by Carol Henry
Gabriella stumbled forward, losing her balance. The two of them tumbled to the floor and the book skirted across the room.
“Ah,” he said, and reached down to retrieve it. “An interesting choice. Why this one in particular? The author, perhaps?”
The author? Gabriella wasn’t sure what he was getting at. Chad’s tone, while soft and seductive, held a hint of something else that belied his suggestiveness. What did reading the book by Bronson B. Brady have to do with anything?
“I…I don’t know what you mean,” Gabriella stuttered softy, trying to get up. “I came down for tea and wanted something to read.”
“So you picked that book? Do you know the author, hmmm…?”
“No. No, I don’t. I just found several here. They looked interesting. I’ve got to admit the name Dean Reynolds piqued my interest after Dennis and your sisters commented on it earlier.”
“My sisters? What did they tell you? What about Dean Reynolds?”
“Nothing. They just said he was a character. I didn’t realize he was a character in a book until I spotted it on the shelf. I decided to read one and find out for myself, seeing as no one was willing to tell me anything.”
“Tell me, why did Charles say you were after my money?”
“Why does Charles say anything? I don’t know—maybe because I asked him for a small loan and he turned me down. But it isn’t true. I told you before, I don’t need anyone’s money.”
“So you say. Why would he mention it if it wasn’t true? I was right about you all along, wasn’t I?”
Gabriella bristled. Her eyes narrowed.
“I thought we got beyond this. Apparently I was wrong.”
Chad handed her the book, his picture staring back from the back cover.
“It’s you.” She smiled in amazement. “Oh, my God. Chad. That’s you! I can’t believe it. You’re the author!”
“You knew. Of course you knew,” he stated. “You couldn’t have Charles, so you settled on making a grab for me? You waited up for me and my money tonight and made it look like a chance meeting.”
“What are you talking about?” Gabriella stared at him as if he had two heads—she was in the Twilight Zone. She steadied her shaky legs and brushed her hands down the side of her robe to stop them from trembling.
“I had no idea. No one ever said.” Wow. Chad was Bronson B. Brady and Dean Reynolds was a character in his books. There were a number of his books lining the shelf. He must be famous. And wealthy. No wonder he accused her of being after his money.
Her robe had come undone from their tumble on the floor. She tightened the belt, brushed the hair back from her face, and didn’t give a damn if her socks had slipped off her feet during their earth-shattering kiss. She felt cheapened, insulted, and close to tears.
Angrier than she had ever been before, even when Charles had dumped her, Gabriella exploded. She might be a fool once for thinking she was in love with Charles, but she wasn’t going to be caught a second time. Especially, by someone who accused her of being after his money. Apparently, Chad hadn’t gotten past that point. Had he been manipulating her all this time waiting to see if she would slip up so he could prove she was like all the other women that were after his money?
“First of all,” she said, catching her breath and letting it out in a rush. “Do I look like I’m dressed for seduction? Second of all, I don’t know who Bronson B. Brady is, but I do know Chadwick Hempstead, Jr. And from where I’m standing he isn’t much of a catch.”
“Maybe not, but I have the bank account that reels them in.”
Gabriella’s arm flew foreword, the flat of her palm connecting with Chad’s cheek before she could call it back. The loud crack filled the silent room, sounding an awful lot like the embers popping in the fireplace. But she wasn’t about to apologize. Or be humiliated again.
“I trusted you. I thought you really cared for me. But I guess I was wrong. Again.”
Chad stood silent.
“I don’t get reeled in, and I never check anyone’s bank accounts before I let them kiss me. And I don’t need to stand here and be insulted by you. For the last time, I don’t need your money. Hell, I don’t even need this job any longer. A trust has been set up for Nina, so she’s no longer the burden everyone seems to think.”
Beyond tears, Gabriella no longer needed or wanted a book to read. She skirted around Chad, stopped in the doorway, turned back, and found his face ashen, sporting a red mark on his left cheek where her hand had connected.
“You need to figure out what the important things in life are, Junior. Grow up. Not everyone is after your money.”
****
Gabriella refused to cry. She lay on top of the bedcovers, eyes closed. An errant tear trickled from the corner of her eyelid. Wiping it away would only acknowledge it. She wouldn’t cry over Chad Hempstead/Bronson B. Brady no matter how devastated she was to realize she had fallen in love with him. He didn’t trust her with who he was. And she wasn’t going to acknowledge she had just admitted she had fallen in love with him. Fool!
Another tear trickled down Gabriella’s cheek, making its way slowly down her face, landing next to her ear, seeping silently into the pillow. Gabriella squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands lay limp at her sides.
She refused to cry.
****
Not sure what had just happened, Chad plunked down on the easy chair Gabriella had been sitting in next to the fire. What he did know was their kiss had been one hellava kiss and it had shaken him up more than he’d care to admit. He hadn’t meant to turn against Gabby. Damn. Hearing Charles call Gabby a gold-digger had all his old fears resurfacing. Seeing her hold his book in her hands had triggered the past hurt. It was no excuse. He’d blown it. He’d deserved the slap.
