The Defiant Hearts Series Box Set

by Sydney Jane Baily

  She resolved to be utterly frank. "I was surprised to see you with Helen last night after everything you said to me in Spring."

  "Last night held a few surprises for both of us then," he answered cryptically, standing up again. She could see by the closed look on his face that she should let the matter drop, but she couldn't.

  "Reed, I must ask you—"

  "Ask me what, Charlotte?"

  She swallowed. "Did you stop in St. Louis after you left Spring City?"

  He paused a moment, obviously surprised by the question. Then he nodded.

  "I did."

  That was it? That was all he was going to say? She felt her temper rising.

  "Is there anything about that visit you think I ought to know?"

  "No." His penetrating blue eyes never left her own glittering gaze.

  "I see."

  She stood up slowly. This was going nowhere.

  "What I mean, Charlotte, is that when we parted in Spring City, I told you that I planned to speak with Helen further. There is nothing new to tell you. As far as I'm concerned, my prior arrangement with Helen is over. She knows that, and people will come to realize it."

  "Not if you carry on as you did last night," she bit out, immediately regretting how jealous she sounded. In any case, Reed didn't look the least bit guilty. She crossed her arms.

  "You were otherwise occupied, and I was hungry. That was the end of it."

  Hungry, for what exactly? And how convenient, Charlotte thought. When Reed needed a dining companion, he had no problem being with Mrs. Belgrave. And when he wanted to end something, it simply was over. Damn the consequences or the untidy leftovers for that matter, such as Helen throwing threats around the way a duck shook off water.

  "Is there anything else about last night that you wish to discuss?" he asked her when she did nothing but stare quietly.

  "No, nothing," Charlotte finished.

  He cocked his head to one side, and she thought that perhaps he had something more to ask, but all he said was, "I'd best be getting to my office."

  She didn't know how to react to this distant stranger, who was not at all the playful, loving man who'd taken such a firm hold of her affections. Perhaps this was how he had to be in the city.

  It saddened her, making her truly homesick for the first time. Leaving the tea untouched, she passed by him to lead the way inside.

  "Charlotte."

  Halting, she turned expectantly.

  Without another word, he gripped her upper arms and brought her up against him. Before she could register what was happening, Reed's lips were upon hers, firm and insistent.

  Prepared or not, her reactions were immediate and unrestrained. She returned his kiss thoroughly, breathing in his familiar scent and remembering all about this man who held her closely against his chest.

  He was no stranger after all. He could make all the nerve endings in her body sizzle, and he was kissing her with a possessiveness that thrilled her. That her aunt might still be at home and looking out one of the rear windows only fleetingly entered her thoughts.

  "It seems a lifetime since I tasted you," he said when at last he let her come up for air, the intensity in his voice touching Charlotte's heart. Here was the Reed she loved, his eyes glittering like sunlight on a clear blue Colorado lake.

  He pressed his mouth against hers once more, and she felt his teeth nip her lower lip. Another instant and he was parting her warm lips to slip his tongue inside. A small moan escaped her.

  She wanted to tell him then how much she loved him. She wanted to see him smile at her words, take them inside his heart, and then give them back to her with equal passion.

  Later, Charlotte was never sure whether, if circumstances hadn't intervened, she would have told him then or not—and whether she could have avoided so much hurt that came after.

  "In the garden, you say," came a familiar male voice through the door.

  Charlotte pulled away from Reed as if stung. If Jason saw them together and mentioned it to her aunt—or to anyone, for that matter—Alicia would surely know what had occurred between them in Spring City. Their indiscretion would be obvious.

  Reed, however, didn't seem to want to let her go. She had to yank her hands out of his, just as Jason stepped onto the stone walk. Reed looked black daggers from her, with the red blush creeping up her face, to Jason who was sauntering into the garden as if he owned the place.

  "I believe you gentlemen know each other," she managed into the thundering silence.

  Chapter 19

  "Why, yes." Jason was the first to speak, after looking curiously from Charlotte's red face to Reed's annoyed expression. "Mr. Malloy has been handling my family's affairs since forever."

