4

“Don’t look now, but sexy Mr. Madaris just walked into the cafeteria.”

Marilyn continued to eat her sandwich, refusing to look. There was no need. Carolyn was staring enough for both of them. Why did the fact that Carolyn had no qualms about checking out the principal make her green with envy? She wouldn’t dare.

“I can’t believe you aren’t tempted to look.”

If only you knew just how tempted I am, Marilyn thought, smiling. However, she refused to yield to that temptation. Besides, she’d gotten an eyeful last week, when he’d shared a cup of coffee with her in the lounge, and again when’d she’d dropped off the book to him the next day. Then on Friday, before the end of the school day, he’d entered the library’s media center at the same time she’d been in the office looking through rolls of microfilms.

His scent had once again preceded him, and she hadn’t needed to look up. But she had. He seemed surprised to see her, then smiled and told her that he’d taken a look at her book. He’d thought it would be an excellent tool to use with Elijah and he asked her to keep him abreast of the progress. Then he turned and left.

“Why would I break my neck trying to catch a glimpse of the principal instead of finishing my lunch? We only get thirty minutes to eat, and I don’t like to rush my meals.”

“Go ahead and eat. I’d rather boy-watch.”

She hated to tell Carolyn that Jonathan Madaris was far from being a boy. All anyone had to see were those rippling muscles under his jacket and the fit of his trousers over his masculine thighs to know that. She’d seen him pass by her classroom a few times, and he always looked suave and sophisticated. Definitely a dresser. Unquestionably, a man.

And the kids loved him. Chants of Good morning, Mr. Madaris followed him whenever he walked up and down the halls. He would even stop and talk to them, asking how they were doing. She could tell the kids thought he was cool. And it was obvious he thought they were pretty cool, too.

He seemed to know each child’s name, something that, from the smiles on their faces, the kids appreciated. There was no doubt about it. Jonathan Madaris had an allure that drew everyone--students and staff alike--to him like a magnet. She’d stopped wondering how that was possible. She just had to begin accepting the fact that it was.

“Trust me, his looks alone would capture me, even without his family’s money.”

Marilyn glanced over at Carolyn. “His family’s money?”

Carolyn rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Marilyn. What planet are you from? You’ve never heard of the Whispering Pines ranch?”

“No.”

Carolyn scooted closer to talk over the table. “Well, let me educate you. The Whispering Pines is a ranch that has been in the Madaris family for years. It’s huge. I heard it’s over three-hundred thousand acres.”

Marilyn couldn’t imagine that much land being owned by one family. “Wow.”

Carolyn smiled, as if she was glad she’d finally succeeded in getting Marilyn’s interest. “So think about it. Any woman who wins Mr. Madaris not only gets a good-looking man, but a pretty wealthy one, too.”

“Wealthy?” Just because his family owned all that land, that didn’t necessarily mean he or his family had money to burn. One of her college friend’s family owned a huge spread in Dallas, and she’d confided in Marilyn that they barely made ends meet every month. Operating a working ranch was expensive.

“Yes. I heard he has five older brothers. All are college educated, yet they still work on the ranch. Mr. Madaris and his brother, Robert, are the only ones who chose a different career. However, I understand he drives to the ranch most weekends to help out and do his share of family chores.”

She looked at Carolyn, curiously. “How do you know so much about the Madaris family?”

“I heard it from various people who know them. It’s common knowledge that his parents didn’t have a problem with him going into education. I guess everyone can’t be a rancher.” She stopped talking and waved a napkin in front of her face like a fan to cool her off. “Still, I like everything I’ve heard about Mr. Madaris and I sure wouldn’t mind going after him.”

Marilyn lifted a brow. “Going after him? What about the school’s policy? He can’t date his teachers.”

“One thing about rules, Marilyn? They can be broken. And to catch Mr. Madaris’ eye, I wouldn’t think twice about throwing a few right out the window.”

Carolyn was grinning and Marilyn wondered if she was serious or just teasing. Not that it was any of her business, either way. Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she said, “Well, good luck.”

Carolyn lifted a brow. “On what?”

“On snagging Mr. Madaris.”

Carolyn let out a laugh. “I was just trying to get you going. I talk a lot of crap but I’m not stupid. Besides, I’m probably not his type.”

