His Most Suitable Bride

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?

Chapter Five

Callie exited Reese’s office with purposeful strides. She could feel his gaze following her progress down the never-ending hallway that eventually spilled into the law firm’s reception area. Was he watching her departure with a smile on his face?

Or did he wear that thoughtful expression she found so appealing? She desperately wanted to glance over her shoulder to discover what was in his eyes.

She kept walking, ensuring each step was precisely placed on the floor, one foot in front of the other. Heel, toe. Heel, toe. No doubt she appeared in complete control of herself.

Not true.

Her emotions, though carefully contained, were in tatters.

Why had she agreed to Reese’s suggestion they become friends? It was true, she’d once wished to grow close to the man, perhaps even build something more than a friendship. But that had been before he’d asked Fanny to marry him.

Even if he hadn’t offered for her sister’s hand, Callie was still, well, Callie. A staid, boring, sensible woman who took no missteps, crossed no lines and certainly never befriended a man outside her own family.

Feeling confused—and so very much alone—she attempted to pray for discernment as she exited Bennett, Bennett and Brand law offices. A cool, gentle breeze caressed her face yet the words wouldn’t come, even in the privacy of her own mind. She hunched her shoulders forward and approached the waiting carriage.

“Ready to go, Miss Callie?”

“Yes, Horace.” She smiled at Mrs. Singletary’s coach driver. “I am more than ready to go home.”

Home. Where was home for her now? Mrs. Singletary’s massive house? The Mitchell family ranch?

Neither place called to her.

Another reason she felt so alone. Lord, where do I belong?

Heavyhearted, she climbed into the carriage. Once settled on the butter-soft calfskin seat, she rapped on the ceiling. The coach jerked into motion. Tightly coiled springs absorbed most of the dips and bumps along the twenty-minute journey across town. So smooth was the ride, in fact, that Callie relaxed her head against the plush squabs.

Her thoughts, however, continued to race.

Why—oh, why—had she reacted to Reese’s obvious attempt to bait her? She may be many things, but afraid? Rarely. And yet...

She was afraid now. Afraid of what came next. Afraid of what a friendship between her and Reese really meant, especially with regard to Fanny.

A sob worked its way up her throat. For an instant, just one beat of her heart, she wished her sister would stay away forever. In the most hidden part of Callie’s soul the truth rang loud.

She resented Fanny.

The girl had callously walked away from a good man, the best of them all. And now, that same man claimed he wanted to be Callie’s friend. Her friend.

No good would come from such an arrangement. Friendship often blossomed into something deeper. That was her greatest fear. Because, deep down, it was her greatest hope.

In fresh agony, she pressed her fingertips to her temples and squeezed her eyes closed. She knew the situation was hopeless—truly, she did—yet Callie yearned for something more. Something life-altering.

Something...she had no business wishing for herself.

The carriage drew to an abrupt halt, splintering the rest of her thoughts.

Thankful for the interruption, Callie gathered up the leather briefcase Reese had given her and exited the carriage.

Mrs. Singletary’s butler met her just inside the front entryway. Thick threads of silver encroached on the few strands of red left in his hair, but his broad, welcoming smile erased at least ten years from his heavily lined face.

“Mrs. Singletary is waiting for you in her office, Miss Callie.”

“Thank you, Winston.” She smiled in return. “I’ll head right up.”

Leather satchel pressed against her heart, she hurried through the cavernous foyer with its mile-high ceiling and expensive chandelier hanging from the center. The sound of her heels striking the imported marble reverberated off the richly decorated walls, where several oil paintings had been strategically placed for optimal effect.

Callie paused at the foot of the winding stairwell to study a portrait of Mrs. Singletary and her now-deceased husband. The two looked beyond happy, yet Callie felt a wave of sadness as she stared into their smiling faces. They’d had so little time together, barely fifteen years.

It should have been a lifetime.

Sighing, she mounted the stairs. At the second-floor landing, she turned left and worked her way through the labyrinth of corridors that led to the back of the house.

As the butler had indicated, she found Mrs. Singletary in her office. The widow sat in an overstuffed chair, her head bent over a book, Lady Macbeth spread out on her lap.

Neither the widow nor the cat noticed Callie’s arrival. She took the opportunity to glance around the room. Bold afternoon sunlight spread across the empty stone hearth. Bookshelves lined three of the other four walls. The scent of leather and old book bindings mingled with Mrs. Singletary’s perfume, a pleasant mix of lavender and roses and...

Callie was stalling, though she couldn’t think why.

Squaring her shoulders, she rapped lightly on the doorjamb to gain the widow’s attention.

Mrs. Singletary lifted her head. “Ah, there you are.” She closed her book and set it on the small, round table beside her. “I trust everything went according to plan.”

What an odd choice of words.

Had Mrs. Singletary sent her to Bennett, Bennett and Brand with a purpose other than business in mind?

That would certainly explain Reese’s initial confusion when she’d stepped into his office.

Then again...

He’d been buried in legal briefs prior to her arrival. He’d recovered quickly enough and had given Callie a stack of papers to deliver to her employer. Papers contained in the leather case she now held.

Papers his law clerk could have delivered, as was usually the case.

Realizing her steps had slowed to a halt Callie resumed moving through the room and addressed her suspicions directly. “I must say, Mr. Bennett appeared genuinely surprised to see me in his office this afternoon.”

