Illusive Flame

by Girard, Dara

  Hunter Randolph. She repeated the name twice in her mind. She knew about the Randolph Medical Supply Company, but his name didn’t register. She raised a brow. “Yes...okay, and I’m Brenna Garrett. If we’ve met before I’m afraid I don’t remember.” If they had met before, she was certain she would have.

  He glanced around the office with a guarded expression that gave no indication what he thought of her office’s peach colored walls with abstract paintings of embracing couples. The wind gently toyed with the petals of the white and yellow tulips on her windowsill, their fragrance lightly scenting the air. It was disconcerting that a man who was evidently so angry could look so calm. “No, we’ve never met.” He straightened his gray sports jacket then met her eyes. “You have, however, met my fiancée, Janice Brinkton.”

  Brenna widened her eyes, but quickly controlled her features before her mouth dropped open. Janice was his fiancée? “That’s impossible. Janice is engaged to Michael Peterson.”

  “She was engaged to me first.”

  Brenna stared at him as the pieces finally came together, but all she could say was, “Oh.”

  He folded his arms. “Now you understand.”

  She nodded. “Yes, she dumped you.”

  His arms fell. “She must have been suffering from cold feet. That’s the best explanation I can come up with. Why else would she come here? Maybe she was just curious.” He shifted in his chair, his eyes accusing. “Don’t you check your clients’ backgrounds to see if they are in relationships first or do you also provide married women with boy toys and married men with mistresses?”

  Brenna kept her tone level, refusing to let him upset her. “Janice made it clear she was not involved with anyone.”

  His voice was low. “She lied.”

  “Well, liars make poor wives, Mr. Randolph. Consider yourself lucky.”

  He tapped the arm of the chair. “That’s not the point.”

  “What is the point?”

  “She was engaged to me and you encouraged her to run off with another man without giving me the chance to win her back.”

  Brenna could understand why Janice would choose to run off. Hunter’s name fit him perfectly. There was a calm, watching quality about him that would make a person cautious. He was too patient; too calculated. If Janice had given him the opportunity to win her back, he would have. The only way to escape him would be to catch him off guard and run into the arms of another man. But would another man be a strong enough defense? An uneasy thought flashed through Brenna’s mind.

  “Did you hurt him?” she asked.

  “Who?”

  “Michael.” She couldn’t help assessing his form again. He made Michael’s slim build appear almost boyish.

  “Why? Do I have blood on my knuckles?”

  She was not amused by his sarcasm. “It’s not funny. With your passionate nature I know you must have been upset and perhaps not yourself for a few moments.”

  He looked offended. “I do not have a passionate nature, Ms. Garrett. However, I can assure you that had I taken the liberty to make my dissatisfaction clear, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”

  “Where would you be?”

  He didn’t reply, inviting her to create an answer.

  Brenna nodded, seeing no need to elaborate. “Let’s look at this from another angle. Are you certain you were engaged or had that been your plan?”

  “It was understood.”

  “By whom? You?”

  “I told her I would marry her when I returned from New York. Our families have known each other for years. I was only gone for two months. If she had any misgivings she could have come to me and I would have been able to allay her fears and assure her how appropriate our union was.”

  “Perhaps she didn’t come to you because she didn’t want her fears allayed? Maybe she knew you would convince her to marry you.”

  He looked blank. “Exactly.”

  Brenna bit her lip trying to choose her words carefully. Unfortunately, she found nothing that would be subtle, so she decided to be blunt. “Mr. Randolph, she didn’t want to be won back because she didn’t want to marry you.”

  He straightened clearly perplexed. “Why not? I would have made an excellent husband. I’m successful, organized, dependable—”

  “Do you love her?”

  “Considering you own a company called Love by Design, I am sure you recognize that emotions such as ‘love’ can be manufactured. I believe that common interests and backgrounds are the basic needed components for a lasting relationship such as marriage.”

  A slow smile spread on her face. “You’re an excellent businessman, Mr. Randolph. Very skillful at giving vague answers to direct questions. However, let me make this easy for you. I only require a yes or no response. Do you love her?”

  For a moment, Hunter looked uncomfortable. “I’ve known her since we were kids. I would have grown to love her.”

  “So the answer is...?” She trailed off giving him the opportunity to finish the statement. He stared at her. She glanced past him unable to stare back, briefly wondering what it would be like to be loved by a man like him. Would it be a blessing or a burden? “So the answer is no,” she finished lamely.

