LITMIR.BIZ

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      Jax placed a finger beneath her chin and turned her head until she was facing him. “None of them had any right to lay this at your feet. You didn’t know he was on the phone while driving. Not to speak ill of the dead, but the decision to talk on the phone while driving is all on him. And second, he didn’t have a right to demand you come home.”

      Had she heard Jax correctly? Wait. This wasn’t the way she thought this conversation would go.

      “You don’t blame me?”

      “Of course not. And if your mother had been thinking clearly, she wouldn’t have blamed you, either. It was an accident. And no one person was to blame. It was a culmination of events.”

      She wanted to believe him—wanted to shed the weight of guilt that had kept her isolated in Las Vegas through the lonely holidays, missing how her brothers would gather around the tree on Christmas Eve passing out gifts. And later how they’d argue over who got to carve the turkey.

      Cleo blinked repeatedly. She might not have wanted to be a rancher, but that didn’t mean she wanted to walk away from her family. She just wanted them to respect that she was grown-up now and fully capable of making her own choices on where she lived and how she lived her life. In her worst nightmare, she never dreamed she’d be labeled a black sheep and banished from her home.

      “Remember when you were a kid, you always had your head in the clouds.” Jax looked her in the eye. “You dreamed about those fancy fashion shows and how you wanted to travel to Milan and Paris. I never saw anyone who liked clothes as much as you.”

      She lifted her head to look him in the eye. “You remember that?”

      “Those days that you’d sit and talk about places you’d learned about in one of your magazines taught me something important. You made me realize I could dream bigger than Hope Springs.”

      “I thought you were bored stiff listening to me.”

      “Not at all. You were like a breath of fresh air after hearing my father rant on and on about all of the injustices in this world.” Jax leaned toward her. “You don’t know how much I enjoyed our talks down by the creek.”

      “You mean when you were supposed to be fishing. And I was supposed to be quiet so as not to scare off the fish.” They shared a smile.

      “But you were so much more interesting.” He leaned closer. “I had a hard time keeping my attention on my fishing pole. I’m lucky a big fish didn’t swim off with it because you were all I could think about.”

      He’d noticed her? How had she missed the signs?

      His fingers stroked her cheek. “But you were far too young and most definitely off-limits back then.”

      “And now?” Where had that question come from?

      “And now I can do this...”

      His hand slipped down to cup her neck. Could he feel the way he made her pulse jump? Did he know in that moment she couldn’t think of anything but him?

      With mere inches between them, she wondered if he’d put her out of her misery and kiss her. Her gaze moved from his tempting lips to his eyes. They were dark with a definite glint of interest in them.

      Her heart pounded so loud that it was the only sound she could hear. Logic fled her. Instead she mentally willed him closer. Her eyelids slid shut as her anticipation grew.

      And then he was there. His lips tentatively pressed to hers.

      Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. This was like an out-of-body experience where her body did what it desired and she sat back luxuriating in the most exquisite sensations. She didn’t think it was possible but with each kiss, they got better. She wasn’t sure how he could improve on perfection, but somehow he did.

      She leaned into his kiss, meeting his hunger with her own. Her head spun and she didn’t want this moment to end. She reached out to him, wanting to pull him closer, but the darn seat belts did their jobs and restrained them, as did the cat carrier in her lap.

      Charlie meowed his protest at being jostled around. They pulled apart. But Jax’s gaze held hers and she wanted to know what he was thinking—what he was feeling. But a louder protest from the cat carrier drew her attention.

      She squeezed her fingers past the metal bars, trying to soothe Charlie. “It’s okay, boy. I didn’t mean to bounce you around.”

      Jax shifted the SUV into gear. “You know if it wasn’t for you and your dreams, I never would have dared to imagine another life for myself. I’d have most likely given up on school and ended up just as disillusioned about life as my father. It’s hard to tell where I’d be now.”

      She smiled through her tears. “You probably wouldn’t be sitting on the side of the road with a crying woman who’s holding a cat on her lap.”

      “Probably not. But right now, I can’t think of anyplace I’d rather be.”

      Jax eased back onto the roadway and they headed north to their five-star getaway. Her stomach quivered as she wondered where they went from here. Was this all some sort of sympathy? Or was there a deeper meaning to that kiss?

       CHAPTER TEN

      TREAD CAREFULLY.

      After a week of sharing the mansion, Jax found himself susceptible to Cleo’s enchanting spell. He’d found her fascinating as a kid, and as a woman, she was near irresistible. But no matter how sweet and enticing she may be, he couldn’t keep finding excuses to touch her—to kiss her. The best thing he could do was find a way to reunite her with her family.

      But first, he had something he had to do. He was tired of waiting for the doctor’s office to call. He could only figure they’d lost his new number and that was why they hadn’t called with his test results.

      He glanced around for Cleo. Not finding any signs of her, he grabbed the cell phone from the kitchen counter and dialed the familiar number. After two rings, it switched to a prerecorded message announcing the doctor was out of the office for the next week.

      Jax cursed under his breath and resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room. Of all the times for the doctor to have a personal life, why did it have to be now?

      The distinct sound of Cleo’s crutches echoed down the hall. He cleared the number and placed the phone back on the counter. He’d just turned around when she entered the room.

      She stopped in front of him with a frown marring her beautiful face. “Have you seen Charlie?”

      “I wasn’t exactly looking for him. Why?”

      “I don’t know. He’s just usually wherever I am, and I haven’t seen him since first thing this morning.”

      “In a house this size it wouldn’t be hard for him to find a hiding spot.”

      A frown settled on her face. “I know, but I just worry.”

      She fussed over that cat like a mother caring for a young child. The image of her holding a baby in her arms came to mind. That was yet another reason why they shouldn’t be playing house.

      Jax shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I’ll...um, go look around for him. Why don’t you sit down? You know what the doctor said about resting.”

      “How could I forget? You remind me every day.” She started toward the family room before calling over her shoulder, “While you’re upstairs would you mind grabbing the blue tote bag from my bedroom?”

      “Your wish is my command.”

      He took the steps two at a time. His gaze scanned the hallway for any sign of the feline. How in the world was he going to find a little cat in this big house? He’d probably found a nice dark corner to take a catnap.

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