Chad lifted his left hand and rubbed his cheek—the sting had dissipated, but the touch of her hand lingered. It had all seemed so clear when he returned from his walk. He was sure Gabby’s feelings were as real as his. He had safeguarded his pseudonym for so long and hoped she wouldn’t find out who he was until he was positive she was falling for him—Chad, not Brady. Now, he’d killed any chance there might have been between them.
She probably hated his guts and wouldn’t speak to him for the rest of his life. He didn’t blame her. He hadn’t trusted her with the truth. How far could their relationship go without trust?
When Chad woke early the following morning, he wondered why he was in the library sleeping and who had covered him with a blanket. Then he remembered, and he wanted to forget. He’d been such an ass. And all because he’d seen Charles kiss the woman he loved.
Loved? When the hell had that happened?
Chad sat up, rested his elbows on his knees and covered his face with the heel of his hands. He rubbed his eyes, then looked around the room. A soft glow from the window told him it was early morning. It wouldn’t be long before everyone would be up and about and ready for breakfast. After last night he didn’t think he could face any of them.
Especially, Gabby. How could he ever face her again?
The fireplace was cold now, except for a single ember peeking out between the grate full of ashes. It reminded him of himself—his heart was still beating, but something good that had started between him and Gabby had turned to ashes. His fault, of course.
Chad closed his eyes again. A big mistake. He was unable to close his eyes without seeing Gabby—first the shower, the sweetness of her making snow angels, holding Nina in her arms, and tonight, holding her in his arms—rolling on the floor. Her robe had come undone when they had tumbled together. He’d looked down at her. Damn, she was the sexiest lady he’d ever seen. Soft and cuddly in her long teal colored nightshirt that barely covered her thighs. It was nothing like those cold silk negligees of Tanya’s he’d never cared for. Sure, they showed a lot of skin, but they weren’t something you could snuggle up to on a cold winter’s night. And yes, dammit, Gabby had looked and smelled like a seduction in progress despite what she though
t.
She’d looked like a goddess with her long auburn tresses hanging loose around her face. He was certain she’d never worry about messing up a hairdo while making love.
Wow. Stop right there. Do not continue that train of thought.
He threw the blanket aside, stood up, spotting Gabby’s soft, over-sized, fluffy slipper socks. Teal, to match her nightshirt. Hell. When had they slipped off? In the throes of their passionate kiss? When he was as giddy as a schoolboy twirling her around the room before he ruined everything with his vile accusations?
He picked up the socks, carefully, lovingly, and for the first time in his life wanted to sit back down and cry. Instead, he got up and slowly trudged up to his room, a sock clutched tightly in each hand. He tenderly set them on his dresser. He got undressed and laid on the bed. Maybe when he woke later he’d discover it had all been a bad dream. Maybe then he could live with himself.
Chapter Ten
Chad found his father in the small, informal room off the kitchen later that morning, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands and an empty plate in front of him—the Sunday paper lay spread out on the table.
“Good morning, Son. There’s fresh coffee.” His dad glanced up from the paper. “You look tired this morning. Had a bad night?”
Ignoring his father, Chad poured a cup of coffee. He needed caffeine in a big way.
“Ethel mentioned seeing you and Gabriella in the library last night.” His father folded the paper he’d been reading and tossed it aside, watching Chad settle in the chair opposite him.
Chad frowned at his father, who was calmly adding cream and two heaping teaspoons of sugar to his coffee. He stirred it in quick circular strokes with his spoon as if his life depended on it. Damn. He could tell what was on his father’s mind. He took a couple of quick, fortifying gulps of his own steaming cup of caffeine to boost his courage.
“Before you go any further, Dad, I apologize for punching Charles and drawing blood last night in front of company. I don’t know what came over me. It doesn’t excuse my actions, but I have a feeling there are a lot of men out there who’ve wanted a piece of him—not to mention he’s a nasty drunk. I’m surprised someone hasn’t beat me to the punch. Pun intended.” He took another deep swig of coffee, and set the cup down. “And you can inform mother that her matchmaking efforts with Jennifer Newell aren’t going to work this time, in case she hasn’t figured it out already.”
His father didn’t bother to hide his knowing grin. “Never underestimate your mother’s matchmaking powers, Son. Her track record is undisputed.”
Chad made a stab at laughing. “Tell her to stop. I don’t need her help.”
“It wouldn’t do me any good to tell your mother to stop when it comes to matters of the heart. Besides, sometimes we all need a little nudge in the right direction.”
“To be honest, I think I blew ‘the right direction’ part last night.”
“Wait a minute.” His father put his hands up in front of him, palms outward. He picked up his cup and took a large sip. “I don’t think I want to hear about your love life.”
“I don’t have a love life. That’s the point. I am so tired of women wanting me for Bronson B. Brady, I can’t see straight. Tanya was the final straw—she took me for a bundle. Now Gabby—well, I just doled out another bundle for Nina in the form of a trust fund and I’m afraid history is about to repeat itself. Love life? Hell, I don’t know what to think anymore. Just when I find someone who I think I can give my heart to, I find her with her arms wrapped around one of my books, happier than a Christmas turkey that’s been pardoned by the President. What am I to think?”
