Читать книгу Whispered Promises - Brenda Jackson - Страница 5

“G irl, take a look at the brother who just walked in.”

“He’s definitely a good-looking man.”

“A real work of art.”

“Handcrafted in all the right places.”

“I wonder who’s the lucky sister meeting him here.”

“Wished it was me.”

Feminine whispers rippled through the restaurant as a number of heads turned, and admiring eyes glanced toward the man entering the establishment.

Dex Madaris was oblivious to the attention he was getting. His gaze roamed the room before zeroing in on the dance floor. A few couples were dancing, locked in each other’s embrace, slowly moving to the soft sound of the jazz music being played. No doubt they were caught up in their own private world, sharing whispered promises of love like he and Caitlin had once done.

Caitlin.

He took a deep breath. Everyone was entitled to at least one mistake in life, and Caitlin had been his.

“Welcome to Sisters. Will you be dining alone?”

A soft voice broke through Dex’s reverie. He glanced down into a hostess’s smiling face.

“I’m meeting my brother here. I believe he made reservations.”

“What’s the name?”

“Madaris.”

The woman’s smile widened. “So you’re Clayton’s brother?”

Dex raised a brow. “Yeah, one of them. I gather you know Clayton.” It was more a statement than a question. He knew there weren’t too many females in Houston who didn’t know his younger brother, the confirmed bachelor.

A soft chuckle erupted from the woman’s throat. “Oh yes, I know Clayton.”

He slanted her a curious look, not failing to notice the light dancing in the depths of her dark eyes. He couldn’t help wondering just how deep her acquaintance with his brother went.

“Clayton hasn’t arrived yet, but if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your table.”

She led the way to a table overlooking downtown Houston. Sitting down, Dex couldn’t help noticing the number of females that were either dining alone or together in groups.

Sisters.

It suddenly dawned on him the connection between the name of the restaurant and the number of women that were there. Although quite a few men were in attendance, they were outnumbered by the women two to one. Evidently this restaurant was a meeting place where the sisters came to hang out and bond.

“Would you like to order now, or do you want to wait until Clayton gets here?”

“I’ll wait.”

“All right.” A grin curved the woman’s lips. “Clayton has told me a lot about you.”

Dex gave her a dry look. “Really? And just what did he tell you?” Evidently, Clayton hadn’t told her just how much Dex enjoyed his privacy.

“He said you’re a workaholic and somewhat of a loner.”

Dex moved his shoulders in a noncommittal shrug. A workaholic and a loner. He knew in all honesty there was more than a little truth to Clayton’s claim. Since his divorce from Caitlin four years ago, he had drowned himself in his work. He’d volunteered for longer hours and had taken on projects other geologists with Remington Oil hadn’t wanted to be bothered with. Since returning to the States from Australia, he had formed his own company, Madaris Explorations, almost a year ago. He worked day and night to assure its success, and to prevent his mind from idle wandering to the past. The memories were too painful, and work, he’d discovered, was the best antidote for a distracted mind.

The waitress had said something.

“What?” Dex shook himself out of his distraction and back into awareness.

“I said Clayton’s here. He just walked in. I’ll be back to take your order.”

Dex glanced around and watched with amusement as Clayton stopped at a number of tables to greet the ladies. Dex shook his head as he reflected on just how different the three Madaris brothers were. Justin, his older brother by eighteen months, was considered the warm, loving, sensitive one. After suffering the pain of losing his first wife nearly twelve years ago, he was a happily married physician living near Dallas.

Dex knew that he himself was often viewed as a true-blue Scorpio man—deep, complex, intense and as serious as a heart attack. He was the Madaris not to cross.

Baby brother Clayton, two years younger, was a prominent attorney here in Houston and a womanizer of the third degree. Outgoing and friendly, the only time he was completely serious was in the courtroom. Unfortunately he was also a notorious busybody. He acted as if it was his God-given right to stick his nose into his brothers’ affairs whenever he felt it was necessary.

“Sorry I’m late,” Clayton said, sitting down. A mischievous grin played at the corners of his mouth. “So what do you think of this place? Have you ever seen so many gorgeous sisters under one roof before?”

The glint in Clayton’s eyes confirmed Dex’s suspicion that his brother was up to something. “No, can’t say that I have.”

