Free When Love Calls by Lorna Seilstad

heated. The pulse in his jaw thrummed. He leaned closer to her and forced the words to come out calm. “Let’s talk about this in private.”
    “I’m not going anywhere.”
    “Well, I am. You can stand here all day if you want.” With that, he headed out of the office and toward the elevator, praying she’d follow. What if she stayed in the office and made a scene?
    After reaching the elevator, he punched the button and forced himself not to turn around to see if Hannah was behind him. His patience was rewarded when he heard the telltale click of herpounding heels on the hardwood floor, and from the speed of the clicks, he guessed her anger still ran red-hot.
    The elevator rumbled to a stop, and Mr. Welch, the white-haired elevator operator, pulled open the wire-cage door. Lincoln motioned toward the entrance, and Hannah marched inside. He followed.
    “Where can I take you, Mr. Cole?” Mr. Welch asked.
    “First floor, please. We’re going for a walk.”
    Hannah shot him a fiery glare.
    Mr. Welch chuckled and shoved the brass lever to the side. “Pardon my saying, but the lady doesn’t look like she cares for your idea.”
    Hannah crossed her arms over her chest as if to punctuate her agreement with Mr. Welch’s observation. Lincoln grinned and counted the floors of the office building as they descended.
    Nine, eight, seven. Ramrod straight, Hannah pressed her back against the wall. What was she thinking? As an attorney, he’d been trained to anticipate the enemy’s next move, but she wasn’t an easy woman to read.
    Five, four. He chuckled. Even as clearly irate as she was, he found it hard to think of her as the enemy. Still, he was willing to bet a week’s worth of paperwork that she was preparing to deliver an earful of ugliness at her earliest convenience. Well, if she wanted a fight . . .
    Three, two. The elevator jolted and came to a halt. Caught off balance, Hannah stumbled into him. Lincoln caught her, and her cheeks filled with color.
    “Hmm.” Mr. Welch rubbed his beard. “Looks like she’s warming up to you already, Mr. Cole.”

 9 
    Despite Hannah’s best efforts to break free without causing a scene, Lincoln Cole kept hold of her elbow and directed her out of the building. He didn’t slow at the sidewalk but led her across the paved brick street to the green space of Court House Square.
    “Unhand me.”
    He yanked his hand away as if he didn’t realize he’d still been holding on to her. “I apologize.”
    “Now, if you’ll kindly take this”—she held out the money again—“I can be on my way.”
    He crossed his arms over his chest. “I told you I’m not accepting that. Those groceries were a gift.”
    “It’s not appropriate for me to accept a gift from you.” Even though she’d planned this moment for days, it was not going the way she wanted.
    He hiked a shoulder. “Well, they weren’t for you. They were for Tessa. Is it wrong to give a gift to a starving orphan?”
    “I would never let my sister starve!”
    “That’s not how she makes it sound.” He straightened his tie.
    Had Tessa truly told him that? She was going to give her sister a thorough tongue-lashing for her tall tales as soon as she got this infuriating man to accept her payment. “Tessa is melodramatic. She makes everything sound like it’s the end of the world.”
    “That may be, but I was doing my Christian duty. The Scriptures say taking care of widows and orphans is pure and undefiled religion. So if you have a problem with it, you’ll have to take it up with God.”
    Oh, he knew he had her, and it irked her to the very soles of her feet. Why couldn’t he understand she didn’t want anyone’s help, but especially his?
    She took a deep, cleansing breath and glanced around the open area. Some businesses closed early on Fridays, so the streets already bustled with activity.
    The streetcar jingled its bell as it approached. It stopped at the corner, and the passengers hurried off. Mrs.