A Bad Boy is Good to Find - By Jennifer Lewis Page 0,18
He’d stolen something precious from her: trust, faith.
Hope.
He took a sip of his freshly topped-up coffee. Met her eyes for a minute with a cautious glance that made her catch her breath and look away.
What kind of heart really beat behind that carefully polished exterior?
And how could she drive a stake through it?
Tempted as she was to destroy Con’s most cherished possession, she let him drive the car after breakfast. She figured she’d play along with whatever he had planned, let him get relaxed, then as soon as they got to a decent-sized town she’d give him the slip and head… Where would she head?
Her head hurt.
“Scenic overlook. Let’s go do some sightseeing.” Con beamed with goodwill. Probably thought he was a knight in shining armor rescuing her from the dragon of strong drink.
Shame he was the one who’d thrown her to the dragon in the first place. She’d gotten pretty cozy with it too. Maybe those maidens in the old days didn’t want to be rescued either.
“I’ve never been to the Southwest before,” he said cheerily, downshifting as they approached what appeared to be the rim of a vast canyon. They were in the middle of nowhere, not a single person or car in sight.
“I have. It all looks the same. Lots of flat, treeless land and a mountain in the distance. There’s always a mountain in the distance.”
“A very metaphorical landscape.”
They climbed out of the car and approached the edge of the Canyon. Lizzie got a shiver of vertigo peering down at the dry river bed a hundred feet or more below.
“If you didn’t go to college, and spent your teen years in a reform school, then how come you sound so educated?”
“Books.” Con peered over the rim too. A breeze flicked his hair. “Always been a big reader. You can learn pretty much anything from books.”
“You’re smart too. I guess that’s how you managed to trick me.”
He didn’t try to defend himself.
“So if you’re so smart and you love books, then why didn’t you just go to college and get a high-paying job?”
He looked at her as if the question was some kind of joke, then stared up at the inevitable mountain range on the horizon, toothed peaks cutting into an indigo sky. “The world doesn’t work the way you think it does.”
“I’m from New York City. I’ve hardly grown up in a bubble.”
“You were cushioned in a nice soft bubble on the Upper East Side. I’d give anything to have had the kind of upbringing you had.”
“Yeah? Look how well it’s worked out for me. Twenty-five years old, no money, no job, no family, no real friends and no freaking idea what to do with my life.”
“That’s why I’m here.” He extended a hand, and she flinched as if it might burn her. “I wasn’t going to run off and leave you that night.”
He took his untouched hand back.
“Yes, you were. You just wanted to marry me for my money. Without it you had no use for me. You didn’t love me.” She swallowed hard as the memories clouded her painfully clear mind.
He stared up at the mountains again. “I’m not capable of love. Maybe I was once, but that part of me is dead. I’m not really capable of anything other than survival.”
“My, how dramatic. If you’re such an emotional robot you hide it well. You did a bang-up job pretending to care about me.”
He looked at her. “I do care about you.”
She squinted at him. The sun hurt her eyes, and his words hurt her heart. She didn’t believe them.
Didn’t believe anything anymore.
He held out his hand again and she fought a mad urge to take it, just to steady herself.
“I’m here to teach you how to survive too.”
“Oh, great. Maybe you can show me how to change the oil in your car and I can get a job at Jiffy Lube. I have a college degree and three years of experience. I think I can take care of myself, thank you.”
“That’s the attitude I was hoping for.” He moved and sunlight hit his face, lighting up a smile. “When you took off, I didn’t plan to chase you down. I figured you wouldn’t want me to. But I kept close tabs on you and after a while I could see you needed a friend. How does your head feel?”
“Don’t keep asking about my head. I’m trying to forget it’s there.” It didn’t hurt any more, but the clarity was agonizing. Everything clear, crisp