Patricia Kay – The One-Week Wife (страница 2)

Instead of answering, he stroked the gelding one more time, then strode toward her.

Felicity had to force herself not to back up, even though that nervousness she’d managed to quell earlier was back in spades.

“Is everyone talking about me? Feeling sorry for me?” he said sharply.

Now she could see his eyes. She had never known that blue eyes could actually blaze. Her heart beat faster. “No, of course not.” But they were. After all, Emma and Reed’s breakup was one of the juiciest pieces of gossip to hit Eastwick in months. And Eastwick thrived on gossip. Especially that witch Delia Forrester, who seemed to think she might become the new Bunny Talbot now that the “Eastwick Social Diary” gossip maven was dead.

Reed’s jaw hardened. “Don’t lie to me, Felicity. I know everybody in the entire damned county is gossiping about me. Hell, I can hear them now. ‘There must be something wrong with Reed Kelly if Emma Dearborn has thrown him over.’”

“Oh, Reed.” Felicity’s heart melted at the realization that he wasn’t mad. He was hurt. Unable to help herself, she reached over and laid her hand on his arm. He flinched, but he didn’t pull away. Wanting to comfort him, she moved closer, sliding her arms around his waist and hugging him. “I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “About everything that’s happened.”

For a moment he stood stiffly, and Felicity was afraid she’d crossed an uncrossable line. Then his arms encircled her, and he rested his chin on the top of her head. Felicity closed her eyes. Being held like this, even if it was only a hug between casual friends, felt so good. It had been a long time since she’d been embraced by a man she respected. Especially a man as attractive as Reed.

She sighed and, drawing back slightly, looked up, wishing she knew what else she could say to make him feel better. “Reed…” she began.

He looked down.

When their gazes met, something electric and undeniable sizzled between them. And then, in an action Felicity knew she’d never forget, his head came down and his mouth captured hers.

Shock waves radiated through Felicity as his tongue delved. She moaned when his hands dropped lower to cup her bottom, pulling her even closer so that she could feel his arousal. Her insides had turned liquid, her entire body on fire with need.

Reed…Reed…

Her mind spun with the realization that one of her fantasies was actually taking place. For even during Emma’s engagement to Reed, there had been times Felicity couldn’t stop herself from wondering what it would be like to be Emma. To be kissed by Reed. To have him touch her. To make love with him…

Suddenly, penetrating the haze of desire consuming Felicity, she heard the sound of someone’s footsteps outside. Reed must have heard them, too, for he immediately released her, and she staggered backward.

For just a moment they stared at one another. Then Felicity, knowing her face was flaming, sputtered, “I—I have to go. Here. This is what I came to give you.” Reaching into her handbag, she grabbed the check she’d prepared earlier and thrust it at him. It was a refund of the deposit he’d given her months ago when he and Emma had asked her to handle the arrangements for their wedding.

Too embarrassed to wait for his response, she spun about and, as fast as she could manage on her four-inch heels, she fled the stable.

Hell’s bells!

What had he been thinking?

You weren’t thinking. At least, not with your brain.

Huffing out a breath, Reed swore at himself. Jesus. That had to have been the stupidest thing he’d ever done. He’d practically attacked Felicity. Why? Was he that horny? Or was he somehow trying to get back at Emma for making him a laughingstock?

He gritted his teeth.

That’s what galled him.

That’s what really galled him.

On some level he’d always known that something was missing in his relationship with Emma. She was sweet and lovely and exactly the kind of woman any man would be proud to have as his wife. But if he’d been honest with himself, he’d have admitted that there were no sparks between them, which didn’t bode well for their future.

In fact—and he couldn’t have admitted this to anyone—they had never been intimate. Emma had been reluctant, wanting to wait until they were married, and Reed had respected her feelings.

So when she’d broken their engagement because of another man, he’d been more embarrassed than hurt. But afterward he had wondered if her reluctance to engage in sex before their marriage had more to do with a lack of desire than it did with wanting to remain chaste, as he’d thought.

