Sweet Fortune

humor. She glowered at the wall. “I won't be able to help you entertain the Galloways tonight. My boss is in the hospital and I'm in charge around here. I've got an awful lot to do and I've really got to get going. I'll probably have to work most of the evening.”
    “It's a little late for me to make other plans, Jessie.”
    Jessie coughed to clear her throat. Her fingers clenched around the phone cord. “I apologize for that, but Mrs. Valentine is depending on me.”
    “There's a lot of money riding on the Galloway deal.”
    “Yes, I know, but—”
    “George and Ethel Galloway are looking forward to seeing you again. George made a point of it. I'm not certain how they'll interpret the situation if you fail to show up tonight. They might think there's a buyout in the works or dissension between your father and me if I turn up alone.”
    Each word was an invisible blow, nailing shut the escape route she had hoped to use. “Look, Hatch…”
    “If Galloway gets the idea that Benedict Fasteners is about to change hands or is in trouble, he might not want to go through with the deal. I would be extremely disappointed to lose this contract.”
    Jessie began to feel cornered. This was something Hatch did very, very well. She gazed around the office with a hunted sensation. “Maybe Dad could go with you?”
    “That would be a little awkward, don't you think?”
    The cold reasonableness of the words heightened Jessie's nervousness. Nobody on earth could make her as nervous as Sam Hatchard did. She twitched the phone cord and began swinging the swivel chair from side to side in a restless movement. “Hatch, I realize this is awfully short notice.”
    “And not entirely necessary, I think.” Hatch's voice was very quiet now. “I'm sure Mrs. Valentine doesn't expect you to work nights.”
    “Well, not usually, but this is kind of an emergency.”
    “Is there really anything there that can't wait until tomorrow?”
    Jessie stared helplessly at the pristine work surface of her desk. She had a problem with honesty. When pushed into a corner, she tended to tell the truth. “This isn't the kind of business where you can schedule things, you know.”
    “Jessie?”
    She swallowed again. She hated it when Hatch gave her the full force of his attention. She was far too vulnerable. “Yes?”
    “I was looking forward to seeing you this evening.”
    “ What ?” Jessie straightened as if she had just touched a live electrical wire. The abrupt motion snapped the phone cord taut. The instrument toppled off the desk and landed on the floor with a resounding crash. “Oh, hell.”
    “Sounded like you dropped the phone, Jessie,” Hatch observed as he waited patiently for her to come back on the line. “Everything all right?”
    “Yes. Yes, everything's fine,” she gasped as she straightened the twisted cord and replaced the telephone on the desk with trembling fingers. She was furious with herself. “Look, Hatch…”
    “I'll pick you up at seven,” Hatch told her, sounding preoccupied again, which he probably was.
    He frequently did two things at once, both of which were usually business-related. The present situation was a perfect example. Jessie knew that courting her definitely came under the heading of business.
    “Hatch, I really can't—”
    “Seven o'clock, Jessie. Now, I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me. I've got to go over some final figures on the Galloway deal with your father. Good-bye.” He hung up the phone with a gentle click.
    Jessie perched on the edge of the chair and stared numbly at the receiver in her hand as she listened to the whine of the dial tone. Defeated, she dumped the instrument back into its cradle and lowered her forehead onto her folded arms. She should have known there would be no easy way out of the Galloway dinner. The invitation had not been a casual one. Hatch was pursuing her. Nothing had been said yet, but it was no secret that Hatch had marriage in mind.
    She was fascinated by Hatch. She might as well admit it. But she knew she dared not give in to his plans to marry her. For Hatch, the wedding would be no more than the consummation of yet another business deal. This particular contract would guarantee him a lifetime chunk of Benedict Fasteners, which was something he wanted very badly.
    At the moment, courting Jessie was near the top of Hatch's list of priorities. She knew she was at least temporarily as important to him as any business maneuver in which he was