A Match for Celia

His love of history was one of the few things he’d told her about himself that was true. He really had considered becoming a history teacher at one time, until a good friend had persuaded him to give law enforcement a try. He’d displayed a natural aptitude for the job, and had eventually worked his way into the Treasury Department, working in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Instead of facing classrooms of bored teenagers, he spent his days tracking down illicit shipments of stolen military weapons and ammunition, and those who profited from the sales.

He’d been in danger on more than one occasion, had lost several good friends, but on the whole, he liked his job. Enjoyed the rush, the satisfaction of bringing down those who profited from the loss of human life.

He wasn’t enjoying this assignment. He didn’t like looking into Celia’s seemingly trusting blue eyes and lying through his teeth. He didn’t like wondering if she was as naive and upright as she seemed, or if she had let greed pull her into a transaction that could ultimately lead to another bloody disaster like the one in Waco, which Reed still couldn’t think about without shuddering. He’d lost friends in that fiasco. He didn’t want to lose others in central Arkansas.

Afternoon was fading into early evening when Celia spotted the forty-foot-high cowboy boots outside Saks Fifth Avenue at North Star Mall when Reed drove past while showing her a bit more of the city. A light came into her eyes that Reed hadn’t seen at the museums.

He shook his head and turned the Mercedes into the parking deck without even asking if she wanted to stop. There was just something about women and shopping malls he would never understand.

Celia was a window shopper, he quickly discovered. She loved peering into each intriguing display, admiring the merchandise, at times unable to resist touching, but she didn’t seem overwhelmingly compelled to actually buy anything. Reed suspected part of her reserve was due to lack of resources, particularly when she gasped audibly at one high price tag.

“Can you imagine spending that much just for a dress?” she whispered, shaking her dark head and tugging him away from the department.

“I don’t buy a lot of dresses, personally,” he answered dryly, making her giggle.

He smiled in response, but his mind was filled with doubts. Was she hoping to afford dresses like that after concluding her dealings with Alexander? Or was she hoping Alexander would take care of her purchases in the future? And if she was really intent on reeling in Alexander, why the hell was she spending this much time with him? Reed hadn’t bought her anything except a fajita combo platter for lunch, yet she seemed to be enjoying his company.

Or was she only killing time until Alexander returned?

“Reed?” Celia sounded as though she’d spoken his name several times.

He blinked. “What?”

“Are you okay? You’re frowning as though you have a headache, or something.”

He gave her a reassuring smile. “No, I’m fine. It’s getting late, though, and we have that long drive ahead of us. We should probably head back toward the resort.”

“But we haven’t even seen the River Walk, yet,” she protested. “We were saving it until after sundown, remember? Surely you don’t want to leave San Antonio without even seeing the River Walk.”

Again, he found himself unable to resist the appeal in her eyes. “I guess it doesn’t matter when we get back,” he said. “It isn’t as though either of us has to get up early in the morning.”

Her own smile was blinding. “No, there’s no reason at all to hurry. Besides, I’m hungry. I’d love to eat at an outdoor table beside the river, wouldn’t you?”

He couldn’t do anything but agree.

Celia smiled at him again, and took his arm in a warm, companionable gesture that made his pulse rate climb. “Think you can find the way back downtown?” she asked.

“I think I’ll manage,” he answered, wishing he didn’t sound quite so hoarse.

Chapter Five

As Celia had wanted, they dined at a popular restaurant on the river. The temperatures had fallen with the onset of darkness, so she’d worn her jacket, but it was still a nice evening for dining beneath the old-fashioned streetlamps that lined the narrow river. Shallow tour boats passed occasionally, some containing tables for more adventurous diners.

The river was lined on either side with restaurants, clubs, boutiques, hotels, a specialty mall. The muted strains of several types of music drifted on the fragrant air, inviting them to explore and sample. Celia could hardly concentrate on her food for taking in the sights and sounds and smells and sensations around them.

“Isn’t this wonderful?” she asked Reed, smiling across the table at him.

Looking up from his mesquite-grilled quail, he glanced around and nodded. “It’s nice,” he said with the understated simplicity she’d come to expect from him.

Funny how comfortable she was with him, she mused as she turned back to her own grilled shrimp dinner. Hard to imagine she’d actually met him only yesterday. She could hardly believe she’d been so forward with him—dragging him off on an excursion only a few hours after he introduced himself, pulling him away again today. She’d always made friends quickly, but this was different. This was…special.

She studied him from beneath her lashes. Reed was a very nice man, she’d decided. Easygoing. Undemanding. Pleasant. She could hardly imagine him losing him temper, or being deliberately unkind.

Her family would probably love him.

She sighed. If only he didn’t remind her of everything she’d convinced herself she didn’t want in a man. He was so staid and practical, so serious and cautious. He’d probably be the overprotective type, as well—like her family. Like her late brother-in-law. Nice, upstanding, admirable—but without an ounce of adventure in his soul.

“Celia, if you sigh one more time I’m going to think you’ve sprung a slow leak,” Reed teased her. “What’s wrong?”