knew he would never see it again. "Tell me what's going on. Mr. Cavanaugh said only that you wanted to see me. I couldn't even get him to tell me how you were."
"I'm fine, Hollis." She sipped her sherry. "Perhaps a little confused. More than a little actually. I don't know what happened yesterday. Why did you agree to call off the wedding?"
Hollis looked properly affronted. His brows, the same dark chocolate shade as his eyes, rose imperiously. "Who told you I agreed? It took the point of a gun to make me see that Houston meant to stop the ceremony." He lifted Rennie's hand to the back of his head. The lump was still very much in evidence. "I suppose I'm fortunate that's all he did to me. The man had murder on his mind."
"He clubbed you with his gun?" she asked.
"You don't think our wedding could have been called off for less, do you?"
"I didn't know what to think. No one told me anything. I fainted at the church. Twice. I know, I can hardly believe it myself."
"You shouldn't have had to face Nate Houston without me," Hollis said.
Rennie frowned. "That's the third time you mentioned Houston. He's not here. At least not that anyone knows for certain. It was Mr. Sullivan who knocked you out. Papa paid him ten thousand dollars to stop our marriage."
"Ten thousand!" Hollis's face flushed with ruddy color. "What do you mean the man wasn't Nate Houston. That's who he said he was."
Rennie sighed. Quite a lot was becoming clear to her. Jarret had intimidated Hollis, a man who was not easily threatened, not by wearing a gun, but by wearing the reputation of another man. She finished her drink and placed the glass on a doily on the end table. "His name is Mr. Jarret Sullivan. He's a deputy to Ethan Stone. You know, the marshal who saved Michael's life?"
"Who fathered Michael's baby," he said.
Rennie chose to ignore his self-righteous and rather priggish tone. "Mr. Sullivan traveled east with Marshal Stone to find Houston and Dee Kelly. His plans were altered slightly when Papa informed him Michael had a twin. He got the job of protecting me by default."
"That should be my job."
"My sentiments exactly. And it would have been if not for Jay Mac's interference."
Hollis shook his head. "I don't understand your father. He receives my work very well, values my judgment and my contributions, treats me as he might a son. Why in the world wouldn't he want me to marry his daughter?"
"He's got it into his mind that you're not right for me," Rennie said. She was not going to insult Hollis with an accusation that he was after her money. "And you know Jay Mac. He's not likely to change his mind any time soon. We can wait him out or plunge ahead on our own." She looked at Hollis expectantly.
"Plunge ahead," he said without hesitation. His response coaxed forward one of Rennie's rare and beautiful smiles. It softened her taut and anxious features. It also disappeared at his next words. "In due time."
"What do you mean?"
"Rennie, be serious. From what I can tell your family's not even around."
"Michael and Mary Francis are still in town. Papa's taken everyone else to the country."
"And that's how you want to marry? Behind his back, as if we were undertaking a crime?"
"No, but..."
"Then there are my parents to think of. You know I'd have been here before if it weren't for them. Mother's taken to her bed with a migraine and Father's nearly apoplectic. They were very embarrassed by yesterday's uproar, to say nothing of frightened."
Rennie bowed her head, humiliatingly aware of the extent of her own selfishness. "I'm sorry, Hollis, it's just that I..."
"I know," he said earnestly. "I want to be married, too. My feelings for you haven't changed. You believe that, don't you?"
She searched his face. There was no denying he was an attractive man, but Rennie was looking for something beyond the handsome cut of his features. She wanted steadiness and reliability. It didn't matter that he didn't stop her heart. She wasn't marrying for
"I'm fine, Hollis." She sipped her sherry. "Perhaps a little confused. More than a little actually. I don't know what happened yesterday. Why did you agree to call off the wedding?"
Hollis looked properly affronted. His brows, the same dark chocolate shade as his eyes, rose imperiously. "Who told you I agreed? It took the point of a gun to make me see that Houston meant to stop the ceremony." He lifted Rennie's hand to the back of his head. The lump was still very much in evidence. "I suppose I'm fortunate that's all he did to me. The man had murder on his mind."
"He clubbed you with his gun?" she asked.
"You don't think our wedding could have been called off for less, do you?"
"I didn't know what to think. No one told me anything. I fainted at the church. Twice. I know, I can hardly believe it myself."
"You shouldn't have had to face Nate Houston without me," Hollis said.
Rennie frowned. "That's the third time you mentioned Houston. He's not here. At least not that anyone knows for certain. It was Mr. Sullivan who knocked you out. Papa paid him ten thousand dollars to stop our marriage."
"Ten thousand!" Hollis's face flushed with ruddy color. "What do you mean the man wasn't Nate Houston. That's who he said he was."
Rennie sighed. Quite a lot was becoming clear to her. Jarret had intimidated Hollis, a man who was not easily threatened, not by wearing a gun, but by wearing the reputation of another man. She finished her drink and placed the glass on a doily on the end table. "His name is Mr. Jarret Sullivan. He's a deputy to Ethan Stone. You know, the marshal who saved Michael's life?"
"Who fathered Michael's baby," he said.
Rennie chose to ignore his self-righteous and rather priggish tone. "Mr. Sullivan traveled east with Marshal Stone to find Houston and Dee Kelly. His plans were altered slightly when Papa informed him Michael had a twin. He got the job of protecting me by default."
"That should be my job."
"My sentiments exactly. And it would have been if not for Jay Mac's interference."
Hollis shook his head. "I don't understand your father. He receives my work very well, values my judgment and my contributions, treats me as he might a son. Why in the world wouldn't he want me to marry his daughter?"
"He's got it into his mind that you're not right for me," Rennie said. She was not going to insult Hollis with an accusation that he was after her money. "And you know Jay Mac. He's not likely to change his mind any time soon. We can wait him out or plunge ahead on our own." She looked at Hollis expectantly.
"Plunge ahead," he said without hesitation. His response coaxed forward one of Rennie's rare and beautiful smiles. It softened her taut and anxious features. It also disappeared at his next words. "In due time."
"What do you mean?"
"Rennie, be serious. From what I can tell your family's not even around."
"Michael and Mary Francis are still in town. Papa's taken everyone else to the country."
"And that's how you want to marry? Behind his back, as if we were undertaking a crime?"
"No, but..."
"Then there are my parents to think of. You know I'd have been here before if it weren't for them. Mother's taken to her bed with a migraine and Father's nearly apoplectic. They were very embarrassed by yesterday's uproar, to say nothing of frightened."
Rennie bowed her head, humiliatingly aware of the extent of her own selfishness. "I'm sorry, Hollis, it's just that I..."
"I know," he said earnestly. "I want to be married, too. My feelings for you haven't changed. You believe that, don't you?"
She searched his face. There was no denying he was an attractive man, but Rennie was looking for something beyond the handsome cut of his features. She wanted steadiness and reliability. It didn't matter that he didn't stop her heart. She wasn't marrying for
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