CHAPTER 43

　　AS THE door slammed shut between them, Holly flopped back onto the pillows, emotionally shattered. How had such a perfect evening ended so badly?

　　Why should her simple declaration of love have had such a dramatic effect on his mood?

　　She thought back to his dismissive comments about fairy stories, love and happy endings.

　　Yes, he'd lost his fiancée, but even extreme grief shouldn't lead to that degree of cynicism should it? And what had he meant when he said he couldn't love? Was he saying that he believed a person could only love once in their lives?

　　Was that what was going on in his head? Or was he saying that he couldn't love her?

　　Frustrated and desperately upset, Holly slipped out of bed, slipped her arms into a silk robe and walked across the bedroom. She stood for a moment with her hand on the door, wanting to follow him and yet afraid of further rejection.

　　Her hand dropped to her side and she stared at the door, her head a whirlpool of indecision.