John asked.
Smoothly, she turned to her brother. "I think my brother can answer that question in more detail," she said.
She smiled and deftly sidestepped out of camera range so Con could take over. As Jacie headed his way with determination, Sloan watched her curiously, wondering what else might be beneath the surface of this woman.
"I’m ready," she said.
"I can wait. I don’t want to take you away from the limelight," he told her briskly. "Some people just eat up that attention."
She lifted a brow. "Thanks for your consideration, but my brother can handle it from here. Publicity is his thing."
James joined them. "That pretty much wraps it up. Thanks, Jacie, for taking care of that. I’d say we’re getting some interest stirred up." He threw Sloan a glance. "Would you believe I signed up for a jump?"
Sloan knew what was coming as his brother gave him a speculative look and then said to Jacie. "Sloan’s too down to earth to jump off anything more than a horse."
Sloan knew anything he said would probably be misconstrued, but James had it just about right. He was far from a thrill seeker.
Jacie looked at him and said earnestly, "If you're worried about it, Sloan, we can take it real slow. I explain everything in detail and show you how the equipment works. I promise you’d love it."
"I'm not afraid," he said, giving James an annoyed glance. "This ranch has an unlimited supply of work to keep me occupied. I don't have time to be jumping out of planes for a thrill."
She cocked a brow at him and slowly nodded her head. To Sloan’s annoyance she and James shared an understanding glance. "Okay, I get it," she said. "You feel skydiving is a crazy thing to do."
"Guilty," he drawled, watching the determination narrow her eyes. He could almost read her thoughts, she had such an expressive face. She appeared undaunted, as if his opinion didn’t bother her in the least.
"My brother likes to keep his boots firmly on the ground," James said with a laugh.
"Well, maybe by the end of my stay I can convince him otherwise," she said slowly, eyes sparkling.
For a moment as he looked into her eyes Sloan experienced a heady feeling, but he stood his ground. "You can try," he said laconically. "It might be fun."
"Yeah, good luck!" James said. "Sloan, can you drive Jacie in to get settled? I need to finish things up here."
Sloan bit back his impatience. "Sure." Work would have to wait a little longer. "My truck's over there by the gravel road." He turned and reached to pick up her parachute. As he straightened a hand clamped on his shoulder. Jacie’s brother stood behind him.
"Do you mind if I talk to my sister before you leave?" Con asked.
Sloan threw Jacie a glance. "I’ll be waiting in the truck."
Ω
Jacie gritted her teeth as Sloan and James walked away and left her with her brother. She knew Con meant well, but his attitude was beginning to get a bit smothering. When his unblinking stare got unnerving, she said, "What?"
"What was that landing about?"
She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. "What’s the big deal? So I altered the landing a bit."
"That guy could have been hurt."
"He wasn’t. Anyway, how did I know he’d suddenly play hero and step in front of me?"
Con sighed, and ran a hand through his short cropped hair. "He thought you were in trouble. Were you?"
She opened her eyes wide. "No. I knew what I was doing. Are you having doubts now?" she demanded.
Con drew a deep breath. "If I did you wouldn’t be here. I know you can do this, Jacie. I think it’s more a matter of you convincing yourself. I just don’t want you to get hurt along the way."
She stepped close and looked up into his face. "Listen, Con. We both know I made a mistake thirteen months ago. How long before you forget about that mess? I don’t intend to be in that situation again, okay? Enough said." She crossed her arms over her chest.
Con put his arm around her shoulder. "Promise me you won’t take chances," he said in a low voice.
"Con. You know me. Let it go."
"That’s what I’m worried about." He dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Sorry."
Her irritability fled. "I’m here to do a job and I’ll do it."
Con directed a worried glance back toward where Sloan waited by the truck. "I saw the sparks flying between you two."
She chewed her lip thoughtfully, knowing exactly what he’d