Page 21 of Hot and Bothered in July
His mouth kicked up in the corner. “Spoken like a true poet with just the right amount of guilt sprinkled in for good measure,” he drawled. “But regarding your Mr. Carrington, I believe him to have a sense of honor, despite his restless past.”
She narrowed her gaze, unsure of his sincerity. He was not an easy man to convince. Of anything. “Truly?”
“Indeed.” He gestured over his shoulder. “If you do not believe me, then approach the gentleman himself. I believe he decided to take a walk in the gardens.”
Sariah did not hesitate to leave him standing in the hallway while she lifted her skirts and headed in the direction Richard had indicated. She hoped that Reed had chosen to take a walk to enjoy the warm, sunny day, as opposed to cooling his anger because of an unwanted confrontation. She thought they might have gotten along from the initial meeting, but she knew better than anyone how direct Richard could be.
Making her way through the rows of colorful blooms in the garden, she refrained from stopping to smell their fragrant scents. She spied her main objective sliding around the entrance to the hedge maze. She had always despised the horrid designs, as well as society’s desire to have one at every estate. Her parents had been no different. Although she had traversed the one at Foxworth Manor many times over the years, her sense of direction was not the strongest. She still had the ability to get lost within the many twists and turns.
When she started out along the path, she could not see Mr. Carrington. “Reed?” she called out, knowing that he hadn’t just disappeared into thin air.
No answer.
She expelled a frustrated breath. “I hope you cannot truly hear me and this is some sort of jest, because I do not find it very funny.”
Silence.
At this point, Sariah wasn’t sure what to do. She continued to find her way free of the labyrinth, but she either came up next to a dead end or she found herself moving in circles, feeling as though she was not making any sort of progress at all.
A sense of sudden desperation struck her, the familiar panic clawing its way up her throat, threatening to squeeze her heart and shatter it into a thousand broken shards. “Reed? Please, I do not like this—” She ended on a whisper, unable to continue.
That’s when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind.
Giving a slight squeak of alarm, she spun around to find Reed’s handsome face directly in her line of sight. At the same time she was grateful to see him, fury the likes of nothing she’d known before rose up within her. “You incorrigible bastard!” she berated angrily. “I do not find your sense of humor at all amusing. I—” She stopped abruptly. Her breath was coming out in short pants and she feared she might fall to the ground in a dead faint.
Reed’s expression immediately took on a look of concern. He pressed her close against his chest, offering her the security and the comfort that had been absent just moments earlier when panic and uncertainty had been her only guide.
“Easy now. All is well. There is nothing to fear.”
Sariah wondered at the soft tone of his voice. And then she understood the cause for it.
She was crying.
She hadn’t realized that the hot tears were tracking down her cheeks until he gathered her to him. She told herself that she was being ridiculous, that there was nothing to be afraid of, and yet, the sobs continued unchecked. He said nothing more, just let her cry while he set a light hand on the crown of her head and began to stroke the side of her temple with the most exquisite gentleness.
Chapter Nine
Reed had not been expectinga teasing prank to turn into a distressful episode. It was obvious that something dreadful had triggered Sariah’s emotional response. But until she was able to talk about it, he did the only thing he could—be there in her time of need.
With a sniff, she slowly pulled back from him. Her eyelashes were damp, her amber eyes shining, the gold flecks reflecting more brilliance than ever before. “Forgive me. It has been years since I have felt that helpless. It is why I generally avoid mazes. I was a child the last time I entered one and it was so traumatic that I vowed I would never go inside one again.” She put a hand to her forehead. “I do not quite know what came over me.”
“I do,” he noted softly. “Survival.”
She shook her head and turned away. “It should not signify. Just because I feel trapped does not give me a reasonable excuse for losing control like that.”
Losing control…
The simple comment heightened an alternate awareness in Reed. He held his hand out to her. “Come with me. Let us leavethis harbinger of sour memories and retreat to somewhere a bit more comforting.”
She accepted his hand and he led her to a white gazebo, surrounded by brilliant panes of glass. He’d spied it from the manor earlier. That had been his original destination, to find some time to think about his conversation with Lord Richard, but now, he was considering it for another purpose entirely.
“Again, it seems you are forced to rescue me,” she murmured from behind him.
As they reached the enclosure, Reed turned to face her. “I would gladly continue doing so.”
“That may be,” she said evenly. “But I despise the necessity of it. I am not generally some simpering female incapable of taking care of herself.” She gave a slight wince. “Or perhaps I am and I just do not want to accept the truth. The way I responded just now is nothing short of ridiculous.”
This was one comment he could not allow to stand. Gently grasping her shoulders, he said, “That is not true at all. You are one of the strongest women I have ever met.”