The words had barely left her lips when her foot caught on the fringe of an area rug and she momentarily lost her balance. In her attempt to right herself, the satchel flew from her hands.

Callie rushed forward. Unfortunately, she picked up the briefcase at the wrong end and the contents spilled out.

“Oh, oh, no.” She dropped to her knees and began picking up the papers as quickly as possible. “I’m not usually so clumsy.”

“Not to worry, dear.” Mrs. Singletary set her cat on the ottoman in front of her chair and joined Callie on the floor. “These things happen.”

Together, they retrieved the strewn papers, placing them in a neat pile between them.

Lady Macbeth, evidently sensing a new game afoot, leaped on top of the stack and plopped her hindquarters down with regal feline arrogance.

The widow laughed. “Move aside, my lady.” She playfully poked the cat in her ribs. “You are in the way.”

The animal lowered to her belly, her challenging glint all but daring her mistress to protest.

Wrinkling her nose at the ornery animal, Callie carefully pulled papers out from beneath the furry belly. She managed to free the bulk of them when the cat gazed at the new pile with narrow-eyed intent.

“Oh, no, you don’t.” Callie snatched the papers off the floor and placed them on the table next to Mrs. Singletary’s book.

Not to be deterred, Lady Macbeth went after a lone sheet of paper that had landed farther away than the rest.

Callie moved a shade quicker. “Ha.”

Swishing her tail in hard, jerky movements, Lady Macbeth stalked off toward the fireplace and curled up on a rug near the grate.

Disaster averted, Callie glanced down at the paper in her hand. There was a crease in the center of the page, indicating it had once been folded in two. Written in a bold, masculine hand, it looked like a record of some kind, an inventory perhaps.

The third item from the top captured her notice. Loves children, wants several, at least five but no more than seven.

Beneath that odd statement, was another equally confusing entry. Must come from a good family and value strong family ties.

Callie frowned.

What sort of list had she stumbled upon?

Realizing it was none of her business, she pressed the paper into Mrs. Singletary’s hand. “This is clearly meant for your eyes only.”

The widow scanned the page in silence then clicked her tongue in obvious disapproval. “That man is going to be my greatest challenge yet.”

At the genuine look of concern in the woman’s eyes, Callie angled her head. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, dear. Not just yet.” The widow refolded the paper at the crease and stowed the list inside a pocket of her skirt. “Later, perhaps, once I consider my options I shall ask for your assistance.”

Her tone invited no further questions.

Shrugging, Callie searched the floor around her. She found no more papers. “I think that’s all of them.” She sat back on her heels. “Would you like me to leave you alone to review the papers Mr. Bennett sent over?”

“Thank you, yes.” The widow nodded distractedly. “I would.”

“I’ll be in my room if you need me.” Callie rose to her feet and started for the door.

“Not so fast, dear.”

She pivoted back around. “Yes, ma’am?”

“About the dinner party I have planned for Friday evening. I should like for you to attend as one of my guests.”

Callie felt her eyes widen in surprise. In the entire month of her employment she’d attended precisely none of Mrs. Singletary’s parties. “You wish for me to attend as...as...a guest?”

“Quite so.” The widow moved back to her chair and began spreading the legal papers across her lap. “Now that one of the ladies has declined her invitation there will be too many men at the table. Your presence will even out the numbers.”

A hard ball of dread knotted in Callie’s stomach. In the span of a single day, her perfectly ordered world was no longer so perfectly ordered. But aside from direct insubordination, Callie saw no other recourse than to agree to her employer’s request.

“If you wish for me to attend your party then, of course, Mrs. Singletary, I am happy to oblige.”

“Excellent. Most excellent, indeed.”

Again, Callie turned to go.

Again, Mrs. Singletary called her back. “One final thing, dear.”

Forcing a bright smile, she turned around a second time, preparing herself for the rest. Because, of course, there was more. With Mrs. Singletary, there was always more. “Yes?”

“When Jane and I were cleaning out my closet this afternoon we came across a lovely crimson gown that isn’t at all the right color for my complexion. The garment would look far better on, say, a woman with—” the widow pinned Callie with a sly look “—flaxen hair.”

Wasn’t that convenient? Callie thought miserably, as she smoothed her hand over her light blond flaxen hair.

“I should like for you to wear the dress to the party.”

Naturally.

Callie suppressed a sigh as yet another piece of her ordered life chipped away.

“Is there anything else?” she dared to ask.

“That is all for now.” The widow waved a hand in dismissal. “You may go.”

This time, when Callie stepped into the hallway, the widow did not protest her departure. A small victory, to be sure. But with the day she’d had, one she gladly claimed.

* * *

Despite a last-minute meeting with a new client, and the onset of a thundershower just as he left the office, Reese arrived at Mrs. Singletary’s home a full minute before the designated time on the invitation. He stepped into the foyer at the precise moment a large grandfather clock began chiming the top of the hour.

As he shook off the rain, the widow’s butler stepped forward and took his hat. “Good evening, Mr. Bennett.”

“Good evening, Winston.” Reese handed over his coat and gloves next. “Am I the first to arrive?”

“You are one of the last,” the butler informed him. “The other guests are gathered in the blue sitting room.”

“Has my father arrived yet?”