A Passion Redeemed (52 page)

Charity bounded to the closet to hunt for an outfit. She spotted the pale pink double-breasted satin blouse and smiled. Perhaps "snug" in Grandmother's estimation, but completely alluring in hers, and certainly professional. She snatched it from the hanger, along with the matching burgundy and gray plaid skirt.

"Will you be coming into the store after?"

Charity glanced over her shoulder before lifting the tight hobble skirt over her head. "For a little bit. But then I have an engagement."

"An engagement?"

She slipped on the blouse and latched the pearl button, turning to admire the sheen of the satin as it hugged the curve of her breast. She smiled and reached for the brush, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. "Well, actually an encounter ..." She grinned at Emma in the mirror. "That I hope will turn into an 'engagement.-

Emma's eyes widened. "You're going to see Mitch?"

"I am." Charity bent over and brushed her hair with hard, determined strokes.

"Does he know you're coming?"

She peeked out through the honeyed folds of her hair. "Nope."

"You haven't seen him in almost four months. What are you going to say?"

"The truth. That I've been a fool-both about him and about God. And that I've changed." She stood and flipped her hair over her head. It rippled down her back in waves of gold. "The old manipulative Charity is gone and a new, improved model has taken her place. Honest, trustworthy, no longer bent on seduction."

Emma's lips twitched as she eyed Charity's blouse. She tilted her head and cocked a brow. "I think the old Charity left her blouse here."

She looked down at her sateen breasts and bit her lip, smoothing her hands at her waist. "Well, I can't leave everything to chance, can I?"

"I thought you were leaving it to God, not chance," Emma said with a hint of a smile.

Charity jutted her jaw. "I am, but he and I are in this together. I'm just doing my part."

"And then some."

Charity whirled around to apply a touch of rouge to her cheeks. "I never claimed to be Faith, did I? Besides, I'm new at this."

Her friend chuckled. "I suppose we should be grateful it's not more ... revealing."

She touched some rouge to her lips, then pursed them into a pout. "Yes, we should. I happen to know that Mitch Dennehy has a particular fondness for 'revealing,' so God knows I'm conceding advantage." She sighed and shoved several hairpins into her mouth, twisting her hair into a loose chignon. She rammed the pins in with a grunt, then patted her head to test the hold. She turned. "How do I look?"

"Like a woman with business on her mind." Emma picked her purse up off the dresser and strolled toward the door, turning to flash a grin. "But I won't say what kind."

Charity gave her a smirk. "You're working for me now, so behave. And don't forget to pray. I need all the help I can get if the old Charity's taboo."

Emma shook her head and opened the door. "Somehow I find that hard to believe."

Charity stared up at the Irish Times and put a shaky hand to her mouth. A belch bubbled in her throat and her stomach churned with acid. She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders to steel her resolve. This was no time for nausea. She had a job to do and a heart to win. And by God-literallyshe would succeed.

She sucked in a breath of air thick with the smells of the city, then released it again, shaking off the barbs of fear that nettled her nerves. With a thrust of her chin, she entered the door, ignoring the obvious disdain of a certain Miss Boyle.

"Excuse me, miss, may I help you?"

Charity smiled, then continued toward the double doors, her chin leading the way. "No thank you, Miss Boyle, I've been here before." She ignored the receptionist's objections and glided into the newsroom, scanning the area for some sign of Mitch. She spotted Bridie hunched over her desk, immersed in a stack of galley sheets while Kathleen typed away, ramrod straight and fingers flying.

Charity stiffened her spine and moved across the room, head high and gaze fixed on Mitch's office. Heads turned as she passed, but she ignored them, her lips compressed as she made her way to his door.

He sat sprawled in his chair facing the window, one leg braced on the sill while he talked on the phone. A burly arm reached up to scratch the back of his head. It finally rested on top of shaggy curls in dire need of a trim. Her stomach squeezed at the sight of him, and her heart picked up pace.

