good. They settled on two to start with: one in British Columbia and one in the San Juans. She also thought they should offer weekend and holiday scenic tours, especially during the whale migration. He agreed. She became immersed in listening to him, and if the look in his eyes was any indication, he was just as absorbed by her thoughts.
Back and forth their discussion went, until Jenny could barely keep her eyes open. Exhausted, she headed to her room, certain she’d fall asleep almost instantly. But one thought kept going through her mind.
I’m no longer in the military. I resigned my commission .
She stared down at the diamond ring she still wore. Moonlight glinted off the round cut diamond. For over six years, she’d worn this ring, pledged her whole life to one man. But Steven was gone, and nothing she could ever do would bring him back. Tears blurred her vision as she twisted the ring around her finger.
I’m no longer in the military. I resigned my commission.
Slowly, she removed the ring and placed it in her jewelry box.
Jared stared at the fire that was nothing more than a pile of coals. Deep admiration filled him. Against the odds Jenny had found her first big success. And from their discussion, he knew it was only the beginning. He was pretty damn positive she’d land tomorrow’s account, too. And every one she went after. Not only did she have strong marketing plans and solid strategies for enticing customers away from Blue Sky’s competition but she also had something more. She had a gift when it came to dealing with people. A genuineness that made people want to do business with her. And that couldn’t be taught or found or learned. With the new accounts and the innovative ideas they’d discussed and would implement, she soon would be able to repay him. And wasn’t that exactly what he wanted? But he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to stay her partner.
She had called him first. That revelation still left him stunned. Not her parents or her brother or her sister. She’d call him. He tried to push it out of his mind, to tell himself not to read too much into it. He also tried to tamp down the memory of last night. But no matter how many times or how hard he tried, he could still feel the texture of her silky hair as it ran through his fingers, the taste of her on his mouth, her soft skin under his hand, and the hot wetness that had told him she’d wanted him just as much as he’d wanted her.
Steven hasn’t even been gone a year. I guess I’m not ready for anything beyond a working relationship.
He stood and doused the fire.
Steven.
In one fell swoop, his pipe dream died just like the fire below him. While he might have fanciful visions of sticking around, he knew it could never work. Jenny wanted a forever type of man, someone who could put down roots, become a part of a family. A father. Someone like Steven, who not only had wings but who also had roots. He’d seen the look of hope that had flashed in her eyes when he’d told her he was out of the military. He knew she was thinking that maybe he’d be that guy—the kind that stuck. She couldn’t be more wrong. The longest Jared had ever stayed in one place could be measured in weeks, not years. Yeah, the military had had him stationed all over the world, but he’d been anything but stationary.
While he might burn and ache for her, a business partnership was where it should begin and end. He remembered the plan he’d come up with in the bar and all but laughed. Kissing Jenny had nothing to do with a plan and everything to do with him not being able to keep his hands off her. He wanted her. All of her. Not just in his bed but in his life. But he knew the cold truth: every relationship he’d ever tried had ended in disaster. And he was beginning to care too damn much about her to screw up her life any more than he already had. But knowing all of that couldn’t erase the taste or feel of her from his mind. Or the thought of her upstairs in a bed big enough for two.
TWENTY-ONE
A few weeks after the charity ball, Anna found herself heading back