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“We were children. I hardly think my actions then reflect how I feel today.”
“Good,” Trista beamed. “Then you won’t mind if I pursue him?”
Erika could hardly believe her own ears. Her friend must have gone mad. Jay Colby as a love interest? Even those words strung together had a ridiculous ring to them.
Yes, he did possess very large arms and well, admittedly, reeked of strength all around. And his dull gray eyes did have an uncanny ability to turn a silverish blue when the sunlight caught them. But Jay Colby attractive?
She paused in mid thought. When cleaned up, he did look slightly debonair. Well, all right, far more charming than she would have ever imagined. In the past few months Erika had discovered behind his rough facade was a rather good-looking man with a surprisingly soft heart.
Her eyes shifted to her friend. Jay and Trista? As a couple? Immediately, she rebuked the thought and gave her a head a fierce shake.
“This is Jay Colby you are referring to. The most unromantic man in Placid.”
“Well, he certainly had my heart a flutter playing your love interest the other night. And I suspect the rest of the single females present.”
Rosalee nodded as well. “And most of the married folks as well, I daresay. Did you not hear Mrs. Mansfield go on about that ‘handsome’ Jay Colby?”
“Mrs. Mansfield finds any two-legged creature not wearing a skirt attractive.”
“Well, there was also the young widow Ms. Freeman. She couldn’t take her eyes off him,” Trista told her. “With her height and dark looks, they would make a handsome couple.”
“That’s enough!” Erika suddenly burst. “Must I remind you that Jay Colby is nothing more than a foul, oversized ox with as much class and decorum as a bull in heat? There is nothing remarkably appealing or attractive about a man who has no idea which end of a comb to use and thinks eating like a deprived animal at the dinner table is acceptable behavior.”
So heated Erika had become, she did not notice the look on her friends’ faces. See their attention shift to somewhere over her right shoulder. Or felt a familiar tingling on the back of her neck. Until it was too late.
With a sinking feeling, she knew without turning around, Jay stood directly behind her and, from the awful expression on her companion’s faces, had overheard every deplorable word she uttered.
Stiffening her spine, she turned slowly on her heel, acting very nonchalant as if she knew he had been standing there all along. However, the moment she saw the look on his face, all pretense vanished.
Jay looked down at her with so much disapproval it harbored greatly on disgust. She literally felt slapped. If he had physically struck her, it wouldn’t have had as much impact.
To the forefront of her reaction was anger. How dare he! Jay Colby looking down at Erika Snowden as if she was nothing better than trash? She wasn’t the one flaunting all over town, flirting with the locals, and flashing his great big muscles like some conceited ox.
She tilted her chin and waited for him to lash out at her with whatever he thought would make her feel guilty. But it wasn’t any words he threw at her that had her shoulders slumping in despair. It was simply the sight of his back as he left her standing there without exchanging a single word.
“Oh, Erika, how horribly embarrassing.”
That was one thing she did not feel. As she watched Jay leap onto his horse and head to the harbor, she felt every other deplorable emotion rack her insides. With a huge sigh, she wondered what it was about Jay Colby that made her conscience question her own morals.
Excusing herself from her girlfriends, she headed down the boardwalk after him.
* * *
Why he ever got involved with Erika Snowden, he had no idea. That it was a huge mistake was no surprise. He had learned years ago to stay away from that woman and her sharp tongue.
Jay didn’t like seeing himself as thin-skinned where insults were concerned. Hell, he had taken the blunt of them over the years. He had even finally gotten to the point where he became insensitive to the wagging tongues of the towns folks.
Except where Erika Snowden was concerned. The only defense he found that came close to easing her hurtful words was if he ignored her. And it had worked. For years. Until recently when she started forcing herself into his life.
Did she really have to start courting his brother? Take an interest in his cause. Spark his male urges.
Jay groaned and ran an angry hand through his tousled hair. Hell, his self-respect must be at an all-time low if it allowed himself to become attracted to a woman who thought so little of him.
A waft of pink skirts caught the corner of his eye. He looked up and groaned out loud. Apparently, Erika hadn’t said all she wanted and had come after him to get her fangs in nice and deep.
She stood above him on the pier as he checked his fishing gear. Jay kept his eyes fixed firmly on his task and concentrated on moving a bit faster. The sooner he took off, the sooner he could part from her biting tongue.
To his surprise, she did not say anything initially. She simply stood there twirling that ridiculous parasol that was a perfect match to her dress, and stared down at him.
