“One of them?” A thick brow rose as his smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “That implies there’s more than one. What is your other wish?”
Sadie had to step back. He overpowered her. “Now, if I told you, none of the others would come true,” she replied, a breathless quality entering her voice, the distance between them still too close.
“Others! My, you’re ambitious.”
“I prefer the word hopeful.”
He leaned nearer, reaching around her to grasp the doorknob. “When I return you to Cimarron City, I’d be interested in how I did with the others.”
“Are you sure you want to know?” She was struggling to think straight with him so close. Her mind kept dwelling on his arm, which was brushing hers, his eyes, which were like molten silver as they looked at her, his mouth, which formed a half smile that was melting her insides.
“That sounds ominous. Exactly how many wishes are we talking about?”
“Only two others.”
He turned the knob and pushed the door open. “That doesn’t sound too overwhelming. I think I can handle that. I’ve got big shoulders.”
Sadie entered the den first, followed by Andrew, who quickly made the introductions. Sadie shook Ruth’s and Darrell’s hands, immediately liking them. Their den reflected the couple, cozy, friendly, warm, the fragrance of fresh flowers filling the air from several arrangements on tables about the room.
“Andrew told us a little about this bachelor auction but not nearly enough to satisfy my curiosity,” Ruth said as they all sat. “What a neat idea for raising money. How long has your organization been doing it?”
“Four years.”
“It sounds like a dating game,” Darrell said, scooting closer to his wife on the couch.
“It’s all done in fun and for charity, but there have been several marriages that have come from the couples meeting at the auction. That might be why our turnout every year grows. We started with twenty bachelors, and this year we auctioned off fifty. The number of women attending has doubled just in the last year.”
“I must confess when he told me I couldn’t picture him agreeing. How in the world did you ever talk Andrew into being one?” Ruth slipped her hand into her husband’s.
“I didn’t. Someone at IFI did, and from what I heard it wasn’t easy. You might compare it to moving Mount Rushmore.”
Andrew held up his hand. “Hold it. I have to say in my defense that I know how hectic my schedule can be. I didn’t want there to be any problems.”
Darrell’s laugh was deep and hearty. “Like today. He drives a hard bargain, especially when he’s under pressure to get the negotiations over with.”
“I should also add in his defense he tried to buy off the woman who asked him by donating some money to the charity in his place. He just doesn’t know how valuable a real live bachelor is.”
“Now that sounds like the Andrew I know,” Ruth said. “The true businessman to the letter. His time is much too valuable for something as trivial as a date.”
Andrew bent close to Sadie and whispered loud enough for the couple across from them to hear, “Forget that I said Darrell and Ruth were friends.”
Sadie hoped for once her face wouldn’t flame. Andrew’s nearness sent a shiver coursing through her. Her heartbeat and breathing were quickly becoming erratic. She added a fourth wish to her list; she wanted to know what one of his kisses felt like.
“Don’t let Andrew fool you, Sadie. Darrell and he have been friends since high school. In fact, I guess we all three have been.” Ruth rose, squeezed her husband’s hand, released it, then said to Sadie, “Let’s leave the men alone for a while. I want to show you the house. You should have seen it when Darrell and I bought it eight years ago. What a mess! I’m proud of what we’ve done to preserve a little history. I’ll let Andrew show you the gardens and gazebo later.”
Andrew watched Sadie leave the room, surprised at how glad he was she’d taken him up on his invitation to dine in New Orleans. Silence, thick and heavy like the humidity outside, fell between Darrell and him as the door clicked shut.
Andrew stood and walked to the mantel. “You can quit staring at me like that now.”
“Like what?” Darrell exaggerated an innocent look.
“Like you’re waiting for a confession. There’s nothing to tell. I hardly know Sadie. She bid on me at the auction last weekend, and that was the first time I met her.” Andrew recalled how she’d breezed into his office the following day and had nearly taken over in a short space of time.
“And you brought her here to New Orleans?”
“Is that supposed to mean something?”
“No.” Darrell answered slowly, paused for a long moment, then asked, “Does she know you grew up not far from this house?”
Andrew stared at the empty grate in the fireplace. “That’s not important. Irrelevant to the moment at hand.”
“Is it?”
Andrew’s head shot up and his gaze clashed with his friend’s. “I’ll have the contracts to you by the end of the week.”
“Okay. As usual the past is off-limits. I just find it interesting that you brought a woman here. That’s a first.”
“When I make an appointment, I like to keep it.”
“Business ones, yes, but ones for pleasure I doubt have that kind of devotion.”
“In a way this is business between Sadie and me.” Andrew kneaded the cords of his neck, feeling the tension beneath his hand. That was the only way he would consider the unorthodox invitation.
“Business? Is this how you’re justifying this unusual move to yourself?”
Seated again on the couch, Andrew leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped loosely together. “Why do you want to read more into this than there is?”
Darrell shrugged. “Chalk it up to a friend who cares what happens to you. I’ve followed you through the years. I’ve watched you try to shake your past. I’ve seen you work incessantly up the corporate ladder. But I’ve witnessed the longing on your face when you visit here. There’s a void in your life, and you don’t quite know how to fix it.”