  “I would have treated her like a queen.”

  “Being a queen is a tiresome and scary prospect. Perhaps all she wanted was to be a wife.”

  “So she chose some lowly computer programmer?”

  His tone of disgust forced Brenna to look at him. “Who will make her happy.”

  Hunter tugged on the cuffs of his sleeves, his voice smug. “If he can afford it. She is used to a certain standard of living that I was more than willing to provide.” He sat back, his voice softening as he looked out the window. “She told me she wanted a man to sweep her off her feet like Prince Charming.”

  Brenna raised her brows. “And you’re Prince Charming?”

  He returned his gaze to her face. “No, and I wasn’t suggesting I was or am. However, as an eligible bachelor I know my worth.”

  “Then you have plenty of other women to choose from.”

  “Women don’t know what they want.”

  “Yes, they do. Janice made her choice clear.”

  Hunter stood abruptly, Brenna expected him to leave, but he began to pace instead. The activity made the room feel smaller. She discreetly lifted the window higher, hoping the air would dampen the tantalizing scent of his cologne.

  “Do you know how she told me about her change of heart?” he asked. “With this.” He tossed an envelope on the table. Brenna didn’t need to look at it. She’d received a similar lace envelope in the mail. “A wedding invitation. I go away on a business trip and come back to that. She didn’t call me or consult with me. We could have had a reasonable discussion, but she didn’t give me the chance. She just ran away. Do I look like an ogre to you?” He pointed a finger at her. “That’s a rhetorical question.”

  Brenna closed her mouth.

  “We could have gone over the pros and cons of such a decision.” He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “When I finally had an opportunity to meet with her, I asked her to explain.”

  Brenna leaned back in her chair. “You didn’t demand?”

  Hunter shook his head. “I never demand. I try to be very considerate of others.”

  She glanced at her half eaten pattie and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. “Of course.”

  He continued, not recognizing her sarcastic tone. “She told me a lovely woman at Love by Design,” he sent her an unflattering glance. “I suppose that’s you.”

  Brenna rested her chin in her hand and fluttered her eyelashes.

  He scowled. “Matched her up with Michael. She said that it was love at first sight. As if there is such a thing.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “She said that she didn’t want to hurt me. She tried to convince me that she would have made me a dreadful wife.” He suddenly fell silent then raced across the room. Brenna sat stunned by his odd beh
avior until she saw him crouch down in the corner where the puppy was.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Just give me a minute,” he said in a brusque tone.

  Brenna stood and saw that the puppy had the leash wrapped tightly around his neck. She let out a gasp.

  “He’s going to be alright,” Hunter said removing the limp puppy from its death trap.

  “But he’s not breathing,” Brenna said with rising panic. “I should have been more alert. I didn’t even see...”

  Hunter breathed into the puppy’s mouth and rubbed him and soon his shoulders relaxed. “He’s fine.” He returned to his seat with the puppy cradled in his arms. “See?”

  Brenna fell back into her seat relieved. “Thank god.”

  He winked. “You’re welcome.”

  She laughed. “You don’t know anything about humility do you?”

  He shook his head.

  “What did you say?” Brenna asked, curious in spite of herself.

  He blinked. “What did I say?”

  “Yes, to Janice.”

  He leaned back and the revived puppy squirmed in his arms and started to lick his face. “I wanted to say she was being rash and impulsive.” The puppy started to walk around his lap as if he’d found his new favorite playmate, Hunter didn’t appear to mind. “That she had no right to destroy the five year plan I had worked out for us.”

  “Yes, that’s what you wanted to say, but what did you say?”

  He looked down at the puppy then mumbled something.

  She turned her ear towards him. “Excuse me?”

  Hunter set the puppy on the ground then moved his chair closer to her desk then sat. He looked directly at her, his eyes like woodchips aflame, the heat in them reaching out to scorch her. Brenna swallowed, wishing she could glance away, but feeling mesmerized. “I wished her joy.” His gaze fell; she sat back in her chair relieved. “I only said it because she looked so unhappy and she used tears. She knows I hate tears. I said ‘I wish you joy and happiness’,” he repeated, his voice a whisper.

  “That was kind of you.”

  His eyes captured hers amazed. “Kind? I had no other recourse.” He dropped his gaze to the ground where the puppy was pawing at his leg and whimpering. He lifted him up and settled him in his lap. “What else could I have done?”

