Page 37 of Bride By Committee

“I’m crushed.”

“Wait until we get to your office. I’ll answer all your questions there.”

That brought her up short. It suddenly occurred to her that his business might involve her more personally than she’d first suspected. There was only one way to find out. “This has something to do with me, doesn’t it?” she asked with unabashed directness.

“Let’s just say that I’m a man who believes in covering all the bases and right now, you’re one of those bases.”

She accepted his statement with an outwardly equable nod. “I’ll have to remember that.”

“Wise decision.” He stopped her before she could exit the hotel, catching her elbow and turning her into his body. “There’s something else you might want to remember, as well.”

Harry could actually feel her withdraw, her posture switching from relaxed to bristly, just as it had in his suite. He didn’t care for the change. “And what’s that?” she asked.

“You can trust me not to hurt you. You can trust me to have your best interests at heart. And you can trust me to protect you and keep you safe.” He smiled. “Having a scary roar can come in handy, particularly when it’s backed with sharp teeth.”

Confusion softened her features, revealing a vulnerability he’d have done anything to ease. “I don’t need anyone to protect me.”

“It wasn’t a multiple choice offer.”

She refused to relent. “I suggest we keep our relationship on a business footing.”

“I’m going to do my best to change your mind.”

“You know, I’m beginning to think we’re nothing alike, after all,” she complained. “I thought you were a reasonable man.”

“I am.”

“Reasonable, as long as I see things your way?”

He buried a smile. “See? Perfectly reasonable.”

Aside from slanting him a look that combined exasperation with amusement, Madison didn’t reply. She simply sashayed across the lobby in her eye-catching heels and bottom-hugging red skirt, completely oblivious to the attention she garnered. Harry watched in admiration. The woman never ceased to amazehim.

It didn’t take them long to reach her office at the north end of the city. He was curious to see the place, wondering what sort of setup the Sunflowers had felt necessary for their financial advisor and family troubleshooter.

The building was a small house that had originally been a turn-of-the-century residence before the city had overrun its boundaries. It rested in the shadow of Queen Anne’s Hill, tucked between a jumble of modern stucco office buildings and older homes that had so far escaped conversion.

The leaded beveled-glass windows fronting the street were originals, as was the etched-panel door. Inside, the parlor served as a reception area and the formal dining room across from it was an office outfitted with the latest electronic equipment. Ahuge glass-and-chrome desk occupied the center of the room, at distinct odds with the traditional surroundings. The purple-haired teenager sitting behind the desk was even more out ofsync.

She eyed him through an inch-thick layer of mascara, her expression one of deep distrust. “Don’t judge by appearances, Pops,” she said before he could utter a singleword.

“Rosy?” He hazarded a guess.

“Like who else would it be?” Headphones hung around her neck and she shoved them on top of her spiked hair, adjusting the microphone so it hovered directly in front of her glossy red mouth. She stabbed an extension on the phone with a two-inch artificial nail. “You got Rosy. What’s your problem? And it better be good.”

“She takes a little getting used to,” Madison murmured.

“You think?”

“She’s very good at keeping people in line.”

“Now that I believe.” He glanced around. “Maybe we should talk in your office.”

“It’s in the back.”

Rosy looked up from the note she’d been scribbling. “Sunny’s on her way in. Something about yesterday’s escapade. That was her word, by the way. Escapade.”

Madison choked.

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