Matthew was still holding tight to Katrina’s hand. Her son tossed him an uneasy smile, his hands still pushed deep into his pockets. With some reluctance, Matthew released Katrina’s hand and extended his handshake to her child.
“I’ve been looking forward to meeting the young man who jacked my car,” Matthew said, humor in his gaze. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Collin’s uneasy smile folded into a deep frown as he returned Matthew’s handshake with much reluctance. “I’m very sorry,” he managed to mutter softly.
Matthew nodded his head slowly, his gaze shifting from Collin to his mother and back again. He crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the desktop. “Where did you learn to pop a door lock and hot-wire a car?”
Collin’s eyes flitted to his mother’s questioning expression, then back to the man who was studying him intently. “My friend Paul’s older brother.”
Matthew nodded again. “We need to work on getting you better friends,” he said with a soft chuckle.
The boy suddenly looked scared.
Concern registered in Matthew’s expression as a consoling smile filled his face. He tossed an arm around the boy’s shoulder, patting him on his back. “I promise, you won’t suffer much,” Matthew said teasingly, winking his eye. His smile widened. “Why don’t we all take a seat and see how we might fix this mess?” he said.
Following his lead, Katrina took a seat at the far end of the table. Matthew, quite the gentleman, pulled out her chair for her. She sat back, falling into silence as she stared from her son to Matthew and to the people around the table, trying to make sense of her child’s actions. Her gaze kept returning to Matthew Stallion as he engaged her son in conversation, asking question after question about his life and his goals. Every so often Matthew would look in her direction, tossing her an easy smile before returning his focus to the matter at hand.
Katrina heaved a deep sigh, then inhaled deeply, holding tight to the warm air to calm her nerves. It was a good thing she was there only to observe, she suddenly mused. Katrina was unnerved by her reaction to the beautiful man who’d taken full control of the meeting. Unnerved because not since her late husband had any man had her quivering so unabashedly.
Chapter 3
Matthew engaged the voice-activation system in his car to dial his office. Traffic was backed up from Avery Avenue to Zang Boulevard. He strummed his fingers anxiously against the steering wheel of his new car as he waited for the cellular service to connect the call.
Mediation had lasted well over two hours. After their initial interaction, Collin Broomes hadn’t been much interested in talking, falling into a sullen silence for the balance of the session. His attorney and the mediator had both been diligent about hashing out a game plan for the young man’s future. But Matthew had been the only one to actually ask the boy his opinion, genuinely interested in what Collin might want for himself.
He’d hardly been surprised when Collin gave him little to nothing, his responses amounting to single-syllable answers. His mother had spoken only once during the entire discussion, reprimanding her son and advising him to check his tone when he became insolent. The boy had reeked of attitude, had a massive chip resting square on his shoulder. Her tone had been firm, the look she’d given her son stern. The boy had instantly stopped posturing, his teenage swagger cooling considerably. Clearly, his mother was a firm disciplinarian.
Each time she’d looked at Matthew, her gaze had lingered longer than necessary. Her look had softened considerably as she’d studied him with keen interest. Her eyes were beautiful, Matthew suddenly mused, remembering the glazed stare.
Matthew liked how Katrina Broomes had looked at him. He liked the energy that had pierced his own stare. Never had any woman looked at him like that before. Most women Matthew knew were always eyeing him like he was bait on a hook. But then, maybe that had much to do with him always trolling for his next catch of the moment.
On the other hand, Katrina had looked at him as if she actually saw something in him that he himself hadn’t yet discovered. And she’d looked at him as though she liked what that was. Her interest had been keen and had piqued his. Now he found himself hoping that he might get to know the woman better.
Toward that goal he’d been eager to volunteer to personally mentor young Collin. The boy’s eyebrows had risen in surprise but Matthew had been adamant. Consequently, starting in two weeks, the two would be meeting at the Briscoe Ranch Youth Center, where Matthew would put the child through his paces.
Matthew’s thoughts were interrupted by the phone line being answered on the other end, his secretary’s voice greeting him cheerfully.
“Matthew Stallion’s office. How may I help you?”
“Hello, Carol. Do I have any messages?”
“Hello, Mr. Stallion. Just one message, sir. Your brother John asked that you contact him before you take off on your vacation this afternoon. He said he’ll be in his office most of the day.”
Matthew nodded into the receiver. “I’m actually changing my plans, Carol. If you’ll call and cancel my reservations, please.”
“But you were so looking forward to your vacation. Are you sure?” she asked, her tone concerned.
Matthew smiled to himself. “Positive. Something’s come up.”
There was a slight pause as his secretary waited, hopeful that Matthew might tell her what that something was. He didn’t.
“I’m going to take the rest of the day off, though, and I’ll be in the office tomorrow. If you’ll please transfer me to John’s office.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Stallion. Just one moment,” Carol said as she put the call on hold.
Seconds later, John Stallion’s baritone voice spilled out of the speakers.
“Yo, bro! How’s it hangin’?”
Matthew chuckled, the familiar greeting reminding him of when they were just boys themselves. “High and steady,” he responded, his head waving from side to side.
“Better than low and heavy,” John answered with a deep laugh. “So, when do you take off?”
“I’m not. I signed up to mentor the kid who jacked my car and I need to put some things in place to do that. I’ll postpone my trip until I can better arrange my schedule.”
John laughed. “A personal, one-on-one butt whupping. Poor kid. Guess he didn’t have a good lawyer.”
“He had one of the best. That’s why I’ll be mentoring him and not someone else.”
John nodded into the receiver. “You still need to take some time off. We all do. Fighting that hostile takeover drained our energy. The last few months have taken their toll on every one of us.”
“So, why don’t you and Marah sneak off to the islands for a few days? The beach house is available. Your wife would like that, and since I’m staying, you won’t have to worry about the office.”
