Breanna felt like she was a teenager entering a new school when she walked into the office building. As she readied herself for work this morning, her stomach was in knots. What would her co-workers think of her new look?

Amanda was the first to see her. Her jaw dropped, and she jumped out of her chair so quickly it bumped against the cubicle wall.

“Oh... my...” Amanda shook her head. “What happened to you?”

Because of Amanda’s loud voice, the others in the room were alerted to Breanna’s presence. Within seconds, all of her co-workers swarmed around her, oohing and ahhing over her hair, new dress, and shoes. Breanna didn’t really want to tell them every little detail, so she explained that the party had convinced her to get a new look.

Amanda laughed and elbowed Jackie standing next to her. “Yeah, I bet it was Brad who changed Breanna’s mind.”

Heat rushed to Breanna’s cheeks. Her co-workers must have seen her blush, because they all laughed heartily. Shaking her head, Breanna moved past them and sat behind her computer desk. She also clicked on the small fan on her desk, hoping that would cool her off quickly.

“Breanna, it’s okay.” Amanda sat on the edge of Breanna’s desk. “We all know what a sweetheart Brad is, so we don’t blame you for becoming enamored with him. After all, he is the sexiest man alive.”

She blew out an agitated breath. “Brad was very nice to me, and probably showed me more attention than he should have. But we are just friends, and we’ll always be that way.”

Amanda flipped a red lock of curly hair over her shoulder and narrowed her gaze on Breanna. “Umm, sure you’re just friends. It’s written all over your face and in your eyes. You’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?”

“No!” Breanna shouldn’t have answered so quickly. She swallowed, trying to moisten her suddenly dry throat. “I’ll admit that he swept me off my feet a time or two, but my fairytale weekend is over. The coach has turned back into a pumpkin, and I’m no longer Cinderella.”

“The weekend,” Amanda gasped. “You were with him all weekend?”

“No,” she answered quickly again. “Only on Sunday. We spent most of the day together. He took me shopping and he convinced me to style my hair.”

“I can’t believe it.” Amanda covered her mouth as her eyes widened.

Breanna stiffened. “What can’t you believe? That Brad would want to spend time with me?”

“Bre,” Amanda’s voice lowered and she leaned closer to her. “Brad doesn’t usually spend more than one day with a woman alone. If he spends more than one day with them, he’s with a group of friends, not one-on-one.”

Flutters pumped through Breanna’s heart. It was a good thing she was sitting, because she was sure her weak legs would have dropped her to the floor by now. “Well, like I said, it was nothing. He knows I have a boyfriend and Brad was just being kind and helpful.”

And yet, why had he kissed her so passionately? And Heavens, why had she continued to let him?

“I hope you’re right.” Amanda stood and folded her arms. “If not, a lot of women will have their hearts broken to learn he only has eyes for you.”

Breanna shook her head and turned to her computer. Amanda was full of crap. There was no way a gorgeous and wonderful man like Brad Montgomery would be attracted to a plain and shy woman.

Soon, the chatter lowered to a minimum, and she was able to concentrate on editing an article, but noises in the building disturbed her. Whenever the double glass doors opened into the lobby, Breanna snapped her gaze up to see if it was Brad. She thought for sure he’d come in to see his fans.

Yet, the morning zoomed by, along with the afternoon. It would be time to leave for home, and she couldn’t even think about what she’d accomplished today besides getting a stiff neck for all the times she peered over her cubicle to see if Brad was in the office.

The next few days came and went, and Brad didn’t step foot inside the office. Breanna tried not to miss him, but she did. She missed seeing his sweet smile and hearing his infectious laugh. She missed seeing the way his blue eyes sparkled like diamonds, and she missed the way her limbs turned to jelly every time he touched her.

What was wrong with her? She’d only spent two days with the man. Could he have affected her so much in such little time? But he had. Tom didn’t matter that much any longer, either. Of course, he had yet to see the new Breanna. He blamed his absence on working overtime and also that Kevin needed help fixing his truck.