Clayton leaned back in his chair. “Did you get the chance to check out any of the ladies?”

Dex decided to sidetrack Clayton’s question. “And how was your day?”

“It was just another day. And don’t change the subject. Did you get the chance to check out any of the ladies?”

“No.”

“But you will.”

Dex gave an exasperated sigh as he picked up his menu. “Maybe.”

Clayton rolled his eyes. “Can’t you get excited about anything other than rock formations and soil samples?”

Dexter Madaris stared long and hard at his brother. “Like I said, maybe.”

Clayton snorted in frustration. “You’re a hopeless case, Dex.”

“Does that mean you’re finally giving up on me?”

Clayton chuckled. “It would serve you right if I did. But I won’t let you off that easily. When was the last time you were with a woman?”

Dex raised a brow. “That is none of your business.”

A burst of laughter exploded from Clayton’s throat. “Hey, man. Come on. You can level with me. I’m blood, remember,” he said when his laughter had subsided to a chuckle. “It’s been that long, huh?”

Dex grinned and shook his head. “The last time for me, I’m sure, was probably not as recent as for you.”

“Probably not,” Clayton responded, scanning the menu. “So what’s the problem?”

“There isn’t one. You may find this hard to believe, but there’re more important things in life than sex.”

“Really?” Clayton exclaimed in a tone of total disbelief. “Name one.”

Hearty laughter escaped from Dex’s lips. It was a rare occurrence. “Now I happen to think you’re the one who’s a hopeless case.”

Clayton smiled. “If I am, you better believe I’m definitely a very satisfied one. How about letting me fix you up with Cocoa over there? She’s just what you need.”

Dex’s gaze followed Clayton’s to the lone diner sitting across the room. The attractive woman was smiling at him. The meaning behind her smile, and the look she was giving him, were obvious. But he refused to acknowledge or to accept her open invitation. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

Clayton looked intently at Dex. “When will you bury the past?”

“I have.”

“I don’t think so. You’re still carrying a torch for Caitlin.”

Dex gave Clayton a scathing look. “I hate to disappoint you, bro, but you’re wrong.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, you are. Caitlin’s history.”

“Then prove it. Let me introduce you to Cocoa.”

“Clayton…” he began.

“You need a woman, Dex, and Cocoa is just the person for you. She’ll make you think about something else besides work. Don’t you know that all work and no play makes Dex a dull boy?”

Dex frowned. “Dull, huh? Then it’s a good thing I won’t be wasting Hot Chocolate’s time.”

“Her name’s Cocoa, and she has a knack for undulling people.”

“Yeah, I bet she does. Maybe some other—”

Dex suddenly stopped talking when his ears picked up the sound of the music being played. It was the song that had been playing the last time he and Caitlin had danced together. Even after four years, he could still remember the warm, soft feel of her in his arms; her body so close to his as he held her tight, not ever wanting to let go.

“Dex? Is something wrong?”

Dex took a deep, calming breath before answering, forcing the memory to pass. “No, there’s nothing wrong. Let’s go ahead and order. I need to make a stop by the office tonight. There’s some work I need to finish up.”

Long hours and hard work helped him to forget the things he didn’t want to remember.

200 miles away

Caitlin Madaris stood near the window gazing at the beauty of the skyscrapers that spanned the moonlit sky. In the distance below, specks of light could be seen reflecting from the blue waters of the San Antonio River.

A tremor shuddered through her as she desperately tried to appreciate the night’s allure. It was useless. Her thoughts were miles and miles away. Drawing in a deep breath, she inhaled the disinfectant smell of the visitors’ waiting room and swallowed the lump in her throat.

Fear and grief surged through her. Biting her lower lip, she clenched her hands together. She wanted to scream out her pain, yell out her anguish and tear the inner turmoil from within her. Unfortunately she couldn’t. She could not lose control. Not now, not ever. She had to be strong. There were no family members she could turn to. Both of her parents had been the only child of their parents. There weren’t any grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins. There was no one to share her anguish.

The sound of footsteps echoed softly on the tiled floor. “Caitlin?”

