Dream Wedding(137)

Ryan knew that six weeks ago he would have discounted those feelings, but now he knew better. Sasha feeling that she mattered to him was half the battle. “I want to do what’s right,” he said. “I owe it to Sasha, and to my brother.”

Knowing eyes darkened. “Maybe you owe it to yourself as well.”

Once again he was surprised by how easily he shared his innermost thoughts with this woman. He’d always held that part of him back, but there was something about Charity that made him think that not only could he trust her but that she would also understand what he was trying to say. “You do have a way of making people talk, don’t you?”

“As I said, it’s a gift. But you’re not to worry. I’m very good at keeping secrets. Speaking of which, Cassie will be turning twenty-five soon. There’s going to be a party for her and I would like to put you on the guest list.”

“Thank you.”

Charity leaned back in her chair. “Has Cassie told you the significance of her twenty-fifth birthday?”

“Yes. She mentioned the legend of the nightgown. I know that she believes it’s true. Do you?”

“Of course. I’ve traveled all over the world and I’ve seen dozens of things modern science can’t explain. By comparison a magic nightgown is rather tame. Besides, Chloe dreamed about her husband when she wore the nightgown. They’d never met before, yet when they ran into each other the next day, she knew things about him that would have been impossible for her to know, unless the dream was real. It was nearly love at first sight for both of them. That’s difficult evidence to dispute.”

It was a tough story to swallow, he thought, trying not to play the cynic. “Do you think Cassie will dream about Joel?”

“Do you think Joel is Cassie’s fantasy, or even her destiny?”

The thought made his skin crawl. “It’s really not my place to say. Besides, they’ve been together for nine years. Who else would Cassie be interested in?”

Charity stared at him for a long time without speaking, then she rose to her feet and walked to the door. “I’m sure you’re very busy. I’ve kept you long enough.”

She gave him one last piercing glance, then she was gone. Ryan was left with the uncomfortable feeling that she knew about the kiss…and a few other things he hadn’t figured out yet himself.



CHAPTER ELEVEN

RYAN SPENT THE rest of the afternoon pretending to work without actually getting anything done. Part of the reason was he couldn’t believe all the personal information he’d shared with Cassie’s aunt. Spilling his guts to total strangers wasn’t his style. Actually he rarely spilled his guts to anyone. How had she done that?

He hadn’t been able to come up with a reason and after a while it had ceased to matter because of the second reason he couldn’t work—Cassie. Where was she? She’d left in the early afternoon and it was near—he glanced at his watch—four-thirty. She never took much time off to begin with and certainly not in the middle of the day. Had something happened to her?

Even as he contemplated calling the police and local hospitals, he heard the front door open and the sound of low voices. He exhaled in relief. She’d made it home. Now he could concentrate.

But even though he turned to his computer and stared at the screen, he wasn’t thinking about the spreadsheet in front of him. He wanted to know where Cassie had been and what she’d been doing. He knew it wasn’t any of his business, but he couldn’t help thinking it had something to do with what had happened between them last night. Even though it was probably both paranoid and incredibly egotistical, he wondered how much that kiss had changed everything.

She’d seemed all right that morning, he reminded himself. Had she been acting? Maybe he should just accept things at face value. Maybe he should believe her when she said she was fine. It was just a kiss, after all. Nothing earth-shattering. Except that the passion had nearly overwhelmed him. He’d never experienced anything like it before. But that didn’t mean she hadn’t.

Ryan frowned. He didn’t like to think that she and Joel created the same kind of heat. They couldn’t have and not bothered to get married. If he had dated a young woman who had made him feel the way Cassie did, he might have changed his ideas about getting involved in a serious relationship.

Not now, of course, he told himself. He was a mature man who understood that there was more to life than great sex. He didn’t want a commitment with anyone. Sasha was going to change his life enough without throwing a wife into the mix. And if he did decide to get married, it wouldn’t be just for the sex. There were other, equally important issues such as temperament, compatibility, trustworthiness. He would want someone intelligent and caring. Obviously a woman who could love Sasha as if she were her own. But he wasn’t looking, nor had he found anyone.