I don't post much. I love this forum and have been a member for some years now.
I have pretty strong convictions about the question in your post. I think with women it's pretty simple. People do what the want to do. I firmly believe this. If a woman is interested in you, busy or not, you will know it you will have no doubts.
Now I have a big ego, and it's burned me plenty of times in the past. I've held out to spend time with a "busy" woman. All the while telling myself, "Wow she must really have a lot going on..."
The truth was that she was mildly interested but I wasn't her No. 1 choice. I was the Plan B or the fallback guy.
Truth-be-told when a woman is truly interested you, you'll almost feel as if she's a touch "stalker-ish", really. Anything less shows that she is only somewhat interested.
I am casually dating a woman now who has *tons* of stuff going on in her life. Super demanding job, Scads of friends (both male and female), very active in community and local government. She is super interested in me. I'm shocked, and frankly feel somewhat smothered, by the amount of attention she bestows on me.
I'm a hard liner (possibly to a fault). If I get a Number, I'll ask a girl out one time. If she says she's busy or unavailable in any way-shape-or-form, I'm out. The end. Even if she offers up an alternative date.
-Trail-