For a quick second, Marilyn wondered what Mr. Madaris’ type would be. She couldn’t imagine him any place other than this school, walking the halls in a nice two-piece suit, looking finer than any man had a right to look. For some reason, she’d thought he’d go for a debutante, or one of those sophisticated types. Someone whose family had just as much money as his did.

She glanced at her watch. “I need to go and get ready for when the kids return from recess.”

“So, how are things going for you here so far?” Carolyn asked.

“So far, so good.” But as Marilyn headed back to her classroom moments later, she thought about Carolyn’s question. So far, everything was going good. The only challenge she saw coming up this year would be when the students started learning to add and subtract double digits. The concept of carrying or borrowing could boggle their young minds, but she’d deal with that when she had to. In the meantime, Marilyn had decorated her classroom this week, letting her students help. She could tell by the smiles on their faces that they’d had fun.

Although she enjoyed her walks to school in the mornings and evenings, she took advantage of Carolyn’s offer to swing by and pick her up. Carolyn hadn’t realized Marilyn had been walking to school. At first, Marilyn had declined the offer but Carolyn had insisted, swearing it wasn’t out of her way. Marilyn didn’t want to become dependent on anyone, but she couldn’t resist Carolyn for long. So, for the past two days, she’d ridden to work with Carolyn and had gone home the same way.

But she wanted to walk home today. When she got off work, she wanted to stop at the school supply store to see if they had any more of the flash cards she’d purchased the week before school started.

She rounded the corner to head back to her class when suddenly, she collided with what felt like a solid wall. It was only when she regained her senses that she realized she’d walked into a person. And when a hand went out to keep her from falling, she knew exactly who that person was. The moment he touched her, a rush of sensations raced through her.

“Miss Bannister? Are you alright?”

Other than being embarrassed, she was fine. “Yes, sir. Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going. You had the right of way.”

He chuckled and the sound did something to her heartbeat. “I had the right of way?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Actually, I’m equally at fault for not looking where I was going. And as far as anyone having the right of way, these are hallways, not roadways.”

“Yes, sir,” she responded, tilting her head back to look up at him.

“And I thought we agreed you would drop the ‘sir’.”

“Sorry, I forgot.”

“No harm done. How are things going with Elijah? Have you started him on those math games yet?”

“Yes and he really likes them. He’s been so busy doing them, I almost forget he’s in the class. He’s so quiet.” She smiled. “The other students think it’s strange.”

“Glad to hear it.” He checked his watch. “Now if you will excuse me, I need to make it to a meeting.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hold you up.”

“You didn’t.” He threw the words over his shoulders as he quickly walked off without looking back.

Marilyn was glad he hadn’t. Otherwise, he would have seen her still standing there, watching him. He looked good and his suit fit him so well, as if tailor made. He was even taller than she’d originally thought. Her brothers were tall and enjoyed playing basketball. She wondered if he did. Then she shook her head. What was she thinking? Why would she care if he did or not?

She watched him until he was no longer in sight. Only then did she turn and continue walking to her classroom, a small smile on her face.

 

* * * *

 

Jonathan walked briskly to his office, staring straight ahead, refusing to look back. He was afraid if he did, he would see Marilyn Bannister still standing there, her eyes on him. It was bad enough feeling the heat of her gaze on his back, while fighting not to show a reaction.

At least, there was no outward sign of one. But everything was working inside his body. He couldn’t ignore the deep stirring in his gut or the way his fingers were still tingling from when he had reached out to steady her. And her scent... It was all over him now. That was the closest they’d ever come to each other. For a quick second, her body had been pressed against his. That was all the time it had taken for him to feel her, although not as much as he would have liked. She’d been soft and all woman.

He glanced over at his secretary. “Ms. Etheridge, please hold my calls. I don’t want to be disturbed.”

“Yes, Mr. Madaris.”

He entered his office and closed the door behind him, then leaned against it to get his bearings. When had any woman made him so befuddled? And what was sadder than hell was that he doubted Marilyn Bannister had any idea just how attracted he was to her.

There was no way she could know about the number of times during the school day he would deliberately walk down her hall, hoping the door to her classroom would be open so he could get a glimpse of her. Or how he would show up in the cafeteria when he knew she would be there with her class or dining with Miss Perkins. More than a few times, he’d even stood at his window and watched her leave with Miss Perkins at the end of the day. He could only assume the two were carpooling the way a number of the teachers did.

