Acquired: The CEO's Small-Town Bride. Catherine Mann
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with the past? “Do you really think particulates from the factory caused Hannah Cameron’s COPD?”
“I honestly don’t know who or what to blame for Hannah’s tragic death.” Kathleen Richards eased back into her chair, slowly, the hint of arthritis the only sign she was slowing down. “Factory safety standards were so different back when she worked there over thirty years ago. And she died nearly sixteen years after she was fired. So it’s tough to tell.”
“And what about Mom and Dad?” Her parents had worked at the plant for their entire adult lives.
“I do know that Ronald Worth has adhered to safety standards. Were those standards lax? Possibly,” she conceded. “Did the man have regrets in his life? Absolutely. But his are more of the personal variety. I would hate to see Rafe suffer that same guilt from letting his private life affect his business decisions.”
“You need to tell him that.” Sarah reached across the table to clasp her grandmother’s hand urgently.
“Do you honestly think Rafe would listen to me?” Kathleen stared back with eyes as green as her own.
“He resented the way I kept tabs on you. If you recall, he and I didn’t part on the best of terms.”
Sarah snatched her hand away. “And you think he and I did?”
“True enough. The two of you have always evoked strong emotions in each other. Always.” Kathleen pinned her with a look stronger than any grip. “I believe you hold sway with him now just as you did then. You are the only person who stands a chance at getting Rafe Cameron to rethink his position on closing the factory.”
Her grandmother’s words sank in slowly, shockingly. Sarah knew without a doubt Kathleen had come to supper and stayed with a specific agenda. She wanted her granddaughter to use her past connection with Rafe to influence him.
“Grandma, you can’t be suggesting I seduce the guy into keeping the factory open?” While her mind, her heart, balked in horror, her body tingled to life at even the suggestion of Rafe’s hands on her again. “You vastly oversell my appeal.”
“Maybe you undersell yourself. But that’s beside the point.” Kathleen shook her head, dangling cat earrings swaying. “I would never even suggest anything so crass. I’m simply saying that you and Rafe had a special connection fourteen years ago.”
“Whoa, wait.” Sarah held up a hand, certain she must have misheard. “You think he and I had a special connection? The way I remember it, you were always trying to break the two of us up.”
Her grandmother snorted. “I was trying to keep you from having a baby before you graduated from high school like I did and your parents did.”
Sarah stifled the urge to wince over her grandmother’s mention of babies, but since her grandmother didn’t know about the miscarriages, she couldn’t blame her for venturing into painful territory. The first miscarriage had occurred before they’d had a chance to tell anyone, then they’d been wary of sharing news until she made it into her second trimester. That never happened.
There was a time she’d worried her out-of-control passion for Rafe would lead to an accidental pregnancy. Then she’d dreamed of carrying his children. Now she knew she would carry no man’s child. “Well, you accomplished your goal, because in spite of all your hints to the contrary, Rafe and I never went far enough to risk that.”
In high school, her friends had all assumed she was sleeping with Rafe, but she’d held back, wanting to wait for marriage. Or maybe she’d somehow known from the start they were doomed.
Regardless, how weird was it to be talking to her grandmother about sex?
Kathleen’s eyebrows inched toward her hair. “Really? You’ve surprised even me. The two of you were sneaking around all the time, trying to find time alone.”
“That’s not fair. We were teenagers dating. Teenagers who also worked long hours after school and had a very, very eagle-eyed grandmother breathing down our necks.”
“Hmm, silly me.” Kathleen nudged the saltshaker even with the pepper. “I thought dates involved cars and movies, not climbing up a tree to slip into your bedroom.”
She gasped, her mind flooding with memories of her and Rafe tangling up in her comforter. “How could you have known that?”
Her grandmother grinned. “I didn’t know for sure. Until now.”
Sarah sagged back in her seat, weary to her toes from the way Rafe had upset her life all over again. “I can’t believe you’ve reduced me to these word games.”
“I just wanted you to be careful then. I could see there was something intense between the two of you, something neither of you were mature enough to deal with yet.”
“Well, you were wrong.” Her spine steeled with anger even after all these years over how bitterly they’d ended the relationship. “We broke up and moved on. We haven’t spoken in fourteen years until today.”
“I was there to pick up the pieces when it all fell apart. Everyone in town knows. And if that explosive encounter is anything to judge by, the two of you have some unfinished business of your own.”
She pressed her lips tight. What could she say? She agreed. But Rafe hadn’t made even a token effort to contact her once he returned. God, she hated how her temper had run away with her today, sucking her into revealing too much of her own unresolved feelings—mostly furious ones—for him. Especially when it was clear he’d moved on.
Kathleen squeezed her hand lightly. “Life is all about timing. You have a chance here to find closure with Rafe and help the employees at the plant.” She clasped her granddaughter’s hands. “Talk to him.”
As if she had any choice when her grandmother put it like that. And just when she’d thought her heart was numbed from years of scar tissue, she felt a flutter of excitement tickle her ribs at the notion of talking to him again. Without question, one look from Rafe Cameron still sent her body into overdrive. Even if he had turned into the first-class snob he’d sworn he would never become.
With the town’s livelihood on the line, she needed to keep her wits about her when dealing with this man, which meant keeping her hormones in check.
Because without question, Rafe had a way of scrambling her thoughts with just one touch.
Sarah stood outside Rafe’s office in the Worth Industries building—now Cameron Enterprises—while his secretary checked to make sure he was “available.” All high-tech and chrome, the place sure looked up-to-date and safe. It also looked pricey. No refurbished vintage finds around here. This office in Rafe’s newly acquired holding was a world away from her tiny house.
When they were teenagers, Rafe had told her more than once that he intended to own this whole town, including a house bigger than Worth’s. She’d believed he would become successful, but she’d never envisioned anything like this. She couldn’t fathom how he’d made it happen. But then he’d always worked harder and longer hours than anyone she’d known, so much so that finding time for each other had been nearly impossible.
No wonder he’d wanted to leave her behind when he left town. They would have never seen each other. She would have grown frustrated, much as she had when they were dating. A marriage for them would have been destined to fail from the start.
Somehow knowing he’d made the right decision didn’t ease the sting of rejection even after all these years.
His office door opened and she jolted. His secretary waved her in without a word, the older woman all crisp efficiency in a wrinkle-free suit. Nerves churning, Sarah refused to feel self-conscious about her simple sundress. Her sandals didn’t make a sound as she walked across the plush carpet.
Rafe stood at the window wall with his back to her. The expanse of spot-free glass offered a spectacular view of Vista del Mar, homes and bluffs. Between the tall palms, a distant view of the Pacific Ocean sparkled.