My Man Pendleton(80)
Author: Elizabeth Bevarly

“Although I certainly wouldn’t put it past Daddy to throw something like that in my face,” she said softly, “no. He didn’t tell me that. I overheard him and Holt talking in the library that night at Cherrywood when I went back in to get my purse.” She turned to face Pendleton, and somehow managed to meet his gaze without flinching. “I heard Daddy tell Holt that the day after I moved in with you, he offered you a substantial bonus if you married me.”

Pendleton nodded. “That’s true. He did.”

Wow. It hurt even more to hear him say it a second time. She couldn’t see how that was even possible. “And since my father was so confident that night that you would make an honest woman of me by the deadline, I can only assume you took him up on his offer.”

“That,” Pendleton told her, his gaze never faltering, “Is not true.”

She opened her mouth to object, but he quickly cut her off. “Kit, I didn’t say anything when your father offered me his bribe. I couldn’t. Hell, all I wanted to do was pop him in the chops. I couldn’t believe he would…would barter you like that. I was afraid if I opened my mouth, it would be to call him every name I ever learned in a Jersey schoolyard.” He lifted one shoulder and let it drop, then offered her a little smile. “So I did like my mother taught me. Since I couldn’t say something nice, I didn’t say anything at all. And I let him assume whatever he wanted to. Hey, you’re the one who wanted to string him along,” he added, “make him think things were going his way so he’d leave you alone. What makes what I did any different than what you did?”

Kit smiled sadly in response. “Nice try, Pendleton. But it ain’t gonna wash.”

“You’ll believe what your father said before you’ll believe what I said?”

Well, gee, when he put it like that… “Yeah,” she said softly. “I think I will.”

His eyes iced over at that. “Then you’re the one who’s a liar, Kit, not me.”

She gaped at him. “Me? What did I lie about?”

“A minute ago, you told me you were in love with me.”

She felt her cheeks burn at the reminder. Unable to tolerate the fierceness of his gaze, she dropped hers to the ground. “Yeah, so?” she asked softly.

“So if you’ll take your old man’s word over mine, if you’ll trust him, and not me, then there’s no way you could be in love with me.”

She still couldn’t look at him. She could only say quietly, “Oh, Pendleton. You are so wrong. You have no idea.”

“Then have a little faith in me, will ya?”

She wished she could. Truly, she did. But she couldn’t quite make herself believe him.

“I want to marry you, Kit.”

She chuckled derisively. “Yeah, I bet you do. As soon as possible, too, right?”

“Wrong.”

“What?”

She glanced back up to find him studying her with an intensity that made her uncomfortable. He wasn’t smiling. He didn’t look happy. But he did look dead serious.

“I said, ‘Wrong,’” he repeated. “I mean, yeah, I want to marry you, but you’re the one who’s going to name the date. If you want to get married tomorrow, I’ll call my cousin Sal’s uncle-in-law, who happens to be a judge, right now, and see how fast we can make it happen. But if you want to wait, for however long, I’ll wait.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I want you, not your family’s money. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Why is that so hard for you to believe?”

“You’d honestly marry me after the deadline?” she asked, incredulous. “But I won’t have any money then. I’ll be broke. I won’t even have a job.”

“And your point would be…?”

“I’ll have nothing, Pendleton.”

“You’ll have me,” he said, a genuine smile dawning on his face. “Then again, I’m not the greatest catch around, myself. I’m kind of unemployed right now.”

She gasped. “Daddy fired you?”

He shook his head. “Nah. I quit.”

She gasped again, louder this time. “You quit?”

“No offense, Kit, but I didn’t much like working for your family. I think I’d rather look around for something else.”

“Like what? Where?”

He shrugged again. “Wherever you want. Although I have to admit that Louisville has kind of grown on me. I like our house there, and—”

“Our house?”

“And there’s Maury to think about,” he went on blithely. “Don’t want to disrupt the little guy’s life any more than we have to.”

“Hey, who’s taking care of Maury, anyway?” she asked, sidetracking for a moment, because she suddenly felt way off-course.

“Holt. He’s not nearly as steamed at me as your father is. Though, mind you, he’s none too happy about losing a hundred million bucks.”

“Ninety-nine point four,” Kit corrected him automatically.

“Still, I think he’s more worried about you.”

That, Kit knew, was open to debate. Nevertheless, it was nice to think maybe her brother was coming around, learning there really was more to life than money. If only Faith Ivory would give him a chance. That would go light-years toward bringing him around.

“Anyway,” Pendleton went on, “the main thing is that you and I are together. You have to believe that, Kit. You said it yourself—I’ve never lied to you. I will never, ever, lie to you. If you look deep inside yourself, you’ll realize you know that’s true. I love you. I love you. If you look deep inside yourself, you’ll know that’s true, too.”

She came so close to believing him. So very close. But she just couldn’t take the final step that would carry her over to his side. Even looking deep inside herself, she couldn’t quite find the faith, the trust, that was necessary for the lifelong commitment he was talking about.

“Pendleton,” she said, hardly able to hear her own voice, “I can’t do it. I wish I could, but… I’m sorry. I just can’t.”

His expression told her he wasn’t surprised by her response. He smiled a little sadly, and extended his hand toward her. “Come on,” he said. “I want to show you something.”