Just the other day, he’d watched as she crossed the parking lot, thinking she had a nice pair of legs. By the time she’d reached Miss Perkins’ car, she had removed her jacket. The sleeveless A-line dress displayed her shapely figure. Nice. As far as he was concerned, everything about Marilyn Bannister was nice. Super nice.

Even though he had yet to call her anything but Miss Bannister, he’d dreamed of calling her Marilyn. He’d whisper the name close to her ear, just moments before they kissed.

Why he was so obsessed with her, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he was. And it seemed to get worse each day. He thought of the day she’d dropped her book off to him. He hadn’t needed to see her, but had instructed his secretary to let him know when she delivered the book because he needed to discuss it with her.

He didn’t. It had just been an excuse to see her again, up close. When she’d walked into his office the next morning, she’d all but taken his breath away. A surge of desire had flowed through every part of his body. He’d said something about needing to ask her about the printing of the book and the reason she hadn’t sought out a publisher. Although he’d heard what she was saying, he didn’t remember much. His full concentration had been on the movement of her lips when she spoke.

The phone rang and he frowned. His secretary had been told not to disturb him. Moving to his desk, he picked it up. “Yes, Ms. Etheridge?”

“I’m sorry for bothering you, sir, but Roman Malone is here to see you.”

His lips eased into a smile. Roman was a college friend who was a practicing attorney in Dallas. Jonathan didn’t have to wonder why he was in town. Roman’s goal was to one day get into politics and his mentor was Senator Barbara Jordan.

“Please send him in.”

Jonathan moved around his desk to greet his friend the moment the door opened. “Roman, good seeing you,” he said, engulfing the man in a bear hug.

“Same here.”

“When did you get in, and how long are you staying?”

“I just got in and drove straight to my meeting with Senator Jordan. I have to drive back to Dallas in the morning.”

Jonathan nodded. “I hope you weren’t thinking about checking into a hotel. I still have that spare room at my apartment. You’re welcome to use it.”

“Thanks, I’d appreciate it. It’s not easy being a single man these days.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes. “It would be, if you stopped trying to please all the single women out there.”

A huge smile curved Roman’s lips as he settled into the chair across from Jonathan’s desk. “Somebody has to do it. I figure it might as well be me. My motto is that if you please them, they will please you.”

“If you say so,” Jonathan said, returning to sit behind his desk. In college, Roman had been quite the playboy. It seemed he was still at it.

“You shouldn’t take my word for it, Jon. You should be out there finding out for yourself. After all, you dated a lot more in college than you do now.”

Jonathan chuckled. “I couldn’t help that, especially with you as a roommate. If the girl you dated had a friend, you would fix me up with her, whether I was interested or not. It’s a good thing you’re living in Dallas now and I’m miles away in Houston.”

Roman chuckled. “If that’s supposed to mean something, it doesn’t. And if you need the name of a few eligible sweeties in Houston, I have a log of women I’ve met in your fair city on my visits.”

“Not a little black book? A log of names?”

“Yes,” Roman said, leaning back in his chair grinning proudly. “A log.”

Jonathan believed him. Roman was a smooth operator. When he saw a woman he wanted, he went after her like greased lightning and was usually successful in his pursuit. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not interested.”

“You should be. The way I see it, Jon, you’d better enjoy life now, before your mother marries you off.”

Everybody knew of his mother’s propensity for matchmaking. “She’s too busy working on a marriage for Robert.”

Roman chuckled again. “What’s there to work on? Robert’s been crazy about Diana Austin a long time. That should make Ms. Laverne’s work easy.”

“It would, if she knew it. Robert is intentionally acting as if he’s not interested, just to keep Mom busy.”

“She doesn’t have a clue?” Roman asked.

“We don’t think so. But Robert intends to let her take the credit when things fall in place.”

Jonathan tossed a paperclip on his desk. “How are Nora and Paul?” Nora was Roman’s older sister and Paul was her husband. They lived in Ennis, Texas, a small town that was a stone’s throw from Dallas.

The smile eased from Roman’s face. “Paul and Nora have finally accepted what the doctors have been telling them. There won’t be any children. They were in denial for a couple of years, but recently, they made a decision that I whole-heartedly support.”

Jonathan lifted a brow. “What sort of decision?”

“To become foster parents. In fact, last week, they closed on this monstrosity of a house they bought with hopes of filling it with foster kids. I talked to them last night. The Texas Department of Children Services called to let them know they will get their first two kids next week. A brother and sister. Eight-year-old twins, whose mother killed their father when he asked for a divorce, then turned the gun on herself. At least she spared the kids’ lives. They had been outside playing.”

