Make Love Not War Read Free Page B

last week.”
    Temper darkened his features. “Are you insinuating Miss Francis would tamper with my files?”
    “If they were open on your desk, she might have. Perhaps she accidentally let something slip. She spent about fifteen minutes in here on Wednesday. Remember?  You got called away and told her to wait.”
    “She could have seen them, granted.” He stroked his chin with one long, slender finger. “She did spend time here on her own. But why would she steal them?  She doesn’t need the money.”
    “Meaning I do? If you don’t feel I’m trustworthy, I’ll tender my resignation right now.” Caroline made the offer recklessly. “I don’t dabble in industrial espionage or whatever it’s called.” 
    “You’re a bloody fool accusing Caroline,” Mr. Davies said, as she stormed off.
    “Why would Marilyn do it?”
    “You dumped her, Bryce. Ever heard of a woman scorned?” Those were the last words Caroline heard as she fled the office.
    By the time she reached her desk, her anger fueled bravado had evaporated leaving her trembling with the fear of what her future held if she left the Harrington company.
     
    ***
     
    Once he calmed down, Bryce realized Davies could be right. A woman scorned. An old-fashioned way of putting it, perhaps, but Marilyn Francis could be a bitch. The more he thought about the idea, the more convinced he became that she had disclosed the information to their competitors out of sheer spite.
    What a hell of a day. He massaged the tense muscles in the back of his neck and decided to go home early. He pressed the buzzer, but Caroline didn’t answer, so he put his finger back on it and let it rest there. Where was the girl?  Cursing, he strode into her office. Empty.
    She had threatened to resign. Surely she wouldn’t walk out and leave him in the lurch. His heart dropped to his boots. When he noticed her bag on the floor beside the desk, he heaved a sigh of relief. If he had to break in another new secretary, it would be the absolute end. Didn’t he have enough on his mind?
    He sat in the typist’s swivel chair. Damn it, she had proved to be an excellent secretary. Pleasant, attractive, with the most amazing blue eyes, and her soft flyaway blonde hair made him want to run his fingers through it. How she put up with his foul moods, he didn’t know.
    Even as a child he had been hot tempered, but of late he exploded with little provocation. Wincing, he recalled some of the things he’d said to her. He shouldn’t have accused her of industrial espionage without a shred of evidence. He obviously needed a holiday.
    His usual activities left him bored senseless. He even dreaded going to his parents’ home tonight for his mother’s birthday. A quiet family dinner with just the three of them, as if he didn’t know what would follow the meal. It happened every time he visited them of late, his mother harping about getting married and producing an heir.
    Stalking back into his office, he realized he would have to apologize to Caroline. Hell, he didn’t like saying sorry to anyone. If it came to losing Caroline or apologizing, well, he knew which was the lesser of the two evils.
    Purposely he left the connecting door open, so the moment she returned he heard her.
    “Caroline.” He leaned into her office from the doorway. “I’d like to speak to you for a moment.”
    She glanced up and he was shocked to see tear marks on her cheek.
    “I owe you an apology.” It came out stiffly, but he couldn’t help it.
    When he saw how pale she looked, he felt like an utter heel, and as he stared into her shattered blue eyes his heart gave a strange, painful lurch.
    “I’m sorry about losing my temper. I hope you’ll reconsider your resignation offer. I need you here.”
    Her tremulous lips parted. “I would like to continue working for you, but not if you don’t trust me.”
    “I’m really sorry, and apologizing doesn’t come easily to me. I do trust you to maintain the