“To begin with, it’s a Thanksgiving turkey not a Christmas turkey. And I’m sorry about Tanya, Son. I didn’t know. But I think what you’ve done for Nina is commendable regardless of Gabriella’s feelings for you, or your feelings for her.” Chad’s father slid his coffee aside and leaned over the table.
It irked Chad to realize his father didn’t even question that he had set up a trust fund for Gabriella’s niece.
“Think, Son. Perhaps Gabriella was impressed with your creativity—happy for you, that you’re able to give enjoyment to others. You aren’t some slob like Charles Denton who lives off his father’s name and money. What I think, Son, is you could take a lesson from the President.”
“What?” Chad looked at his father, puzzled, the steaming cup half way to his lips.
“Yep. Sounds to me as if a pardon is in order.”
Chad put his cup back on the placemat covered with bright red poinsettias and stared into his coffee cup as if it held the answers to all the secrets of the world. It solved nothing. He was the only one who could make things right.
“Speaking of Charles…”
Chad’s head snapped up.
“Charles? Who the hell wants to talk about Charles? I already said I’m sorry.”
“Watch your tongue, Son.”
“Dad, I’m thirty. I think I can say ‘hell.’ Hell, my characters in my novels say worse things than that!”
“Yes, but your mother taught you better. Besides you need to learn now so you won’t be cussing around your children.”
“Children? I don’t have any children.”
“Yet.”
“Jeez, Dad. Did mom put you up to this?” Chad couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. His father must have been on leave from work too long, his mother had turned his father’s mind to mush. “What is it Mom really wants?
“Leave your mother out of this.”
Chad sighed. It was useless. The minute his father uttered the words “leave your mother out of this,” the subject was closed for further discussion.
“I want to know why you cold-cocked Charles.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t stand to watch him manhandle Gabby. She doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment.”
“We had no idea Charles planned to attend, if it makes you feel any better. We wouldn’t knowingly put Gabriella in such a position after the horrendous way he’s treated her when he found out about Nina. She’s been through an awful lot lately, Son. She didn’t need another humiliating incident.”
Chad didn’t think being dumped by Charles was so tragic. Dealing with a baby on one’s own, as well as the loss of one’s family, however, was probably daunting and stressful. And he’d only added to it.
After last night, he owed her another apology.
****
Gabriella didn’t want to leave her bedroom. It was cowardly of her, she knew. She’d never run from anything in her life—always met obstacles head on. But this was different. Facing Chad after slapping his face was not going to be easy.
With the trust fund for Nina, she no longer needed to stay at the Hempstead’s. But she wasn’t a quitter, either. Tempting as it may be to pack her bags and run, she wasn’t about to leave Helen and Chadwick in the lurch. They had been nothing but warm, welcoming, and treated her like one of the family.
She should have trusted her original instincts and refused the position when Chad had shown up accusing her of tracking him down for more money.
She’d over-reacted last night. Slapping Chad’s face was unforgivable. Letting his kiss go to her head, believing he cared. All right, she had to admit, if only to herself, she was half in love with him. So what? She had thought herself in love with Charles, too, and look where that had gotten her.
Nowhere. Nowhere at all.
Never mind Chad was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen, his relationship with his mother and father was endearing. He really wasn’t an uncaring person despite his resistance to marriage and babies. He enjoyed his nieces and nephews and had even been concerned when Nina had cried out. And punching Charles in the nose on her behalf … well, no one had ever done anything so chivalrous on her behalf before. She was so confused she wanted to scream. Instead, she called Mindy, and was relieved when she answered the phone.
“I was hoping you were still in town. Wan
t to go shopping? Today’s my day off. We can take Nina and hit the mall and do some Christmas shopping.”
“Everything okay, you sound a little upset.”
“Just need some time off. Thought we could do lunch. Talk.”
“Sure. I’ll meet you at the mall center.”
“I’ll pick you up instead.”
With mild temperatures and a blue sky above, Gabriella packed up Nina, the stroller, and left a note with Ethel saying she’d be gone all day. With the holiday season underway, stores opened early and closed late. Gabriella was looking forward to a day of mindless shopping.
Mindy stood in the doorway of the apartment building, a frown on her face. Gabby walked up the path with Nina cuddled over her shoulder.
“Here, let me hold that darling baby.” Mindy took her inside and lifted the corner of the blanket. “Look at her smile. What a cutie.”
“She’s such a good baby, Mindy. I couldn’t ask for more. We’ve bonded. It’s as if I’m her real mother now. I love it. It’s not so hard once I got used to having her around. Of course, Helen and Ethel have made it easy. They’ve fallen in love with her, too. Sometimes I can’t remember what it was like before Nina.”
“But something’s wrong,” Mindy exclaimed. “So, what’s up? You sounded ready to cry when we talked. And you look awful.”
“Just what I need to hear. I didn’t come here to be insulted,” Gabby said. Her attempt at a smile failed.
“Sorry. Sit down. Let’s talk.”
Mindy carried Nina into the small sitting room, laid her on the couch and unbundled her. She laid the blanket on the floor, and placed Nina in the middle where the infant stretched out kicking and cooing.