Farrah Rochon - Yours Forever

“Are you okay?”

Tamryn jumped at Matthew’s softly struck question. She hastily wiped at the moisture dampening her cheeks as she turned and smiled up at him.

“I’m fine,” she said. “I guess I wasn’t prepared for how this would affect me.” She wrapped her arms around her waist and hunched her shoulders. “I’ve seen dozens of sites like this, and I’m always overwhelmed.”

The sound of footsteps tapping on the hardwood could be heard for a few seconds before Carmen appeared. “Matt, the school board’s attorney is on the line.”

He held his hand up. “I’ll be there in a minute, Carmen.”

“No, go ahead,” Tamryn said. “I appreciate the quick tour. I’ve spoken to Dr. Lawrence, and he’s invited me to join him when he returns.” She swiped at her cheeks again. “However, I would like to set up an interview with you.”

“Me?” His eyes widened. “Why me?”

“Well, you’re a Gauthier, for one thing. Your family founded this town.”

“The Gauthiers who founded this town died a long time ago, and unfortunately, I’m not what you would call a history buff. I won’t be able to tell you anything that you can’t find out on your own.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Tamryn said. “It all depends on the questions I ask. I’ll bet you know more than you think you do.”

He buried his hands in his pockets and sucked in an uneasy breath.

“Look, there was a pamphlet created for Gauthier’s anniversary celebration this past summer. Ask Carmen to put you in touch with Mya Dubois-Anderson. She’ll be able to tell you everything you need to know.”

“But—”

Carmen came to the door again. “Matt, do you want me to have the attorney call back in a half hour?”

“No,” he said. “I’m coming.” He turned back to Tamryn. “Sorry, but this is the end of the tour. Carmen will see you out.”

And with that he took off, leaving Tamryn with even more questions than she’d had when she first walked through the door.

Chapter 3

Matt ended the call with the school board’s attorney with a promise to see the man in court if he could not come up with a better settlement for Mrs. Black’s case. He could tell by the stunned silence on the other end of the line that the man had not expected a small-town lawyer to take such a hard line. Matt had encountered such attitudes more times than he could count over the years.

He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. As he listened to the faint gurgle of Heritage Park’s landmark wooden waterwheel churning a few yards outside his open window, one question continued to swirl around in his head.

Why?

Why had the woman he’d gone to bed dreaming about last night showed up in his office this morning looking like everything he could ever want...and everything he had been trying to avoid? This had to go down as the most ironic twist of fate in the history of all mankind.

He’d spent an unhealthy portion of last night coming up with various scenarios that would have him coincidentally showing up at Belle Maison. After a while, he’d decided that he didn’t have the time or patience for devising fake, coincidental meetings. The chemistry that had sparked between him and Tamryn yesterday made scheming unnecessary. He’d already made the decision to drive over to the B and B after work and extend another dinner invitation to its newest guest.

As of this morning, everything had changed.

Discovering that the beauty he’d rescued yesterday was the same woman who posed a significant threat to everything he held dear rewrote all the plans his overactive imagination had concocted. The moment he learned she was the same Tamryn West who had been digging into his family’s history, Matt knew any plans to pursue her were null and void.

Well, his brain knew it. He needed other parts of his body to get the memo.

Running a frustrated hand down his face, he checked the time on his computer just as his stomach let out a loud growl. Maybe if he’d fed it more than an energy drink this morning it wouldn’t be so angry with him.

Matt slipped his cell phone into his pocket and strode out of his office.

He rapped his knuckles on the door to the file room, where Carmen stood before an open cabinet drawer. “I’m heading to the bank and then over to Emile’s for a quick bite. You want anything?”

“Yes,” Carmen said, shutting the drawer with her hip and walking toward him. “I want to know what’s up with you and Professor West.”

Matt’s forehead creased in a frown as he followed her out of the file room. “There’s nothing up with me and Professor West.”

Carmen tossed the manila folder on the desk, then perched on the edge of it. “For a lawyer, you are a horrible liar, Matthew Gauthier.”

“I’m not lying. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t give me that.” She pointed toward his office. “There was more chemistry in there than in the science lab at Gauthier High School. What’s going on with you two? Did you know she would be here?”

“Hell no. Didn’t you see how shocked I was to see her standing in my office?”

She crossed her arms over her chest and continued to stare at him. Carmen Mitchell had only been two years ahead of him in high school, but she’d become his father’s secretary right after she graduated, which meant she had more than a dozen years’ seniority over Matt at the Gauthier Law Firm. It was something she never let him forget, despite the fact that he was technically her boss.

Matt blew out a tired breath. “Okay, so I met her last night,” he admitted. “But I didn’t know who she was at the time. I was out for a ride on my bike and found her stranded with a car that had a busted radiator. She’s staying at Belle Maison. I brought her there, then went back for her bags.”

“And you didn’t realize she was the same Tamryn West who’s been calling here every week for the past six months?”

“How was I supposed to know she was the same woman? I had no idea what she looked like.”

“Oh, come on, Matt. I knew who she was the second she walked through the door. Haven’t you heard of Google?”

“I never thought to look her up online.” And he was sorry he hadn’t. He would have been better prepared to handle the shock he’d had when she waltzed through his door this morning. He sure as hell hadn’t visualized that when he’d pictured the professor who had been making a pest of herself all these months.

He’d taken torts with a Professor West back in law school, and whenever Tamryn West’s email popped up in his inbox, that was who he pictured. The wrinkle-faced, bald-headed white guy was the exact opposite of the woman who’d left his office a couple of hours ago.

“She’s even more gorgeous in person,” Carmen mused. “Maybe you should ask her to dinner.”

“Be real, Carmen.”

“What? You’ve been through all the single women in this town already.”

“First of all, I have not been through all of the single women in Gauthier. And second...” Matt released a sigh. “I already asked her to dinner last night. She turned me down.”

Carmen barked out a laugh. He didn’t join in.

“It’s a good thing we didn’t go out last night,” he reasoned. “It would have made things even more awkward this morning.”

“She’s always very pleasant when she calls. I still don’t get why you’re so stubborn when it comes to talking to her.”

“I don’t like people snooping in my business.” Carmen silently mimicked his words. Matt rolled his eyes. “Do you want anything from Emile’s?” he asked again.

“Only if they have bread pudding for dessert. Oh, wait a sec.” She reached for a parcel of envelopes on her desk and thumbed through them, handing one to him. “Give this to Theresa at the bank. She’ll know what to do with it.”