Читать книгу His Most Suitable Bride - Renee Ryan - Страница 13

Chapter Four

Years of practiced restraint kept Callie from gasping at Reese’s request. But...but...glory. He’d just asked to speak with her. Alone.

She couldn’t think why.

And that, Callie decided, was the primary source of her distress. Her shoulders wanted to bunch. Her knees threatened to give way beneath her. But she remained perfectly still.

Perfectly.

Still.

No easy task. Not with Reese looking at her with all that intensity. He was so focused on her she had a sudden, irrational urge to rush out of his office without a backward glance.

Callie had never been one to run from a difficult conversation. She would not start now.

Still, Reese’s command, spoken so abruptly, was out of character. Why would he wish to speak with her, alone?

Seeking a clue—any would do—she slid a covert glance over his face. His chin jerked, very faintly, a sure sign that he’d shocked even himself with his words.

“Well, then.” A corner of the elder Mr. Bennett’s mouth curled upward. “I believe that’s my cue to depart.”

Callie started. She’d forgotten Reese’s father still held her hands. Had he noticed the faint tremor in her fingers?

“There’s no need to leave so soon,” she said on an exhale. Even to her own ears, her voice sounded exceptionally calm, almost detached, with the emotional depth of a stone. Perfect. “I’m sure whatever your son has to say can be expressed in front of you.”

She hoped.

“Perhaps. But alas, I have another appointment calling me away.” With a fatherly smile, he gave her hands a quick squeeze before releasing her. “It was a pleasure running in to you, my dear. We must make this a more common occurrence.”

The kindness in his voice, as much as the sentiment itself, calmed her nerves considerably.

“Oh, yes, Mr. Bennett.” She managed to get both sides of her mouth to lift in a responding smile. “That would be lovely, indeed.”

She’d always felt comfortable around this man, as though he was a second father. Callie desperately wanted him to stay but couldn’t think of a reason why he should, other than to beg him to serve as a shield between her and his son.

Callie Mitchell was made of sterner stuff.

“Reese.” Mr. Bennett gave his son a short nod. “We will continue our discussion another time.”

A muscle knotted in Reese’s jaw as he returned his father’s nod with one of his own.

Another smile in Callie’s direction and the elder Mr. Bennett quit the room.

She remained precisely where she stood, twisting the handle of her reticule between her fingers. She hated this anxious, almost panicky sensation spreading through her. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be helped. Simply standing in the same room with Reese caused her anxiety.

She should not be here, alone with him.

She wanted to be nowhere else.

Time slowed. The moment grew thick with tension, the silence between them so heavy that Callie could hear their individual breathing.

“I don’t think this is a wise idea, Mr. Bennett,” she said, mostly to herself, and meaning it with all her heart.

“Callie.” His lips flattened in a grim line. “At this juncture in our acquaintance, perhaps it’s time you called me Reese.”

She looked at him blankly, absently noting the way sunlight from the window emphasized the dark, rich brown of his eyes, the color of freshly brewed coffee. “Oh. But I—”

“I insist.” His tone was both gentle and firm.

A dangerous pang snatched at her heart and the rebellious part of her thought, Well, why not, we’ve known one another for years?

“If you insist.” She lifted her chin a fraction higher. “Then, yes, I should very much like to call you Reese.”

His name came from low in her throat, and sounded really quite wonderful, as if she’d been meant to say his name, just that way, all her life.

She sighed. “Was that all you wished to say to me?”

“No.” He rubbed a hand across his forehead. “Forgive me for not getting to the point sooner. I’ve spent the majority of the afternoon pouring over legal briefs and my mind is still half on the pages.”

His confession softened her guard and Callie found herself feeling a moment of deep affection for this man. “My brother is much the same way,” she said. “After a long day of pouring over contracts, Garrett is the worst conversationalist imaginable.”

Reese visibly relaxed at this. “Then you understand my abruptness earlier.”

“Indeed I do.”

A shadow of a smile played across his lips.

Callie responded in kind.