  The fact that he didn’t know was encouraging. Other men wouldn’t have been as understanding. Brenna merely shrugged amazed at the ease in which he handled the puppy.

  “Can you imagine what it was like for me to say, ‘I wish you joy’ while I had her ring in my pocket?” he said playfully tugging on the puppy’s ears.

  Brenna shrugged. “It’s for the best.”

  Hunter ignored her. “She threw her arms around me and kissed me on the cheek. She told me how happy she was that I understood, that I didn’t fly into a jealous rage or something. She knows me better than that. I never get jealous and I do not rage.”

  Brenna raised her brows and glanced at the door. “Really? You did a pretty good imitation.”

  Hunter dismissed her comments with a wave of his hand. “That was nothing.”

  “So what happened next? Did you return the ring?”

  “Then I met Michael. I admit to wanting to rip out his teeth.” He raised his hand. “Not because I was angry, but purely because he kept smiling at me with a smugness I found annoying. I find that kind of attitude with most computer programmers. They’re experts in one finite area and consider themselves geniuses.”

  Brenna grinned. “You’re beginning to sound jealous.”

  Hunter picked up a framed picture of her holiday in England from her desk. She felt the urge to slap his hand away, but resisted. It would be as useless as a flea trying to fell a brick wall. “Nonsense. I should be applauded for maintaining my composure.” He groaned. “Two years of planning the perfect proposal destroyed due to impulse.”

  Brenna licked her lower lip. “Yes, well. While I understand how therapeutic this little ‘chat’ must be for you, it doesn’t explain why you are here.”

  He set the photograph down. “I need a replacement. I have an event coming up in three weeks where I’d planned to announce my engagement. The company I work for strongly encourages management to be married. It shows stability. I’ve assured everyone, my grandfather included, that I would introduce my fiancée there. It’s expected and would be humiliating for me to show up without someone.”

  “But wouldn’t they be expecting Janice?”

  He lifted his shoulders in a casual shrug. “No, I never made it clear to them specifically who I was going to marry.” The puppy rolled onto it’s back exposing its tummy. Hunter scratched it and the puppy wiggled in delight.

  “But you were dating Janice long enough to want to marry her?”

  “I told you we had an understanding. There were others, but they didn’t suit me.”

  “You dated other women while seeing Janice?” Brenna asked trying to keep her disgust hidden.

  “I wasn’t cheating on her,” he said annoyed. “We never dated exclusively. I dated others because I wanted to make sure Janice was the right choice.”

  Brenna briefly covered her eyes trying to understand his logic. “Then how could you be angry with Janice for choosing Michael?”

  “I’m upset because she decided to marry him, that’s the whole point. I need a fiancée.” The puppy climbed up to his shoulder and began to lick his face. “Stop that,” he said in a kind, but firm voice. The puppy took the hint and slid back into his lap.

  Brenna watched the exchanged baffled by the man before her. He seemed so arrogant, demanding and cold, but treated this helpless puppy with such considerate tenderness. “Don’t you want someone you love?”

  “I’ve explained that,” he said impatiently. “It’s not essential.”

  Brenna straightened in her chair and handed him a brochure. “Sorry, but you’ve come to the wrong place. This is not an escort service. My clients are looking to start long term relationships, and certainly not the type you and Janice were engaged in.”

  Hunter scanned the brochure with disinterest then closed it. “I don’t want one of your clients.”

  She furrowed her brows. “I don’t understand.”

  “I want you.” He stuffed the brochure inside his jacket. “Since you ruined my life, I expect you to fix it.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Dara Girard, the award-winning, bestselling author of more than twenty novels, continues to gain new readers with novels such as Table for Two, Gaining Interest and Honest Betrayal. You can visit her website at www.daragirard.com.

  Other Titles by dara

  If you enjoyed Illusive Flame don't miss...

  Honest Betrayal

  The Sapphire Pendant (Book 1 in the Clifton Sisters Series)

  Table for Two (Book 1 in the Henson Series)

  Gaining Interest (Book 2 in the Henson Series)

  Careless Rapture (Book 3 in the Henson Series)

  Familiar Stranger

  Berry Picking

  The Daughters of Winston Barnett

  The Henson Brothers (Includes the novels Table for Two and Gaining Interest)

  Out of the Past (Includes the novels Careless Rapture and Familiar Stranger)

  Discover these books and more at www.iloripressbooks.com

  188