Invitation to Love (16 page)

“Come
in.”

“Michael
didn’t come into the office today, so I thought I’d better deliver these papers
to him; He wanted them as soon as they were completed.”

“He’s
not here. He and Chris took the girls to a carnival for lunch.”

“Oh.
Well, then I’ll just leave them here with you, if that’s okay.”

“Sure.
I’m sorry you came all this way and missed him.”

“I
wouldn’t say the trip was a total waste,” his eyes perused her attire.

(Oh,
God), she held her breath for just a second. She meant to change into something
more presentable right after everyone left. “Uh—have you had lunch, yet?” was
all she could think to say in return.

“No,
I haven’t had time.”

“You
can join me, if you like.”

“I
don’t want to intrude.”

“You’re
not intruding, David. I’d love the company.”

His
smile widened by two degrees. “I think I will. Thanks.”

She
led the way to the kitchen. David put his briefcase on the floor and sat at the
table.

“You
have two choices,” she announced as she stood looking inside the refrigerator.
“Ham or chicken sandwich.”

“Ham
is fine.”

She
took the ham, along with a tomato and dressing, and put them on the counter.
“How long have you worked for Michael?” she asked as she put the ingredients
together.

“Three
years, now.”

“Does
your family live here?”

“No,
they live in Australia.”

She
cut his sandwich in half and placed it on a small plate. When she turned to
take it to him, she was struck by the way his eyes lingered unashamedly over
the length of her.

“Thank
you,” he took the plate from her.

She
went back to retrieve a bottle of water for him. “You know, there was no
mistaking your accent. And by the way you dress, you lived on a ranch, maybe?”
she handed it to him and settled in her chair.

His
robust laughter filled the room. “My western garb gives me away every time.
You’re right. My father owns a horse ranch; I’ve been riding alongside him
since before I could walk.”

“Do
you miss them?”

He
did a quick lift of his shoulders. “I do. I have three brothers who still help
my father run the business. We talk constantly. But, I love my career here in
the states. It’s the best of both worlds, really. When I tire of one, I can
always go back to the other. What about you?” he asked before he bit off a
corner of his sandwich. “Do you miss your old home?”

While
he ate, she told him about Nora, Bobby, the death of their parents, and yes,
she misses Nashville, but loves it here, too.

He
sipped some water then wiped his napkin across his mouth. “Well, I, for one, am
glad you’re here. Michael is a blessed man.”

Her
nerves pricked from the fond way he was regarding her; And even though she
wishes he wouldn’t compliment her so much, he was well-behaved and polite as
they chatted from the kitchen to the living room over the next hour. She
enjoyed his company, but was relieved when it was time for him to go.

“My
job awaits me,” he said as they stood outside in the driveway under a splendid
sun. “Thanks for lunch, Taryn.”

“You’re
welcome. Come back again.”

“I
think I will.”

The
purring of a car caused them to turn and watch as Michael rolled into the
driveway and switch off the engine. Remi and Rachel piled out and scrambled to
her with colorful, plush animals bundled in their arms.

“Look,
Momma,” Remi held up an aqua-blue rabbit almost as big as her. “Look at what
Uncle Chris and Michael won for us at the carnival.”

She
fingered the oversized, floppy ears and smiled. “That’s nice.”

“David,”
Michael approached. “What are you doing here?”

“I
came by to bring you those revisions you wanted, but you had already left.
Taryn felt sorry for me, and invited me to lunch.”

In a
split second, he was eyeing her. She looked away to where the girls were
talking to a patient Chris about their new, stuffed buddies.

“And,
did you make it to that video conference? Or were you distracted?” he looked at
her again.

“On
my way, boss. Well, good-bye, everyone,” David started for his car. “And,
thanks again, Taryn.”

She
was fully aware that Michael was, once again, unhappy at the moment, but didn’t
let it bother her as she waved at David. Once his car hit the main road, she
turned to ask how their day went with the most care-free smile.

“He’s
been here all day?” It was more of an accusation than a question.

“If
you meant the entire time you’ve been gone? Almost,” she shrugged.

“And
did he by any chance, leave the papers he brought? Or was he so intoxicated by
your nearness that he forgot?”

For
the sake of peace, she let that slide with a tolerant smile.

“Chris,
can you take the girls inside?” he looked around at them still standing by the
car.

“Come
on, let’s take your animals and put them in your rooms,” he steered the girls
toward the porch.

“But,
I want to stay out here,” Remi insisted.

“Remi,
do as Chris says,” Taryn ordered.

Michael
waited until they were all inside before he continued. “I don’t think it’s a
good idea for you to encourage his company. I’ve mentioned this.”

“No.
Your exact dictate was, and I quote, stay the hell away from David, unquote.”

His
jawline clenched for a second, then, “I apologize for my angry outburst last
night. So, I’ll relay it in a more civil manner. You need to avoid spending a
lot of time with him. In fact, it would be better if you just kept your
distance—period.”

“Michael,
he came all this way to deliver some papers, and you weren’t even here. I
invited him to lunch out of kindness. I couldn’t let him drive all the way back
without extending some courtesy.”

“Your
sense of goodwill is touching, but unnecessary.”

“I’m
not a child, Michael. And, I don’t need to be given rules as to whom I can and
cannot see. David’s been a total gentleman and a good friend. That’s not a
crime.”

He
inhaled a restraining breath, then, “Can’t you see he’s attracted to you? And,
this hand of friendship you keep extending to him only draws him to you more.
Especially, if you extend it dressed like this.”

