Dream Wedding(69)

She didn’t doubt that he cared…in some way. In his way. After all, he’d warned her from the beginning that he didn’t believe in love. She shouldn’t be surprised that nothing had changed. She’d been the one to break the rules, not him.

“I don’t think I can help you,” she said stiffly as she rose to her feet. “Arizona is his own man.”

“I see.” The elegantly dressed Dr. Grantham suddenly looked like an old man.

Chloe fought against guilt. Wasn’t it enough her heart was breaking? Did she have to be responsible for the university, too? She sucked in a breath. “I’ll do what I can,” she said. “I’ll say something to him. But don’t expect a miracle.”

Dr. Grantham beamed and shook her hand. “We’ll appreciate anything you can do.” Then he rose and left her.

Chloe stared after him. She would keep her word and mention the offer to Arizona, but she knew it wouldn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the fact that in two days, Arizona would be out of her life forever.

* * *

“DR. SMITH, MY wife and I have enjoyed your lecture series so much,” the older man was saying. “You bring your experiences alive. We feel as if we’d been there, don’t we, honey?”

His wife smiled. “Yes, indeed. William and I were just saying that we should travel more. Maybe Egypt or Africa. What do you think, Dr. Smith?”

“There are advantages to both,” Arizona told them. “Go through a reputable travel agent and confirm everything in advance.”

The couple nodded eagerly and started talking about pyramids versus photo safaris. Arizona felt his attention drifting as he glanced around the room. He knew what he was searching for…make that whom. Chloe. Always Chloe. Normally he enjoyed the “meet and greet” part of the evening, but for the past couple of nights he’d wanted to run out directly after his lecture, grab Chloe and escape to his hotel room. He wanted to be alone with her, not talking to all these people.

He tried telling himself it was just sex, but he couldn’t buy it. He’d had lovers around before and he’d always been able to focus on what he was doing. In fact if Chloe told him they couldn’t make love that night, he would still be as anxious to get her alone. Yes, he wanted to touch her and hold her, but he also wanted to talk with, spend time with her. Be in the same room, listen to her laugh, watch the light in her eyes.

He scanned the line for the buffet, then saw Cassie and Charity sitting at a table. Chloe wasn’t with them. He frowned and continued to search, at last spotting her in the company of Dr. Grantham. The courtly older gentleman had approached him just yesterday, offering him a position at the university. The offer had been generous, and were he a different kind of man, he might have considered taking it and settling down here.

The long line moved forward a little and he greeted the next couple. They had a few questions about his lecture. He answered them easily and again found his attention wandering.

Chloe was so damn beautiful, he thought. Tonight she wore a simple black dress. Short sleeves, scooped neck. The style didn’t hug her body, but it was formfitting enough to be a distraction. She was shaking hands with Dr. Grantham, then returning to her sister and aunt.

He watched her walk across the room, her hips swaying gently, her body calling to his. What was there about her that drew him? Why did he have the feeling that leaving this time was going to be more difficult than in the past? He knew he couldn’t stay. He came from a long line of men who abandoned those they were supposed to love. First, his grandfather had walked out on his wife and son to pursue a life of adventure. While they had never wanted for material things, they’d been denied a husband and a father.

The pattern had continued in his life. While his father had loved his mother to the point of obsession, he’d allowed his only son to be raised at first by strangers, then by the man who had abandoned him. Their family tree wasn’t a shining example of healthy family relationships.

So where did that leave him? Wasn’t he smarter to avoid that which he couldn’t do well? After all, it had taken nearly thirty years for him to forgive his father. They had made tentative peace, but that wasn’t the same as actually making the relationship work.

“So you really believe in all this magic nonsense?” a gruff man was asking.

“Of course,” Arizona replied easily. “How can we not? There are many things on this earth that can’t be explained.”

The other man grunted. “I’ll admit you tell a good story, but you’re not going to make a believer out of me. I believe in what I can see, touch, taste or smell.”