“I’m fulfilling an obligation to take Sadie Spencer out. She paid for the date. That sounds like a business arrangement to me.” When Andrew looked into his friend’s face and saw the skepticism in his expression, he added, “Yes, I think she’s an interesting woman.”
“Just interesting? Have you gone blind since we last met?”
Andrew visualized Sadie. Her shoulder-length brown hair framed an oval face that was striking, with its satin-like skin, high cheekbones, full lips and dark intense eyes that could put a man in a trance. “Okay. She’s beautiful, too. But that is all, Darrell. This date is as far as my relationship with her will go. I have too much still to do to complicate my life right now.”
“The presidency of IFI?”
“Yes. Lawrence Wilson will retire in a year. I want the job.”
“Along with several other vice presidents. It won’t be an easy fight. The prize is a big one, if that’s what you want.”
“Yes, it’s what I want,” Andrew said, aware his voice held a defensive tone in it, which he knew Darrell heard, too. “Have I ever turned my back on a hard fight? The tougher the better.”
“So you’ll put your personal life on hold. You’ve been doing that for fifteen years. When will you take time for yourself?”
“Next year.”
“You remember Gregory Hansom?”
“A year ahead of us in school?”
“Yes. He had a heart attack last week. Nearly died. The doctor told him if he didn’t change his lifestyle and reduce his stress the next one would finish him for good. Is that what you want?”
“It’s not going to happen to me. I exercise when I can and eat right.” Andrew winced inwardly when he remembered how often he skipped breakfast and the fact that Sadie had called him on that.
“How often do you exercise?”
“Have we gone b
ack in time to the Spanish Inquisition?”
“How often?”
“I try to get to the health club once a week.”
“And do you make it?”
“Sometimes.” Andrew rose, restless energy demanding a release. “I wonder what’s keeping the women.” He started for the door.
“You don’t have to escape. I’ll drop the questions. You’re a big boy now and have to live your own life.”
Andrew turned at the door, a forced smile on his face. “Thanks. Now I’ll sleep better at night.”
“Come on back over here and tell me what’s going on at IFI. Let the women have some time to get to know each other.”
The darkness caressed Sadie with its cool fingers. As she leaned into the lacework railing of the gazebo, she inhaled the jasmine-laden air with hints of honeysuckle woven in it. Listening to the night sounds, she cleared her mind of all her troubles and relished the moment for what it was—a small, peaceful heartbeat in time when everything was right with the world. A gift from God.
Andrew came to stand next to her. “I like to come out here when I’m visiting. Ruth loves her gardens. She spends a lot of time working in them.”
“I love a beautiful garden, too, but I’m afraid I don’t have what it takes to be a gardener.”
“Oh, what?”
“A green thumb.” She held out her fist with her thumb sticking up. “Definitely black. I even killed a cactus once by under-watering it. But that character flaw doesn’t stop me from appreciating a heavenly place, and this garden and gazebo are.”
“Darrell built this for Ruth as a surprise when she was in the hospital having their daughter.”
“How romantic,” Sadie said, closing her eyes to hold the image of herself next to an attractive, intelligent man who captured more than she dared to allow.
“I suppose it was. Darrell and Ruth often do little and big things like that for each other. Even when they were dating in high school.”
Sadie heard the envious tone in Andrew’s voice and felt a kinship with him. All through dinner with the couple and their seven-year-old daughter, Sadie had sensed a deep caring and love expressed in their respect for each other. They had taken time for each other, never demanding, never criticizing. Carrie, their daughter, was lucky she didn’t have to live up to her parents’ expectations of her. As Sadie knew from experience, that was difficult on a child. It left emotional wounds that were hard to heal.
“How long have they been married?” Sadie finally asked, realizing Andrew was staring at her, producing a tightening in her chest.
“Nineteen years.”
“Nineteen!” Sadie pushed away from the railing, stepping back to face Andrew as he turned toward her. “They act like newlyweds.”
His low, warm chuckle erased all other sounds and made everything so much more intimate. “Sadie, some people do stay married, even though I must admit it’s not as common as it once was.”
She tried to read his expression, but the dark shadows hid it. “You sound like a cynic. Have you ever been married?”
“Do you always speak your mind?”
“Yes. Have you?”
“No. How about yourself?”
She shook her head.
“I thought a die-hard romantic like you, Sadie, would have been by now.”
“It’s because I am that I’ve never married.”
“Now who sounds like the cynic?”
She shrugged. “Darrell and Ruth are lucky. I’ve seen so many couples who aren’t. Marriage is for a lifetime. I’ve just found that the dreams are usually better than the real thing.”
“Then there are no disappointments?”
“Right.”
“But you can’t hold dreams.”
Sadie shifted away from Andrew. She didn’t like the way the conversation was developing. Carol had told her that very same thing several times in the past year. She knew she had many friends but no one she wanted to get close to for the kind of relationship necessary for a marriage to work. “A relationship has its ups and downs, but that’s what makes it exciting.” Carol’s words came back to Sadie. But when you open yourself up to another, they see all your flaws.
