Chadwick's Rare Find (An Intriguing Romance Novel) by Heidi Sexton Page B

to leave this one alone.  She’s the real deal.”  
    “Dad, how did you come to the conclusion that Brittany is any different from any other woman?”  Chadwick had gotten nervous as his father talked.  All this virgin business was making him edgy.   Surely his father had not gained that much insight into Brittany just by one visit. He wasn’t sure what his father would take it into his head to do, if he found out Brittany was literally a virgin. 
    “How do you know whether water is clean or dirty?  You look at it.  All I had to do was look at her.  She is as pure as clean water.  You just make sure she stays that way.”  Chadwick could only open and close his mouth in surprise.  
    “Dad, I have never misused a woman in my life.  I definitely won’t start with Brittany.  I want you guys to back off.  There are some things that need working out and I have to do it on my own.  I called my firm last night and told them not to expect me for a couple or more weeks. I’m going to spend some time with Brittany so we can get a chance to know each other better.  I know I need to go slow with her and I will do that.  Just please keep mom and the girls out of my business and you stay out of it too.  Please.”    
    James looked at Chadwick and smiled.  There was mutual respect and love between him and his son.  He patted Chadwick on the shoulder and left the room confident that Chadwick could gain the heart of this special woman.   The last time James had met a lady who was the whole package had been forty-one years ago and he had been smart enough to capture her heart, soul, and body.  Surely, his son had the wherewith to do the same.  If not, then he had a father and mother who knew exactly what to do. 
    #
    Chadwick felt a little groggy, which was how he normally felt after taking sleeping pills.  He had taken one last night after tossing and turning for hours.  He had been unable to relax.  Thoughts of the passionate kiss he and Brittany had shared kept  going through his mind over and over again.  Finally he had given up and decided to take something.  He knew he would need his rest in order to deal with the days ahead.  It’s funny how he always thought courtship was a time for fun and games, but now that he had met a woman who could be his prospective wife, he had turned serious and contemplative.   This was no game.  It was intense. It was the making of his future.  
    Chadwick had always been the catch in his dating.  Now someone else was the catch.  He felt as if he only had superficial things to offer.  Good looks and money were totally inadequate for the baiting of Brittany.  He had to bring it all to the table. He had to be the man he was raised to be, not the man that most young women expected him to be.  Chadwick had been raised by two of the greatest romantics he had ever met.  His Dad knew how to be a man and his mom was like no other flesh and blood woman he had known before Brittany. 
    Chadwick wanted what Mara and James had.  Even though they had come from two different worlds, their love was solid.  They didn’t just love each other, they knew each other.  They knew the good and bad about each and loved the good and understood the bad.  That took effort.  Chadwick and his sisters had reaped the results.  They had been brought up in a very loving environment and had never felt insecure or afraid about anything.  Chadwick wanted he and his wife’s marriage to be just as good.  
    He had made up his mind about who his wife would be. His choice was made.  Now he needed to set things in motion.  
    Reaching for the phone on the side table, he picked up Brittany’s business card.  He decided to dial her cell phone.  He had no wish to talk to Amber this morning or any morning for that matter. The phone rang four times before she answered.  
    Chadwick heard fumbling and then, “H- hello?” 
    It was Brittany. Her voice was deeper and more husky-sounding than