style="font-size:15px;"> Simply because she no longer wore that gray shapeless garment from this morning but a blue silk dress that complemented her lean, lithe figure and brought out the green in her eyes.
The effect was devastating. Disconcerting.
Any words of greeting vanished from his mind.
There was something unreal about Callie now, something vulnerable and highly appealing. The impact of her beauty nearly flattened him.
Confounded by his reaction to a simple change of clothes, he blinked at her. “Miss Mitchell, I...” His brain emptied of all thought. Why was she here, looking like a fairy-tale princess? “That is, I wasn’t expecting you.”
She shifted from one foot to the other, then snapped her shoulders back. Ah, there she was. The Callie Mitchell he knew. “Mrs. Singletary sent me to pick up a package you were to have ready for her this afternoon.”
He couldn’t think of what package she meant. He remained silent so long his father cleared his throat.
Still, Reese couldn’t make his mind work properly.
“Well, if it isn’t Callie Mitchell.” His father shoved around him. “How are you, my dear?”
“Mr. Bennett.” She hurried to him, reaching out her hands to clasp his in greeting. “What a wonderful surprise to see you here today.”
He smiled broadly. “You are utterly captivating.”
Her face brightened at the compliment. “What a sweet thing to say.”
“Only the truth, my dear. Only the truth.”
Until this moment, Reese had forgotten how well his father and Callie got along. Watching the two interact so easily, their heads bent at similar angles, he found himself stewing in an unpleasant rush of...
Jealousy?
Absurd. Reese couldn’t be jealous of his own father.
And yet, he had to take slow, measured breaths to prevent himself from walking over to the pair, shoving his father aside and insisting Callie pay attention to him. Only him. As if he was some sort of spoiled, selfish child with no manners or common sense.
He managed to avoid stooping quite that low. “Callie.” He barked out her name. “A word, please, in private.”
One stilted sentence and Reese had crossed several unimaginable lines.
His father’s responding grin spoke volumes. As did Callie’s reaction. Had she stiffened at the familiar use of her name? Or because of the inappropriate request itself?
Reese wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. But he made no attempt to retract his words. This conversation had been coming on for some time.
No turning back now.
Years of practiced restraint kept Callie from gasping at Reese’s request. But...but...glory. He’d just asked to speak with her. Alone.
She couldn’t think why.
And that, Callie decided, was the primary source of her distress. Her shoulders wanted to bunch. Her knees threatened to give way beneath her. But she remained perfectly still.
Perfectly.
Still.
No easy task. Not with Reese looking at her with all that intensity. He was so focused on her she had a sudden, irrational urge to rush out of his office without a backward glance.
Callie had never been one to run from a difficult conversation. She would not start now.
Still, Reese’s command, spoken so abruptly, was out of character. Why would he wish to speak with her, alone?
Seeking a clue—any would do—she slid a covert glance over his face. His chin jerked, very faintly, a sure sign that he’d shocked even himself with his words.
“Well, then.” A corner of the elder Mr. Bennett’s mouth curled upward. “I believe that’s my cue to depart.”
Callie started. She’d forgotten Reese’s father still held her hands. Had he noticed the faint tremor in her fingers?
“There’s no need to leave so soon,” she said on an exhale. Even to her own ears, her voice sounded exceptionally calm, almost detached, with the emotional depth of a stone. Perfect. “I’m sure whatever your son has to say can be expressed in front of you.”
She hoped.
“Perhaps. But alas, I have another appointment calling me away.” With a fatherly smile, he gave her hands a quick squeeze before releasing her. “It was a pleasure running in to you, my dear. We must make this a more common occurrence.”
The kindness in his voice, as much as the sentiment itself, calmed her nerves considerably.
“Oh, yes, Mr. Bennett.” She managed to get both sides of her mouth to lift in a responding smile. “That would be lovely, indeed.”
She’d always felt comfortable around this man, as though he was a second father. Callie desperately wanted him to stay but couldn’t think of a reason why he should, other than to beg him to serve as a shield between her and his son.
Callie Mitchell was made of sterner stuff.
“Reese.” Mr. Bennett gave his son a short nod. “We will continue our discussion another time.”
A muscle knotted in Reese’s jaw as he returned his father’s nod with one of his own.
Another smile in Callie’s direction and the elder Mr. Bennett quit the room.
She remained precisely where she stood, twisting the handle of her reticule between her fingers. She hated this anxious, almost panicky sensation spreading through her. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be helped. Simply standing in the same room with Reese caused her anxiety.
She should not be here, alone with him.
She wanted to be nowhere else.
Time slowed. The moment grew thick with tension, the silence between them so heavy that Callie could hear their individual breathing.
“I don’t think this is a wise idea, Mr. Bennett,” she said, mostly to herself, and meaning it with all her heart.
“Callie.” His lips flattened in a grim line. “At this juncture in our acquaintance, perhaps it’s time you called me Reese.”
She looked at him blankly, absently noting the way sunlight from the window emphasized the dark, rich brown of his eyes, the color of freshly brewed coffee. “Oh. But I—”
“I insist.” His tone was both gentle and firm.
A dangerous pang snatched at her heart and the rebellious part of her
