Dream Wedding: Dream Bride | Dream Groom (27 page)

She wasn’t sure what to say. Part of her thought it was really nice that he was concerned about her relationship with Joel. An equal part of her was annoyed that he was concerned about her relationship with Joel. Couldn’t the man have even the tiniest hint of jealousy or envy? She sighed. As everyone had pointed out to her, she wasn’t his type. He saw her as the hired help, someone to keep happy and treat fairly.

“You’re very sweet to worry,” she said calmly, knowing he would be confused if she told him what she was thinking. Maybe confused was putting it mildly. He would probably be stunned…and not in a good way. “But there’s no reason for alarm. I’ve been seeing Joel as much as ever.”

He frowned. “You’ve only gone out a couple of times a week since you’ve come to work for me.”

“I know. That’s all we ever see each other.”

“But it’s been nine years.”

“We don’t need to spend every minute together.” She kept her tone pleasant, even though she was feeling vaguely attacked. “This works for us.”

“If you’re finding each other boring before you get married, then you two are in trouble.”

His voice was teasing, but Cassie couldn’t smile. Ryan spoke something she hadn’t dared to think to herself, but that she could no longer avoid. She stared at him helplessly, not sure what to say, then faked a chuckle as coldness enveloped her, chasing away any lingering warmth from the brandy. Was that what was wrong? she wondered. Did she and Joel already find each other boring?

She dismissed the sense of foreboding that swept over her. It was the night, she told herself. Or maybe the man. None of this was real.

They sipped their brandy in silence. Ryan told himself it was getting late and that he should send Cassie upstairs, but he didn’t want to. Not only did he not want to be alone, but he enjoyed her company. She made him laugh; she reassured him; she reminded him that he was alive. And if he was honest with himself, he would be willing to admit that he also wanted
her,
which was completely different from not wanting to be alone. The ache inside of him was very specifically for the woman sitting at the other end of the sofa. He couldn’t call one of his female friends and have her stop by to fill the void…not this time.

Unfortunately, the only woman he wanted was the one woman he couldn’t have.

He looked at her. The light from the floor lamp reflected on her gleaming, dark hair. She took another sip of brandy. “You’re staring at me. Do I have a smudge on my cheek?”

“Sorry.” He forced himself to look away. “Not at all. I was just wondering about you. You’re very different from anyone I’ve ever met.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I know what that means. I’ve always been the country mouse. I guess I always will be.”

There was nothing mouselike about her, but he couldn’t admit that. Not with the night closing around them and his wanting growing…along with other parts of him. If he inhaled deeply, he could almost catch the sweet scent of her body. He wanted to know what she would feel like in his arms. He wanted to explore her generous curves, touch her soft face, kiss her and taste her and…

He had to clear his throat before he could speak. “I meant ‘different’ in a good way,” he told her. “While you’ve chosen a perfectly respectable path, it isn’t one designed to provide you with material benefits.”

She chuckled. “That’s a polite way of saying I’ll never be rich working in a preschool.” She shrugged. “I know that, but making lots of money isn’t important to me. I grew up in a typically middle-class town. We didn’t have tons of money, but there was always enough. When my parents died, they left me a trust fund. While it isn’t millions, if I had to, I could live off it for several years. As it is, I’m just letting the proceeds reinvest.”

She took a sip of her drink. “I always knew that I wanted to work with kids. I love their energy and enthusiasm. They’re so honest with their feelings. Sometimes I wish I could be more like my sister. Chloe wanted a career and made that happen.”

“You have a career,” he reminded her.

“It’s not exactly the same.” She stared into her glass. “Chloe always wanted to get away from Bradley and I always wanted to stay. When she met Arizona she realized that she had everything she needed right here, which is nice. I enjoy having her close. But it
is
ironic. I mean I’m the one who cares about genealogy and the history of the family and the town, but she’s the real Bradley. I’m just adopted.”

She said the words easily, as if they were simply information. But Ryan sensed something underneath, something hidden. The truth, he suspected, hurt her. She wanted to belong as much as her sister did. But by a quirk of birth, she never would.

