A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

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notTracy . She had only had three serious relationships since she graduated from college and each one had lasted just over a year.

Danny had been a great guy, but the longer they went out together, the more obvious it was that they had nothing on which to build a lasting relationship.

Joe had also been a great guy, warm and sensitive and easy to love. She should have known he was too good to last. Just when she had been expecting a marriage proposal, he had entered the priesthood.

And then there had been Richard. He had wined her and dined her and made her feel like the most wonderful, beautiful woman in the world. Unfortunately, she discovered that he was feeding the same line to her best friend and four other girls.

Leaving the bathroom, she glanced at the clock on the small antique oak table beside her bed. Only time would tell whether Dominic was saint or sinner, but whichever he was, he was going to be here in less than ten minutes.

Slipping on a pair of low-heeled white sandals, she went downstairs into the living room. She turned on the stereo, flicked on the porch light.

She loved this room, she thought, glancing around. Her furniture had arrived yesterday morning and she had spent the day arranging it. The white wicker sofa and chair brightened up the room considerably. The pillows were covered in a variegated blue print. An antique oak bookcase held a number of books and videos. Several dragons—some she had bought for herself, some that had been gifts—decorated the mantel. Her entertainment center took up most of one corner. The next time she went into the village, she would look for an area rug to put in front of the fireplace, and another one for her bedroom.

A knock at the door sent her stomach plummeting down to her toes. He was here.

Standing on the front porch, Dominic sensed the woman's inner tension even before she opened the door.

"Hi," she said, smiling.

"Good evening." He handed her a bouquet of two dozen long-stemmed, blood-red roses.

She looked up at him, unable to hide her sur-prise , or her pleasure. "They're lovely," she murmured. "Thank you."

She turned and started toward the living room. Noticing he wasn't behind her, she said, "Please, come in."

Stepping over the threshold, he followed her down a short hallway into a large, well-lit room.
She gestured at the sofa. "Make yourself at home, won't you, while I put these in water."

He smiled his thanks,then wandered around the room, taking in the changes she had made, and liking them. Perhaps he should ask her to redecorate his underground lair, he mused, running his hand over the back of the white wicker sofa. Her taste in colors and fabrics ran to bright and cheerful, while his seemed