secretarial desk she’d picked up at a local thrift shop, Tara’s best sales voice echoed in the otherwise empty room.
    â€œMiss Frieda.” Tara tried to sound confident. “I assure you Bridges will pose no threat to the campus bookstore traffic. If anything, we’ll work in concert with you to fully meet the needs of the