Bracing herself, she turned around. Fighting back tears, she faced Dr. Flores. “How is he?” she asked, her voice remarkably steady. She searched the face of the gray-haired man wearing a white lab coat. He was not only her father’s physician, but an old family friend, as well. Seeing his sullen expression, any hope she harbored vanished. Nevertheless, she willed herself not to panic.

Dr. Flores placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Your dad’s condition is stable for now, and he seems to be resting comfortably. Although his medication has worn off and he’s in pain, he refuses to swallow another dose until he speaks to you.”

A terrifying weakness paralyzed Caitlin. Her father had always been a healthy man, except for a light heart attack a few years back from which he’d fully recovered.

“You can only visit him for a few minutes, Caitlin. Then I need to sedate him so he can rest comfortably through the night.”

A sense of despair washed over her. Her dark eyes burned with fatigue brought on by a sleepless night. “So nothing has changed.” It was more a statement than a question.

Dr. Flores hesitated before answering. “As I explained over the phone this morning, we diagnosed his condition over eight months ago. Since the tumor was discovered, its malignancy has spread very rapidly. Chemotherapy would have been useless. I advised him to tell you about his condition but he refused. He didn’t want you to know he had prostate cancer until it became absolutely necessary.”

Caitlin nodded, then asked the dreaded question she had to have answered. “How much longer?”

Louis Flores shrugged. “A matter of days, maybe a week. It’s hard to say at this point. There’s really nothing we can do for him, other than making him comfortable. He doesn’t want you to see him this way, but has no choice.”

Dr. Flores paused and then went on. “And another thing, Caitlin. Don’t question anything he tells you. The reason he won’t let me sedate him just yet is because he wants to be completely coherent when he talks to you. Don’t think what he’s saying is prompted by the medication.”

Caitlin’s instincts sensed a warning in Dr. Flores’s words; a warning that went beyond mere medical advice. She lifted her eyes to his face, letting her gaze run over the distraught features he arduously shielded behind a cloak of professionalism. “Dr. Flores—”

“No, Caitlin. Whatever Halston has to say, he’ll tell you himself.” An expression of tenderness softened his face. “Let’s not keep him waiting.”

A short walk down the hall brought Caitlin to her father’s room. Inhaling a deep breath, she walked over to the bed where he lay with his eyes closed. Taking a seat in the recliner next to the bed, she studied her father’s pallid face. As if sensing her presence, a weak smile touched his mouth. His eyes opened slowly.

His gaunt appearance looked nothing like the robust man she’d always known and loved. Sickness had aged him beyond his fifty-eight years and he’d lost an enormous amount of weight. Caitlin had to bite back a strong urge to cry out in agony. Instead she remembered Dr. Flores’s words and took her father’s hand in hers. Immediately she sensed his loss of strength. Her heart ached.

Halston Parker forced out a ragged breath. “Caitlin?”

“Yeah, Dad. It’s me. Don’t try to talk now. I’m here, and I’m not going anyplace.”

He closed his eyes, then reopened them. A hint of a smile barely touched his mouth. He stared at her. Caitlin wondered if he saw her or was visualizing her mother whom she favored, his beloved Catherine, who’d died eight years ago. He had taken her mother’s sudden death from a ruptured appendix extremely hard, never fully recovering from it. It had been during that time their already close relationship had become even closer. He had devoted all of his time and attention to his only child. It was as if Caitlin had become the only thing that had kept him going in a world filled with extreme loneliness.

Caitlin sighed, remembering how, six months ago, he had encouraged her to accept a job offer that required a move to Fort Worth. He’d known about his condition and had sent her away to spare her the anguish of seeing him suffer. If only she had known…

She reached out and, with an unsteady hand, wiped beads of moisture from his forehead.

“Dex.”

Caitlin’s hand stopped moving, hanging in midair. Her eyes widened. Surely her mind and ears were playing tricks on her. Her father couldn’t have spoken the name of the only man she’d ever known him to despise…and the only man she’d ever loved. “Dad?”

Halston Parker stared at his daughter through glazed, dark eyes. “Call Dex. I need to see him.”

His words, although wrested from his lips, sounded clear and precise. Silently, Caitlin stared at him. She moistened her dry lips remembering Dr. Flores’s words— Don’t question anything he tells you— but with her father’s strange request, she couldn’t help asking, “Why would you want to see Dex, Dad?”

