Always Tried and Proven (4 page)

     "Tell me what's wrong."  He insisted gently.

    "I wish I knew."  She answered shortly.  "You are a ... a very unsettling man."  She pulled her hand out from under his, and put them in her lap. 

   "That
could
be quite positive."  He mused aloud.  "Actually, I'd certainly consider it so; except for the fact that you despise preachers."

     Callie looked up at him in horror, and he laughed at her without rancor.  "Care to tell me why?"

    Callie looked away, and shook her head in horror and disbelief. "Mr.  Stringer," she objected stonily.

      "My name is Sam," he corrected softly.

      "
Sam
," she echoed patronizingly,  "I am just not the type.  Okay?"

      "What type is that, Callie?" he asked, patiently.

     "The type to ... oh, I don't know!  To go to church.  To be a Miss Perfection.  To be a good little Christian girl.  Don't think for a moment that I'm anything like Sadie!  I'm simply not!"  she sputtered.  Then, she was horrified by her confession.  Now, he knew the truth and he’d be on the salvation trail, for sure.  She closed her eyes and nearly groaned aloud.

     Sam sighed patiently, and leaned back against the seat, to give her a little more room to breathe.  "Good!  I'm glad you're none of those things.  Tell me about yourself then, Callie.  What kind of woman, exactly,
are
you?"

     "Are you having fun at my expense?" she asked suspiciously.

     Sam leaned close, and looked her steadily in the eyes.  "Not a bit of it.  I just want to know you better, that's all."

     Callie drew herself up, and braced herself to look into his steady eyes.  "You wouldn't be terribly interested in all honesty, Mr. Stringer."

     "Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" he suggested lightly.  He simply waited.  He watched  her patiently.

     Callie twisted her lips wryly.  "All right." She agreed, and went on, using a very bored voice.  "I'm certainly not a Christian.  I am not even interested in being a Christian.  I sing in bars, and I have an occasional drink.  I don't do drugs, I don't smoke and although I've never been particularly promiscuous, I'm certainly not a virgin, either.  So please, don't get any ideas about saving me, preacher, because I really don't want to be saved.  I'm having a bloody good time, and I'll continue to live without it."

     When she ventured a look at him, he was watching her with benign interest.  It appeared that her blunt confessions had not upset him, in the least.  "Why are you so convinced that I don't accept you as you are?  Why do you think that my mission is to revamp your life?"

     "How could it
not
be?" she challenged with light sarcasm.  "Everybody who believes in Jesus, is trying to save me from the unfathomable pit."

     He had to laugh, and rubbed his eyes ruefully.  "Oh, Callie.  I am sorry.  You've been the victim of a bit of hard sell, have you?"

   "I'll admit that I have.  And I've had enough of it.  You and I, sir, are diametrically opposed; and there is simply nothing to be done about it.  I'm sorry if that sounds rude."

     "No."  He answered slowly.  "Not really, but I can't accept it, either.  Callie,” he entreated her, gently turning her face so that she had to look into his eyes,  "I like you.  And I think you could like me too, if you'd ever give me just half an inch."  He raised his eyebrows enquiringly and grinned.  “I’m really not so bad.”

     Callie blushed, and felt terror rising up inside her.  He was getting far too bold.   Not in any inappropriate way, yet it felt dangerous. 
Very
dangerous.             

     "Eh, Callie?  Come on, now.  Give me a break.  We're going to be working on the same team tonight; I'm just trying to break the ice.  I want you to feel at ease with me.  Give just a little, won't you please?"

     Callie opened her mouth, and then shut it again abruptly. 

     "Is it asking so much?" he asked gently.

     She shook her head in confusion, and closed her eyes.  "Please, Mr. Stringer.  Don't take this personally.  I just don't know if I can do this.  I should never have told Sadie I'd sing!  You know, I just don't think that I'm going to fit in; and I hate being rude ..."

     "Then don't be."  Sam suggested, a bit forcefully.  "Just treat us the same way you'd treat anybody else, and see what happens."