“How awful,” Jonathan said, shaking his head.

“Yes, it is. Worse, they have no living relatives, at least none who want to take them in. Nora and Paul are excited about getting them.”

Jonathan’s lips eased into a huge smile. “I’m happy for them.”

“So am I. I can’t think of better foster parents than those two.”

Jonathan nodded, knowing why Roman felt the way he did. His father had died when he was ten and his mother, a few years later. At thirteen, he’d gone to live with his sister and her husband. Nora and Paul had only been married a couple of years before they’d become Roman’s legal guardians. Roman adored both of them.

“So, are we eating out tonight or are you cooking?” Roman asked, smiling.

“I’m offering you a place to stay. Meals don’t come with the deal.”

“If you say so. Oh, and by the way, while I was sitting in the lobby waiting for you to give Mrs. Etheridge the okay to let me in here, a good-looking woman came up to her desk, but she walked off before I could introduce myself. I believe she was one of your teachers, one I haven’t seen before. She’s young, very pretty and had a pair of gorgeous gray eyes. Who is she?”

Jonathan knew immediately who his friend had seen. “She’s nobody you need to know, Roman.” His tone was gruffer than he’d intended, but he wanted to make sure Roman “Playboy” Malone got the point.

A smile curved the corners of Roman’s lips. “If you want her for yourself, that’s cool. However, if she teaches here, do I need to remind you of your school’s non-fraternization policy?”

“You don’t have to remind me of anything,” Jonathan snapped, hating that he’d ever told Roman about the school’s policy. At the time, he’d done it to stop Roman from teasing him about being surrounded by so many eligible women. “And for once, I wished the policy didn’t exist.”

Roman raised a brow. “Sounds serious.”

Jonathan released a disgusted sigh, glad he could talk about his dilemma with someone he trusted. “It’s not serious, but it’s definitely crazy. I just met the woman the first day of school and the only conversations we’ve had are work-related. Yet, I’ve become obsessed with her.”

“I can see why there’s an attraction. She’s definitely a beauty.” Roman tilted his head and studied Jonathan for a minute before saying, “I’ve never known you to become infatuated before.”

“Welcome to the club,” Jonathan said, leaning back in his chair. “And what’s even crazier, is that I’m convinced I’m falling in love with her.” There, he’d just confessed his innermost feelings. It didn’t get any deeper than that. In all his twenty-five years, he’d never fallen in love before.

“What!”

He wasn’t surprised by Roman’s reaction. “I said it was crazy, didn’t I?”

Roman got out of his chair and began pacing. “Man, I know I stopped smoking, but what you just said has me craving a cigarette. You barely know the woman, and yet, you’re falling in love. That’s not crazy. It’s totally ludicrous.”

“Call it whatever you like.”

“It’s totally irrational. And you’re the most rational person I know.” Roman stopped pacing and stared at Jonathan. “You really think you’re falling in love with her?”

“What else could it be, Roman? I’m feeling the same way about her that Robert says he felt the first time he saw Diana. I even canceled my date with Patricia Leavenworth a few weeks ago.”

Roman studied him, a serious expression on his face. “And what are these feelings, Jon?”

Jonathan drew in a deep breath and rubbed his hand across the top of his head. “I was mesmerized the moment I saw her. Nearly struck speechless. I wanted to believe I was taken in by her gray eyes, since I’ve never seen a black woman with eyes that color before. But now I know that’s not the case. It goes beyond that. She is a very smart woman. A wiz in math. She even turned down a job offer from NASA as a human computer. And would you believe that she’s written a book of math games for students? It’s one of the most amazing educational tools I’ve ever seen. I still can’t believe it hasn’t been picked up by a major publisher. Senator Jordan told me she was smart, but I wasn’t prepared for just how smart.”

“Senator Jordan? They know each other?”

“Yes,” Jonathan said. “Miss Bannister worked on the Senator’s campaign.”

“It’s odd that neither of us have seen her before.”

“That’s probably because she was still in college. I was told that she’d spent most of her time at the college campaign headquarters.”

He paused a minute and then, in a thoughtful tone, added, “It’s been a month, yet I still think of her all the time, whether I’m here or at home. And I intentionally seek her out. You wouldn’t believe the number of times I’ve walked the halls, hoping we’d run into each other. Or deliberately passed by her classroom, hoping the door would be open so I could get a glimpse of her. And when school lets out, I watch her leave. I’ve been acting like a lovesick fool, Roman. A man completely smitten.”