  "I assure you," Reed said, "it only seems to you to be forever. My father handled your family's accounts long before I became a lawyer. But then you are too young to remember that."

  Jason colored at the insinuation that he was still wet behind the ears. Charlotte had seen in the short time she'd known Jason that he cultivated a worldly image. Unfortunately, next to Reed, Jason's worldliness seemed just that, an image, while Reed exuded natural sophistication and unquestionable authority.

  At the moment, Charlotte thought, Reed was exuding natural irritation and unquestionable annoyance that Jason had interrupted their kiss.

  "Mr. Malloy also handles my aunt's family's affairs," Charlotte began, "I guess that means my family's affairs. Not that I knew that until a few months ago, but that's how we met."

  It was her turn to blush with embarrassment as she realized she was prattling to relieve the tension blooming more strongly in the garden than even her aunt's flourishing roses. "He brought my cousin's children to me in Colorado."

  "Yes," Jason responded, "you mentioned that when we were out riding, I believe. It was above and beyond the call of duty, I'd say, to go all the way out there in person. I would think your firm large enough to have underlings who can handle such dusty matters."

  Charlotte saw Reed's jaw work a moment before he took in a deep breath.

  "I give your concern over the running of my firm all the respect it's due; however, you know as little about it as you do your own family's business. You have to work at something to get to know it intimately," he continued, glancing over at Charlotte. "As for my going to Colorado, it was unarguably in my best interest; and what's in my interest is good for my business. Speaking of which, I must return to it."

  Jason stood in stunned silence as did Charlotte, until Reed took her hand. He brushed it lightly against his lips in a parody of what had occurred just before Jason had come into the garden. "I bid you good day, Charlotte. I will see you again soon, I hope."

  What could she do but nod her agreement, realizing Reed had intentionally used her first name in front of the other man. She was more than a little alarmed at the thought of Jason figuring out that there was something between her and her family's lawyer. For his part, Jason barely managed a curt nod as Reed pushed past him.

  "How rude," Jason muttered.

  Charlotte felt responsible for the inexplicably nasty encounter. "I am sorry. He's usually not that way." Jason's eyes opened a little wider. "I mean," she explained, "in my dealings with Mr. Malloy, I've always found him to be both pleasant and amicable."

  "Really," Jason looked her over a little too perceptively. She didn't like it.

  "What are you doing here?" she asked, then smiled to soften the tone of her words.

  He seemed not the least put off. "I just thought to surprise you, to make sure you had fully recovered from last night."

  "As you can see, I am fine."

  "I can see that you look positively perfect." He had returned to his ridiculously flattering and endearing self.

  "Good," she returned. "Then you must go; for thanks to you, I'm having lunch with Mr. Greene, and I have to get ready."

  Jason pretended to sulk. "But when will I see you again? How can you banish me from your sight?"

  S
he threw up her hands. "Good lord. We've seen each other nearly each day since I arrived, and in all honesty, I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I enjoy your company, but right off the reel, I must tell you—"

  "You? Give me the wrong impression?" He laughed. "Never! The impression you make is always right. That is, it's always one of beauty and sweetness. And as long as you find my company agreeable, I am a happy man. I'll leave you to your morning constitutional. All the best of luck to you with Charles Greene."

  He kissed her hand, much as Reed had done, though lingering longer on her knuckles, and then he was gone without letting her explain that she, in fact, wanted to see him less.

  She sat down on the stone bench. A few months ago, she was alone. Today, she had visited with two men in the garden and had one waiting for her at lunch. She smiled. When it rained, it certainly poured.

  * * *

  "I was extremely pleased you agreed to meet with me, Miss Sanborn," Charles Greene said, as they awaited their meal.

  "I am the one who is extremely pleased, sir," Charlotte returned, "and honored." Hoping to present herself as worldly to this well-known editor, she had dressed the part wearing her new chocolate brown outfit with its long, straight skirt and elegant jacket over a cream-colored blouse with small, lacy ruffles.

