Free Intimate Betrayal by Linda Barlow Page B

harder somehow. His face, always angular, had an etched-in-stone quality to it now. She could imagine his long, slim
     body of hard bones and tough muscles carved into one of the marble frescoes in the cathedral. Not a saint,though—oh no. There was a ruthlessness in his eyes that a sculptor would never be able to capture. And it would be impossible
     to freeze in marble the mobile sensuality of his bottom lip.
    Chairman of the United Path Church’s building committee? That was the post his wife had held before her death. If he’d killed
     her, the appointment was a travesty.
    Stop it,Annie!
He had been acquitted. They’d been unable to prove him guilty, at least not beyond a reasonable doubt.
    “Congratulations,” she said.
    His eyes bored deeply into hers. “Thanks,” he returned, with a faint ironic edge to his tone.
    A memory flashed. A rainy night, a warm, dry car, two bodies burning… burning. She had never told Charlie about it. She’d
     rationalized that telling him was unnecessary since she hadn’t gone through with the affair. But that was something of a technicality,
     she knew. In her heart, she had been unfaithful.
    Thank God she hadn’t actually slept with him! It made her stomach lurch to think that she had nearly made love to a man who
     might be capable of murder.
    Barbara Rae was explaining that the building committee had lacked direction ever since Francesca’s death. It was true that
     the committee needed a strong leader. The position was important because the building committee oversaw the construction of
     the new cathedral. Although they usually rubber-stamped Annie’s decisions, they were fundamentally responsible for the project—everything
     from the raising and allocation of the funds for the cathedral to the approval of any change orders that came during the construction
     process itself.
    For whatever reason, none of the six people left on thecommittee had been able to fill Francesca’s shoes. Without her dynamic, energetic force, the group had deflated. Barbara Rae
     had been managing it herself for the past year, but she had far too many other demands on her time.
    “As his phenomenal success with his own company proves, Mr. Carlyle is an expert manager,” Barbara Rae said. “We are very
     fortunate to have him devote even a small portion of his inspirational energy to us.”
    When he thanked her, Annie thought,
I don’t believe this. I’m actually going to have to be polite to Matthew Carlyle!
    When the meeting ended and everybody had shaken hands, Annie tried to slip away quickly. But Carlyle waylaid her in the corridor.
    “There’s a lot I don’t know yet about this project,” he said. “I’m counting on you to fill me in on everything I need to know.”
    “Of course.”
    “I’d like to set up a meeting. You and I need to sit down together and discuss this as soon as possible.”
    “Fine. I’ll have my secretary call yours.”
    He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small leather notebook. “That won’t be necessary. Let’s set something up now.
     I’ve got my calendar right here.”
    Annie was tempted to say, Well, I don’t! but she ordered herself to get over it. It no longer mattered what she thought of
     him. The building committee had voted him in, and that was that. She had to learn to work with him, like it or not.
    She opened her handbag and rooted around inside for her address book/daily calendar. She didn’t hurry.
Let him wait.
    “I’ve got some time at the end of next week,” she said.
    He smiled. “Sooner. How about a lunch meeting?”
    “My schedule is tight,” she said truthfully. “I have no free lunches this week.”
    “Dinner, then.” He was eyeing his own schedule. “I’m free Thursday evening. Would that work for you?”
    Thursday evening was a big blank on her calendar, and before she could come up with something that she absolutely had to do
     that night, Carlyle leaned over and noted the virgin white