Too Tough To Tame. Annette Broadrick

and opened the file. Kelly continued to stand. With a silent sigh, Nick motioned her to one of the chairs in front of him. “Please have a seat. I need to scan this. It won’t take long, I promise.”

      With obvious reluctance Kelly sat, watching him closely.

      He read the summary of the shape the business was in when he took it over as well as the amount of money he’d paid for it.

      Nick closed the file and looked at Kelly. She was watching him as though he were a wild animal about to pounce.

      He considered himself a damned good negotiator. However, he’d never been in a situation like this one before. It was no surprise that Kelly MacLeod’s emotions were running high at the moment. He didn’t want to upset her further, but he also didn’t want to have her leave his office without knowing the facts.

      “When we first heard about the MacLeod property, the place was no more than a month away from shutting its doors.”

      She opened her mouth as though to object, so he handed her the Angus MacLeod company’s balance sheet for the last year before his firm took it over.

      “It isn’t my intention to add to your grief by going into the details of this transaction. I accept that your father was devastated by the loss of his company. However, he would have lost it whether or not I bought it.” He glanced down at the file. “I don’t normally allow anyone other than my employees to look at files, but I’m going to make an exception this time.” He moved the file closer to her and waited while she looked over the documents inside.

      He was bending over backward in order to show Ms. MacLeod that he was not responsible for her father’s losing his business.

      There were documents in the file that reported the financial status of the company five years ago, along with copies of several promissory notes signed by her father at various times, using the business as collateral.

      An itemized profit-and-loss statement for each of the five years before the company was taken over showed a steady and consistent loss of revenue.

      As soon as she looked up from the file he said, “When I took it over, the business was worth very little. As you see, your father received more than a fair price for what was left of his business. What he chose to do with the money was his concern.

      “I understand the pain of losing your parents, Ms. MacLeod, and you may have found some relief in finding someone you could blame. However, I will not apologize for my business practices. I had no control over your father’s choices, nor over his willingness to go deeper into debt when he knew he had a snowball’s chance in hell of being able to repay those loans. He made his choices and he had to live with them.”

      Kelly rubbed her temple as though her head ached. “When he died,” she finally said as she continued to study the documents, “Mom and I thought we had a certain amount of financial security until I found out what had been going on.” She pointed to the documents. “He must have paid off those notes with money he received when you took over. We paid other debts with his life insurance policy.”

      He said nothing more. The papers had upset her, that was obvious, but what was he supposed to do? Let her irrational assumptions continue without an attempt to point out the flaws in her thinking?

      Finally, she looked at him and said, “In my own defense, I didn’t deliberately make the painting of you unflattering. I painted what I saw.”

      He quirked an eyebrow. “What you saw from attending the same benefits and other social functions I attended? Without once attempting to speak to me or find out anything about me? You may have painted what you saw but only through the emotional filters of who you decided I am.”

      “Perhaps you’re right. In any case, the portrait is no longer on display.” Kelly stood and moved toward the door.

      Nick followed her. He hoped to lighten the mood somewhat and said, “I’ve been assured by those who know me that your portrait perfectly captured my personality. I have hopes that my ego will eventually recover from that rather lowering assessment.”

      She turned and looked at him in surprise at his attempt at humor. He didn’t want her thinking of him as an ogre. He was merely a businessman who had done well by making decisions based on facts and figures, not emotions.

      He reached the door first and swung it open for her. “I’m sorry that our first meeting was an adversarial one. I’d like to start over, if possible. Would you be willing to have dinner with me sometime when my business practices won’t be the topic of conversation?”

      She looked him over dismissively before she replied, “I would enjoy having dinner with you Mr. Chakaris…as soon as hell freezes over.”

       Chapter Four

       T he next morning Kelly paused and stepped back from the canvas she was currently finishing. She was having trouble concentrating, which wasn’t surprising. She’d been rattled since she’d left Dominic Chakaris’s office.

      The painting wasn’t going well. She decided to leave it alone before she did something irreversible to it. Kelly cleaned her brushes and afterward absently settled into one of the window seats.

      The more she had listened to Dominic Chakaris calmly explain that his business tactics were reasonable and logical, the more upset she had become. She’d been unable to sleep much of the night for thinking about the cold-blooded way the man did business.

      No wonder Hal Covington was concerned. Like her father, Hal had inherited his business. He’d done well, though, and she couldn’t understand why he was worrying about the possibility of his company being taken over. If Chakaris was being truthful, he didn’t go after successful businesses.

      Despite her dislike of him, she believed him, mostly because he didn’t care enough about any of this to bother to lie.

      Somebody needed to stand up to him, to show him that life was more than assets and liabilities. People were more important, something he seemed to ignore.

      When she’d finally crawled out of bed this morning, she’d formed a plan of sorts. Supposing she did accept his invitation.

      Could she see him again without revealing her aversion to him? What if she could help her father’s old friend by discovering whether Chakaris was considering Hal’s company as a potential acquisition?

      She would have to think about that. Finding her way into the enemy’s camp could backfire. She had to decide whether the risks were worth it.

      Kelly decided that if she couldn’t concentrate on her work, she would finish sorting through her mother’s belongings.

      Several hours later she heard the doorbell ring. She glanced at her watch. It was after one o’clock. As far as she could recall, no one had planned to stop by today. Her curiosity drew her to the hallway overlooking the foyer and she watched as Bridget answered the door.

      Kelly couldn’t see who was there but when Bridget stepped back she was holding a large floral arrangement. She closed the door and started for the stairs. Kelly met her halfway and took the flowers.

      “Thank you, Bridget.”

      “It’s been some time since you received flowers, hasn’t it?”

      Kelly smiled. “True. And I haven’t the foggiest idea who could have sent them now.” As she turned to go back upstairs, she suddenly knew who had sent the elaborate arrangement. She carried it to her room and placed it on a table between two windows.

      The large bouquet was a colorful mixture of fragrant flowers and she had to admit they brightened the room. She reached for the card and drew it out of the envelope. The note read,

      The latest forecast predicts an arctic front moving through hell. I thought the ensuing freeze might give you a reason to have dinner with me Saturday.

      Nick

      Nick. She hadn’t realized he went by a nickname. It seemed out of character,