And because he knew how Roman’s mind worked, he added, “Before you ask, the answer is no. She’s not doing anything to influence the way I feel about her. I doubt she even knows what she does to me. We’re always professional around each other.”

Roman returned to his chair. “Sounds like an intense attraction. Desire. Or sexual hunger. That sort of thing can easily be remedied by sleeping with her, Jon. You’re too logical a person to believe you can fall in love at first glance.”

Jonathan had suspected those things at first, but now he was convinced otherwise. “It’s not just a case of desire or sexual hunger. I’ve desired women before, Roman. This goes beyond sex. It’s something deeper. It’s hard to explain when I don’t fully understand it myself. All I know is that Marilyn Bannister has taken over my senses. I can barely work for thinking of her. Wanting to see her. Be with her. There’s no doubt in my mind that I want her in my life.”

“How can you be so sure, when you don’t really know her?”

“I want to get to know her better and I want her to get to know me. I plan to marry her one day, Roman.”

“Marry her! Man, you’re freaking me out. Wasn’t it just this summer that we were talking about putting our careers before marriage and family? I want to get into politics and you want to start work on your PhD.”

“I can still do that with a wife.”

“You’re rushing things, Jon. You need to slow down with this. Go back to thinking logically.”

“I wish I could. But for some reason, I can’t. She’s special.”

“I find a lot of women special,” Roman said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to start sending out wedding invitations.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes. “I’m not planning a wedding yet. I want us to get to know each other first.”

“Then there’s your challenge, bro. Like I mentioned earlier, you have that non-fraternizing policy at this school. You can’t risk getting to know her on a personal level.”

Jonathan steepled his fingers. “Like you said, it’s a challenge. But you know how I feel about those. I thrive on them.”

“You could lose your job over this one. Is she worth that?”

When Jonathan didn’t answer quickly enough, Roman sat up straight in his chair and eyed him warily. “Jon, please tell me you’re not thinking that a woman you barely know is worth losing everything you’ve worked hard for.”

“Okay, I won’t tell you.”

 

* * * *

 

Roman didn’t say anything for a minute as he studied Jonathan. He’d heard about other guys falling in love at first sight. His brother-in-law, Paul, was convinced he fell in love with Roman’s sister, Nora, the moment he saw her at a country fair. He’d even moved from Dallas to Ennis, just to pursue her. Still, as far as Roman was concerned, Paul had probably been looking for love anyway. He just hadn’t known it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so susceptible to it. But Jon was different.

Women rarely excited Jon. Oh, he’d been with his fair share, but for years, he’d been focused on his career goals. And they didn’t include a serious relationship with a woman. And yet now, here he was, talking about marrying one? A woman he barely knew?

“I think there’s one thing you might not have considered, Jon.” Roman watched his best friend lift a dark brow.

“What?”

“Although you might believe you’re in love with her, have you considered that she might not have any feelings for you? You said she hasn’t shown any sign of being attracted to you. What if she doesn’t feel the same?”

“I don’t think I’m a bad catch,” Jonathan said in a joking tone. “But I’ve thought of that. I want to court her properly, Roman, without any restrictions or school regulations getting in the way. I want her to get to know me like I want to get to know her. I’ve never chased a woman in my life, but I intend to pursue Marilyn Bannister with a vengeance. Although I don’t understand it, I can truly say the woman has my heart.”

Roman knew his best friend. If Jon believed he’d fallen in love, then he had. “You know what I would do if I were you, and wanted to get to know her that badly? Roman finally asked.

“What?”

“The only thing you can do. Send her to another school. Each day you’re around her, things will get worse. Your control will be tested and you’ll end up doing something stupid. You also run the risk of someone finding out about what’s going on between the two of you. That’s not fair to her, when she has no idea how you feel. You could be putting her job in jeopardy.”

“I can’t just up and send her to another school without a valid reason. She was hired by Superintendent Sanders.”

Roman leaned forward in his chair. “Regardless, that’s what you’re going to have to do, in order to safeguard your career as well as hers. It’s been a while but the last time I was in school, I learned the hard way that a principal could do just about anything. That’s the only way the two of you can get together without risking your jobs. You should come up with a plan to find her a place somewhere else. But it needs to be a darn good one.”