Hidden in a Whisper by Tracie Peterson Page B

could hardly tell her that. It wasn’t like he accepted the job because of her, for he’d already applied and been chosen for the position before being told that Rachel Taylor was a part of Casa Grande’s staff. He could have bowed out at that point, but his heart bid him to stay.
    His mind raced with the possibilities of what he could say to put her at ease. She looked quite angry and frightened, but even more so, she looked beautiful. He had often thought of her, wondering where she was and if she had married.
    â€œI’m here to do a job,” he finally said, realizing he couldn’t very well go on studying her indefinitely.
    Rachel pushed back a wispy auburn curl and squared her shoulders. “Did you know I was here?”
    Braeden nearly choked. The very thing that he had sworn he’d keep secret he would now have to lie about or admit. “Why do you ask?”
    Rachel shrugged. “I suppose I am curious. It hardly seems logical to accept that fate has thrown us together.”
    â€œWhat about God?”
    â€œWhat about Him?”
    Braeden shifted slightly. “I think it’s possible that He brought us together for a reason.”
    Rachel tensed. “Yes, I suppose it is possible. The Bible is full of stories where people were tested.”
    Braeden couldn’t help but laugh. “So you believe working with me is a test?”
    â€œWithout a doubt.”
    Seeing they were getting nowhere, Braeden tried another approach. “I tried to find out where you’d gone, but your mother wouldn’t divulge the information.”
    â€œShe was following my instructions,” Rachel countered. Her green eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “I told her there was no purpose in you knowing my whereabouts. I had no desire for deceit and lies to follow me into my new life.”
    Braeden couldn’t help but react. “I’m surprised she managed to keep the information to herself.” He felt his anger mounting. In his thirty-six years of life, he’d never found a woman who affected him more than Rachel. Be it in anger or love, Braeden knew her to consume him. “So did you ever marry?” he asked, his voice tinged with sarcasm.
    â€œNo.” Rachel spoke the word simply, as if daring him to pry for a more detailed answer.
    â€œCouldn’t find a man perfect enough to meet your standards?” Braeden questioned, regretting the words the minute they were out of his mouth. I didn’t have to say that , he chided himself. I can’t let my anger get the best of me . He looked into her green eyes and saw her wince.
    â€œI suppose not,” she finally answered. “And what of you? Did you ever marry that woman whom you were dallying with?”
    Braeden clenched his teeth together. He angered at her insistence that he had somehow wronged her by being unfaithful. He had a perfectly logical explanation for his actions that day, but up until now, no one had even asked him for such an answer. And being the stubborn, prideful man he was, Braeden wasn’t about to offer it.
    â€œI’ve never married.”
    For several moments neither one spoke. Rachel appeared completely drained of energy, Braeden thought. Her normally rosy cheeks were pale and her eyes averted meeting his, as if the action might cause her too much pain. He hated seeing her like this, and for the first time since realizing that the Rachel Taylor of Casa Grande was his Rachel Taylor, Braeden wondered at the sanity of accepting the position. After all, he would be working with Rachel on a daily basis. And not only that, but they would be housed under the same roof and live their lives in a tiny little town where neither one could avoid the other.
    He eased back in his chair and wondered what to do next. He glanced up at her as she studied her lap. The anger and sarcasm that tainted their words was getting them nowhere. He would have to swallow his pride and find a way to