Pain clouded Halston Parker’s eyes, making them appear more deep set. His craggy jaw was covered lightly with a day’s growth of gray whiskers. His once-rugged features now looked muted and frail. New lines, a result of some emotion Caitlin couldn’t name, creased across his cheekbones. His nostrils flared slightly from labored breathing. “Tell him to come before…”

His words drifted off as his eyes closed slightly. He forced them back open to gaze at her. “Call Dex, Caitlin,” he pleaded raggedly in a voice so low Caitlin had to lean over to catch the words. He closed his eyes again.

Caitlin forced back a rush of tears. Why would her father want to see her ex-husband? She’d decided four years ago Dex would no longer be a part of her life. Since that time she’d managed to move ahead and not dwell on the love she’d given up. She couldn’t say she hadn’t looked back, because a few times she had. No, she confessed, more than a few times. A familiar twist of pain unfolded within her. It had been a decision she’d made and stood by.

Seeing that her father had lapsed into a deep sleep, she rose from the chair and went to the window. Could she do what her father had asked? Could she handle seeing Dex again? Would he come even at a dying man’s request?

She took a deep breath as numerous questions flowed through her mind. No matter what her father’s reasons were for wanting to see Dex, no matter what the chances were of her wounds being reopened, she would do as her father had asked. Telling Dex her father wanted to see him didn’t necessarily mean he would come. Why should he?

Walking out of the room, she went to use the pay phone in the lobby. She wasn’t even sure if Dex was in the States. The last she’d heard, he was still out of the country. Minutes later she dialed the residential telephone number in Houston that had been given to her by the operator.

After three rings she found herself listening to Dex’s answering machine. The sound of his deep, masculine voice nearly made her jump. It had been four years since she’d heard it. A sensation she thought had dissolved long ago crept down her spine. Even over the phone lines Dexter Madaris had the ability to make her knees weaken, her pulse escalate and her breathing thicken.

She quickly hung up the phone, deciding not to leave a message. She would try contacting him again later. A sigh whispered through Caitlin’s lips. Time hadn’t totally destroyed the effect Dex had on her. This unexpected revelation struck her suddenly. After four years she still couldn’t force the strong-jawed, dark handsome face with its sensuous voice out of her mind…and completely out of her heart.

But she had to. She couldn’t afford to go back and dwell on the past. But still, she couldn’t stop her mind from drifting back to that beautiful day in late May four years ago, when she and Dex had met…

Caitlin Parker had a hard time believing her eyes when her gaze settled on the handsome man who’d just entered the café. He moved with the grace of a black leopard, reflected in the powerful movement of his shoulders and muscles. There was a smooth leanness in his tall form, reminding her of a spirited athlete combined with a laid-back silent manner.

His jeans molded to his firm thighs and long legs, while his white shirt stretched tautly across his broad chest. When he removed the Stetson from his head, she saw that his naturally wavy black hair was cut short in what she considered a blatantly masculine style. His nut-brown features, bluntly strong and sensuous, seemed carved into his firm jawline, high forehead and straight nose. However, it was his eyes that took Caitlin’s breath away. There was something very cryptic about the charcoal-gray eyes scanning the room before coming to rest on her. After mumbling a few words to the waiter, he moved in her direction.

Caitlin was caught up with the handsome man’s approach to her table. Her grip tightened nervously around the glass of iced tea she held, attempting to control the trembling in her body, beginning with her fingers. It didn’t work. All attempts at control failed when he stood before her.

“Caitlin Parker?”

The sound of his deep voice nearly undid Caitlin, causing her to nod in mute silence.

“I’m Dexter Madaris. My uncle, Jake Madaris, had planned to meet with you but, unfortunately, he had to fly to Wyoming unexpectedly on business. He won’t be back for several days. As a favor, he asked me to come meet with you to discuss the summer job you’ve applied for. May I sit down?”

Caitlin could only stare, hypnotized by the man standing before her. He had to be, without a doubt, the sexiest man she’d ever seen.

“Miss Parker?”

At that moment Caitlin realized she hadn’t answered his request. Heat flushed her face and her lips trembled slightly with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Mr. Madaris. Yes, please have a seat.” She watched as he settled his lithe frame into the chair.

“How old are you, Miss Parker?”