“John and I grew up in a series of small apartments,” he said. “It must have been nice to have a house that had been in the family for generations.”

She flashed him a quick smile. “It was. Our mom would tell stories about the founding of the town, along with tales of the different Bradley women.” Her smile faded. “It’s been nearly ten years and I still miss my mother. I suppose that’s one of the reasons I understand Sasha so well. I know what she’s going through.”

He nodded. “I suppose there’s good and bad to being older when one loses a parent. You remember the good times, but you also remember the loss. Sasha isn’t going to have any memories of John and Helen.”

“There’s no good time to lose one parent, let alone both,” Cassie said, and Ryan remembered too late that Cassie had lost family before. Her birth mother had given her up for adoption.

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly.

“Don’t be. I don’t mind talking about this.” She looked at him. “Sometimes I think the worst part of our parents’ death was the fact that Chloe and I were separated for nearly three years. Aunt Charity was left as guardian, but she was traveling and the lawyer couldn’t find her. So Chloe and I were put into different foster homes. I stayed in Bradley, but she was sent to another town. I think meeting Joel is what saved me.”

“Joel?” What did he have to do with anything?

She nodded. “He and I went to the same high school. We met our sophomore years. At first we were just friends, but then we started dating.” She held up her hand. “Please spare me the psychobabble on what that means. Chloe has been over it a dozen times.”

She piqued his curiosity. “What’s Chloe’s theory?”

“Chloe thinks I’m settling. That I suffered a traumatic loss at a formative age and Joel got me through it. Therefore I have misplaced loyalty toward him. She thinks that marrying Joel would be a mistake.”

Chloe was a very sensible woman, Ryan thought, not daring to question his reasons for suddenly liking Cassie’s sister. “What do you think?”

He’d expected a quick response, either telling him that none of this was his business, or saying that Joel was the love of her life. Instead she leaned back into the corner of the sofa and stared at him.

“I don’t know anymore.”

Her words hung in the silence. Inside he felt a quick jolt of pleasure, which he instantly told himself he had no business feeling.

“Sometimes it feels so incredibly right,” she said. “We’ve known each other for years. There aren’t any surprises, but that’s not always a bad thing. We get along, we respect each other. It’s comfortable.” She drew in a breath. “But sometimes I want the fantasy.”

He knew he probably shouldn’t ask, but he couldn’t help himself. “What fantasy?”

“No, you’ll laugh.”

“I promise I won’t.”

Her gaze skittered away from his and he sensed her sudden tension. More intrigued than he had the right to be, he leaned toward her and pressed for a reply. “I really won’t laugh. Tell me. What is your fantasy?”

She drew in a deep breath. “The Bradley family has this magic nightgown.”

Ryan stared at her, certain he’d misunderstood. “A what?”

“A magic nightgown. A long time ago, there was this gypsy woman. She was being attacked by a mob of drunken men.”

He listened while she explained the legend of the nightgown. “I don’t know what to say,” he told her when she’d finished. “I’ve never heard anything like this before.”

“I know it sounds strange, but I can show you the nightgown.”

“No, that’s not necessary. I’m sure it exists.”

She ducked her head. “At least you didn’t laugh.”

He didn’t know about spells and gypsy promises, but he did know that Cassie had just shared something very important to her. “Why would I? Just because I don’t have a similar family tradition to tell you about doesn’t mean that I’d make fun of yours. So you’re counting on this legend?”

She nodded quickly. “I want the legacy to be true for me. I want to wear the nightgown on my twenty-fifth birthday and I want to dream about the man I’m supposed to marry. Chloe wore it and dreamed about Arizona. They met the next day and if it wasn’t love at first sight, it was the next best thing. I want that, even though I’m afraid it’s not going to happen.”

Magic nightgowns and a promise of happily-ever-after. She really was an innocent. “Why wouldn’t it happen for you?”

“I’m not a real Bradley,” she reminded him. “I’m adopted. I have high hopes, of course, and Aunt Charity says believing is enough, but I don’t know.”

He wanted to tell her it was going to be fine, that she would have her special dream on her special night and everything would work out the way she wanted. But what did he know?

