Gorgeous Grooms: Her Stand-In Groom / Her Wish-List Bridegroom / Ordinary Girl, Society Groom. Jackie Braun

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СКАЧАТЬ her more than once during the past several weeks, to pick that finely tuned brain. In the end he hadn’t needed to. She’d called him.

      Stephen glanced at his watch. Eleven-fifteen. He would be meeting her in less than an hour for lunch. The invitation had surprised him and left him intrigued. Business, she’d said. What exactly did she want? He shrugged into his suit coat. He would find out soon enough.

      Catherine discreetly flipped open her compact and checked her appearance again as she waited in the restaurant for Stephen to arrive. Why she should be nervous about seeing him, she didn’t know. This was business, after all. And yet she’d chosen a flowered silk dress rather than a conservatively cut suit. Okay, so maybe she had a little crush on her fiancé’s—ex-fiancé’s—cousin. It would never amount to anything, of course. They were too different. And yet, after spending that time with him aboard La Libertad, she couldn’t help but wonder if, beneath it all, they might be very alike.

      She dismissed that thought immediately as she watched him enter the restaurant. Stephen Danbury didn’t walk so much as stalk, like a big black panther taking stock of his surroundings as he followed the hostess through the crowded dining room. Confident, powerful, in full command. He was a force to be reckoned with. His dark gaze panned the room before settling on her, and Catherine sucked in a breath which she held until he reached their table.

      “Your waiter will be with you in a moment,” the hostess said. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

      “Coffee, black.”

      When they were alone, he said, “Hello, Catherine.”

      She held out a hand that was swallowed up in his and offered a smile.

      “It’s good to see you again, Stephen. And thank you for meeting with me. I know your schedule is very busy.”

      “I always have time for an intriguing offer.”

      He seemed to hold her hand a moment longer than was necessary, before finally releasing it and settling into the chair opposite hers.

      “What is this business you’d like to discuss?”

      No idle chit-chat for him. She’d counted on small talk and pleasantries to carry them through at least the appetizer. By then she’d hoped to have sufficiently screwed up her courage. She pleated the linen napkin in her lap, a show of nerves she was grateful he could not see.

      “Well, as you know, I am the executive director of the Safe Haven Women’s Shelter. Our facility houses abused women and their children, helping them get back on their feet emotionally and financially once they’ve left an abusive relationship.”

      “A noble effort,” he replied, but she couldn’t tell from his expression if he meant the words or if he was just being polite.

      “We can accommodate up to fifty women and their children. That might seem like a lot, but in a city the size of Chicago it’s just a drop in the bucket. In fact, we’re full at the moment and we have a waiting list.”

      “I’m familiar with the shelter and its work,” he said.

      “Oh.” Catherine took a sip of water before continuing. “Then perhaps you are aware that the building we call home is old and in need of substantial repair. I’ve implemented a fund-raising plan that has helped tremendously. We encourage companies to ‘adopt’ different apartments in the facility and then refurbish them. Sometimes it’s as simple as a fresh coat of paint, carpeting and new bedding. Other rooms need furniture, window treatments, plumbing repairs, light fixtures, rewiring, et cetera. It’s a write-off for the companies that participate, and I try to make sure their efforts get adequate coverage in the local media.”

      “That’s a clever plan.”

      “I can’t take credit for it. Other communities are doing it with great success. I heard about it at a conference I attended.”

      “It’s still a good idea. And you were smart enough to recognize that.”

      She smiled, ridiculously pleased with the compliment. “Thank you.”

      The waiter arrived with Stephen’s coffee and took their lunch orders, giving Catherine time to mentally prepare the rest of her pitch.

      “Recently we received a grant that will cover most of the repair costs for the boiler, so now the roof is our number one priority. It began leaking in the spring, and we had some patching done, but the contractor told us the entire thing should be replaced.”

      “Roofs can be very expensive.”

      Catherine cleared her throat and took a sip of her ice water. “Yes, very. Especially on an old building whose structural integrity could be compromised if repairs aren’t made soon.”

      “Which brings us to the point of our lunch meeting, I presume?” He smiled, but his eyes remained unreadable.

      “We’re hoping Danbury’s can help us with a monetary donation that will cover part or all of the roof repairs. I’ll personally make sure press releases are sent to the Tribune and Sun-Times, as well as local televisions stations. I’ve received three estimates from reputable contractors.” She pulled papers from her slim leather case and handed them to him.

      “You’ve done your homework.”

      “I try to be prepared.”

      He glanced up, his gaze steady. “I enjoy a woman who’s prepared.”

      Nothing in his inscrutable expression revealed whether the double entendre was intentional, but Catherine felt her face grow warm.

      “May I keep these?”

      When she nodded, he folded the papers and tucked them into his breast pocket without another word.

      “You don’t need to make a decision right now,” she said.

      “I didn’t plan to.” He shifted forward in his seat, leaning over the small table. “Can I ask you something personal, Catherine?”

      Her pulse hitched. “Yes.”

      She realized that she had leaned forward as well when she felt his warm breath on her face as he said, “Why didn’t you ever ask Derek about this? He was your fiancé, after all. Talk about a trump card.”

      She leaned back. “I did. Twice.”

      Stephen’s dark eyebrows shot up. “He never mentioned it to me.”

      “He kept saying he’d get back to me.” She gazed at the linen napkin that lay in twisted heap in her lap. “I don’t think he took my work seriously.”

      “Tonto,” he muttered.

      “If I’m remembering correctly from my high school Spanish class, you just called Derek a fool.”

      His use of the word surprised Catherine. Not many people resorted to a foreign language to issue an insult. Nonetheless, she enjoyed her first relaxed smile in more than an hour. Stephen, however, didn’t smile. There was nothing teasing or relaxed about his dark gaze when it connected with hers.

      “You’re СКАЧАТЬ