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chair as he attempted to extricate Faith from her place between the overturned chair and the table.
    “You’ll have to get a room for the night.”
    “There aren’t any rooms. Congress is still in session. And even if I had a room, I couldn’t pay for it. I’ve lost all the money.” Her gray eyes were wide with panic as she looked up at Reese. “Where’s my cloak? And what did I do with my gloves? My aunts will be so worried. Take me to the station.”
    “Confound it, woman, you’ve missed the train. You aren’t going home tonight.” Damn her eyes! Did he have to solve all her problems for her. “You can stay with me.”
    “That wouldn’t be proper,” Faith replied primly.
    “I suppose leaving you to sleep on a bench in a train depot, prey to all sorts of vermin, would be more proper?” Reese argued. “There’s plenty of room in my suite. And David will be there to act as chaperon.”
    “What about my aunts? They’re expecting me.”
    “I’ll telegraph them. Tell them you’re delayed.” Reese handed her her cloak and waited impatiently as she buttoned the button under her chin.
    “Let’s get out of here.” Placing his hand beneath her elbow, Reese led Faith out of the restaurant and into his carriage.
    They settled into the leather cushions of the coach. Reese gave the lap robe to Faith. She snuggled into the warmth of the blanket and was asleep before they had gone two blocks.
    Reese watched her from across the coach. She was slumped against the interior wall. The wheels of the vehicle rumbled through a deep rut. Faith’s head bounced against the wall. Reese winced at the sight, but maintained his distance. Her head bumped against the coach three more times, but she slept on, undisturbed.
    She continued to sleep as the carriage rolled to a stop in front of the Madison Hotel. And she didn’t awaken when Reese lifted her from the vehicle and carried her inside and up the stairs to the Presidential Suite.
    Reese laid her on his bed and undressed her with practiced ease. He was careful not to move her more than was necessary. He didn’t want to risk waking her. He studied her features as he revealed the body hidden beneath her layers of clothing.
    God, she was thin, too thin. Her collarbone and hipbones jutted out at him through the well-worn cotton of her shift. With her short stature and slight build, she looked lost amid the stark, white sheets of the massive bed. But the sight of her lush, pink-tipped breasts, visible through the thin fabric, and the shadow of the dark triangle nestled between her slender thighs reassured Reese. Faith Collins might be slim and petite, but she was not a child in any sense of the word. She was a lovely, desirable woman.
    Reese slipped her ugly, black shoes from her feet and drew the covers over her.
     
     

Chapter Four
     
     
    The low rumbling snore of a deeply sleeping man came from the depths of the sofa. David Alexander chuckled to himself. After the long night, Reese apparently hadn’t had the strength to make it to his bedroom.
    David tiptoed to the sofa and looked down at his cousin. Damn, but he looked miserable sprawled out on that uncomfortable couch. David decided to let Reese sleep a while longer. The women wouldn’t be arriving for an hour or so.
    David backed away from the sofa, then walked to the corner of the room and pulled the bell rope. When the bellboy arrived, he ordered breakfast and a strong pot of coffee.
    Reese awoke to the sound of voices in the doorway and sat up on the sofa in time to hear David order breakfast.
    “Double that order,” Reese said quietly.
    David smiled. “That kind of night, huh?” he teased.
    “What?” Reese raked his hand through his thick hair, trying to restore order to the unruly strands.
    “I said you must have had a busy night.”
    “Why?”
    “Why?” David mimicked, “Don’t try to pull that innocent act on me, Reese Alexander Jordan. When you sleep late, then wake up with a wicked appetite, it