On Thursday when Breanna came to work, the ladies were gathered around Amanda’s desk. They all wore frowns and disheartening expressions. Had someone died?

Breanna was never one to stick her nose into other people’s problems, so she continued walking to her desk. But words from their conversation snagged her interest, and she stopped to listen closer.

“Did you hear that he does nothing but stay home, anymore?” Jackie asked.

“I heard that he visits Bert’s Bar quite frequently.”

“I saw him on the street yesterday, and he didn’t even call me babe like he usually does,” Susan whined.

“Someone told me that he is nothing but a constant drunk.”

“I heard,” Amanda lowered her voice a little, “that his father is fed up with Brad’s laziness. I heard Todd was going to tell Brad to find his own place to live because he was tired of Brad’s slothfulness.”

The girls muttered their sorrow.

“Why is Brad this way? I’ve never seen him like this before.”

“I heard it was over a woman,” Tiffany whispered.

Jackie laughed. “A woman? No way!”

“Yes, he’s in love.”

“But why would he drink every night if he was in love?”

“Because... she broke his heart.”

A few more people laughed, and Breanna’s hitched a breath. No, this couldn’t be... He wouldn’t have acted this way over her. Tyger Breanna Loveland was a nobody. Had Brad found another woman to love? Just the thought made her chest tighten, even though she shouldn’t feel this way.

As she sat at her desk, she noticed Amanda glance at her. The accusation in Amanda’s stare told Breanna exactly what her co-worker felt. But she just couldn’t believe she was the reason Brad was all torn up over a woman.

She turned toward her computer and stared at it while it booted up. Words that had been exchanged between her and Brad on Sunday echoed in her head. He’d looked at her with such desperation, and the tone in his voice had been so serious. Had he fallen for her as she was trying not to fall for him?

As ridiculous as it sounded, her wrenching heart told her the answer, even though she refused to believe it.

The phone on her desk rang, and she quickly picked it up. “Thanks for calling Upbeat. This is Breanna, how can I help you?”

“Hey.”

Hearing Tom’s voice made a chill spread through her body. Immediately, she clenched her teeth and tightened her grip on the phone. “Hi.” More than likely he was calling to tell her he couldn’t come over again tonight. What’s new?

“Are you mad at me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Do I have a reason to be mad at you?” She tried to keep the anger from reaching her voice, but she worried he’d know, anyway.

“Well, I’ve just been so busy lately, but I’m free tonight. Can I come see you after you get off work?”

Nervousness made her hands shake. Tom hated change. Oh, why did she have to let Brad convince her to get a whole new look? “Sure. I’m not doing anything.”

“I figured you weren’t going to be busy.”

She gritted her teeth again. What did he mean by that? She could literally feel the blood rising inside of her head. “I don’t care if you come over, but I’m going to warn you now... I have changed.”

He snorted a laugh. “Breanna, you will never change. That’s what I love about you.”

“Well, I’ve changed my hair and I’m now wearing clothes that fit me instead of the baggy clothes I’ve been wearing for several years.”

Silence stretched between the phone lines. By now she knew what this meant. He was not happy.

“You changed without telling me?” His voice lifted in irritation.

“I did tell you, Tom, but you were more interested in watching TV than listening to me.”

His irritable grumble echoed through the phone. “Now you’re accusing me of not listening to you?”

Fear jumped inside of her, and her blood pressure skyrocketed. “No, Tom. That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Sounded like it to me.”

She blew out an exhausted breath. Already she was tired of this argument. “We’ll talk about it tonight. I’ll see you at six.”

“Fine.” He ended the phone call.

Frowning, she replaced her phone on the receiver. She’d pissed him off, and being with Tom when he was angry was not a good thing. Perhaps the only good thing about tonight would be that she wouldn’t be thinking about Brad and wondering if he was at a bar getting drunk.