“What?” Caitlin whispered, caught off guard by the question. His voice echoed a Texas drawl that made her breath lodge in her throat. Masculine and distinct, it conveyed a strength and an endurance all its own. Together, his eyes and voice were a deadly combination.

Dex smiled in a way Caitlin thought enhanced the fullness of his sensual mouth. “I asked how old you are?”

Caitlin cleared her throat. “I’m twenty-one. Why?”

“Because you look rather young for the job. By the way, you can call me Dex. Do you mind if I call you Caitlin?”

“Not at all.” She nervously lifted the glass of tea to her lips and asked, “And how old are you, Dex?”

He shot her a surprised glance before answering. “I’m thirty-two.”

The waiter came and took Dex’s order. Caitlin used the interruption to contain her breathing. Dex’s presence had her heart beating at an alarming rate.

“What about you, Caitlin? Can I order something for you?”

“No, thanks, I’m fine.”

Dex nodded then dismissed the waiter. “I understand you graduated from college a few days ago. Now that school’s over, why do you want to spend your summer working when you could be celebrating by heading for the beach, or the border like most of the other graduates?” he asked.

Caitlin looked away then returned her gaze to his. “In the fall I’m going back to college to begin a masters program. I really don’t consider what I’ll be doing this summer as work. I’ll get to do something I enjoy.”

“Working with computers?”

“Yes,” Caitlin replied, tensing under Dex’s direct stare. Somehow she managed a smile. “Besides, I’ve always wanted to spend some time on a real ranch.” She didn’t add that she’d often heard about the handsome cowboys and broncobusters that worked there. If he was a sample of what the place had to offer, then what she’d heard had been true.

“Oh?” Dex laughed softly. “And how does your family feel about that?”

“My mother died a few years ago, so it’s just me and my father. Although he’s not thrilled with the idea, I convinced him it would benefit me in the long run to gain a degree of experience in my field of study. But to pacify him, I’ve agreed to return to San Antonio for a while before going back to school in September.”

“San Antonio? Is that your home?”

“Yes.”

He studied her intently. “Do you always give in so easily?”

Caitlin lifted her brow, unsure whether he was referring to the incident with her father or something else. “No. I’ll stand my ground when I believe what I’m doing is right.”

The waiter interrupted them when he served Dex his drink. Caitlin watched as he took a sip and thought it was the most sensuous gesture she’d ever seen. She tried to submerge the heat flaring in her stomach as she watched the way his mouth touched the rim of the glass of wine, tipping it up to his lips, savoring the taste as it slowly slipped down his throat. She felt a strange ache in her limbs when he ran his tongue over his lips in appreciation of the wine’s fruity taste.

“Tell me a little more about your background, Caitlin.”

Caitlin tore her gaze from his mouth and directed her attention to the scented candle burning in the middle of their table. She cleared her throat. “I graduated from the University of Texas,” she said, “with a degree in computer technology and a minor in accounting. For the past three years, I’ve been part of the work-study program on campus, working in the computer department.”

Dex swirled the liquid around in his glass. A faint sparkle lit his eyes when he spoke. “Uncle Jake’s business is livestock. He raises cattle and horses and then sells them to farms all over the country. His reputation as an excellent stock breeder has spread, and over the years his business has grown tremendously.”

“I think everyone in Texas has heard of the Whispering Pines ranch and Jacob Madaris,” Caitlin said.

Dex took another sip of wine. “Fortunately he wants to upgrade his billing system. The system he’s using now is really outdated. What he wants you to do is to analyze his present setup and come up with some suggestions on computerizing his business accounts.”

Caitlin nodded. “Smart idea.”

“I agree, however, I may as well warn you that the person who does the bookkeeping, Delane Ormand, has been there for ages and detests change. According to Uncle Jake, she doesn’t feel comfortable working on a computer, since she doesn’t know anything about them. Think you can handle setting up the program and selling the idea of computerized accounting to Delane?”

There was a determined gleam in Caitlin’s eyes. “Yes,” she said with easy confidence. “Once Ms. Ormand realizes how much easier her work will become with a computer, she’ll love it.” Caitlin paused for a moment before asking, “Do you work at the ranch, too, Dex?”