“What does Joel think about all this?” he asked, wondering how any fiancé would feel about the possibility of being usurped by a mystery suitor.

She finished her brandy and placed the snifter on the coffee table. “Not much. He’s very low-key about the whole thing. Joel believes I’m going to dream about him. I suppose he’s right, but sometimes I wish…” Her voice trailed off.

Ryan knew exactly what she was thinking. “Sometimes you wish he would be a little worried, and other times you wish you could dream about someone else.”

Her eyes widened. “How did you know?” She leaned forward and covered her face with her hands. “I don’t want to know what you’re thinking. I know that’s horribly disloyal and makes me an awful person.”

He moved toward her and placed his hand on her forearm. “Don’t think that for a second, Cassie. You’re a sweet, good young woman. Why shouldn’t you have a few dreams? You said yourself that you and Joel were waiting until you were sure. Doesn’t that mean considering other possibilities? Besides, it’s not as if you’re acting on these thoughts. I don’t see you out dating other men.” Even though you should, he added silently, thinking that he would like to go to the top of that list.

He pushed the inappropriate desire away. “Don’t feel guilty about what you want. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

She raised her head and looked at him. Her smile trembled a little at the corners, but it was still pretty. She had a lovely smile. Had he noticed that before?

“Thank you,” she told him. “You’re very kind.”

Kind. There was a word every man was just dying to have applied to himself. Kind. Maybe she could throw in loyal and trustworthy. Then he could feel really macho.

This was a mistake, he thought grimly. He was getting involved in something that didn’t concern him. Cassie was his employee, nothing more. They shouldn’t be having this personal conversation.

“Have you ever been married?” she asked.

He’d been about to stand up and excuse himself, but her question was as effective as a seat belt at keeping him in his chair. “No,” he told her.

“Why not?”

“I never wanted to.”

She looked shocked. “Are you saying you’ve never fallen in love?”

The truth was, he hadn’t. But admitting that made him feel that there was something wrong with him. “I never had the time,” he answered instead. “I was too involved with work, then with starting my company. There was no room for much of a personal life.”

“I see.” Her gaze was steady on his face and he wondered what exactly it was she saw.

“That’s going to have to be different now,” she said. “I’m not suggesting you marry for Sasha’s sake, but you are going to have to be around to spend time with her.”

“I know.” Everything was changing—he could feel it. Somehow when he wasn’t looking, his life had taken an unexpected turn. “What about you?” he asked. “What’s next? Marriage to Joel? To be honest, I’m surprised he’s been willing to wait so long. If I were him I would be worried about that magic nightgown and I would want to sweep you off your feet.”

“As nice as that sounds, Joel isn’t the sweeping kind.”

She made the statement matter-of-factly, but Ryan thought he could read between the lines. Perhaps Cassie wasn’t waiting for her twenty-fifth birthday and the promise of the family legend as much as she was waiting for romance. She wanted Joel to want
her
enough to be unhappy about any delay. How else was Joel letting her down?

Ryan remembered her few dates with Joel since she’d been in his employ. She’d been back before eleven each time. It wasn’t his place to speculate and he was probably wrong about everything, but he couldn’t help wondering what that meant. Didn’t Joel know what a prize he held? On the heels of that thought came the realization that he would side with Cassie’s sister any day. To his mind, Cassie was settling.

“You’ve been with Joel for years,” he said. “You were very young when you started dating him. Maybe you should go out and explore the world before getting married.”

“You don’t actually mean the world,” she said. “You think I should date other men.”

“I think you should be very sure.”

She rose to her feet and crossed to the bay window. The lights from the room made the glass reflect images like a mirror. He could see her face, her thoughtful expression. She folded her arms over her chest as if to protect herself from danger.

“I’ve had this exact conversation with myself,” she admitted. “Sometimes I’m completely sure and others…” Her voice trailed off.

“How do you know?” she asked softly. “I love Joel, but I don’t know what kind of love we share. He’s easy for me to be around. I like him. I respect him. But sometimes I’m afraid I love him more like a brother than a husband.” She drew in a breath. “We’re long on conversation but short on passion. I tell myself that shouldn’t matter, but I’m just not sure.”