* * * *

BREANNA BLINKED HER teary eyes and shut the door. Tom had just left her apartment, angrier than she’d ever seen him before.

Just as she thought, he didn’t like her new look. His first reaction was accusing her of being with another guy. Guilt had nearly choked her, but she couldn’t confess who had really instigated her transformation.

When Tom began throwing insults her way and calling her degrading names, she knew it was time to put her foot down. It scared her half to death, but she told him to leave her apartment if he couldn’t calm down. He’d shouted out a few more degrading names before storming out the door.

This wasn’t how she wanted things between them to go. It was hard not to remember what Brad had said about Tom. Could Brad have been right all this time? Because of Tom’s reaction, she could see that he was trying to control her. All these years, he’d been suffocating her, and she hadn’t even realized it.

She wandered into her bedroom and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Sad, lonely eyes stared back at her. She threaded her fingers through her new hairstyle, grateful that Brad had talked her into getting it cut. She really did like it. She even liked her new clothes.

Her heart ached again, not knowing if it was over Tom’s mental abuse or because of the way she and Brad had ended things on Sunday. How many times had she felt that Tom was stringing her along? How many times was she upset at him because he never put her above his friends? And how many times had her heart been broken by that man? Too many to count.

For years, she’d wanted to have a boyfriend, but Tom wasn’t exactly what she wanted. She’d accepted him because he was the only man to show any interest in her bookworm personality and her plain looks. It wasn’t enough to tell people she had a boyfriend. She wanted to show people that she was in love. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that with Tom. At times, she thought he was embarrassed to be seen with her.

She blew out an irritated breath. Had she wanted to change her appearance for him or her? As she thought back on the day with Brad, she realized she had wanted to do it for her. She hadn’t thought of Tom while shopping with Brad. Well, not that much, anyway.

Was Brad right after all? Did she deserve better than what Tom could offer?

Through the reflection, the new baby-blue dress Brad had helped her pick out hanging in her closet had grabbed her attention. It was the most elegant dress she’d ever owned. Brad liked it because it showed her legs. He’d called them her shapely legs. Although she’d laughed at his description, she enjoyed his compliments. Tom certainly never gave them to her.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have let Brad buy it for her. Where would she wear it? At the magazine’s Christmas party? That was several months away. She could wear it to a New Year’s Eve dance, but Tom never did like to go out in public.

The more she thought about what Tom didn’t do with her, the angrier she became. How had she put up with his treatment all of those years? Yet in two days, Brad Montgomery had shown her that she was special. She wasn’t a nobody any longer.

The more she stared at the dress, the more she thought about the dinner party at Brad’s parents’ house. That was tonight! He’d invited her so he wouldn’t get bored. She chuckled. Should she show up and be Brad’s entertainment?

She didn’t dare just show up, especially after the way they’d parted ways on Sunday evening. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, found Brad’s number and called. It immediately went to voice mail. Her heart dropped in sadness. Perhaps she shouldn’t see him this soon after what happened with Tom. She didn’t want to be on the rebound. Then again, she wanted to see Brad and explain things to him.

She dialed information and requested the search for Todd Montgomery. The call was placed and as it rang, the palms of her hand moistened with nervousness. On the third ring it was answered by a woman.

“Montgomery residence,” the woman said sweetly.

“Hi. Could I speak with Brad?”

“I’m sorry. He’s stepped out. He should be back shortly. May I take a message?”

The rhythm of Breanna’s heart had kicked into overdrive. “Yes. Tell Brad that Breanna Loveland will be coming to his parents’ dinner party tonight.”

“I will tell him.”

Breanna thanked the woman, and then threw her cell on the bed as she rushed into the bathroom to shower before she talked herself out of going tonight. The party was only a few hours away and she didn’t want to be late.

Although she tried to make her hair as pretty as Lance had done, she failed miserably. Yet, it still looked much better than before she had it cut.

