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“Like I said. Not this time. You were the only one. Aninety-nine percent match at that.”
He could practically hear the bone-fracturing sound of a steel-jawed trap snapping closed around him. “Mind explaining how this happened?” he questioned with admirable restraint.
“I can’t say. But it did and there isn’t anything I can do to change it now.” She planted her hands on her hips and stared him down, her clear blue eyes oddly reminiscent of Hutch Lonigan’s. “I need you to date this woman.”
“And if I say no?”
“That’s your choice, of course. Ican’t force you.”
Hah! Why use force when a little grand-maternal guilt would work, as well? “What will happen to the business if I refuse?”
She strove for a stiff-upper-lip sort of look. “Frankly, I’m not sure we could take the adverse publicity, especially after the incident with Wanda.”
She didn’t pull her punches, and several blistering invectives burned the inside of Ty’s mouth, desperate to purple the air. He managed to bite them back. When he’d been a brash, unruly kid, pinched ears and soap mouthwashes had cured him of that youthful indulgence. Now that he was old enough to say what he pleased regardless of the consequences, he had too much respect for the woman who’d raised him to offend her with the salty edge of his tongue. “What would I have to do?”
“Take her out on a few dates.”
“How many?”
“As many as it’ll take to satisfy her kid.”
“That’s a tall order, Willie. Idon’t think he’s someone easily satisfied.”
His grandmother shrugged. “Maybe she won’t like you. Then you’ll be off the hook.”
He shot her a sharp glance. “But you won’t. What happens if she doesn’t want me?”
For the first time, asmile slid across Willie’s face. “You think that’s likely, boy?”
“Anything’s possible.”
“Right. And maybe the sun will rise in the west and set in the east.”
“This isn’t going to work, old gal,” he said compassionately. “I’m not in the market for someone like Cassidy Lonigan. So either she’ll get hurt, the boy’ll be hurt, or your business will take the hit. Ijust don’t see this ending well, no matter how we handle it.”
“There’s one possibility you haven’t considered.”
“What’s that?”
She peeped at him from the corner of her eye. “You might actually take a shine to this woman. She might be the one you’ve been waiting for all these years.”
Ty shook his head. “You have a better chance of getting that western sunrise, sweetheart.”
“All you have to do is kiss her. Then you’ll know for certain.”
“Sure, Willie. Whatever you say.”
He struggled to ignore the image of wary eyes—large gray eyes that darkened to pewter when outraged and lightened to silver whenever she looked at her son. To ignore the way a halo of hair so dark a brown it bordered on black, surrounded the prettiest face he’d seen in ages. To ignore long, trim arms and legs perfectly made to wrap around a man. What would it be like to kiss Cassidy Lonigan, assuming she didn’t kill him in the process? Would her kiss be as sweet as her voice? Or as painful as the back of herhand?
“Will you do it?” his grandmother demanded in an undertone. “Will you take her out?”
There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind. He’d do anything for Willie. “I’ll date her. But you have to run her profile again and see if there aren’t a few alternate candidates you can line up. This kid wants a dad. I’d like to see him get one.” He scrutinizedCassidy. “Although I suspect it’s going to be one hell of a tough sale.”
“Mr. Merrick?” the reporter called. “Could we get a shot of you and Ms. Lonigan?”
“I’d really rather not,” Cassidy began.
“We won’t print the picture without your permission,” the reporter hastened to say. “But we were so intrigued by your son’s request, we thought it would make a great story for our readers.”
