An Irresistible Temptation
Page 28
It was no life for children and she was not the woman to raise them. How could she ever have imagined that her cousin would do such a crazy thing?
“It is simply out of the question, Mr. Malloy. I am profoundly sorry that you and the children wasted a trip. And I do apologize for not having opened your letter. I didn’t recognize the seal and assumed it was a letter from a reader, which I would have looked at eventually, but . . . well, I do apologize again, but undoubtedly, you can see that there is nothing I can do.” As she finished, she spread her hands, giving a slight shrug.
Reed Malloy said nothing for a moment. His blue eyes merely narrowed at her. Then he stood up, dominating the room. Charlotte held her breath a moment while he seemed to come to some decision. She waited for him to yell at her, grab the children, and burst from her house.
Instead, perfectly under control, he said, “It is I who am sorry, Miss Sanborn, but there is no choice here.”
About to protest, she let out her breath in a rush, but he continued.
“You have ample space, which was my main concern for a woman living alone, even if the house is in need of some repairs. As for your objections, you have made no valid ones, nor can make any as far as I can see.”
“Really, Mr. Malloy—”
“Miss Sanborn, the children will be no financial burden to you as their upbringing has been well-provided for. All you need offer them is shelter, basic human kindness, and a moral and intellectual example, which I believe you are capable of, if I have read your works correctly. Can you not offer all of these?”
Well, of course she could. That was hardly the point. It was that no one had asked and had someone done so, she would have said emphatically that she had never had the desire to be a mother nor had she any such desire now, not even when faced with the two little urchins seated in her parlor. She refused to be bullied by his tactics.
“Mr. Malloy, neither my character nor my house is at issue here.” He inclined his head slightly, acknowledging the way she had maneuvered out of that trap.
“Rather the question is my inclination, which is strongly to the negative. I live a solitary life, here.” She gestured around her, taking in the house and the stretch of land outside her window.
Her father had set up his homestead just a fifteen-minute walk outside of town, not too far from mining camp in the foothills but far enough away from the bustle of Spring City that wagons weren’t going by their window.
In recent years, the city bustled infrequently, only when miners came through discussing gold strikes or travelers mistook the area for one of the healing hot mineral springs. And even that was happening less and less. Spring City was down to one theater, for both opera and plays, and it was threatening to close any day now.
“There are no other children close by . . . though there is a school in town,” she added thoughtfully, then bit her tongue before continuing. “Look, Mr. Malloy, I am not a heartless individual. I wish the children no ill will.”
She looked toward the children now. Having comprehended that the adults were discussing where they were to live, they knew instinctively that they were not wanted here. They stood up and once more anchored themselves to Reed Malloy, who absently stroked the top of the boy’s head.
“Honestly,” Charlotte rushed on, feeling like the hard-hearted cad she was professing not to be, “I just want what’s best for them, and it is not living here in a remote environment with a peace-and-quiet loving author, who has absolutely no idea about raising children. Can you understand that?”
“Well, Miss Sanborn, at least we are agreed that we both want what’s best for the children,” he said as if he hadn’t heard anything else she’d said. He looked down at each child, and Charlotte could see that he cared for them. Then he looked up sharply.
“And your suitability is a question in my mind. That’s why I didn’t just blindly follow Ann Connors’s last wishes, but accompanied them out here myself.” He thought a moment. “Yes, if we’re both worried about the same thing, then the answer seems obvious, wouldn’t you agree?”
Charlotte began nodding even before she asked, “And what would that be?”
“Why, for me to stay here with you and the children, of course, to assess the situation. If I find that you are unacceptable after all, then I’ll wire their grandmother and we’ll see if other arrangements can be made.”
Seemingly satisfied with his pronouncement, he began to usher the children out of the room. “Okay, little ones, upstairs to your room. Auntie Charlotte will show you the way. Won’t you?” He turned to her, the look on his face daring her to contradict his words in front of his tired wards.
Charlotte was still reeling from his highhanded manner, the way he seemed to treat her as if she were auditioning for a stage role. Unacceptable, indeed! Not to mention the address of “Auntie,” and the utterly improper and impossible suggestion that he should stay under the same roof with her.
Despite all that, after taking another look at the children’s faces, she nodded again. She brushed past them and headed for the stairs. She was sure she had said no, very firmly. Yet somehow, all three of them seemed to be staying.
“Meanwhile,” Reed Malloy continued behind her, “I’ll ride to town and wire my office that I’ll be delayed indefinitely. Do you need me to pick up something for supper, Miss Sanborn?”
“Oh, yes,” Charlotte said gratefully, forgetting for a moment that, if it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t need to be providing supper for anyone but herself. He was the source of all this confusion, but she thought only of the empty cupboards and bare shelves in her pantry. Even her root cellar was rootless! “Yes, whatever you and the children are accustomed to, Mr. Malloy.”
She watched as he gave her a quick nod before vacating her front hall. The infernal man seemed to be quite pleased with himself! To her sudden horror, she realized she was alone with the children, and she didn’t even know their names.
(end of excerpt)
Available for purchase at Smashwords, among other fine retailers:
An Improper Situation (2012)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sydney Jane Baily lives in New England with her family—
human, canine, and feline.
To learn more about the author, you can visit her website at www.sydneyjanebaily.com or her Facebook pages at www.facebook.com/sydney.jane.baily and www.facebook.com/authorsjbaily