"Charity?"

She spun around.

Bridie rose to her feet, all color draining from her face. "What are you doing here?"

Kathleen looked up. Her fingers stilled on the keys while her cheeks faded to chalk.

Charity glanced at Mitch, still on the phone, then back at Bridie. She forced a smile. "I'm back with my grandmother." Bridie blinked. "For how long?"

"For good. I'm the new owner of Shaw's Emporium."

Kathleen listed to the side, looking faint.

"Does Mitch know?"

Charity chanced a peek at his broad back. "No."

"Dear Mother of Job."

Charity bit her lip. "I wanted to surprise him."

Bridie sank into her chair. "Oh, you will."

Charity avoided Kathleen's face. "May I go in?"

Bridie nodded, her gaze flicking to Kathleen's. "Leave the door open. We'll need to know if he has a stroke."

"Thanks." Charity turned and tiptoed in, parking herself in one of the chairs at the front of his desk.

"The devil with McGettigan, Lucas, I want names and I want 'em now. Tell them that if they don't comply, we're going to press with what we have. Five o'clock edition. Front page."

Silence ensued while Mitch dropped his head in his hand, massaging his forehead. His fist heaved down on the arm of his chair. "No way! I'm done pussyfooting. Let's see how much bluster they have when we expose 'em."

He glanced at his watch. "Fine. Tell them they have till four o'clock. No names, no mercy. Ya got it? Yeah, thanks."

Mitch wheeled around and slammed the phone on the receiver. The earpiece fused to his hand as if embedded in his palm. He tried to breathe. He couldn't.

"Hello, Mitch."

His mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out but shallow air. Ice-cold prickles of heat traveled from the crown of his head to the soles of his feat. He swallowed.

Still no air.

She shifted in the chair, a shimmer of pink satin straining against full breasts while she adjusted her form-fitting skirt. Several seconds passed and his hand was still one with the phone. With a rash of heat up his neck, he slowly removed it, sagging back in the chair.

She smiled. "I knew I'd surprise you, but I didn't expect to render you speechless."

He stared, vaguely aware of Bridie hovering at the door. Air finally returned to his throat. He licked his lips, aware his heart was pumping at an alarming rate. "What are you doing here?"

She seemed nervous and shy, although she undoubtedly had the upper hand. Her front teeth absently tugged at her lower lip while her fingers fidgeted in her lap. With a soft sigh, she looked up, not a hint of seduction in her wide, blue eyes. "I came to apologize. To ask you to forgive me for what I did. It was wrong to lie and deceive, especially to someone I love."

He shook his head. "No, I mean what are you doing here ... in Ireland?"

Those deadly lips curved into an innocent smile. "I moved back ... with my grandmother. In fact, I'm the new owner of Shaw's Emporium."

Air left his lungs again and he wheezed, jumping up to catch his breath. "You're what?"

She lifted her chin with a proud smile. "Yes, part owner and operating manager in partnership with Mr. Horace Hargrove, a dear friend of mine. He bought the store from Mrs. Shaw, and I make the payments."

"You're staying? In Ireland?"

She blinked, her smile fading a hair. "Well, of course. I can't run the store from Boston."

He turned and leaned his palms on the window ledge, wilting into a cold stare. "Congratulations. Was that all you wanted?"

"What?"

He lifted his head, his back to her. "To apologize and tell me your news?"

He heard the scrape of the chair as she rose. He stiffened when she stood beside him.

"No, that's not all. I also wanted to tell you that I love you-',

He jerked away. No, Charity, don't."

She took a step forward, her eyes glossy with tears. "I wanted you to know I made amends with Faith and Father, and then with God. I serve him now, Mitch. I honor him with my life."

His heart clutched in his chest. He could barely breathe.

She rubbed a tear away. "Don't you see? He meant for us to be together all along-"

"It's too late." His whisper sliced through her like the cut of a barb, twitching her face.

