One Special Moment - Brenda Jackson [31]
“That’s awful that there weren’t any females around.”
His brow furrowed. “Why would you think so?”
“Because you lacked a female influence in your life. And why is there a high divorce rate among Hamilton men?”
“For the longest time the Hamiltons, including my own father, were lumberjacks who resided in a small logging town in the wooded mountains of North Carolina. Because of the nature of their work, they were away from home living in logging camps for extended periods of time, so it wasn’t advantageous to have a wife. And those who were married discovered the wives they left behind eventually got bored waiting for them to return home. Most of the women decided a logging town was no place to live for the rest of their lives, so they up and left.”
“Is that the reason your mother left?”
Sterling’s mouth tightened and the words he spoke were cold and emotionless. “I’ve told you I don’t have a mother, and I would appreciate it if you’d try not to forget that fact again.”
The rest of the ride to the hotel was in silence. Colby could not stop wondering why Sterling’s mother had left. Whatever the reason, he had not forgiven her for it and from the way he sounded he never would. She could not imagine ever having her child grow up feeling that way about her. That was why she was determined not to let Sterling send her away. She would always be a part of her child’s life.
She smiled at the thought of one day having a baby. In her mind, she could picture a bouncy baby with black curls and dark eyes to match. And a part of her just knew it would be a girl.
She grinned to herself. So there hadn’t been any girls born into the Hamilton family in over a hundred years? Well, she hoped Sterling was ready for “sugar and spice and everything nice” because their child would be a girl.
She just knew it.
Chapter 9
Colby looked at herself in the full-length mirror. She ran her hands under the thick hair flowing past her bare shoulders, letting her fingers tangle in the curls there.
She wasn’t the type to stand in front of a mirror checking herself out, but the impression she would give tonight would be an important one. Sterling was taking her out to dinner and would announce their engagement to the media.
After they had returned to the hotel from sight-seeing, he’d explained their plans and how important tonight would be. Then indicating he had a number of things to do before they left for dinner, he had departed, leaving her alone.
She had wasted no time rushing to her closet in search of something to wear. Unfortunately, she had not brought anything fancy with her to California. At least nothing fancy or sophisticated enough to be seen out with Sterling Hamilton.
Seeing she had no other choice, she had left the hotel, caught a cab, and gone shopping. Upon entering a number of the stores she had been taken aback by their high prices, but she then remembered the stores’ usual clientele were the rich and famous. A number of the shops indicated you could only shop by an appointment, and at others you were assigned your own personal salesclerk—or clothing representative assistant—who assisted you on a one-on-one basis while you made your selections.
Colby’s afternoon spent on Rodeo Drive had been fun. Some of the names of the shops she had recognized as ones that supplied clothing for major network television shows. Their names often appeared among the credits at the end. And others, such as Gucci, had a worldwide reputation. She herself owned one of their purses.
She considered herself a person who liked nice things and dressed accordingly. However, she thought paying two hundred dollars for a pair of stockings a bit too much. Her eyes widened at the underwear prices that began at four hundred dollars. But she was soon forced to bite the bullet, and pulling her paid-up charge card from her wallet she proceeded to go shopping wild.
Three hours later she had walked out of the expensive shop with an outfit she felt would be perfect for tonight, along with all the accessories she would need.