Finally a Bride. Renee Ryan

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СКАЧАТЬ victims, er...beneficiaries.

      Molly stifled a groan. She couldn’t fall for Garrett again. She’d given far too much of herself to him once before, only to suffer unspeakable heartache. There’d been no letters once he’d gone away to school, no contact when he’d come home on breaks and certainly no cause to hope he’d change his mind about them.

      As time and distance had brought healing, Molly had moved on with her life. Or so she’d always thought. Today had shown her that a part of her would always belong to Garrett. He’d been her first love, her first kiss, her first everything. There was no erasing that sort of shared history.

      However, that didn’t mean she was willing to open her heart and let him trample on it again.

      “Nonsense, my dear, his joining us this evening makes perfect sense.”

      Did it? Molly had her doubts.

      Calm as you please, Mrs. Singletary picked up her enormous cat and set the animal on her lap. Weighing in at nearly twenty pounds, Lady Macbeth’s fluffy black-and-white fur spilled over the edges of the chair.

      While stroking the cat’s back, the widow slid a look at Molly out of the corner of her eye. “Aside from getting to know the young attorney better, this is an opportune time for you and Mr. Mitchell to become more comfortable in one another’s company.”

      Decidedly uncomfortable, Molly’s stomach dipped at the prospect of spending the evening with Garrett. She was already on edge after her conversation with Fanny. Her friend had explained herself in excruciating detail, sharing reasons Molly understood all too well. And that brought her back to Mrs. Singletary’s frustrating, albeit well-meaning, interference in her life.

      “You want me to become more comfortable with Mr. Mitchell, nothing more?”

      “It’s as simple as that.”

      Possible. But not probable.

      Unable to stand still any longer, Molly moved restlessly through the elegantly decorated room. She wove a path around the brocade furniture and randomly placed tables adorned with priceless trinkets. Her footsteps caught the rhythmic ticking of the large grandfather clock Mrs. Singletary had purchased on her last trip to London.

      Unfortunately, the slow, soothing cadence did nothing to ease Molly’s agitation. “Why is this so important to you?”

      For all intents and purposes, she’d called her employer’s bluff. Would Mrs. Singletary admit to her plan now, or continue to play coy?

      “I saw the stiff way you two interacted with one another this afternoon. If Mr. Mitchell and I are to work closely together, it’s essential you and he smooth out your differences before we begin.”

      Molly should have guessed the observant woman would have noticed the charged atmosphere in the man’s office. “Garrett and I aren’t at odds with one another, if that’s what you’re implying.”

      It was shameful, really, how familiar Molly had become with lying in the past few months, a flaw that didn’t speak well of her character. She should draw up a formula for cleansing her jaded soul. She would spend more time in the Word, of course. And—

      “So it’s Garrett now, not Mr. Mitchell?” The other woman smiled craftily, her dark eyes warm and full of steely purpose.

      Oh, Mrs. Singletary was a slick one. Unmistakable resolve was in her eyes now, just behind that matchmaker gleam. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I—”

      “What is it you think I’m trying to do, dear?”

      “You are attempting to help me find my one true love.”

      “Am I?” The question sounded as smooth as cream wrapped inside the woman’s innocent tone.

      “Mrs. Singletary, please, no more pretense.” Molly pinched the bridge of her nose. “You have made no secret of the fact that you believe every person has only one soul mate.”

      “I do indeed believe that, yes,” she agreed without an ounce of remorse. “But in my observation, only a blessed few find one another on their own. Most couples need a nudge in the proper direction.”

      Not Molly and Garrett, for one very simple reason. “We are not one another’s soul mate.”

      “Do you deny having feelings for the man?”

      “I’ve known him all my life,” she hedged, swiveling away and taking another turn around the room. “Of course I care about him. He’s the brother of my dearest friends.”

      “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

      Absorbing the fact that the older woman cared enough to want to see her happily settled, Molly stopped walking and closed her eyes. She adored Mrs. Singletary, truly she did, and was ever grateful to be in her employ. But this madness had to end.

      “You are focusing your efforts in the wrong direction. Garrett and I will never be more than friends.”

      Mrs. Singletary arched a brow. “You seem convinced. Is there more to the story you aren’t telling me?”

      Oh, there was definitely more. But Garrett would be arriving any moment. Molly couldn’t risk him walking in during a retelling of their tumultuous past.

      “Mrs. Singletary, I can’t...I’m not...” Think, Molly. There has to be a way to forestall her matchmaking attempts. “That is, I’m not ready to find my one true love.”

      To her utter humiliation, tears welled in her eyes.

      “Oh, my dear girl.” Mrs. Singletary set the cat on the floor and hurried over to pull Molly into her arms. “I’ve upset you.”

      Molly wanted to push free of the widow’s hold. She wanted to claim she was fine, just fine.

      But she wasn’t fine at all.

      Her discussion with Fanny had reminded her of her own failures, of all her lost dreams and vanquished hopes.

      She felt so terribly alone, exposed and raw. Vulnerable, even, as if God Himself had abandoned her.

      Sensing Molly’s fragile state, Lady Macbeth rubbed against her leg, a purring, furry ribbon winding around the hem of her dress.

      Still holding on tight, Mrs. Singletary gave her a little squeeze. “I would never push you into another romance if I didn’t believe you were ready.”

      “I’m not ready.”

      “Oh, but you are. You only need a little courage and a bit of faith. God has a distinct plan for your life, and I’m determined to see it come to pass.”

      The tears in her eyes trickled to the edges of her lashes. She refused to let them fall. Not in the company of this woman, or anyone else.

      It was her own fault she had to bear this secret pain in silence. She’d let everyone believe she’d been the one to break her engagements. As a result, even her own family feared she couldn’t follow through on a promise.

      This, СКАЧАТЬ