For
the thousandth time that day, she regretted her choice of clothes. It seemed
everyone, but the intended mark, noticed. “Okay, so I’ll just make sure I’m
covered more the next time. Besides, I’m not concerned about David stepping
over any boundaries.”

“David
wants more than mere friendship from you. It’s in his eyes whenever you’re near
him. You’ve got the poor sap in some sort of magical spell.”

“Now,
you’re exaggerating,” she dismissed him. “You’re also making something out of
nothing. If you’re done, I need to go see about the girls.” She stepped
forward, but he sidestepped and blocked her way.

“Actually,
I’m not done. David wants you. And, if you keep feeding his attraction, you’ll
find yourself in a compromising position having to reject his advances. Is that
what you want?” He thought for a second then his eyes narrowed as he checked
her over. “Then again, maybe I’m wrong.”

“I
would appreciate it if you would stop questioning my morals, or lack thereof.
David is a friend—that’s it. And, I believe it’s possible for two people of the
opposite sex to maintain a platonic relationship. Now, can we go inside?”

He
raked his hand through his hair. “Taryn,” he warned.

“Michael.”

They
stood challenging one another for a good minute before he exhaled a sharp sigh,
stepped aside and waved her on. Chris and the girls were coming from the
kitchen as they came through the door.

“Momma,”
Remi ran to her, her face still beaming with joy from the activities of the
day. “Do you want to hear what we did at the fair?”

“Sure,
I do. You can tell me all about it in a minute.”

“Chris,
I think we should go to the office and finish those contracts there,” Michael
said.

“Sure,”
he shot a cautious eye between him and Taryn. “I’ll get the files from the
library.”

“Michael,
do you have to go to work now?”

He
cradled Remi’s glum, upturned face. “I’m afraid I do.”

“How
long will you be gone?”

“For
the rest of the day. Now, don’t look like that,” he gathered her to him. “We
had fun today, didn’t we?”

“But,
I don’t want you to go.”

He
knelt down to her eye level. “Neither, do I. But if I don’t, I’ll get in
trouble. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“No,”
she shook her head from side to side.

“Thank
you. Now, come on, give me a hug before I go. You, too, Rachel.”

The
sight of him and the girls in a huddled embrace warmed her heart, melting away every
bit of frustration. There’s no denying how wonderful he is with them—if only the
two of them could connect as well. Her smile quickly vanished when he stood.

“Don’t
hold dinner for me,” he strolled to the door. “I’ll be late getting back
tonight.”

“What
time will you be home?”

“Ten—ten-thirty,
the latest. I’ll wait for Chris in the car.” After one last good-bye to the
girls, he walked out.

As
Taryn stood there watching him walk away like that, she knew she had to do
something more to break that stone he’s made of. The biking shorts fiasco
barely moved him, now it’s time to really get his attention.

Later
that night, when all was settled and the house quiet, she took out her next
weapon of choice: The sheer number that was too pretty to just pass by and not
purchase. The lavender, chiffon night-gown spiraled in fluid grace around her legs
as she came down the stairs. When she reached that last step, she halted for a
nervous moment. Her scheme now bordered on absurd, and she was tempted to race
back upstairs, switch into her oversized night shirt, and climb into bed. She
turned to do just that, but, stopped abruptly. No, she has to see this through,
her pride is at stake. If she means to drive Michael wild with her feminine
temptations in the guise of sweet revenge, then she’d better swallow her
cowardice and get on with it. It’s almost ten-thirty, he’ll be home soon.

With
renewed vigor, she made haste for the kitchen. She took a glass from the
cabinet and filled it with some water from the refrigerator door, then just
held onto it while she stood eyeing the clock on the stove. She debated on how
long she would be willing to stand there before her courage fled; He could be
another hour for all she knew. If he’s not here by the time that minute hand
hits thirty-one, she’s going to kill this silly idea, and head back to
upstairs.

The
faint thud of the front door closing made her jolt. All of a sudden, the glass
was slippery—it took two hands to hold it. The quiet was nerve wrecking as she
listened for his footsteps to see whether he would go to his library, or straight
upstairs to his room. More of her hoped he would head upstairs, but too late,
he was coming down the hall, she could hear him. With each step that came
closer, her breathing became more and more restricted until—

“Taryn,”
Michael did a double-take and diverted his steps from the library into the
kitchen. “I wondered why the lights were still on.”

“Michael,
I didn’t hear you come in. Is it ten o’clock already?” she expressed a pretense
of astonishment when she viewed the time on the stove.

“Actually,
it’s ten-thirty,” he laid his briefcase on the table.

“I
was just about to turn in. I wanted a drink of water first,” she sat the
untouched glass in the sink.

“I
see.”

The
material of her gown was a faint shadow enabling him to see clear through it
and soak up every fraction of her body in the lavender bikini top and panties
underneath. She swallowed hard when his eyes finally lifted up to hers. It took
everything she had not to wrap her arms around her and bolt out of the room.

“Wo—would
you like for me to heat up dinner? It won’t take long.”

“No.
But, thank you,” he did a once over of her curves again before continuing.
“Chris and I ate at the office.”

“O.k.,”
The rest of her sentence was almost forgotten by him standing there looking
irresistible as usual in one of his suits, quiet, a measure of warmth in those
eyes. “Well, good-night.”

“Before
you do, I want to know if you’ve thought about registering the girls for
school, yet?”

“School?”
she was somewhat disappointed that was the only thing on his mind at the
moment. His eyes were certainly focusing on the right thing.

“Yes.
It starts in six weeks.”