  After Jason's departure, she'd spent the rest of the morning arranging the newspaper clippings of her articles in an orderly fashion and pacing the parlor. Finally, at 11:30, she stepped into her aunt's carriage.

  Looking up at the gaily striped awnings of Boston's most famous fish restaurant, she took a deep breath.

  "Hm, fishy," she said aloud, wrinkling up her nose and then she relaxed. How frightening could it possibly be to discuss her writing career over haddock and coffee? She hurried inside.

  "Honestly, I didn't expect to have an assignment so soon after arriving here," Charlotte told the bespectacled, gray-haired man after he'd looked through her portfolio, "but I am eager to start writing again. I'm not used to having so much time on my hands."

  "At the party, it looked to me as if Farnsworth would be happy to take up some of that time," Charles Greene said good-humoredly, leaning back in his chair and pushing his horn-rimmed glasses farther up his nose.

  When Charlotte only smiled politely, he continued, "But to tell you the truth, I had a letter from Frank Hudson and would have sought you out even if we had not had the fortuitous circumstance of being introduced at the Tremont. Hud and I have known each other for many years. I understand you did some excellent work for his paper recently."

  By the time they finished lunch—oysters, which Charlotte moved around on her plate dubiously without being able to eat a single one, and thin buttery chowder with parsley on top, which she finished down to the last delicious drop—she had an assignment that would keep her busy over the next few weeks.

  Her first instinct as she parted from Charles Greene was to locate Reed and tell him of her good fortune. Instead, she directed the driver toward her aunt's house. Alicia greeted her with the news that Jason had sent a supper invitation.

  "Anything else?" Charlotte asked as she removed her hat and gloves.

  "What more do you want the boy to do," Alicia asked, "issue a marriage proposal after knowing you barely more than a week? Not that it would be the first time that has happened to a Randall."

  "Oh, gracious, no," Charlotte protested; a marriage proposal was the last thing she wanted, at least from Jason.

  "No, I meant is there nothing from anyone else?"

  "No, dear," Alicia answered, then looked at her with a shrewd gaze. "Were you expecting someone else's card?"

  Charlotte was treading into dangerous territory. "Of course not, though I expect after last night's party, there will be other people with whom I can socialize. I don't want to spend an excessive amount of time with Jason. It will give people the wrong impression."

  "Just so." Alicia smiled approvingly. "But Mr. Farnsworth is known as one of the best sort. Or at least his family is, so I don't see any harm. Why don't you tell me all about your luncheon with Mr. Greene."

  Charlotte was of two minds all afternoon: should she go out with Jason again that evening or decline his invitation? She hated to encourage him, and he seemed to think their friendship was progressing along toward something more. She didn't, however, want to make Alicia suspicious, particularly after the compromising scene her aunt had walked in on that morning with Reed holding her hands.

  Besides, Reed knew where she was staying; he could have extended an invitation if he so chose. If he began to court her slowly, then Alicia would have no complaints, but for the time being, it looked as if he wasn't going to court her at all.

  Charlotte sank into a hot bath after sending an acceptance along to Jason at the last possible minute. It was partly out of spite, she was sure. As she lathered herself all over with her aunt's best-smelling soap, she could not deny that she hoped Reed would somehow discover that she was going out again and with whom.

  She sighed. Why was she playing games? What she truly wanted was to be with Reed, not trying to make the man jealous, if that were even possible.

  Letting Alicia choose, Charlotte was soon dressed in her new black gown. "The palatine cape will be ideal," Alicia added, taking the black satin out of Charlotte's wardrobe just as there was a light tap at the door.

  "Come in," they both said at once.

  "Mr. Farnsworth is here," Bridget said in her Irish lilt. Then she gasped. "Oh, miss, don't you look lovely."

  Charlotte could not get used to having a servant. She would love to be able to tell Bridget all about her strong feelings for a certain lawyer, but she knew it was impossible. Charlotte could only let the girl finish her hair before following her aunt down the stairs.