For that one moment, everything felt right between them, comfortable even, a solidarity that went beyond words.

But then...

Reese’s brow creased in thought. His brow often creased in thought, she realized, rather liking the result. The studious look made him appear half as stern as usual, twice as appealing. And so very, very handsome.

“You mentioned that Mrs. Singletary sent you over to retrieve a package from me.” His brows pulled tighter together, making him appear more confused than thoughtful. “Do you know what package she meant?”

“She didn’t give me any details.” Callie tried to shrug off her own bafflement. “She merely said that you would be expecting me before the end of business today.”

Frowning now, he glanced at his desk.

Callie followed the direction of his gaze, but saw no package, only several piles of papers, a cup of writing utensils, countless ledgers of assorted sizes and an ink pot.

“She must have meant the revised contracts.” Making a sound deep in his throat, Reese moved around to the other side of his desk. Instead of reaching for one of the larger stacks, he placed his hand over a single piece of paper. Folded from top to bottom, it looked more like a letter than a legal brief.

Shaking his head, he muttered something under his breath. Callie didn’t catch all of what he said, but she thought she might have heard something about meddlesome, interfering woman.

“Mr. Bennett...I mean, Reese,” she amended when he looked up sharply. “Is something the matter?”

He drummed his fingers atop the letter. “No.” He drew in a slow, careful breath. “Everything is in order.”

His tone said otherwise.

“You are certain?”

For a span of three breaths, he said nothing, merely held her gaze. Then, he gave a single nod of his head. “Yes.”

He looked back down at his desk, reached out and stuffed one of the smaller stacks into a leather satchel.

He started to flip over the lid then paused.

His gaze shifted to where the folded piece of paper still sat. A moment’s hesitation and, with a swift move, he picked up the letter and placed that inside the satchel, as well.

His lips were twisted at a wry angle as he came back around his desk. “Here you are. The package Mrs. Singletary sent you to retrieve.”

“Thank you.”

Their fingers briefly touched as he transferred the satchel into her care. Callie smothered a gasp as her heartbeat picked up speed. Her mouth went dry.

Every muscle in her body tensed.

Her strong, inexplicable, tangible reaction over a light brush of their hands mortified her.

Hiding her reaction beneath lowered lashes, she turned to go.

Reese’s voice stopped her at the threshold of his office. “Callie.”

She paused, looked over her shoulder. “Yes?”

“I still have more to say to you.”

Glory. That sounded ominous.

His footsteps struck the wood floor as he approached her from behind. Closer. Closer. He reached around her, grabbed the door as if to shut it, then quickly dropped his hand and stepped back.

Callie felt a cold rush of air sweep over her.

“I prefer not to speak to your back.”

She turned around to face him.

He leaned toward her, a mere fraction closer. “I wanted to tell you...” His words trailed off as he considered her through slightly narrowed eyes. “That is, have a nice day.”

Have a nice day? Reese had asked her to face him so he could tell her to have a nice day?

Perplexed, she gave up all pretense of control and gaped at the confounding man. If she was wise, she would turn around again and walk out the door. After, of course, she issued the same nonsensical platitude he’d just given her.

Or...

She could be a little more daring. She could tap in to the woman she’d been long ago, before a secret scandal had nearly ruined her.

“No, Reese.” She took a step toward him. “I will not have a nice day.”

A single, winged eyebrow lifted in surprise. “I beg your pardon?”

“I have five brothers,” she said in way of explanation. “Three older and two younger.”

Now both eyebrows rose.

It was a very intimidating look. Dark, brooding, slightly dangerous. Most women would be cowed. Callie was not. “I know precisely when a man is skirting around the truth.”

“Did you just call me out for lying?”

At the sound of his masculine outrage, mutiny swept through her, making her bolder than she’d been in a very long time.

“Take it however you will. But I’m not leaving this office until you tell me exactly why you really asked to speak with me—” she closed the distance between them and pinned him with her gaze “—and why you requested to do so in private.”

