A lexander Peyton appeared to have little interest in whether Kayli enjoyed art. It didn’t take a genius to figure out Alexander’s tour had ulterior motives. Andrea Williams had a distinct and current interest in Adam Harper, and Kayli was merely a barrier. The gallery owner, Alexander, represented nothing more than a pawn sent to do Mistress Williams’s bidding.
Kayli eyed Adam warily. Was he a part of this? He didn’t seem like the type to use a woman, much less carry on some type of affair with a married woman. Whatever secrets Adam held, Kayli couldn’t believe they had anything to do with Mrs. Williams. But maybe she was only casting wishes. His handsome features blurred Kayli’s reality a bit.
“Have you known Mrs. Williams long?” Kayli asked the hulky gallery owner.
He spoke in a foreign accent Kayli couldn’t place. He was incredibly handsome but appeared very aware of that fact with silver blond hair and brilliant, icy blue eyes. While he explained each art selection in the home, his attention seemed to drift continually to his preferred piece: the mirror.
“Mrs. Williams began shopping my store before she had the husband to pay for such works. She has a fantastic eye, and it’s only right she should have the money to pay for such beauty. Do you like this one?” He stopped in front of a large painting. “It is my favorite.”
Kayli focused on the artwork before her. She cocked her head, trying to make heads or tails of the colors. Surely the artist was trying to say something, but Kayli thought it must be something about misery because that’s what she felt staring at it. “I’m not an art critic, but the colors depress me. I studied quite a bit of artwork when I lived in Paris, and I never was too fond of the abstracts. I guess my taste runs to the more simplistic landscapes and portraits.”
“All people say that at first. It is not for everyone to understand, but with time and depth, you would understand.”
“What should I understand about this piece?” Kayli moved closer to the barrage of color. She eyed it thoughtfully, trying to see the message.
“Besides that it’s worth twenty thousand?” he asked with a haughty laugh.
“Yes, besides that,” Kayli answered, unimpressed that anyone would waste money on this callous piece of art when they could have fed thousands with the money. “What do you think the artist was trying to convey?”
“Well, I don’t know, Kayli. What does it say to you?”
Kayli crossed her arms and drew in a deep breath. “I find it simplistic and drab. I believe the artist must have been saying he’s at a low emotional point in his life, and he needs some spiritual guidance. Perhaps you might lend him a Bible.”
The gallery owner exploded into laughter. “And you say you aren’t a critic. It goes to show you that everyone’s a critic. Mrs. Williams finds this piece contemplative and earnest.”
“I think I would be more contemplative about spending twenty thousand dollars on a piece of art. No offense—I realize that’s what you do. I hear all the time how ridiculous it is that a truffle should cost two dollars.”
Alexander grinned. “I think, my dear Kayli, that this ex-boyfriend of Mrs. Williams has done far better for himself. But you didn’t hear that from me. But I do hope to see you in my gallery one day.” He excused himself and went to greet more potential buyers.
Kayli turned to see Andrea whispering in Adam’s ear. Kayli felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. Whether or not Adam had any interest in Kayli, she wasn’t about to sit back and watch him carry on with a married woman. As a Christian she answered to a higher authority. At least that’s what she told herself was the reason for interrupting the tête-à-tête.
Marching deliberately toward the cozy couple, Kayli watched Adam straighten and pull away from Andrea. He pulled at his sleeves and jutted his squared jaw toward Kayli. Her resolve weakened a bit watching the action. He was uncomfortable and appeared almost grateful for her presence.
Kayli put a smile on her face. “Mrs. Williams, I’ve had quite an interesting encounter with your gallery owner. Alexander is a fascinating man and went on about your impeccable taste. I find it very different from mine but can appreciate your theme here.” Kayli grasped Adam’s arm and tugged him slightly away from Andrea. “Clearly we have the same taste in some things.”
Andrea’s eyes flashed. “Alexander failed to show you the gallery up on the landing. That is where his work is seen at its finest. Why don’t you run along and catch him?”
“While I love the art of an artist, there is no artist like God. Don’t you think? The human biceps are a work of magnificence.” Kayli ran her fingertips down Adam’s arm and casually pulled him away from the married woman. It took willpower to keep from digging her nails into his powerful arm. “Keep walking,” she whispered.
Away from the crowd, Adam pulled her into an empty room. He found a light and turned it on to reveal a complete theater with rows of seats and a large screen.
“What was that about?” Adam raised his brows.
“Listen.” Kayli felt her hands shaking. “What you do with your time is your business, but if you profess to be a Christian, it’s best that you not be seen on the arm of a married woman. It’s inappropriate, not to mention that your boss, and her husband, certainly wouldn’t appreciate it.” Kayli crossed her arms to stop the trembling and flopped into an oversized theater chair. She looked around her and sniffed. The room was almost eggplant in color, a deep purple resembling a big, ugly bruise.
Adam pulled her back to her feet. “Are you accusing me of something, Kayli?”