     Callie looked at him in shock.

    "Callie, it's obvious that you're carrying some deep scars; but I'm asking you, anyway.  Please don't hold them against me.  Give me a chance to redeem the name of Jesus a bit, will you?" he coaxed.  "That's all I want; just to be your friend.  I know you don't want me to preach at you, and I certainly don't intend to.  I don't condemn you for being a musician, or for anything else.  Come on, now.  Meet me halfway.  Will you, lady?"

              Maybe it was the sexy accent, or the dancing eyes, or the boyish smile; but Callie found herself thawing, just enough to smile.  "Well; do you promise me that you will not try to give me the old evangelistic one-two?" she prodded suspiciously.

     He raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders.  "It's not my thing.  I really was never very good at it."  He whispered confidentially.

     Callie had to laugh.  This man was real, and there was no keeping him out.  He went where he wanted to go; and he got whatever he went there for.  This time, it had been her friendship. 

     "Oh, my.  You're smooth, aren't you?  Now, you listen to me:  If you ever start down the path of condemnation, I'm going to get physical."

     He laughed aloud.  "I'll just bet."  He assured her challengingly.  He didn't seem even slightly intimidated.  "But I wouldn't be throwing any tempting challenges this way if I were you, lady."  He warned.  "You might just get more than you ever bargained on."

     Callie looked at him out of the corner of her eye and found a burning look of pleasure in his eyes.  She could only laugh and shake her head in derision.  "Please.  Don't make me laugh."  She said flatly. 

     "I beg your pardon?" Sam asked very quietly.

    "Don't you dare start patronizing me, by trying to appeal to my vanity.  I really don't need any pumping up."

     "Just what are you insinuating, Callie?" he asked evenly.

    "You know what you were trying to do.  Flattery will get you nowhere!  I know without a shadow of a doubt that you are not going to be flirting with an unsaved barroom tart on your day off.  Cut the crap, Reverend Stringer.  Please."

     Sam laughed so hard his shoulders shook.  "Callie, I'm stunned!  Do you really?  Could you possibly really imagine that
that
is how I see you?  Who in the world has been tearing your soul apart in the name of Jesus?" he marveled.

     "Oh, there have been quite a few."  She assured him in a very cold voice.

    Sam raised an eyebrow and shook his head.  "Wow.  Well, that is going to give me plenty of room to turn your head around, then isn't it?"

     Callie gave him a suspicious glare, and snorted.  “Reverend, is there
nothing
I can say to insult you, to get you to back off?  Please, don’t make me be so rude.  I am not going to play ball with you and Jesus!  I just want to be left alone.  That’s all!  Now, why don’t we just pretend to be polite to one another for Sadie’s sake, and after tonight, we’ll go our separate ways.   It would really be best.”  she bargained, with a grim smile and an even gaze, into his patient eyes.

     Sam tried to hide his smile.  He looked down at his hands, considering, to be sure he was going to say the right thing.  "Callie, I have a confession to make.  I can see that I have to be absolutely honest with you.  Can you take it?"

     She gave him a level, chilly look.  "I can take anything you can dish out, Your Holiness."  She assured him sweetly.

     Sam winced a little, but he didn't look away.  He had her full attention, and he wasn't going to back off.  "I asked Sadie to set this dinner up for a specific reason.  I wanted to talk to you, to get to know you a little bit."

     Callie forced herself to look exceptionally bored.  "May I ask why?"

     He smiled and his eyes became very soft, and sultry.  Callie couldn't doubt the sincerity of his words as a fire flickered to life in his gaze.  He picked up her hand and caressed it with a touch that put a terrified flutter in Callie’s belly.

     “Because you are without a doubt, the most desirable woman I have ever laid eyes on.  There has been absolutely nothing on my mind since the moment we met, except getting close to you."  He put his other arm around her, and drew her close.  "You are so beautiful, that I can't keep from staring.  You fascinate me completely.  I have never in my life felt so drawn to any woman."