Her pale lips parted. "What do you mean?"

He looked out the window, unwilling to witness her pain. "Kathleen and I are engaged."

He felt her shiver from five feet away.

"But you said that before and you weren't, and Mrs. Lynch never said anything ..."

He stared at his feet. "She doesn't know. I just gave the ring to Kathleen last night."

He heard her gasp and looked up, his gut twisting at the shock in her face. She turned and braced her hand on the ledge, body trembling. "Why, Mitch? When you love me, why?"

He glanced at the door, his nerves raw. "Bridie?"

Her head popped around the corner. "Yeah, Boss?"

"Close the door."

She pressed her lips tight and did as he said, slamming it shut. He turned back to Charity. "Because you lied. And I was afraid. I wanted a woman I could trust, one who loved God."

She whirled around, her eyes full of fury. "And you have it-in me!"

He hung his head, guilt flooding his soul. "No, I have it in Kathleen."

"Even though you love me?"

He met her gaze, his voice barely a whisper. "Yes."

Her chest heaved with ragged breaths, and then she lunged with a pitiful cry, her fists bludgeoning his chest. "I hate you! I wish I could hurt you as much as you've hurt me."

He gripped her hands and pinned them to her sides. His eyes burned into hers. "You have, Charity. I'm bleeding inside. I love you so much it aches. But it's too late. I won't do that to Kathleen. Not again. She's a good woman, and in my own way, I love her."

Tears streamed her face. "Not the way you love me."

"It doesn't matter. I've given her my word, my ring. I won't go back on that."

She moaned and collapsed against his chest, her sobs echoing through the office. He held her in his arms and closed his eyes.

Dear God, what have I done?

He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the chair to set her down. He squatted in front of her and searched her face. "Charity, listen to me. What we had wasn't meant to be. It wasn't God's plan. It started off illicitly two years ago and ended the same way. Believe me, I've prayed about it, and if God intended us for each other, I wouldn't be marrying Kathleen. But I am. And both of us will get over this. We'll move on. And eventually be friends, like Faith and me." He lifted her chin with his finger. "God has someone for you, Charity. Someone wonderful and God-ordained. It's just not me."

She looked up, her thick lashes spiky from tears. Her chin trembled. "I love you, Mitch, and I will never stop, no matter whom you marry."

"Yes, you will. And it won't take long." He forced a smile. "You'll probably marry before me."

She sniffed. "And when is that going to be?"

He stood up. "We haven't set a date." He sat on the edge of his desk. "You okay?"

She nodded and swiped at her face with her sleeve.

He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Here, keep it. I bought extra when I met you."

She didn't smile. "May I congratulate the bride?"

"That would be nice. Kathleen would appreciate that. She worries about you."

Her laugh was brittle. "At least one of you does."

His heart was sick. He ducked his head to look at her. "Come on, now. You know I care about you, worry about you. I'm proud of you with the store and the strides you've made with your family. You've grown into a good woman, Charity."

She glanced up. "For all the good it does."

He tried to smile, but failed miserably. He walked to the door and opened it, sticking his head out. "Kathleen? Can I see you a moment?"

He waited until she approached, then guided her in. He looped an arm around her waist, then slowly slipped it away at the look in Charity's eyes. Heaven help him, he was an idiot.

Charity lifted her chin. "Kathleen, I wanted to congratulate you on your engagement. You're a lucky woman."

Kathleen's eyes were soft with compassion. "Thank you, Charity." She glanced up at Mitch. "I think so."

"Well, I'd better go. I've got a shop to run." Charity stood to her feet.

Kathleen touched a hand to Charity's arm. "Can we give you a ride?"

She stared, a flicker of pain shadowing her face at the diamond on Kathleen's hand. She swallowed and shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. But thank you."

She moved to the door and turned, a sad smile lining her lips. "Goodbye, Mitch, Kathleen. I wish you the best."