Read Hunk for the Holidays for Free Online Page A

just spend their money.” She poured herself another shot. “I was in the bar business in Chicago.”
    Surprise. Surprise .
    “My husband—God rest his soul—and I owned a small bar. It wasn’t much, but it was a haven to plenty of men and women, I’ll tell you that. That was back when people didn’t come to a bar because they were horny.”
    After meeting her niece, James could relate to being horny, so he nodded.
    “In my day, people came to a bar to relax and enjoy each other’s company,” she continued. “When times were hard, they counted on me and Neill to be there with a warm welcome and a stiff drink. And for close to fifty years, we were. There wasn’t any need for therapists and antidepressants. All most people need is someone to listen to their problems and let them know that things are going to be all right.”
    She downed her shot, then scowled at the full shot glass she’d poured for him. “You’re not keeping up, Jimmy.”
    Bluto from Animal House couldn’t keep up with this pint-sized woman, and James wasn’t stupid enough to even try. Still, he might’ve downed the shot just to be polite if she hadn’t been drinking whiskey. He had an aversion to the liquor ever since his mother had passed away and he’d tried to drown his sorrow by drinking an entire bottle. Now just the smell brought back bad memories.
    “Humph.” Aunt Louise’s sharp eyes studied him for a few seconds, before she smiled and pushed the glass and the bottle away. “So you’re smarter than the rest.” She winked. “Brains and looks. I like that in a man.” She leaned forward and rested her wrinkled hands on the glass table. “But if you’re planning on catching Cassie, you’ll need more than brains and good looks. You’ll need the patience of a saint and the endurance of a pack mule. In case you haven’t noticed, my niece is a real fireball.”
    James had noticed. If the daring clothes hadn’t given Cassandra away, the escort service certainly had. That and the fact that she was walking around with a purse filled with condoms. Which pretty much made her a fireball and James toast.
    As if knowing where his mind wandered, Aunt Louise cackled. “It isn’t really her fault. Growing up with four brothers, she had to fight for everything she got—from toys to her daddy’s attention. You could say it made her a little aggressive. Which is why she scares a lot of men off.”
    She studied him. “Of course, in my book, they were all a bunch of candy asses anyway. Every last one of them. Especially that Mike fella. Now, if you ask me, something wasn’t quite right in his head. He looked big and capable, but any man who can tell you where to find the best buys on women’s shoes has got something out of whack. And him bringing his baked goods to every family function was more than I could take. Although he makes pretty damned good pumpkin bread, I’ll give him that.”
    “When did they break up?” James asked.
    “A little over a year ago. No great loss, in my opinion.And I think Cassandra pretty much feels the same way. She was just killing time with him. Just like all the ones since. Young, good-lookin’ group. But not one could hold their booze worth a darn.” She lifted one penciled-in brow. “But you, on the other hand…”
    James tried not to squirm under those penetrating eyes. The last thing he was looking for right now was a serious relationship. Not when he had a new company to get up and running. He was attracted to Cassandra. No, more than attracted. But what he wanted from her had more to do with the condoms in her little red purse than joining the McPherson family. “But doesn’t she work a lot? Maybe she doesn’t have time for a serious relationship,” he said, in an attempt to dissuade any matchmaking attempts. It didn’t work.
    “You sound just like Cassandra. But I’ll guarantee you that once she discovers the right person, she’ll find time to spend with him. Everyone needs to have