Reckless Seduction. Gwynne Forster

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       What I need, she thought, after a moment of reflection, is better information about the schools on these reservations. She punched the intercom button. “Amy, please tell Spencer that I want to see him now.”

       “Right, Haley.”

       “Spencer, I want a report on the national ranking of primary and secondary students attending school on these three reservations—students per teacher, average attendance and annual education expenditure per student. And I want it by ten o’clock tomorrow morning.”

       “You don’t want much,” a chastened Spencer observed.

       “No, I don’t. See you at ten o’clock in the morning.” As Spencer walked out, it occurred to her that she would probably fire him within the next six months. His arrogance was becoming intolerable.

       Maybe she should make on-site visits to the schools, using Spencer’s report as preparatory material. Where was she going to get all of this time? Her mother might have some ideas. Haley telephoned her in Washington, and indeed she did. Gale Feldon had taken early retirement from her university post as professor of history, but retirement didn’t sit well with her. Haley wasn’t surprised when her mother offered to make the trip out to Oklahoma and undertake an on-site investigation. Unlike her daughter, Gale understood and spoke the language and had good contacts among her own people. That was all the entrée she would need to speak to the neighboring tribes. They agreed that she and Gale would leave Wednesday morning, carrying Spencer’s report and a consultant’s contract from IISP. Haley would visit schools of the other two tribes.

       Haley was back in her office the following Monday morning with everything she needed for the proposal. Gale Feldon’s highly professional report awaited her. Now, she only had to put it together and polish it off. “Yes, Amy.”

       “Mr. Ecklund. He’s called half a dozen times since you left on Wednesday. I left the notes on your desk.”

       “Thanks, I’ll take the call. Hello, Jon.”

       “Hello, Haley.” She had forgotten the beauty of his deep, velvet baritone. It warmed her all over. It soothed her, wrapped her up in warm contentment.

       “Haley, would you have dinner with me tonight? I want to see you again. Something went wrong between us. Will you please let me clear it up?”

       “Jon, I’m terribly busy. I’m sorry.”

       “Just like that? But you will eat, won’t you? I know that I am responsible for the hostility that you must feel toward me, but—”

       She interrupted him. It wasn’t exactly hostility that she felt toward him, but he had hurt her, and she didn’t want to expose herself to any more hurt from him.

       “I do not feel hostile toward you. I told you. I’m busy. I have to finish a proposal.”

       “All right. When will you have dinner with me?”

       “If I agree to have dinner with you, are you sure you won’t change your mind, lose your appetite, get an urgent call to leave town or something?”

       “I deserve that.”

       “My, my, such humility. I have to get back to work now. Goodbye.” She hung up.

       “Amy, come in and take a letter, please.” Amy’s pleasant smile disappeared abruptly as she walked into the office, and from her demeanor, Haley knew that Amy had detected her distress.

       “This is to the Brayton-Rogers Foundation. The usual salutation. I am writing to request your support of educa…” She couldn’t stop the tremors in her voice. Horrified, Amy moved forward to comfort her, but embarrassed, Haley stepped away from the desk.

       “Amy, please excuse me for a few minutes.”

       “But, Haley—”

       “I’ll be fine. Please, Amy.”

       Amy left. Haley went into her private bathroom and calmed herself. She hadn’t wanted to hurt Jon, only to preserve her sanity. How must he feel? She had never hung up on anybody, not even people whom she disliked. Why had she reacted so harshly?

       When she had regained composure, she acknowledged to herself that she should apologize to Jon. After looking through her personal address book, she dialed a number from it. Nels answered on the first ring.

       “Haley here. Can you give me Jon’s telephone number?”

       “Home or office?”

       “Wherever he’s likely to be right now.”

       He gave her both. “Haley, what is going on?”

       She thought for a moment. “Nels, I really don’t know. Please be a friend, and don’t ask anything of me just now.”

       “Alright, love, but be careful. He’s had a few serious wounds. Best of luck.”

       I’ve had some bad scratches myself, she thought, as she dialed Jon’s number.

       “Ecklund.” He couldn’t know that the sound of his voice disarmed her.

       “Yes.” He spoke sharply.

       “Jon, this is Haley.”

       “Yes, Haley? I was leaving my office when the phone rang. What is it?”

       “I’m extremely sorry about my rudeness.” She realized she sounded stiff and formal. “I…I just panicked. I’ve never done such a thing before.”

       “Is the fact that you’ve given me this singular honor supposed to soothe my ego?” he asked, his tone as bitter as his words.

       “Please don’t hold it against me.”

       “What prompted it, Haley? Frankly, I was shocked.”

       He wasn’t going to help, and she didn’t blame him. “I called because I would never deliberately attempt to hurt you. I confess that my reaction to you confuses me.”

       “Why should you panic? Because you’re accustomed to being in control, and you’re not? Well, neither one of us is. Look, I’d settle for some honesty between us. You were honest when you danced with me that night at Nels’s party. But because I didn’t know where I was headed and showed it, I earned your displeasure and perhaps your distrust. I called you today to put it right. The ball is in your court now. I want to know you better, but crawling is not something that I do.”

       “We could have dinner together tomorrow night.” Had she said that? She knew that she would regret it. She could never be indifferent to this man. And yet she could not—would not—open herself to the possibility of another demoralizing intimacy.

       “What about that urgent proposal?”

       “Dinner with you may be just what’s needed to expedite it,” she said, cryptically.

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