“I thought you were a die-hard workaholic,” she said, trailing her hand along the wooden railing as she distanced herself some more. “When do you have time to squeeze in a relationship?”
His laughter blanketed the night like the cloak of darkness. “I deserved that. I don’t, any more than you do. For different reasons we have something in common.” Lounging against the railing, he folded his arms across his chest. “Actually, those were Darrell’s words. He keeps hounding me to slow down and smell the roses.”
“I think Darrell’s right. Take a deep breath.”
“What?”
“Really. Smell Ruth’s roses. They smell wonderful.” As she listened to Andrew inhale, she was drawn toward him until mere inches separated them. “When you came out here before, did you ever just enjoy the atmosphere, the flowers, the quiet?”
“Well, no. I like to come out here to think. It’s a good place to work through a problem I might be having at IFI. Darrell has accused me of only visiting them to do just that.”
“Sometimes it’s nice to stop and savor a place for what it is. To wipe your mind clean of all thoughts and relish the moment of peace. I find that helps relieve my stress more than anything else.”
“Attacking problems head-on works best for me.”
“But I bet you’re always at war, fighting something. Don’t you ever get tired of it all?”
Andrew didn’t answer for a long moment. When he did, his voice was stiff. “If you want something, you have to fight for it. The world isn’t going to give you a thing.”
His cold words reminded Sadie of why she was here in the first place. She knew the value of fighting for what she wanted. “Have you made a decision about my proposal concerning Special Olympics?” she asked in a no-nonsense voice.
“Yes, we’ll be able to do what you requested.”
“Oh, fantastic!” Sadie paused, took a deep breath, then said, “I have another favor to ask. Will you come Thursday night to the high school for a meeting and reception with the parents and students involved in Special Olympics? As IFI’s representative you could formally give us the money at the meeting.”
“I don’t—”
“It would be good PR for IFI,” she interjected, her stomach twisted with tension.
“What time?”
“Seven, in the high school auditorium.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Thanks,” she whispered, sensing his sharp gaze on her as though he were trying to discern what was beneath her request.
She could come to care a great deal for this man beside her. He possessed a certain vulnerability that matched hers and pulled her to him, body and soul. Their outlooks on life were light-years apart. She doubted he went to church, if last Sunday at the office was any indication. Her faith was what sustained her. His work was what sustained him, she suspected, and yet she felt a common bond she couldn’t deny.
Chapter Three
“What are you not telling me, Sadie?”
Andrew’s question cut into Sadie’s thoughts and set alarm bells ringing in her mind. It was too soon to approach him about her work project. He was sharp, intuitive, no doubt two qualities that served him well in the business world. She couldn’t let down her guard for a second around him. He endangered her peace of mind more than anyone had in a long time. This had to be kept purely professional—a working relationship, she vowed, as she placed some distance between them and faced him.
“Andrew Knight, it’s just a simple request to meet my students. That’s all.” She pressed her lips together to emphasize her point and hoped he didn’t pursue his question. She wasn’t ready to tell him the main reason she had bid on him. She wanted him to see how capable her students were.
He started to say something when he heard his name being called fr
om the house. “We’d better head back.”
At the French doors that led into the living room, Ruth intercepted them. “Andrew, there’s a call for you. You can take it in the den.”
While he went to answer the phone, Sadie remained with Ruth, thankful for the timely interruption. “Your gardens are beautiful. I wish I could have seen more, but we need to leave soon.”
“You’re welcome at my home any time. Maybe you can persuade Andrew to bring you down again. Maybe even get him to take some time off. He works way too much.”
Sadie knew the instant he reappeared even though she didn’t see him come into the living room. Her body tightened with awareness as if every part of her were attuned to him. She glanced toward him and saw the frown that knitted his brow. “What’s wrong?”
“That was the IFI pilot. He has to leave immediately for New York. He won’t be able to take us back to Cimarron City tonight, like I had planned. We can either take a commercial flight or wait until he can pick us up tomorrow evening.”
“Well, then it’s settled,” Ruth said. “Now y’all will be able to see more of Oakcrest. Y’all can stay here tonight.”
Indecision clouded Andrew’s eyes. He started to speak.
“Andrew, I won’t take no for an answer. Sadie can use some of my clothes. What do you think?” Ruth turned to Sadie.
She looked from the woman to Andrew. “It’ll be okay with me. I don’t have anything planned special for tomorrow. I can call a friend to teach my Sunday school class.”
“Great. You can go with us to church tomorrow. I’ve been wanting to get Andrew to our little church, and this will be a perfect time to visit. I’ll go get your bedrooms ready.” Ruth hurried into the foyer as though afraid if she didn’t rush Andrew would decline to stay the night.
The living room suddenly seemed small as Sadie faced him, not sure what he was thinking. His features had flattened into a neutral expression while his body was still tense. The silence between them stretched, marred only by the ticking of the grandfather clock. The rhythmic sound echoed in her mind, grating against her taut nerves.
Family for Keeps & Sadie's Hero Page 21