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wasn’t a mistake, was it, Ellen?” he prompted in a husky voice.
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “No,” she whispered, but the word was barely audible.
He gathered her close and she felt his deep shudder of satisfaction as he buried his face in her hair. Long moments passed before he spoke. “Nothing that felt so right could have been a mistake.”
Tenderly he kissed her, his lips touching hers with a gentleness she hadn’t expected. As if he feared she was somehow fragile; as if he found her highly precious. Without conscious decision, she slipped her arms around him.
“The whole time Danielle and I were together this afternoon, I was wishing it was you. Today, of all days, it seemed important to be with you.”
Ellen gazed up into his eyes and saw not only his gentleness, but his confusion. Her fingers slid into the thick hair around his lean, rugged face. “Danielle couldn’t have been pleased when you left.”
“She wasn’t. I didn’t even know how to explain it to her. I don’t know how to explain it to myself.”
Ellen swallowed the dryness that constricted her throat. “Do you want me to move out of the house?”
“No,” he said forcefully, then added more quietly, “I think I’d go crazy if you did. Are you a witch who’s cast some spell over me?”
She tried unsuccessfully to answer him, but no words of denial came. The knowledge that he was experiencing these strange whirling emotions was enough to overwhelm her.
“If so, the spell is working,” he murmured, although he didn’t sound particularly happy about the idea.
“I’m confused, too,” she admitted and leaned her forehead against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her open hand.
His long fingers stroked her hair. “I know.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “The night you went out with Charlie, I was completely unreasonable. I need to apologize for the things I said. To put it simply, I was jealous. I’ve acknowledged that, these last weeks in Denver.” Some of the tightness left his voice, as though the events of that night had weighed heavily on his mind. “I didn’t like the idea of another man holding you, and when I saw the two of you kissing, I think I went a little berserk.”
“I...we don’t date often.”
“I won’t ask you not to see him again,” he said reluctantly. “I can’t ask anything of you.”
“Nor can I ask anything of you.”
His grip around her tightened. “Let’s give this time.”
“It’s the only thing we can do.”
Reed straightened and draped his arm around Ellen’s shoulders, drawing her close to his side. Her head nestled against his chest. “I’d like us to start going out together,” he said, his chin resting on the crown of her head. “Will that cause a problem for you?”
“Cause a problem?” she repeated uncertainly.
“I’m thinking about the boys.”
Remembering their earlier buffoonery and the way they’d taken such delight in teasing her, Ellen shrugged. If those three had any evidence of a romance between her and Reed, they could make everyone’s lives miserable. “I don’t know.”
“Then let’s play it cool for a while. We’ll move into this gradually until they become accustomed to seeing us together. That way it won’t be any big deal.”
“I think you might be right.” She didn’t like pretence or deceit, but she’d be the one subjected to their heckling. They wouldn’t dare try it with Reed.
“Can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?”
“I’d like that.”
“Not as much as I will. But how are we going to do this? It’ll be obvious that we’re going out,” he mused aloud.
“Not if we leave the house at different times,” she said.
She could feel his frown. “Is that really necessary?”
“I’m afraid so....”
Ellen and Reed spent the rest of the evening doing nothing more exciting than watching television. His arm remained securely around her shoulders and she felt a sense of deep contentment that was new to her. It was a peaceful interlude during a time that had become increasingly wrought with stress.
Derek got back to the house close to nine-thirty. They both heard him lope in through the kitchen and Reed gave Ellen a quick kiss before withdrawing his arm.
“Hi.” Derek entered the room and stood beside the sofa, shuffling his feet. “Dad wondered where you were.” His gaze flitted from Ellen to his brother.
“I told them I wouldn’t be there for dinner.”
“I know. But Danielle called looking for you.”
“She knew where I was.”
“Apparently not.” Reed’s younger brother gestured with one hand. “Are you two friends again?”
Reed’s eyes found Ellen’s and he smiled. “You could say that.”
“Good. You haven’t been the easiest people to be around lately.” Without giving them a chance to respond, he whirled around and marched upstairs.
Ellen placed a hand over her mouth to smother her giggles. “Well, he certainly told us.”
Amusement flared in Reed’s eyes, and he chuckled softly. “I guess he did, at that.” His arm slid around Ellen’s shoulders once again. “Have you been difficult lately?”
“I’m never difficult,” she said.
“Me neither.”
They exchanged smiles and went back to watching their movie.
As much as Ellen tried to concentrate on the television, her mind unwillingly returned to Derek’s announcement. “Do you think you should call Danielle?” She cast her eyes down, disguising her discomfort. Spending these past few hours with Reed had been like an unexpected Christmas gift, granted early. But she felt guilty that it had been at the other woman’s expense.
Impatience tightened Reed’s mouth. “Maybe I’d better. I didn’t mean to offend her or her family by leaving early.” He paused a moment, then added, “Danielle’s kind of high-strung.”
Ellen had noticed that, but she had no intention of mentioning it. And she had no intention of listening in on their conversation, either. “While you’re doing that, I’ll wash up the popcorn dishes, then go to bed.”
Reed’s eyes widened slightly in a mock reprimand. “It’s a little early, isn’t it?”
“Perhaps,” she said, faking a yawn, “but I’ve got this hot date tomorrow night and I want to be well rested for it.”
The front door opened and Pat sauntered in, carrying his duffel bag. “Hi.” He stopped and studied them curiously. “Hi,” he repeated.
“I thought you were staying at your parents’ for the weekend.” Ellen remembered that he’d said something about being gone for the entire four-day holiday.
“Mom gave my bedroom to one of my aunts. I can’t see any reason to sleep on the floor when I’ve got a bed here.”
“Makes sense,” Reed said with a grin.
“Are you two getting along again?”
“We never fought.”
“Yeah, sure,” Pat mumbled sarcastically. “And a basket isn’t worth two points.”
Ellen had been unaware how much her disagreement with Reed