Kayli felt her eyes fill with tears, and she blinked them away. “I’m just saying if you invite a woman to an event, it’s appropriate to stay with her. I believe you cowfolks would say, ‘Ya got to dance with the girl that brung ya.’ ”
Adam’s smile made Kayli’s tears more insistent. He brushed one away from her cheek. “You’re absolutely right,” he whispered.
“Don’t sweet-talk me, Adam. I’m not a fool. If you brought me here as your cover, I will not play that game.”
“Kayli, you’ve got this wrong.”
“I won’t be played like a pull toy. Whatever disgusting thing you and Andrea have going, keep me out of it. I may not like Mike Williams, but I wouldn’t hurt him this way.”
He cupped her face with his roughened hands. “Do you really think that’s what I’m doing? Kayli, look at me.”
Kayli’s shakiness became obvious, and she clenched her jaw, which only caused her teeth to clatter. “I don’t know what you’re doing, Adam. Unlike you I don’t have much experience with dating. I guess in my mind I made you out to be something you’re not.”
He let out a small laugh. “What is it you think I am?”
“I have no idea.” Kayli pulled free and turned away from him. “I thought you were a cowboy out of his element in Silicon Valley, longing for a taste of home, but you seem to work this town just fine. Better than I do, that’s for sure.”
Adam came behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. “I am a cowboy. Just longing for an apple pie.”
“You seem to know your way around this mansion pretty well.”
“Kayli, I built it.”
“Well, that’s no excuse.” Kayli lifted her chin.
He whirled her around. “You’re jealous.” He forced her gaze to his, and she squeezed her eyes shut, rather than face those gorgeous clear eyes. Eyes that appeared so true and sincere.
“I’m not jealous,” she railed. “What do I have to be jealous of? And no offense, but if you’re the kind who would carry on an inappropriate friendship with a married woman, well, I wouldn’t want you anyway.”
“But I’m not the type to do that, and you know it.”
She gulped. “No.” She shook her head. “No, I don’t know it. I wish it, but I don’t know it at all.”
“Let’s get out of here. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, but, Kayli, something is here between us. I can’t describe it, but I feel it. When you’re next to me—don’t get me wrong—it isn’t lust; it’s this unimaginable feeling that I’m destined to know you. I can feel you next to me.”
“So you can leave for Montana and let me battle it out with Mr. and Mrs. Williams and their giant conglomerate bakery?”
“You’re avoiding the real subject. You live in one of the most expensive areas in America. You can imagine how everyone wants a piece of the pie, as they say.”
“Except these people own the whole pie already, and now they want to dip into a little tiramisu, too.”
“Competition breeds better product,” Adam said confidently.
“Is that how you justify what your building will do to me?”
“I can introduce you to any of these people here tonight, Kayli. You could make enough on the gallery owner’s openings alone. You just have to look for other resources.”
“What makes you think I want to? I like my business the way it is. I’m not going to change everything into a catering business to assuage your guilt.”
“Kayli, stop it.” Adam grasped her shoulders. “I didn’t ask you out to assuage my guilt, and I’m not going to leave and forget everything I’ve done to the city of Palo Alto. I’m certainly not going to forget you. Stop avoiding the real issue. What is it between us?”
Kayli felt the undeniable chemistry between them both. An invisible pull that said everything and nothing at all. “You’re attractive,” she shrugged. “I find you attractive—that’s perfectly understandable. You’re a fine-looking man.” Kayli rambled in her most unaffected voice—when in reality she wanted to explore why she originally thought this man might be her soul mate.
Adam bit his lip, clearly fighting his mirth. “Why were you jealous of Andrea?”
“Because I’m not fond of a man who invites me somewhere and pawns me off on a gallery owner—who is quite handsome, by the way. What if I went off with him and left you alone at this soiree?”
Adam clicked his tongue. “You’re absolutely right, and that would prove my country roots. An educated man would never leave the most beautiful woman in the room for an unavailable tyrant of a woman. Just wouldn’t happen.” Adam shook his head.
Despite herself, Kayli smiled. Squaring her shoulders, she added, “What if I get to know you, like what I see, and you fly back to Montana without looking back? Love is a decision—haven’t you heard that?”
“Then you leave me no choice, Kayli.”
Adam approached her, and she felt her heart pound. This kind of attraction wasn’t healthy. Maybe she needed to go home and call Robert, retreat to the safety of a friendship and the calm life she knew. She couldn’t take this kind of attraction forever; it couldn’t be good for her heart. Adam bent as though he might kiss her, and Kayli closed her eyes waiting for his lips to mesh with her own.
“Well, there you are.” Andrea’s firm voice invaded Kayli’s dream, and Adam pulled away.
“You have the most impeccable timing, Andrea.”
“Countless remodels are out there waiting to speak to you, Adam.”
“Let them wait, Andrea. I’m not taking on any additional jobs, so I appreciate the thought, but—”
“Rachel awaits,” Andrea added.
“Among other things.”
Kayli felt breathless, torn between her emotions for the man she wanted to trust and driven by fears of who he might actually be.