His Favorite Mistake (Baby Its Cold Out) by Mary Eason Page A

at realizing she loved Brody. Knowing he would never return her love. He didn’t want her to love him.
                  “You’re tired. Try and get some sleep now, okay?” The distance in his voice hurt. She heard him walk to the bedroom door turning to look at her once more in concern.
                  “Reyna? Are you sure, you’re all right? I don’t want to leave you if you’re not.”
                  She forced herself to answer him, hating the bitterness in her voice that even to her own ears, sounded sharp as she turned her face away from him.
                  “I’m fine. You’re right. I’m just tired. Please just leave me alone.”
                  Reyna heard the soft click of the door and waited, holding her breath. When she heard his footsteps receding down the hallway, she curled up into a tight little ball in the center of her bed and cried.
                  Reyna got out of bed and went into the adjoining bathroom stripping off her clothing. She stood under the shower letting the warm water wash over her for what felt like hours. Once she was dressed in her white tee shirt, she crawled under the covers shivering with reaction to her despair.
                  She had been so foolish to rush into what she believed was love with Cade, realizing much too late it wasn’t love at all. Just her own foolish imagination. She had married Cade in haste and she had regretted her actions almost from the very first moment.
                  It hadn’t taken him much longer than a few weeks to shatter all her illusions and make her see the painful truth. But now? Brody was nothing like Cade, she knew he would never hurt her. He was attractive yes, but his attraction was so much more than just physical. He was strong, but he cared about her feelings, about what she thought. The way he took an interest in what was happening in her life, no matter how insignificant, had been the reason she’d liked him from the start.
                  When had like turned to love? She couldn’t say for sure. It had been such an easy transition for her. To go from liking him as both a person and a man to loving him.
                  The thought of not having this man as part of her life anymore tore her up inside. Of not being able to see him, to talk to him each day terrified her. She knew she could never tell Brody how she felt about him, for that very reason. She didn’t want to lose that friendship with him that was far too important to her.
                  Reyna pulled the covers up, hugging her legs as she began to shiver again. How could she possibly be near Brody each day both at work and home and not have him discover her true feelings? She should refuse his job offer and move out of the house immediately.
                  How could she do that when he needed her help? How could she refuse him anything when he had been so good to her? She told herself she would take each day as it came, and try to strengthen her heart so Brody never guessed just how much she loved him.
     
    Chapter Seven
                 
                 
    Penny Albright was a tall, severe looking woman, dressed in a gray business suit that only seemed to accentuate her severity.
                  She shook Reyna’s hand firmly before directing her to a small office that had her name outside.
                  “Mr. Samuels wanted me to make sure that everything was ready for you today, Ms. James. He asked me to fill you in on the basics of what the job will entail, but I believe he will give you more detail on what he is expecting from you when he returns from Florida.”
                  Ten minutes and countless forms later, Reyna stood beside the older woman as the elevator took them to the fourteen floor of the building.
                  “This entire