He smiled. “No, I don’t work there, although I used to during summers and vacations while in high school and college. Right now, I’m just visiting my uncle. I’m a geologist in oil exploration. My company has transferred me to Australia for two years. I’ll be at the ranch for the next three weeks for some rest and relaxation before leaving the country.”

Caitlin hoped her face didn’t show her disappointment. She swallowed against the fullness in her throat. The intensity of Dex Madaris’s eyes stirred her insides. He had a way about him she was sure attracted numerous women. He was dangerous, not in the normal sense, but instead dangerous to one’s common sense.

She didn’t doubt for a minute he had the ability to make the most sensible woman throw all caution to the wind for an opportunity to get to know him intimately. Her cheeks heated from her candid thoughts. She twisted slightly in her chair.

“Is there something wrong, Caitlin?”

Her gaze flew to Dex’s face. She felt her body stir under his intense scrutiny. She suddenly realized she was dealing with a man with the ability to strip away any emotional barriers with one smoldering look.

“Caitlin?”

She inhaled deeply and forced herself to shake her head. “No, nothing’s wrong.”

Dex took another sip of his wine. “The pay is twelve dollars an hour and includes your room and board. Uncle Jake figures the project shouldn’t take any longer than four to six weeks. Are you absolutely sure you want the job?”

“Yes, I’m positive.”

“Then it’s yours.”

Joy swept through Caitlin. “Thank you.”

A widened smile touched Dex’s lips. “How soon can you begin—?”

“Caitlin?”

The soft, gentle voice brought Caitlin’s thoughts back to the present. She immediately recognized the person standing before her. “Reverend Timmons. I’m so glad you came…”

By the time Dex crawled into bed that night, he was bone tired. Before returning home from the restaurant, he’d stopped by his office, and he and his project foreman and good friend, Trevor Grant, had worked well past midnight going over an important job proposal.

The ringing of the telephone interrupted what he’d hoped to be the beginning of a good night’s sleep. Reaching over to the nightstand, he picked up the phone.

“Yeah?” When Dex didn’t get a response but heard the faint sound of breathing on the other end, he became annoyed. “Who the hell is this? State your business or hang up.”

“Dex?”

Dex frowned, trying to recognize the voice. “Who wants to know?”

There was a pause. “It’s Caitlin, Dex.”

The words were a hard blow to Dex’s firm stomach. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, finding himself drenched first with disbelief, then a surge of renewed anger. There was a tightness in his throat. “What do you want, Caitlin?” His words were clipped and devoid of any emotion except one. Bitterness.

“I’m calling for my dad. He’s very ill and wants to see you. I don’t know why, but he’s asking for you. Please come, Dex.”

Dex’s jaw stiffened and his eyes hardened like ice. The urge to tell her father where he could go—in not so nice words—was on the tip of his tongue, but he hesitated. He wasn’t that heartless. Besides, Caitlin sounded scared and he heard the pain and anguish in her voice.

“What’s wrong with your old man this time, Caitlin? The last time I saw him he wasn’t doing so hot, either. If my memory serves me correctly, it was the news of our sudden marriage that sent him to the hospital with a heart attack. Have you decided to marry again and Daddy Dearest can’t handle it?”

“Dex, please. Don’t. My—my father is dying of cancer and wants to see you.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. However, he and I aren’t the best of friends. What’s this all about?”

“I don’t know. But he wants to see you. Please come see him. P-please.” Her tearful plea came through the phone lines.

A tightness squeezed Dex’s chest and instead of his anger intensifying, he found his heart losing some of its hardness with her plea. He loathed himself for allowing her to get next to him after all this time—after she had turned her back on him and his love. But something was happening to him he hadn’t counted on, something he didn’t understand. Even after four years of hurt, she could still arouse a degree of protectiveness in him.

A natural instinct to protect her from any type of pain kept his bitterness in check. Her words penetrated his mind. Her father was dying? Then he could just imagine the depth of her agony. He, of all people, knew just how much the old man meant to her. He hesitated briefly before answering. “Where is he?”

“Baptist Memorial Hospital, the eighth floor.”

Dex took a deep breath. “I’m on my way.”

After hanging up the phone he let his head fall back against the pillow. He stared at the ceiling. Could he handle seeing Caitlin again? He didn’t love her anymore, but the pain she’d caused him was like a wound that wouldn’t heal. Her decision to end their marriage before giving it a chance was an act he could never forgive her for.

