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Whispered Promises
Brenda Jackson
MILLS & BOON
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Contents
Acknowledgment
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
Acknowledgment
To the 1971 class of William M. Raines High School, Jacksonville, Florida. And to Raines Vikings everywhere. Ichiban!
To Debbie Bowen, Rosemarie Baker, Mary Anne Coursuti, and Marge Smith (aka Elizabeth Sinclair) for their invaluable critiquing.
To Brenda Arnette Simmons for her helpful feedback on the finished product.
To my family and friends for their continued support.
To all the readers who fell in love with the Madaris brothers. This one is for you.
Chapter 1
“G irl, take a look at the brother who just walked in.”
“He’s definitely a good-looking man.”
“A real work of art.”
“Handcrafted in all the right places.”
“I wonder who’s the lucky sister meeting him here.”
“Wished it was me.”
Feminine whispers rippled through the restaurant as a number of heads turned, and admiring eyes glanced toward the man entering the establishment.
Dex Madaris was oblivious to the attention he was getting. His gaze roamed the room before zeroing in on the dance floor. A few couples were dancing, locked in each other’s embrace, slowly moving to the soft sound of the jazz music being played. No doubt they were caught up in their own private world, sharing whispered promises of love like he and Caitlin had once done.
Caitlin.
He took a deep breath. Everyone was entitled to at least one mistake in life, and Caitlin had been his.
“Welcome to Sisters. Will you be dining alone?”
A soft voice broke through Dex’s reverie. He glanced down into a hostess’s smiling face.
“I’m meeting my brother here. I believe he made reservations.”
“What’s the name?”
“Madaris.”
The woman’s smile widened. “So you’re Clayton’s brother?”
Dex raised a brow. “Yeah, one of them. I gather you know Clayton.” It was more a statement than a question. He knew there weren’t too many females in Houston who didn’t know his younger brother, the confirmed bachelor.
A soft chuckle erupted from the woman’s throat. “Oh yes, I know Clayton.”
He slanted her a curious look, not failing to notice the light dancing in the depths of her dark eyes. He couldn’t help wondering just how deep her acquaintance with his brother went.
“Clayton hasn’t arrived yet, but if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your table.”
She led the way to a table overlooking downtown Houston. Sitting down, Dex couldn’t help noticing the number of females that were either dining alone or together in groups.
Sisters.
It suddenly dawned on him the connection between the name of the restaurant and the number of women that were there. Although quite a few men were in attendance, they were outnumbered by the women two to one. Evidently this restaurant was a meeting place where the sisters came to hang out and bond.
“Would you like to order now, or do you want to wait until Clayton gets here?”
“I’ll wait.”
“All right.” A grin curved the woman’s lips. “Clayton has told me a lot about you.”
Dex gave her a dry look. “Really? And just what did he tell you?” Evidently, Clayton hadn’t told her just how much Dex enjoyed his privacy.
“He said you’re a workaholic and somewhat of a loner.”
Dex moved his shoulders in a noncommittal shrug. A workaholic and a loner. He knew in all honesty there was more than a little truth to Clayton’s claim. Since his divorce from Caitlin four years ago, he had drowned himself in his work. He’d volunteered for longer hours and had taken on projects other geologists with Remington Oil hadn’t wanted to be bothered with. Since returning to the States from Australia, he had formed his own company, Madaris Explorations, almost a year ago. He worked day and night to assure its success, and to prevent his mind from idle wandering to the past. The memories were too painful,