Now he questioned everything about their relationship, especially his own judgment. His ego was sorely bruised, and the fact that everyone in their circle knew exactly what had caused the breakup made the situation ten times worse.

Although Reed came from a big, gregarious family and really liked people, he was a very private person where his feelings were concerned. If he could have licked his wounds alone, he could have dealt with being jilted. As it was, he felt raw and exposed.

And stupid. Don’t forget stupid.

“Hey, boss, everything okay in here?”

Reed tried for a normal smile. “Everything’s fine, Max. Why?”

His assistant frowned. “I just saw Felicity rushing out of here. Thought maybe you’d had some kind of argument or something.”

“No, uh, she had an appointment, I think.”

Max nodded, but the speculative look remained in his eyes, and Reed wondered if he suspected what had really happened between them. “Which reminds me, there are some phone calls I need to make,” Reed added.

Walking out of the stable, Reed put on his sunglasses and headed for the office. In the distance he glimpsed the taillights of a silver SUV heading away from the farm. Felicity’s vehicle, he realized ruefully. Getting away from him as fast as she could.

And yet…

She certainly hadn’t shoved him away when he’d kissed her. In fact, he thought, she had responded rather enthusiastically. Just remembering that response and how good her slender curves and warm body had felt in his arms, he could feel himself growing hard again.

Maybe Felicity was just what he needed right now. If they were to get together, the gossips would have something new to talk about, and they’d stop feeling sorry for him. The idea was appealing, but after a moment or two he pushed it away. He couldn’t do that to Felicity. It simply wouldn’t be fair to use her that way. Especially when he knew, from comments Emma had made, that Felicity had been badly hurt by her former husband’s betrayal.

Belatedly he looked at the check she had shoved into his hand. A twenty-thousand-dollar refund of the deposit he’d given her when he and Emma had first begun planning their wedding.

That was generous of her. As it was, he’d lost the thousands he’d paid for the honeymoon he wouldn’t be taking. Not to mention the cost of the expensive diamond Emma had returned to him—a ring that he was sure the jeweler wouldn’t take back, or if he did, would give Reed only a fraction of what he’d paid for it.

He hoped Felicity wasn’t out any money because of the canceled wedding. Surely she would have deducted any expenses she’d incurred before making out the check. He made a mental note to ask her about that.

Reaching his office, he walked inside and smiled at his brother Daniel’s daughter, Colleen, who promptly handed him three pink telephone slips.

“Julianne Foster, Dr. Finnerty and Gram called,” Colleen said. “Gram just wanted to know if you’re coming to dinner tonight.”

“Thanks, honey.” Reed looked at his watch. It was after one. “Shouldn’t you be heading home by now?” Colleen was working half days for him this summer.

“I just wanted to finish up the newsletter,” she said as Reed headed into his office. “Then I’ll be off.”

Reed sent a monthly newsletter to his clients, who numbered in the hundreds—some living as far away as Texas, for Reed’s thoroughbred horses were renowned and commanded top prices. Rosedale Farms was a full-service facility providing the highest-quality care and environment for all boarding, foaling and bloodstock management needs. It sat on six hundred acres of rolling hills and pastures in a gorgeous setting that was the envy of many other horse breeders. Reed was justifiably proud of the farm named after his paternal grandmother, Rose Moran Kelly, who, along with her husband, Aloysius, had owned and run a successful horse-breeding farm in their native Ireland, and he hoped to pass it down to his children.

Children. At the rate he was going, he’d never have any. Too bad he couldn’t just arrange a marriage the way they had in the old country. Make it a strictly business proposition and pick a wife who wanted children the way he did. Of course, he wouldn’t want just anyone. She’d have to be smart, attractive and agreeable. Unwanted came the thought Someone like Felicity.

He grimaced. Oh, sure. As if Felicity would be interested. She’d made her feelings about marriage known to anyone who would listen. She’d been burned once and had no intention of being burned again. He and Emma had often talked about Felicity’s attitude, because Emma really cared about her best friend and wanted her to be happy.