A Chance Encounter Read Online Free

in her hands. The mass of black curls spilled around her shoulders. How could she have been so stupid? The man was a reporter! Oh, Lord, what was she going to do? And that photographer…Katie groaned, raising her eyes skyward.
    “Okay, guys and girls, I don’t know what you’re up to, but I don’t like it,” she muttered under her breath. “Not one bit.” And yet, her eyes softened when she thought of Taylor Grant’s strength, his masculinity and that hidden streak of tenderness she had detected in him. And just as quickly, a flash of annoyance replaced her momentary peace. That cynic! How dare he intimate she was a fake! She rummaged through messy piles of bills and book orders on the desk. Well, if the cosmos were on her side, the whole incident would quickly blow over and be forgotten. Crossing her fingers for a moment, Katie closed her eyes and wished with all her might that the man named Grant would let the matter drop.

Chapter 2
    To Katie’s dismay, the cosmos was not on her side today. Barely half an hour had passed when the bell over the entrance tinkled, announcing a visitor. Looking up from the clutter on her desk, Katie felt her face go pale. Sunlight poured across the broad shoulders of Taylor Grant, surrounding him with a golden waterfall of light that illuminated his taut features.
    He walked with the languid grace of that cat Katie had imagined earlier. Her heart skipped a few beats in panic as she felt his intense perusal. Willing herself to remain perfectly still, she thrust out her chin belligerently. Fearlessly she met his gray eyes.
    “You forgot this,” he said in silken tones, placing the book—her book—on the only clear space on her desk.
    “What? Oh, yes, thank you, Mr. Grant.”
    The silence grew as Katie watched him. Nervously, she crossed her arms, leaning back in the squeaky old office chair.
    “Your friends are very protective of you, Katie.”
    She shivered at the huskiness of his voice as he used her name for the first time. Her lips parted at the smile in his thawing gray eyes. A soothing warmth passed between them in the seconds that followed. Grant’s face lost some of its hardness, and she saw the exhaustion in it. But only for a split second. Then the unemotional mask was back.
    “What do you mean, ‘protective’?”
    “Mrs. Garvey wouldn’t tell me your last name—or where you worked.” He turned, taking in the clutter of the bookstore. It looked as if a cyclone had hit it. Stacks of books stood in miniature Towers of Pisa on the floor here and there, just begging to be shelved. Chaos reigned on every side. Huge Boston ferns hung from the low ceiling, their graceful green fronds arcing out in all directions. Several round tables were covered with blue-checked gingham cloths; tattered old chairs surrounded them. Bouquets of fresh white-petaled daisies and bright blue bachelor’s buttons stood in the center of each table. The bookstore was rectangular in shape, with the desk near the door. Soft music issued from hidden speakers, soothing Taylor’s taut nerves. In one corner stood a revolving rack, its compartments filled with dried herbs in plastic pouches. The books, he noticed with surprise, were randomly shelved; Katie apparently didn’t believe in order—alphabetical or otherwise. He scowled. This place was in dire need of organization. Then Taylor looked back at Katie, realizing the Unicorn Bookstore mirrored her personality: It was exotic, endearing, old-fashioned, warm and…He groped for another adjective to describe her.
    “You own this place?” he asked brusquely, as he walked to a wall of shelves that held thousands of books.
    “I do.”
    Taylor smiled slightly, hearing the defensiveness in her low voice. “How old are you, Katie…?”
    “Riordan, Mr. Grant. And I don’t believe my age is of any concern to you.”
    He looked more closely at the books. Astrology, numerology, reincarnation, yoga, health food…He scowled darkly. Health food!