He was genuinely making an effort to become involved in the company. He hated rules and regulations and, more than anything, hated the office. But he was getting married and rather than live off his substantial trust fund, he wanted to make a difference. He was highly educated; it was time he used his brain for something other than partying and traveling all over the world. He was going to show everyone that this was real. But first he had to get to her to find out how she was coping with all of it. He lived in constant fear that she would end up changing her mind. For the first time in his life, he wanted something so badly, he would do anything to make it happen.
He wanted to marry her. The press and people in his society might speculate, and he himself had been wondering why he was so fixated on this one woman, after flitting from one relationship to the next and never settling.
Jumping into his vehicle, he decided to turn up at her school. He needed answers.
Chapter 6
By the time he got to the school, the PR had done her job and the bloodsuckers who had been milling around hoping to get their story had been dispersed.
He had called ahead to let her know he was coming.
Turning into the lot, he parked beneath a blossoming Dogwood tree and waited for her to come out. He saw her the instant she stepped from the building. From his vantage point, he could see her clearly. She was wearing a cherry red pants suit with an inside blouse that looked like charcoal gray. Her hair was in its neat twists at the nape of her neck, and she was surrounded by children.
He felt his heart twisting as he noticed the interaction. She was going to make a damn good mother, he thought proudly, ignoring the voice that told him he was not cut out to be a father. The children showed great reluctance to leave her side, even when their rides came along. Unlike the women in his society, she did not seem to be impatient to leave and was actually listening as they chattered on.
Suddenly, she looked over and saw the vehicle. Giving him a wave, she crouched down to talk to a little towheaded boy of about four. Dean saw the kid knuckling away tears and noticed the way she touched him reassuringly. Whatever she said tohim had him taking a three-sixty-degree turn and flying into her arms for a hug.
Even though she knew he was waiting, she was not hurrying the children along, but made sure she spoke to each one of them before making her way towards the vehicle.
When she continued on to her car, he shoved the passenger side door open.
"Get in. We'll swing by and collect your car later."
She climbed in and secured her seatbelt, giving him a cursory glance.
"What was wrong with the kid?" Pushing the start button, he made his careful way out of the parking lot.
"Oh, Benjamin." Settling back against the supple leather of the seat, she stretched her legs out and sighed. It had been quite a day. "His parents are going through a rough patch. His mother has cancer."
"Oh. That's rough. Is it bad?"
"Stage four. He's smart enough to realize that she's dying. She's pretty young too, only thirty-four. The dad travels a lot. He's a record producer and is hardly ever home."
His hands tightened on the wheel. "Some people should never have children."
She glanced at his set profile and stifled a sigh.
"There are no perfect parents."
"No, but some are more capable than others." He turned off into the private road that led to the opening for the cabin that was going to be built. Work had already started and the foundation was being dug.
Turning off the engine, he kept his hands on the wheel and stared straight ahead.
"They're calling for rain," she ventured. He hadn't kissed her as usual and she missed that.
His answer was a mere grunt as he continued to stare ahead of him.
After a few seconds of charged silence, he turned to look at her and felt the familiar wild yearning. Would he ever get used to it, he wondered.
"You had some unwelcome visitors, and I apologize for putting you through it," he began stiffly.
"It was not so bad." Her dimples peeked out as she smiled and had him gaping at her.
"Not so bad? They were swarming the place as I was told, and that article-" He looked away and felt shame coursing through him. For the first time in his life, he regretted his former lifestyle. He had found himself in women's beds and unable to recall their names come morning. He was not a drug user, not the hard core stuff, but he had dabbled.
He had been with two women at the same time and taken married women to bed. He didn't deserve someone like Catherine, and he had no idea why he thought he did. He was going to taint her with his lurid past. She was going to come to hate him for it and he could not bear it. It was best to end things now.
His father had said the same thing.