     “Callie, I want to kiss you so much, I can hardly keep my hands to myself.  But I'm afraid if I did the slightest thing wrong, you'd slap me senseless and I'd never get another chance.  And that is all that's keeping me on good behavior."

     Callie was frozen with shock.  Never would she have imagined that this would be his answer!  She felt half angry, and half enchanted.  She felt her senses melting as he smiled at her lazily.  But, the fire was still in his eyes.  His gaze fell to her lips and then to the pulse beating in her neck.  He stopped there, and raised his eyes to hers slowly. 

     "Now you can lay all your suspicions about me to rest.  You know exactly what I want.  My interest in you is strictly romantic.  No hard sell religion, no ploy to get you singing in the tent.  It's you that I'm after.  And so, I’m afraid that I just can’t back off and pretend to be polite.  I can’t agree to let you slip through my fingers, as though we had never met.  It’s
much
too late for that." he assured her with a soft chuckle.  His curving smile was boyish, and his eyes were completely sincere.  They challenged her, and narrowed a bit as she drew herself up and tried to put up a wall between them.      

    Again, he hadn't done anything so terribly inappropriate; yet Callie felt quite undone, invaded and plundered.  Her head was reeling.  Her loins and tummy twisted in sweet anticipation.  The man was insane.  But he was far too sexy, and he knew exactly how to get to her, when to turn on the charm.  He had her panting in his arms, and he'd never even kissed her.

     "What do you
want
from me?" she snapped, feeling frustrated that her voice sounded breathless and weak.

     He laughed in her ear.  It was low, and sexy, and not at all nice.  "I want everything from you, Callie.  I've told you the truth, now.  Let’s start with this:  I want to see you again. 
Alone
.”     

     She felt his breath against her neck, and feebly tried without success to wiggle out of his arms.  "Mr. Stringer,
really!
  It is inappropriate for you to be doing this.  I must
insist
that you stop coming on to me."  She snapped.  It was strange that she didn't sound at all firm, or insistent.

     He only laughed again.  "Ah, Callie.  I'm surprised at you!  Just every now and then, aren't preachers allowed to be human?  Why is it so inappropriate for me to be attracted to you?  You're very lovely and enticing, you know.  You could make
any
man want to make love to you.  I know that I do.  And I don't mind telling you, either.  I'm afraid I'll be dreaming about it nights now, and pining for you, endlessly."

     Callie's brain spun, and she shook her head feebly.  "You -- are a
preacher
.  I am not interested in preachers!  I want nothing to do with preachers, or with churches, or religion.  Stop it, I must insist!"  She gasped, finding his lips touching the thrum of her jugular vein.  “You may be doing it more politely than anyone ever dreamed of, but you’re … you’re still coming
on
to me!”

     Sam chuckled and shook his head.  "All right, Callie.  I'll back off for now.  But I'm not throwing in the towel."

     She shot him a disbelieving look.  "You're toying with me!  Aren't you?"  she snapped in outrage.

     He just smiled at her with bedroom eyes.  "Not at all, Callie.  I think you’re lovely, and I can't resist the challenge of seeing if I can't make you like me just a little bit, after all.  Please forgive me if I overstepped the line."  He shrugged his shoulders.   "Having you so close, is far too irresistible.  And you did goad me into laying my cards on the table.   I am sorry.  Please say we can at least, be friends for the time being."

     Callie just didn't know what to make of him.  He looked a little disappointed, and altogether sincere.   She shook her head in disbelief, as if trying to make her mind absorb it all.  "Okay."  She agreed shortly.

    "Thank you."  He said simply, and leaned against the back of the booth, giving her some room to think. 

     Callie swallowed hard, as she felt the cold air rush around her body, replacing the warmth of his arms and his strong torso.  She felt simply dizzy, and undone.  The man pushed her buttons, big time.  She had to admit it. 

    Her lips were parted expectantly, wanting desperately to be kissed.  Her breasts were tingling and her blood was pounding in her veins.  "
Oh, my
."  She thought feebly.  "This is horrible!"