When she slipped into the baby-blue dress, the memory of how Brad looked at her when she’d modeled the dress for him in the store, made her smile. He’d looked at her as though he’d never seen anything so pretty. He probably wasn’t thinking those very words, but that’s the impression she received. Her heart had fluttered with happiness. In fact, most of the day her heart had been skipping with joy.

This was definitely a feeling she wasn’t used to. Breanna tried to convince herself that Brad acted like this with all women, and yet, she’d felt so special. She didn’t want the happiness inside of her to go away.

Exactly an hour and a half later, she drove up to the Montgomery mansion. She’d talked to Todd Montgomery once in a while at work, but this was the first time she had been to his house. The place was lit up like a white Christmas tree. Bright lights were everywhere, even in the tall trees. Lighted lanterns framed the walkway up toward the front door.

She didn’t know how long she stood at the door, but her insides jumped like hot popcorn. Nervously, she lifted her hand and rapped on the thick wood. Within seconds, the door opened. A servant? No way! This man definitely looked like some of the servants she’d seen in the movies.

“Hi. Um,” she licked her dry lips, “Brad Montgomery invited me—”

“Please come in.” The older man, perhaps in his fifties, motioned his hand for her to enter. He gave her a polite smile. Wrinkles creased around his eyes and forehead.

Her legs shook when she walked inside. As she swept her gaze around the large entryway with polished dark wooden floors, she tried hard not to gasp in awe. Everything sparkled, from the silver chandeliers, to the gold casing on the grand stairs.

The paintings on the wall were historical. One was of men riding on horses with black knee-boots. The picture next to it was of women strolling through the park in their day-dresses and parasols. Their hair was in ringlets, or a bonnet covered their heads. The third painting was of a man and woman having a picnic at the park while in the background children threw bread to the ducks in the pond.

Strange, but she couldn’t stop from imagining herself wearing a hooped skirt, a bodice that hugged her breasts, and had a deep cleavage. She loved historical romance movies and books, and this house definitely represented the 1800’s. Back then, women dressed up nicely to impress their men. Of course, their first priority was finding a husband. Back then, women were expected to stay home and bear children. They were expected to run a smooth household and entertain guests.

The men back then were filthy rich... well, at least in the books she’d always read. The heroes knew how to charm a woman to make her weak in the knees. Immediately, she imagined Brad wearing a black tailed-coat and trousers, a matching waistcoat, a white shirt, and silk cravat. Brad wouldn’t look good in a top hat, she decided, but he’d certainly use a walking stick, mainly for show. During the day he’d ride horses with his chums, and in the evening, he’d make the rounds from ball to ball, trying to find a woman to seduce. And he’d definitely find a woman, because a handsome man such as Brad Montgomery was never lonely.

“A penny for your thoughts.”

Brad’s deep, sexy voice startled her out of her daydreams. She jumped and turned toward him. Her breath caught in her throat. It had only been a few days since she’d seen him last, but he still knew how to make her heart beat fast. He wasn’t wearing the eighteenth century clothes as she’d just pictured in her mind, but he was still very elegant in his gray suit jacket and pants, and a very light maroon shirt. Not many men could pull off wearing that color, but he definitely could. Shoot, he could wear anything and look amazing.

“Brad,” she sighed.

“I’m glad you came.”

“Did you receive my message?”

He nodded. “I actually didn’t believe it at first, but I’m very relieved you are here.”

Smiling, his gaze ran slowly over her dress. The expression on his face was exactly how he looked when she had modeled the dress for him at the store. His smoldering green eyes were making her weak in the knees. Again.

“You’re absolutely breathtaking.”

Her cheeks heated with his compliment. “Actually, I was thinking the same thing about you.”

His grin widened as he stepped closer to her. “If I’m not mistaken, I think you were daydreaming a minute ago as you studied the paintings on the wall.”

She nodded. “I must confess, I was doing a little dreaming.”

He leaned in closer and wagged his eyebrows. “Were you thinking about me?”

Her face flamed hotter. How did he know?