“Claire?” Mrs. Peterson called out as she walked to her.

Claire relaxed. She liked her employer and was glad to see her there. It helped ease her anxiety. “Good evening, Mrs.

Peterson .”

“I hardly recognized you.” The older woman took her to the side of the large room. “You look so different.”

“I hope that‟s a good thing.”

“Oh, you‟re a nice looking woman no matter what you wear.”

Sue grinned. “Only you would be so kind as to say that.”

“You sell yourself short, Claire. You have a lot to offer.”She shrugged.

Mrs. Peterson softly patted her shoulder. “What brings you here? You‟ve never made an appearance before.”

“I‟ve given up on the bank.”

“Did you speak to Mr. Hansworth like I suggested?”

She shuddered at the mention of his name. “Yes, I specifically went to his office. I have talked to him a couple of times and nothing ever gets resolved.” She shook her head in

aggravation. “I don‟t know why you speak so well of him. He‟s just like Jackson Moore .”

“That‟s not true. Mr. Hansworth is a competent businessman. He knows his job and does it well. He has helped out a lot of people in this town. If there is anyone who would show mercy, it is him.”

She didn‟t feel like hearing a list of his qualifications.

“That may be true of everyone else, but he refuses to help me.”“Speaking of him...”

Claire turned in the direction she indicated. She noted that several prominent, younger women turned their attention to him

as he entered the room. He was irritatingly attractive in his black suit and light gray tie. He seemed to be oblivious to the fact that

so many women were staring wistfully at him. Instead, he walked over to a couple men and began talking to them.

“I don‟t see what‟s so great about him,” she finally commented. She looked at Mrs. Peterson. “It‟s disgusting that a thirty-five year old man can have his pick of any available woman in the room but a thirty-three year old woman has to settle for

someone who‟s desperate enough to marry her.”

The older woman‟s eyes widened. “Is that why you‟re here?”

She nodded. “I don‟t have a choice.”

“I‟m sorry, Claire. I tried to raise enough money to help your family.”

“I know, Mrs. Peterson. The debt is overwhelming. You have been most kind. It is not your problem. It‟s mine. I do not

wish to burden you anymore with my family‟s troubles.”The older woman looked at her sympathetically. “Is marriage something you want, Claire?”

“I don‟t know. I have learned to be content without a man. It would be nice to marry for love but I‟m not the kind of woman who attracts attention.”

“There are several men looking your way.”

“The old and creepy ones.”

Mrs. Peterson grinned. “It appears that Mr. Hansworth just noticed you.”

“How flattering,” she sarcastically stated.

“You should be flattered. He hasn‟t given any of the other women a second glance. I do believe you caught his

attention.”“That is ridiculous. He can obviously have any woman he

wants.”“Which is why you should be flattered. He‟s coming over here.”

“I have nothing to say to him.” He was the last person she felt like talking to.

“He has something to say to you Before Claire could protest, the woman walked away. Maybe he‟ll just walk by me.

“Miss Lewisville, we missed you at the bank,” he said once he was right behind her.

She spun around. “It‟s obvious you have no intention of helping me, so I‟m taking your advice.”“Your father‟s going to turn over his property?”

Did he actually sound sad by that possibility? She pushed the thought aside. “No. I‟m going to marry a wealthy man and

pay off my family‟s debt.”

“So you‟re here for business.”

She nodded and examined the men in the room. Some of them were with their wives but there were some who were

available.

“I come here for business as well,” he continued. “I‟m not interested in the women here. I‟m interested in the men‟s

pocketbooks. I come here to establish rapport with existing customers and potential customers.”

“Is everything about money for you?”

He shrugged. “I suppose it is. I‟m in the business of making money and I do it well.”

“You disgust me.”

“Excuse me?” He sounded offended.

“Think about it, Mr. Hansworth. You aren‟t interested in people. You‟re interested in things.”

“That‟s not entirely true. I do care about people.

Sometimes the best way to show care for others is to help them financially.”

She rolled her eyes. “You‟re one to talk.”

“If you had been at the board meeting Wednesday evening, you would understand.”

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Fine.

Then explain what happened.”

He shook his head. “I‟d only be wasting my time.”

“I thought as much.”

“So you‟re here to snag some poor rich bachelor into a life filled with misery? That doesn‟t sound very warm-hearted to me.”

Just as she was about to make a clever retort, a twenty year old beautiful redhead walked up to him.

“Good evening, Mr. Hansworth,” she softly spoke. Her eyes met his and she offered him a gentle smile. “It is nice to see you

here.”

He warmly smiled back. “Miss petty, the pleasure is all mine.”

Even though Claire didn‟t know either of them well, she could tell they were lying to one another. Neither one really

found the other one interesting.

“I do hope you‟ll come to my dinner party this Sunday,”

she invited. “I saved a seat especially for you.”

“I will try to make it,” he replied.

Claire could tell he was lying.

MISS petty continued to stand by him.

“I would ask you to dance, but I already promised this one to Miss Lewisville,” he politely said. Turning to Claire, he asked, “Are

you ready?”

She almost said no but there was an anxious look in his eyes that stopped her. She silently nodded and took his hand to the dance floor. She tried to ignore the way his strong arm felt around her waist and how his firm hand felt on hers. He was six

inches taller than her.

“I owe you one,” he whispered. His breath caressed her ear in a way she didn‟t anticipate.

“Do you find her so repulsive that you would dance with me?” she finally asked.

“Yes,” he simply said.

She rolled her eyes.

He continued, “She‟s only after my money. I can smell a vulture from a mile away.”

“You must have smelled me as soon as you entered the room then.”

He shrugged. “Not really. You‟re looking for someone to fix your family‟s problems. That‟s different from what she‟s

doing.”

“It‟s not something I want to do. I just don‟t know what else to do. I know I can‟t change what the contracts say, and I don‟t have the ability to make a lot of money in a short amount of time. So my only hope is to find a husband.”

“And spend the rest of your life miserable.”

She nodded.

He sighed. “I‟m sorry I couldn‟t do anything for you. I don‟t own the bank, so I can‟t make any changes that aren‟t

approved by the board members.”

“I know. I don‟t like it, but I understand.” She took a deep breath. “Sometimes you just do what you have to do.”

He seemed like he wanted to say something but decided against it.

“You dance fairly well,” she said, changing the subject.

“As do you,” he replied. “I haven‟t had a dance partner worthwhile up to this point. I am impressed.”

“Oh, I don‟t know. Mr. Wilkins taught me and my siblings to dance in exchange for some steak.”

He frowned. “That‟s an odd exchange. Why didn‟t your

father just take the money?”

She blinked. “Mr. Wilkins didn‟t have any money and his family needed the food.”

He stopped dancing and pulled her aside. “Mr. Wilkins just bought a new horse and buggy. He‟s been showing it off all

over town. Weren‟t you aware of this?”

Her cheeks grew hot. “No.”

“Your family really needs to be careful when making business decisions. Mr. Wilkins isn‟t exactly noted for his honesty,

but he does have a large sum of money at the bank.

************

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