* * *

Reese’s chest felt odd. His pulse quickened in his veins. His throat tightened. All because this woman, a woman he’d known for years, had morphed into a completely different creature than the docile, overly polite, levelheaded wallflower she presented to the world.

The transformation had nothing to do with the clothes she wore. And everything to do with the woman herself.

Proud and defiant now, her unwavering gaze locked with his. She was clearly waiting for him to explain himself, to tell her why he’d requested a private word with her.

He couldn’t remember why. He could barely organize his thoughts beyond the shocked realization that the woman leaning toward him with a fierce scowl on her face was a total stranger.

Callie Mitchell usually drifted along the edges of most rooms, never drawing attention to herself, never making waves. At the moment, that woman was nowhere to be found.

On the surface, she’d changed nothing but her dress. Yet now, Reese saw the woman beneath the dull facade. A little wilder, a tad more dangerous, exciting and—

“Reese?”

He’d been staring too long.

He opened his mouth, then shut it again as several voices rang out from the hallway. Not wanting an audience, Reese reached to take Callie’s arm. He dropped his hand before making contact. Touching her would be a terrible idea.

The worst of all terrible ideas.

He motioned her deeper into the office with a nod of his head. He did not, however, close the door behind her.

There was privacy. And then there was privacy.

“Please, Callie, take a seat.” He indicated the set of chairs facing his desk.

She nodded, moving through the room with exaggerated dignity, her steps graceful yet carefully monitored.

Always so controlled, he thought, always hiding behind a veil of self-possession and restraint.

How well he understood.

The realization they had that in common left him vaguely disturbed.

Her posture perfectly precise, she lowered into the burgundy wing-back chair facing his desk and placed the leather satchel upon her lap.

After a moment of consideration, Reese chose to sit in the empty chair beside her.

She twisted her hands together. With all emotion stripped from her face, she nearly fooled him into thinking she was completely self-possessed. But her gaze didn’t quite meet his, landing instead on a spot just above his right eye.

She was nervous.

Good to know he wasn’t the only one feeling uneasy.

Now that he had Callie alone—mostly—Reese wasn’t sure how to broach the subject that had been nagging at him for some time now. The direct approach was always best. “We need to discuss the changing nature of our relationship.”

Her gaze whipped to his and he noted, somewhat inappropriately, that her eyelashes were long, utterly enchanting and several shades darker than her blond hair.

“I wasn’t aware we had a relationship.”

He frowned at her stiff tone, oddly irritated. “Of course we do.” It was awkward and uncomfortable, to be sure, but existed all the same. “Now that you are Mrs. Singletary’s companion and I’m once again in charge of her business affairs, our paths will cross often.”

“Mrs. Singletary said the same thing just this morning.” She lowered her gaze. “My brother taking that job in St. Louis has brought changes to all our lives.”

Before now, Reese hadn’t considered what the attorney’s departure meant to Callie. “You miss him.”

“Very much.” She worked her hands together in her lap. “I also miss his wife, Molly.”

“You two were close?”

“Oh, yes, but not as close as—” She broke off, drew her bottom lip between her teeth, looked everywhere but at him.

“Not as close as you and Fanny,” he finished for her.

She nodded. “I miss her most of all.”

“That’s understandable. You are sisters. And the only two girls in a large family of boys.” As an only child he couldn’t imagine what it was like to grow up with that many siblings.

“Fanny has always been my best friend.” She met his gaze. “We are only eleven months apart in age.”

Reese tried not to show his surprise, even as he did a mental calculation. He’d always thought Callie far older than her sister. Her maturity, her outer calm and, of course, her ability to control her emotions were qualities he attributed to a woman far older than twenty-three.

“Have you heard from your sister recently?”

“No.” She shook her head. “She has not answered any of my letters.”

“None of them?”

“Not one.”

That didn’t sound like Fanny. Then again, Reese was quickly discovering how little he knew the woman he’d once asked to marry him. How could she not respond to her only sister’s letters?

No wonder Callie appeared upset.