  Jason's carriage at night, with its five lamps shining brightly on the polished exterior, was impressive, no matter how many times Charlotte saw it. As he helped her in, she decided to have a splendid evening and not think of anything, or anyone, else.

  Jason was an easy companion, quick to laugh, though somewhat cynical in his jokes and remarks. Oddly enough, what Charlotte found most acceptable about his company was that she felt nothing for him.

  It answered a question that had been nagging at her—whether she had latched on to Reed simply because he was the first man to pay her any attention.

  But here was a fine-looking man, both attentive and interesting, paying her all kinds of compliments. Yet for all his gallantry and dashing good looks, Jason caused no flutter in the pit of her stomach, no tingling across her skin.

  "First stop," Jason said, "the Gaiety Theatre."

  "Oh, the ballet," Charlotte exclaimed. "It's my first time."

  "I hope we can share many firsts," he told her. She colored, but let him take her hand as she climbed out of his carriage. Inside the theatre, the women looked like jewels, and Charlotte could barely contain her excitement as they were escorted to the Farnsworth family's box seats.

  As the curtain rose for the first time, Jason glanced at her then touched her hand. "Charlotte, are you all right?"

  She let out her breath in a rush then gasped for more. "I was just holding my breath," she told him, "I am so excited."

  Hours later, Charlotte felt as if the music were still playing in her head while they ate a late-night supper. "It has been a magnificent evening, Jason. I can't thank you enough. What superb dancers they were."

  "The night is not finished yet, dear Charlotte."

  Over drinks at the Parker House, Jason introduced Charlotte to some of his friends. She was again reminded of Reed's promise to show her around Boston and felt another twinge of guilt.

  Any remorse vanished seconds later when, to her astonishment, Reed entered the lounge with a stunning woman—dark-haired like Helen but more freshly beautiful and far less artful.

  It made Charlotte's heart sink. Seemingly, Boston was full of good-looking women. Reed probably knew all of them.

  Jason broke of
f the conversation he was having with a friend to his left and said to her, "Reed Malloy. Twice in one day. Do you know that woman accompanying him?"

  She didn't bother to deny where her interest and her glance were wandering. She merely shook her head. Jason smiled, as if he were about to partake of a particularly delectable meal.

  "It is my understanding that Mr. Malloy is engaged to the widow Belgrave. You remember her, from the party? A striking woman—too polished for my taste—akin to embracing marble, I should think. Considered a snob, too."

  He looked over at Reed and his companion again. "Still, the woman probably has feelings that could be hurt, if only she knew."

  Charlotte didn't want to hear anything more. Naturally, Jason assumed that Reed was being unfaithful to Helen, and it made her blood boil. If he was going to be unfaithful, he was supposed to do so with her! Suddenly, she felt foolish indeed, comparing herself to the woman with whom he was deep in conversation.

  They were laughing and speaking earnestly; it reminded her of how it used to be between them in Spring City, in her study, on her porch, in her bed. Her thoughts turned to escape—immediately and without Reed seeing her.

  "Jason, I'm fatigued, especially after last night. We retire much earlier where I'm from."

  He glanced down at her pale face. "How thoughtless of me, dearest. Come along, I'll get you home in a snap. Gentleman, ladies," he addressed the small group with whom they'd been sitting. "You will excuse us while I take my charming companion home."

  Charlotte was glad to see her aunt's doorway again. As Jason walked her up the steps, she gave him the promise he always demanded to see him again soon.

  "Are you all right, Charlotte? You seem too quiet, not your normal self, ever since we left my friends."

  "I'm just weary." It wasn't a lie. She'd been burning her candle at both ends of the day, up early and up late. "It's not every day I have such an important luncheon meeting and then follow it up with the ballet and supper out. What a life I'm leading."

  "There are more evenings such as this in your future if I have anything to do with it." He took her slender hand in his. "You are a most interesting woman, and I would be happy to take you to the ballet and have you at my supper table for the rest of my days."