Page 82 of A Twist of Faith
He nodded with the same excitement as Lou when she’d displayed her pizza-sized mud pie last week. “Since you wouldn’t freely give over some aspects of your research so I could show it to the Department Chair, I had to think of something off the cuff to get it. Mr. Mitchell came at the right time.”
Or wrong time, as the case may be. Alex Murdock wanted to promote her? Had planned the entire wager for her own advancement? The information halted and spun in the processing phase. Had her pride blinded her so thoroughly? Another kick to her assumptions.
“The last professor we hired to work alongside me made my life miserable. Plus, she was old enough to be my mother.” Alex shuddered. “But you’d make a perfect fit for this world. This department. I had to find a way to get you here. It wasn’t too difficult to get Mr. Mitchell’s phone number and give him a call. I respect your hardwork and determination, but sometimes you have to put yourself out there to make things happen.” His gaze sobered, almost sweet. “One insecure soul can recognize another.”
Insecure? Alex Murdock? The world must be coming to an end—or she’d truly stepped into an alternate dimension. Or perhaps, her prejudice against him kept her from seeing all the signs.
The crazy pieces to the puzzle left a difficult picture to believe if she kept Alex in the box her prejudice placed him, but now? Maybe she’d been wrong about him all along too. Wow, hindsight was a killer. “You did this all for me?”
He nodded and his smile turned sheepish. “With a little selfishness peppered in. I hoped getting you to Charlottesville as my colleague would …” His gaze, unswerving, sincere. “Tempt you toward a relationship?”
Her brain took a full ten seconds to register it all. Alex’s diminished distance and expectant stare shocked her back to the present. “Sorry, Alex. Not going to happen.”
“Don’t sugarcoat it, Dee.” His hand flew to his chest and he feigned a wound, stepping back. “What about that insecure soul thing didn’t you hear?”
She didn’t have time to work out all the weirdness of the moment because Reese’s gaze found hers across the room and his beautiful smile spread unhindered by his beard. Her brain struggled to match the man before her with the grungy, single dad covered in tractor oil she met her first day in Ransom. With his smooth walk and suave appeal, he could have stepped out of a magazine or off a movie set, but no—he was stepping directly toward her.
“I’m going to find Dr. Lindsay.”
No! She didn’t grab Alex in time to stop his exit. Was it possible to play the whole thing off as the surprise it was supposed to be without anyone else knowing about the wager, especially her Prince Charming? Because if he discovered the initial reason for their relationship, he’d hate her.
“You look beautiful,” he said as he closed in, his words honed with such pristine articulation it brought music to her ears, her PhD, and her heart. “You should wear purple more often.”
If breathing had been difficult before, it turned nonexistent as his hand reached her waist and he placed a kiss on her cheek. The musky scent of his cologne enveloped her in daydreams and spice, stripping words from her mind. Nothing prepared her for this.
“You told me you’d changed your thoughts about surprises.” He tilted his head ever so slightly, searching her face. “I hope this is a good one.”
Prince Charming had nothing on Reese Mitchell. She swallowed and drew in a deep breath of his cologne, forcing her vocal folds to produce at least one word. “Amazing.”
His lips looked fuller than she’d imagined and they quirked into a fuzz-free heart-stopping grin. “I don’t think I’m going to miss that beard half as much as I thought.” He leaned close again, his cheek almost touching hers. “If I have to dress up every once in a while to keep that look in your eyes, I’ll do it. Maybe even buy another suit.”
Tingles spread from his whisper down her neck and coursed through her chest like fire. She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against his—smooth and soft. Oh Heavens, time to find some privacy because her lips needed to explore the feel of his cheek too.
“I don’t know if I could handle it on a regular basis.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “I’m having a hard enough time trying to string words together to make sense. I … I can’t believe you’re here.”
“All you had to do was ask, you know?” His fingers twisted a lock of her hair around a stray curl, tugging her forward. “I like your curls. I’ve never seen your hair this way before.”Her eyes drifted closed at the tingle his gentle touch to her hair caused. “I can’t believe you came, especially since Alex is the one who asked you.”
Reese slid his palm down her naked arm until his fingers closed around hers. “I care about you, sweetheart, and this is important to you.” His grin bloomed with little-boy mischief. “Add a wholesome dose of jealousy to the mix and a man will do all sorts of things.”
“Even don a tux.” Dee gave him a healthy appraisal, appreciating each inch, before meeting his gaze again. “And did you notice how well I appreciated every inch?”
He squeezed her hand and released a shaky breath. “Woman, the look on your face was worth every hair on my chin.” He tugged her closer, gaze intense. “Do you think all this work will be good enough for your supervisor?”
“Oh Reese, I don’t care about what my supervisors think, but I know you’re a great deal too good for me.”The truth shall set you free?She loved him, and love demanded her honesty, even if the possible results knifed fear through her heart. Reese deserved the truth. From her. “We should talk.”
“We’re both getting pretty serious all of a sudden. Didn’t you call this a party?” He looked around the room and rubbed his bare chin. “All those fancy people on the dance floor don’t look serious to me. Besides, if I’m going to get all gussied up like a penguin…” He rolled his eyes and sighed. “If I’m going to dress up, you’d better have fun with it. Mama said she didn’t think I got this spruced up for my own wedding.”
“And you look fantastic.” Her gaze swept another appreciative look from his shoe tip to black mane. “But, I never planned on this.” She waved between them. “When I first arrived in Ransom, I wanted to run away. I wanted to find any possible means of escape. Whatever it took. I believed my job would fill this great void in my life.” She stared at him, pleading for understanding. “But Ransom proved to be so different. Nothing matched my expectations.”
The smile on his face stilled. “Why are you talking about this right now?” He tilted his head, confusion wrinkling his brows. “Are you afraid I’m going to embarrass you?”
She squeezed his arm, hoping it conveyed some of her emotion. “Reese Mitchell, you could bring a whole herd of cows into this ballroom right now and use as many ‘ain’ts’ as you want, and I would gladly kiss you right in the middle of the dance floor.”
“Is that right?” His low soft tones sent a trill of warmth over her. “Where are the cows when I need them?”
“And there’s no one else I’d rather have with me than you.” She fulfilled her own wish by touching his smooth cheek for a brief moment. “It’s taken me a long time, years in fact, but I’ve finally begun to realize what matters most.”
“One shave of a man’s face and you get all sentimental, darlin’?” He paused. “Do high society gentlemen saydarlin, or should I have saidmy dear?”