His heart felt like it was ready to explode in his chest. In a short space of time she had become his life, his very reason for existing.

He should never have let it get to that point. After all, he had seen firsthand what falling head-over-heels in love with a woman could do. His best friend, Greg, had taken his own life over a woman while they were in college at Morehouse. Dex had vowed never to become a victim of love to that extreme. And he had kept his vow—until he had met Caitlin.

His mind reflected on their first meeting. He’d fallen in love with her the first time he’d seen her that day in the restaurant. Her beauty had nearly taken his breath away. She had eyes the color of dark coffee. Her face, burnished bronze in color, had sharp, high cheekbones, a perfectly shaped mouth and a flawlessly aligned nose. Silken strands of jet-black hair had fallen in soft curls around her shoulders. Each attribute had added radiance to her warm unblemished features.

The timing had been awful. He was to leave the country within three weeks. Besides, she was young—eleven years his junior. But those things hadn’t kept him from wanting her, from loving her.

In the beginning, for the first couple of days after she’d come to work at his uncle Jake’s ranch, he’d kept his distance. Then Clayton had arrived and had immediately set his sights on their uncle’s newest employee.

Convincing himself he was saving Caitlin from the clutches of his womanizing younger brother, Dex began pursuing her himself. It was only later that he’d discovered Clayton had somehow picked up on his intense but unacknowledged attraction for Caitlin, and had played devil’s advocate, propelling Dex into action. What followed had been a whirlwind romance between him and Caitlin.

After spending time with her, he had felt that although she was eleven years younger than him, she was a young woman who knew her mind. She had acted more mature than her twenty-one years. The more time he had spent with her, the more he became sure that he wanted her as the woman in his life—forever. He couldn’t handle the thought of going to Australia and leaving her behind. There were a number of good universities in Australia where she could obtain the additional education she wanted to pursue. When he had asked her to marry him, she had readily accepted.

Within two weeks they were married in a rushed ceremony at Whispering Pines ranch with just his uncle and Clayton present. It was only when they were on their way to meet each other’s families, that he had an opportunity to dwell on her reluctance to notify her father about their marriage.

Although surprised by his unexpected marriage, his parents and siblings accepted Caitlin into the family with open arms. But nothing, Dex thought, could have prepared him for the horrible scene they’d encountered upon arriving at Caitlin’s home and announcing their marriage and her plans to accompany him to Australia.

Halston Parker had gone into a rage, which subsequently doubled him over clutching his chest. After he was rushed to the hospital, Caitlin had been told he’d suffered a mild heart attack.

She had been upset and besieged with guilt. Dex had spent his last day in the States pacing the waiting room of the hospital with her. He’d somehow managed to convince her to come back to the hotel with him. Once there, she had found comfort in his arms. He’d made love to her to erase her fears. The next morning he had felt her withdraw from him, and wondered if their newfound love could withstand the external pressures.

Before catching a cab for the airport, he had literally begged her to join him in Australia as soon as her father recovered. She had promised him she would.

As the weeks passed and she’d begun avoiding his nightly phone calls, he’d made arrangements to return to the States on an emergency leave. The day he was to depart, he received the divorce papers and Caitlin’s wedding ring. She wanted out of their marriage.

According to the brief letter she’d enclosed with her ring, she claimed she loved him, but her father needed her more and she couldn’t leave him. She thought it best they end their marriage.

The impact of her decision had hurt deeply. Deeper than any pain was supposed to hurt. He had always known and understood the internal war he had fought since Greg’s suicide. He had waged such a fierce battle against ever falling in love that when it happened, he had been totally consumed by it. Caitlin had been everything he had ever wanted and desired in a woman. And when he had fallen for her, he’d fallen hard. No one, and that included his family, had understood the depth of his bitterness after his breakup with Caitlin. Considering her age when they had married, and the brief period of time they had known each other, Caitlin’s actions, as far as his family were concerned, had not been surprising.

Unfortunately he did not share their reasoning. The way he saw it, Caitlin had said her vows and had made promises, and neither was meant to be broken.

Sighing deeply, Dex reached for the phone and began dialing.

“Hello?”

“Clayton, I’m leaving tonight for San Antonio.”