Harlequin Romance March 2021 Box Set Cara Colter (the mitten read aloud TXT) 📖

Something flickered in Ronnie’s eyes… Was she curious whether or not he was seeing anybody? “Or significant other,” he added with a twist of his lips. “You know the saying—once burned, twice shy. To be more accurate, I’ve been scorched…”

Ronnie’s eyebrows tilted slightly. “Sorry to hear that,” she murmured, and turned to gaze into the fire.

“And yourself?” He might as well ask, since she had delved into his personal life.

She turned swiftly to face him again. “I went through a few flames myself,” she said, lifting her chin. “Things have cooled down though, and I intend to keep it that way…”

“So does that mean you’re with somebody but are giving him the cold shoulder?” he said wryly. “Or are you freezing out any and all would-be suitors?”

She frowned, then laughed curtly. “They’re not exactly knocking at my door.”

“Their loss,” he heard himself say, and watched as a coral flush bloomed on Ronnie’s cheeks.

“My gain.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “Andy is my main focus, and his welfare and happiness are all that matter to me. I don’t want—or need—any distractions from people who look like men but who are really needy little boys that can’t cope when your attention strays from them…” She shifted and looked as if the cardigan she was wearing was making her itch. Ouch. He could almost envision the protective enclosure around Ronnie. With barbed wire on top…

“Casson had mentioned something about you moving to Parry Sound…” he said casually while placing another log in the fire. “So you’re staying at Winter’s Haven?”

“For now.” Ronnie nodded. “I want to take my time looking around before I buy a house. I’ll probably wait until spring. After all the snow is gone.” She fixed him with a curious stare. “So what made you buy this place? It’s rather large for just one person…”

“It is, isn’t it? I’m looking forward to designing some new features and redesigning other areas. This is an art designated home, or ‘heritage home,’ so there are laws as to what can or can’t be done. I just moved in two weeks ago. And I plan to entertain eventually—that is, if I can manage to make any friends,” he said, chuckling. “I’d like to hold old-fashioned garden parties in the summer, skating parties on the pond in the winter—”

“There’s a pond?” There was a note of awe in her voice.

He nodded. “Like something out of Currier & Ives.”

“So you bought this place because…?” She gestured around her.

“First, because I have this thing about Victorian homes. When I was a kid, I always thought they looked enchanting, with their turrets and gables. I imagined all sorts of secret rooms and underground tunnels that led to caves in the hillside. I wanted to build a house like that when I grew up. And second, because I fell in love with the area when I first came to visit Casson after he got in touch with my firm in Toronto.”

“Your firm?” Ronnie’s brow furrowed momentarily before her eyes widened. “Do—do you mean the firm that designed—” She broke off, emotion catching in her throat.

“Franklin’s Resort,” he finished. “And I’m looking forward to the grand opening…”

CHAPTER FOUR

RONNIE REALIZED HER mouth was gaping. She closed it promptly and tried to process what Red just told her. Discovering that her rescuer’s architectural firm had been the one chosen to fulfill Casson’s dream—and that he would be at the grand opening… It was all too much. “So you’re Red Brannigan…of Brannigan Architects International…” she said wonderingly.

“The one and only,” he chuckled. “Actually, that’s not true. I’m named after my father, so I’m officially Redmond Brannigan II. But since everyone called him Redmond, I became Red. And to tell you the truth, I much prefer it. Redmond sounds kind of stuffy, don’t you think?”

Ronnie just shrugged, at a loss for words.

“Although ‘Red’ and my glorious mop of hair did leave me open to some childhood teasing,” he said, his mouth twitching. “I remember that during an art lesson in grade three, a new kid in my class called Ivan started teasing me about my hair when the teacher was distracted. He called me ‘Carrottop Four-Eyes’—not the most original of insults—and then crossed the line when he added, ‘Your mom and dad must be ugly carrottops too.’” Red’s eyes glinted with amusement. “He hurt my feelings, of course, and I did what my inner warrior instinctively told me to do: I dipped my paintbrush in my jar of orange paint and managed to give his blond hair some nice highlights.” He laughed, shaking his head.

Ronnie couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “That must have landed you in hot water.”

“Indeed.” He grinned, showing perfect teeth. “We were both sent to the principal’s office immediately. But seeing the look on everyone’s faces in the class—some of them had been insulted by Ivan the bully, as well—made it all worth it. In fact, I think I remember our teacher trying to hide a smile. I have a feeling that she and others might have been glad that he had gotten his just deserts.”

“Did he plan his revenge?”

“Actually, he left me alone after that. Which is what bullies often do when you stand up to them. Not that I condone what I did,” he added wryly.

Ronnie pictured Red as an eight-year-old with his russet hair and glasses, and couldn’t help smiling. He must have been a cute kid…and an adorable baby, with a head of soft, reddish brown curls…

“What are you smiling about?” He fixed her with a piercing gaze.

Ronnie hesitated for a moment. “I was imagining you as an eight-year-old. And as a baby.” She let out a chuckle. “I’m sure you were cute back then.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Are you implying I’m no longer cute?”

Ronnie felt her cheeks begin to ignite. “I—I didn’t mean… I mean, I wasn’t… I—”

“Okay, sorry, Ronnie.” He leaned toward her, grinning. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I don’t expect you to comment on