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missed one hell of a
lot in life by conforming to the mold established for me. I want out It's as
straightforward as that" She shrugged.
    "And the first thing you run into when you hit the
Promised Land is someone else who tries to clamp the lid back on." He
groaned self-deprecatingly. "All I can say is, I’m sorry and there were
extenuating circumstances."
    Lacey bit her lip and then grinned spontaneously. "If
you want to know the truth, I didn't really mind listening to your
lectures."
    "You
didn't!" He looked genuinely astonished.
    "No. You see, back home I had to listen to that sort
of thing and conform, or risk humiliating my whole family and scandalizing the
community. Out here I can laugh at such lectures and go off and do exactly as I
please. It was rather exhilarating being able to tell you to go to hell last
night Sort of symbolic, if you know what I mean."
    Holt ran a disgusted hand through the thickness of his hair
and shook his head. "I understand," he rasped, "but for the
record, I don't like the idea of playing that particular role."
    "But you do it so well!" she protested on a
gurgle of laughter.
    "As I said, there were extenuating
circumstances," he retorted heavily. Instinct told her he was seeking some
sort of comprehension and forgiveness.
    "I know," she said, voice softening. "You
told me. You had a preconception of me before I arrived and you felt obligated
to protect that poor, sheltered creature from Jeremy. On top of that, I
appeared to be making the same sort of struggle to escape that you once made. I
can see where you got caught up with the notion that you had to warn me."
    The silvery eyes narrowed, glittering in the bright
sunlight "That, Lacey Seldon, is only part of it," he stated
meaningfully.
    She
blinked. "What's the rest?"
    "I took one look at you
yesterday when you arrived and told myself I wanted to get to know you better.
And the first thing that happened was Jeremy Todd. I hoped you'd show up alone
last night. I planned to commandeer you for the evening and instead, Todd got
the honors. I'm afraid most of those warnings, true as they are, were issued
out of sheer masculine resentment of another man's swifter maneuvering!"
    "Oh!"
    "Don't
look so astonished! I know you've classified me as one of the crowd you're busy
putting behind you, but that doesn't mean I'm not capable of being attracted to
you!"
    She
lifted her chin inquiringly. "Are you?" She waited a little
breathlessly for his response. His admission threw a whole new light on the
situation. Or did it? He hadn't exactly denied that the original reasons for
his behavior still obtained. He'd just told her they were only part of the
motivation behind his actions.
    "Is
that so hard to believe? You're a rather intriguing woman, Lacey Seldon. Will
you let me apologize for my behavior last night?"
    "How?"
    "Have
breakfast with me on my boat this morning. I'll have the kitchen prepare
something and we can leave in about an hour. I'll show you some of the island
from the water angle," he urged.
    Lacey considered the
invitation. "Well, I suppose I do have all summer to answer my job-inquiry
responses," she agreed slowly, smiling. "All right I'll have
breakfast with you. Besides, it's not just a sailboat I've never been on. I've never been on anything
except a rowboat!"
    The
expression in his eyes lightened. "At least I'll be able to do something
that won't remind you of what you're leaving behind! Wear some soft-soled
shoes. I'll see you in an hour down by the dock in front of the inn.
    She nodded as he straightened, watching as he set off for
the path in an easy, loping run. Then Lacey got to her feet, dusted off the
back of her snug-fitting jeans, and headed for the cottage with a sense of
anticipation. Life was definitely looking up nicely. Two different men in as
many days. Who would have believed it of her?
    And they
certainly were different, she told herself, pouring a cup of coffee in the
sunny little kitchen and taking a seat at