“He waited until we got to know each other a little,” Janine whispered, staggered by the realization that her grandfather had known about Brian all along.

“By then I’d discovered I liked you.”

“The word like is possibly even worse than fond,” she muttered.

“Just hear me out, would you?”

“All right,” she sighed, fearing that nothing he said now mattered, anyway. Her pride had suffered another major blow. The one love of his life had been this marvelous patriot, while Janine had fallen for a weak-willed womanizer.

“It isn’t as bad as it seems,” Zach tried to assure her.

“I can just imagine what Gramps told you.”

“All he said was that he was afraid you’d never learn to trust your own judgment again. For quite a while now, he’s watched you avoid any hint of a relationship. It was as though you’d retreated from men and were content just to lick your wounds.”

“That’s not true! I was seeing Peter Donahue on a regular basis.”

“Safe dates with safe men. There was never any likelihood that you’d fall in love with Peter, and you knew it. It was the only reason you went out with him.”

“Is…is what happened with Brian why Gramps decided to play matchmaker?”

“I suspect that was part of it. Also his concern for your future. But I don’t fully understand his intentions even now. I don’t think it matters, though. He wanted you to be happy and secure. Anton knew I’d never purposely hurt you. And in his eyes, the two of us were perfect for each other.” Zach sat down next to her and reached for her hand, lacing her fingers with his own. “Does it matter? We’re married now.”

She looked away from him and swallowed hard. “I…may not be blond and gorgeous or brave, but I deserve a husband who’ll love me. You and Gramps both failed to take that into account. I don’t want your pity, Zach.”

“Good, because I don’t pity you. You’re my wife, and frankly, I’m happy about it. We can have a good life if you’ll put this nonsense behind you.”

“You’d never have chosen me on your own. I knew what you thought of me from the moment we met. You assumed I was a rich spoiled woman who’d never had anything real to worry about. I bet you thought I’d consider a broken nail a major disaster.”

“All right, I’ll admit I had the wrong impression, but that was before,” Zach insisted.

“Before what?”

“Before I got to know you.”

Janine’s shoulders heaved with barely suppressed emotion. “As I recall, the reason you were willing to marry me was because I wasn’t so bad. And let’s not forget the financial benefits,” she added sarcastically.

Zach’s sigh was filled with frustration. “I told you I wasn’t ever going to say the stuff you women like to hear. I don’t know a thing about romance. But I care about you, Janine, I honestly care. Isn’t that enough?”