For a shocking moment, he yearned to pull her to him and offer what comfort he could. The urge grew stronger when she wiped secretly at her eyes and snuffled a little. The sound was practically nonexistent, and all the more sorrowful because of the restraint.

“It must be difficult,” he said, lowering his voice, “not hearing from your own sister.”

“You have no idea.” Her expression closed, but not before he’d seen the hint of misery in her eyes. “Have you heard from Fanny?”

“Of course not.”

“I’m so sorry. Oh, Reese, truly I am.” Her hand reached out and touched his forearm, as if she thought he needed comforting. “Do not despair. Fanny will come to her senses.”

Surely, Callie didn’t think he pined for her sister. For a long, tense moment, he watched her watching him with silent sympathy in her gaze.

This, he realized, was why he’d wanted to speak with her alone. They needed to sort a few things out between them. “I miss your sister, it’s true. But not, perhaps, as you may think.” He held her gaze, willing her to hear him. “I miss our friendship.”

“Your...friendship?” She said the word as if tasting something foul. “Surely Fanny was more to you than a friend.”

“At the time I issued my proposal I believed your sister and I were well suited.” An error in judgment he didn’t plan to repeat. Perhaps relying on Mrs. Singletary’s help would turn out to be a wise move, after all. What better way to avoid pursuing the wrong woman again? “I’m not what your sister wants.”

Callie flinched as though he’d slapped her. “Don’t say that. Of course you are. Fanny is going to change her mind, I just know it. And then you and she can—”

“No, we can’t.”

“But—” she blinked at him “—if she came home, wouldn’t you want to—”

“I would not.” He touched her hand briefly, once again willing her to hear him. Really hear him. “Even if Fanny changed her mind tomorrow, I would not want her back.”

Her eyes widened. Then narrowed. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you to understand that your sister and I will never marry.” He waited for her to process his words, then added, “However, just because I’m not engaged to Fanny anymore doesn’t mean you and I can’t be...”

He paused, not sure how to continue. Even taking into account the personal nature of their discussion, this conversation shouldn’t be so difficult. He was a trained lawyer, skilled at putting words together to make his case.

“I don’t want there to be any more awkwardness between us,” he said, finally coming to the crux of the matter.

Her shoulders relaxed, just a hair, but enough for Reese to know she agreed with him. “I don’t want that, either,” she said, her eyes shining bright with emotion.

Those eyes, he thought, they were unlike any he’d ever seen. How had he never noticed the various shades of green in them, or the way thin, gold flecks wove through the irises?

He cleared his throat, a gesture he seemed to repeat far too often in this woman’s company.

“I believe you and I could be friends.” He told himself this was a necessary step if they were going to be in daily contact. But, strangely, conversely, Reese actually wanted to be friends with this woman. “I’m willing to make the attempt.”

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she angled her head. “You used the same term to describe your relationship with Fanny. Are you not concerned what she will think when she comes home and discovers we have become...friends?”

“No.”

Something flickered in Callie’s eyes. A hint of rebellion? Reluctant interest, perhaps? Either way, he had her attention. And now that he did, he decided to change tactics. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid.”

She abruptly straightened in her chair, her spine as stiff as a fire poker, her face free of expression. “What a ridiculous notion.”

Oh, this woman was a true master of control.

Some long-remembered defiant streak of his own wanted to ruffle her calm. Just how far could he push this woman, Reese wondered?

He leaned in closer still. “Are you afraid of me, Callie?”

She sniffed with obvious disdain. “Never.”

He’d known that would be her response. Somehow, he’d known. “Then we start anew, right now.”

“You are very persistent.”

She had no idea how persistent he could be when he wanted something. He wanted Callie’s friendship. More than he should.

More than was wise.

“What do you say?” Feeling more alive than he had in years, he reached out his hand. “Shall we be friends?”

She took his hand, her smile bolder than before and far too appealing. “I’d like nothing better than to forge a friendship with you...Reese.”

The way she said his name, low and challenging, filled his chest with dread.

What have I just done?