Finally a Bride. Renee Ryan

don’t need one.”

      True. Mrs. Singletary was the law firm’s wealthiest and most influential client. Appointment or not, none of the attorneys would turn her away. “Are you certain this business you have with Mr. Mitchell can’t wait until later?”

      “Quite certain.” She quickened her pace.

      Molly did the same, her stomach tied in knots, her arms growing tired under the weight of the packages she carried.

      Dodging the bulk of the traffic with practiced ease, Mrs. Singletary hastened along the narrow sidewalk. A block shy of the firm, she leveled her gaze on Molly and made a most unusual request. “I would like you present when I speak with Mr. Mitchell.”

      “Me? I don’t understand.” Mrs. Singletary had never asked her to attend her business meetings before.

      “It’s very simple, my dear. I want to see how Mr. Mitchell behaves in your company. And you in his.”

      Oh, this was bad. So very, very bad. “Mrs. Singletary, you aren’t playing matchmaker, are you?”

      “Matchmaker, me?”

      The cryptic response made Molly all the more skeptical of her employer’s motives. “Why do you wish to see how Garrett and I interact with one another?”

      “It’s important my personal companion gets along with my business associates.”

      Since when? “That’s never mattered before.”

      “An oversight on my part.”

      So Mrs. Singletary was playing matchmaker. What a disastrous turn of events! Molly must dissuade her employer from this course of action, but how? If she protested too much she would only encourage the woman. “It’s useless,” she muttered.

      “Now, my dear, one never knows. A few false starts are no indication that we won’t find our one true love eventually.” She patted her hand. “The Lord has brought you into my care. I shall see you happily settled no matter how long it takes.”

      Molly chose not to argue. Mrs. Singletary would discover soon enough that Garrett was not the man for her. Their time had come and gone, never to be regained. Tragic, really.

      She suddenly felt exhausted, and oh so lonely. Even though others had claimed to love her since Garrett, none had been any more sincere than he. Molly had given two of them a chance, going so far as agreeing to marry them.

      Her greatest shame—the dark, awful secret she shared only with the Lord—was that she hadn’t been the one to call off her engagements. Her fiancés had walked away from her, just as Garrett had. Nearly eight months since her last broken engagement and she couldn’t help but wonder if she was destined to be alone. When all she wanted was a family of her own.

      This melancholy wasn’t like her. She’d always been a child of joy, of hope, her favorite Bible verse also her life motto. He fill thy mouth with laughing, thy lips with rejoicing.

      Where was her joy now? Her laughter?

      She fought off a wave of panic, and readjusted the packages in her hands. She could not give up hope, because without hope all was lost.

      * * *

      Secluded in his office, Garrett felt his mood take on a hard edge. He couldn’t get Molly Taylor Scott out of his head.

      The document beneath his hand blurred, the words a haze of black swimming atop white. He drummed his fingers on the parchment in a rapid two-finger rhythm. The sight of Molly this afternoon had been like a swift, cold wind through Garret’s soul, alerting all his senses, making him agonizingly aware that they’d once been very much in love.

      The bold color of her crimson gown had been a stunning complement to her raven hair, soft, creamy skin and blue, blue eyes. For that brief moment when he’d gripped her shoulders, the years had melted away and Garrett had felt the strong pull of her all over again. He’d been transfixed.

      The four men surrounding her had been equally transfixed.

      Hostility surged through his veins at the memory.

      Rearranging the Phipps contract on his desk, he proceeded to review the legal language. A detail man by nature, he searched for loopholes others had missed, areas that might present problems in the future. Even a misplaced comma could change the meaning of a sentence and cost his client a fortune.

      He was deep into the work when a knock came at the door. Concentration blown, he looked up. “Enter.”

      His law clerk, Julian Summers, a thin young man with ordinary features and an eager smile, stuck his head in the room. “Mrs. Beatrix Singletary has requested a moment of your time.”

      “She wishes to see me?” Not Reese? “Are you certain?”

      “She requested you. And she’s not alone—her companion is with her.” Adam’s apple bobbing, Summers sighed. “She’s really quite beautiful. Miss Scott, I mean. Charming, too.”

      The man sounded awestruck. He looked awestruck, with his fidgeting hands and dazed expression. Right. Another poor, unsuspecting sap had succumbed to Molly’s undeniable charm.

      “Send in Mrs. Singletary. And—” Garrett’s jaw tightened “—her companion.”

      “Very good.” Summers hurried out, leaving the door ajar.

      By the time Garrett crossed the room, he found the women already standing at the threshold. While Molly transferred an assortment of packages into his law clerk’s care, Garrett schooled his features into a blank expression. His well-honed composure evaporated the moment Molly turned and looked at him.

      His heart slammed against his ribs, his breath hitched in his lungs. Now who’s the sap?

      He cleared his throat. “Ladies, please, come in.”

      Eyebrows raised, Mrs. Singletary brushed past him and began a slow perusal of his office. Molly followed a step behind. Her floral scent hit him like a rough blow to the heart.

      When he finally ventured to look into her face again, and she didn’t quite meet his gaze, he felt a sense of validation. Though she hid her reaction behind a benign smile, Molly was nervous in his company. At least he wasn’t alone in his struggle to remain indifferent.

      Affecting a bland expression of his own, he edged around her and concentrated on the task of directing Mrs. Singletary to a chair facing his desk.

      While he waited for her to settle, he watched Molly wander to the lone window in his office and look out. Her shoulders were unnaturally stiff. Garrett suspected he was the cause of her tension and that wrecked him. He wanted to go to her, to tease a laugh out of her like he had when they were children.

      He no longer had that right.

      Adopting a relaxed demeanor for this odd meeting, he sat on the edge of his desk in front of Mrs. Singletary. “To what do I owe this unexpected honor?”

      The widow set her reticule carefully on her lap and got straight to the point. “I have a mind to expand my business holdings into new areas and I want you to assist me.”

      He blinked at the unprecedented request. He’d met the widow only a few times, the most recent when she’d been about to invest in a lumber operation and Reese had asked Garrett to review the final contract with her.

      “I see I have shocked you.” She looked rather pleased at the prospect, proving her reputation as an unconventional woman with a penchant toward the outrageous.

      “Why not make this request of your own attorney?”

      “Reese will continue overseeing my legal matters, but I have decided that you, Mr. Mitchell, will assist me with the expansion of my fortune.”

      By the satisfied expression on her face, she knew she’d piqued his interest. This was just the sort of opportunity perfectly suited to his skills. “Again, why me?”

      “I