One Special Moment - Brenda Jackson [43]
“Don’t play games with me, Colby Wingate. Is it true you’re actually engaged to Sterling Hamilton? The Sterling Hamilton?”
“Yes. I guess James filled you in on everything.”
“Are you kidding? Your brother has told me very little. I think he’s still in shock himself. In fact he didn’t even mention it until breakfast this morning. And that was mere seconds before I opened the newspaper to discover it myself. He claimed the reason he didn’t tell me sooner was because he didn’t want me getting overly excited in my condition.”
“Yeah, that’s a thought.”
“Colby, you made the front page here today.”
“The front page?”
“Yes. It’s not every day a local girl snags a Hollywood superstar. There’re a number of pictures of you and Sterling in very interesting poses.”
“What sort of poses?”
“Poses of the two of you kissing. Obviously you and he enjoy doing that.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, ‘oh.’ James nearly hit the ceiling when he saw them, but he soon calmed down after reading the newspaper article that came over the wire service. Sterling Hamilton did an outstanding job of upholding your reputation. In fact, he made it very clear you mean a lot to him. At this moment, you’re probably the envy of every woman in the country.”
Colby frowned. “I really don’t understand why.”
“Well, according to this article, and I quote…‘The mighty Sterling Hamilton has fallen…undeniably in love. At least that’s this reporter’s opinion who saw the couple together last night as they entered the Paradise Cove Restaurant. The woman on his arm, who he proudly presented as his fiancée, was a beauty and deserved all the attention and unselfish affection being lavished on her by Hamilton. Colby Wingate of Richmond, Virginia, whose career is in education—(she’s a third-grade teacher)—has accomplished something many thought was an impossible feat. She is bringing Sterling Hamilton to the altar and without any underhanded tactics, as one fellow reporter discovered when he boldly asked the couple if by chance they were expecting a baby. That reporter, and I won’t give his name, found himself under Hamilton’s famous belligerent stare, and his reply left all in attendance satisfied a baby is not on the way, and the reason for the soon-to-take-place wedding is for purely selfish reasons. Hamilton merely wants the woman he loves by his side as his wife. I, for one, believe his story. I’m no romantic fool, but I’ve seen Hamilton with numerous female companions in the past, and I’ve never seen him display so much open attention to one before. And that includes Diamond Swain. In my wrap-up, I can only say that Colby Wingate has evidently tamed the beast. Hamilton may have put a ring on her finger—and a huge one at that—but she’s gone one step further and put an even bigger one in his nose. The man is definitely smitten. But as they say, the bigger they come, the harder they fall, and it definitely appears to this reporter that the mighty Sterling Hamilton has fallen, and fallen hard.’
“Well, what do you think of the article?”
“Interesting.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“Afraid so.”
“I can’t believe you kept your involvement with him from me. You’ve known for years that I’m an avid fan of his. You owe me all the details. How did the two of you meet?”
Colby swallowed and tried not to let anxiety cool her thoughts. She was prepared for the question and had actually rehearsed the answer that morning. However, she still felt uncomfortable with the lie she was about to recite.
“Sterling happened to be in Virginia, and I ran into him at the library.”
“The library? You actually met Sterling Hamilton at the library here in Richmond?”
“Yes. He’d been using a friend’s winter home in some secluded place and had gotten bored and drove into town to get a good book to read.”
“Wow! Did you recognize him right away?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No. I didn’t recognize him right away. He came up to me and asked where he could find a particular book and I told him.”
“For Pete’s sake, Colby, how could you not recognize Sterling Hamilton!”
“Well, I didn’t. I knew he