closed. But on that same note, he knew he was going to enjoy every single minute it took to make her change her mind, open it.
This assignment would be difficult. He had to convince her to accept the love he wanted to offer her. He would have to show her how the two of them could be good together. He would have to prove to her that she was indeed the woman for him and that he was the man for her. She couldn't see what he already knew, what the visions had shown him—their destinies were entwined. She would be the one person to give him an all-consuming love, a meaningful life and three sons, triplets. One who would grow up to be a doctor, one a lawyer and the other, he thought smiling, an Indian chief. That had been one of the visions that he could not repute. One of his sons would do what he himself had not done and that was to rightfully take his place among his father's people in the Cherokee tribe.
But there could be no babies until he was able to bind the woman to him that would one day be his sons' mother. He knew he had a challenge on his hands, but a smart man prepared himself for the difficulties ahead.
And there was no doubt in his mind that Netherland Brooms would be difficult. She was acting the part already.
The first step was to get rid of her negativity concerning military men. It wouldn't be easy but then nothing worth having was, and as far as he was concerned, Netherland Brooms was definitely worth having. He wanted her complete surrender.
And he intended to get it.
Chapter 1
He's here again tonight.
Netherland Brooms inhaled deeply as she watched the man enter her restaurant. Not waiting to be escorted to a table by a hostess, he moved across the polished floor and took a seat at one of the vacant tables in the rear. His overwhelming presence demanded attention. And he was getting it.
Sheer panic made Netherland take another breath, an even deeper one. Ashton Sinclair was intent on breaking her resolve and making her do the very thing she had never done in all her twenty-eight years, which was to lust after a man. But then, after glancing around the room, she concluded that lusting after Ashton Sinclair wasn't such a hard thing to do when she noticed she wasn't the only female suffering from that same dilemma. She could tell by the way the other women were licking their lips that, unlike her, they didn't think lusting after him a serious problem. After all, he was the epitome of everything male and then some.
Half African-American and half Native American, the man was jaw-dropping, stomach-churning, eye-crossing handsome. And to top that off, he exuded strong male animal sexuality that was seductively dangerous. He was tall, almost six-four, and beautifully proportioned. His hair, which flowed freely down his back and around his shoulders, was coal-black and framed dark eyes, high chiseled cheekbones, a strong nose and full lips. At the moment, it was his dark eyes that were giving her the most worry because they were focused dead on her. They were piercing, compelling and challenging. The last of which was what she resented the most since the challenge in them was always directed at her. Whenever he looked at her, it was as if he saw something he intended to have.
Netherland felt her breasts tingle against her blouse. She took another deep breath, refusing to let Ashton Sinclair get next to her again tonight. After all, he was totally wrong for her, and she had told him that on several occasions. As handsome and alluring as he was, in her eyesight he had one tiny flaw she couldn't discount or overlook.
He was military.
She was what one would consider a military brat. Her father had made a career in the army, which meant her family was never able to put down roots anywhere. She couldn't recall ever living in the same place for more than two years at a time. The constant moving had never bothered her mother or her four brothers. But with Netherland things had been different. She had grown up feeling like a gypsy, never having a place to really call home. And she had never stayed in one place long enough to develop lasting friendships with anyone. She envied women whose friendships had spanned years. She had never been that fortunate, which was one of the reasons she had established Sisters. Sisters was an exclusive restaurant located in the heart of Houston's downtown district for women to meet, be entertained and establish lasting friendships with other women. Not surprisingly, anywhere sisters assembled in huge numbers, the brothers were sure to congregate, as well. So, on any given day, it wasn't unusual to find just as many men patronizing her establishment as there were women.
Netherland sighed. Although Ashton Sinclair had to be the most tempting man she had ever met, she would not get involved with a man who didn't have roots, and a man who was a replica of her father and brothers. All four of her brothers had followed in their father's footsteps and entered military life. Paris, the oldest at thirty-two, was in the army; Belgium, at thirty, was in the navy; Rome, at twenty-seven, was in the marines and Dakota, the youngest at twenty-three, was in the air force. All of Ernest and Nadine Kalloren's five children had been named after the places where they had been born.
“I see your admirer is here again tonight, Nettie.”
Netherland broke eye contact with Ashton to glance over at Rainey Gilford, head hostess for the restaurant as well as her good friend. Rainey was always observant, which usually was a good thing. However, tonight, to Netherland's way of thinking, it was not. “Yes, he's back.”
Rainey smiled. “Evidently he doesn't take no for an answer.”
Netherland couldn't help but return her friend's smile. “Evidently he doesn't. I don't know what else to do.”
“You could bend a little and give the brother a break,” Rainey said between chuckles, knowing Netherland was too stubborn to do such a thing. Netherland saw Ashton Sinclair's presence in the restaurant each night as a nuisance, but Rainey and most of the other women considered it sheer pleasure. Men couldn't get much finer than Ashton Sinclair. Unless, however, you considered the three Madaris brothers and their childhood friend Trevor Grant. But since the four of them were now married, they no longer counted. And she didn't want to even think about the good-looking Trask “The Max” Maxwell, ex-football star who broke a lot of hearts when he got married on New Year's Day. Now whenever the Madaris brothers, Trevor Grant and Trask Maxwell patronized Sisters, they came with their wives. Fortunately, Ashton Sinclair was single, but unfortunately, he only had eyes for Netherland.
“Oh, Nettie, I wish I was in your shoes right now,” Rainey whispered. “Do you know what I would do if I were?”
Netherland shook her head. She really did have an idea but wanted to hear it from Rainey's lips anyway, just in case she was mistaken. “No, what?”
“I would waltz right over to Ashton Sinclair and tell him that I've changed my mind and that I will go out with him.”
Netherland smiled. She had figured as much. “Rainey, going out with him won't serve any purpose. You know how I feel about military men.”
“Yeah, but take a look, Nettie, there is never anything military about him whenever he comes in here. Every time I see him I want to submit his picture for the cover of one of those romance novels. Can you imagine taking a book with his picture on the cover to bed every night? Talk about pleasant dreams.”
Netherland smiled. “He is kind of handsome, isn't he?”
“Kind of? Nettie, no man has caused such a stir in this place since that time a few years back when Dex Madaris walked in. You have to admit Mr. Sinclair has been good for business. Just look around. This place is packed and has been every night since word got out about him. You're the envy of every woman here. Do you know that some are taking bets?”
Netherland lifted
