When Hal Waterman attended Elizabeth Lowery's wedding to his friend Nicky. Now Nicky is dead and Elizabeth is floundering, she never expected to be young and widowed and she isn't prepared for it. There are other people sniffing around, people who have a better ability with words than Hal, some of his suggestions to her may leave her open to criticism from society, but it's tempting. Sir Gregory Holburn could be a safer bet, one that people urge her to take, but Hal excites her, even with his limited words.

It was an interesting read that did keep me reading and I enjoyed the characters and their motivatoins ( )

I like when hero has always secretly desired heroine and his speech impediment tugged at my heart.
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Amazon received

Hal Waterman is an endearing, very large, shy, man with a speech impediment which requires him to speak in concise terms. He is not titled (how refreshing!), but is a well-born financial and investment titan. He has loved the beautiful, shy, naive, artistic Elizabeth from afar for 7 years. Now she is a widow with a young son, and she needs his protection and guidance as navigates the shoals of the tangled affairs her beloved husband left her with upon his death.

In this story, Hal comes to terms with his painful childhood as he helps Elizabeth's son travel beyond his grief. As he realizes his life's dream of making Elizabeth his own, he helps her come into herself and begin to realize her dreams as well.

I really liked big, bumbling, kind-hearted, honorable Hal. There is considerable sexual tension between the protagonists early-on, but in this tale, it is Elizabeth who is the aggressor, Hal's principles and care for her exerting the necessary curb to his desires. Elizabeth's child, 6-year-old David is nicely-drawn and behaves age-appropriately. ( )