four months in which to repay you. And even if—even when I have the money long before the due date, I have no intention of handing it over until I absolutely have to.” Without saying another word, she turned and began to walk away. She could feel herself quaking and knew that if she didn’t get out of there soon, she was doomed. She’d put on a brave front, but that’s all it was: a front. Because even though she’d told him intimidation wouldn’t work, it had been a lie. He did more than intimidate her; he unnerved her. And that scared her most of all.
Jared watched her stomp away. Was she for real? Did she really think she was going to get away with this? He’d seen the state of the business. If he walked away and came back in four months, there’d be nothing left. She might not give a damn that she was sinking her own financial future, but he sure as hell gave a damn about his. Thanks to the military, that money was all he had left, and there was no way he was going to let her flush his dream down the drain with hers.
I am going to turn Blue Sky Air into the Pacific Northwest’s premiere seaplane service.
He almost laughed again then realized there was nothing to laugh about. She had as much business sense as a bird.
As he watched her continue to make her way down the uneven shore, she stumbled, then immediately righted herself, but not before one of her shoes fell out of her hands and onto the sand. Leave it to her to come to the beach in high heels.
As she bent down to pick up her shoe, he couldn’t help but admire how her skirt stretched across her butt. It wasn’t hard to imagine a big fluffy white bunny tail on that tight little ass.
He’d seen a lot of gorgeous women in his time, but he had to give Jenny Beckinsale points for perfection. Cotton Tail might not have a head for business, but she sure as hell had a body for sin.
He had no doubt that most men fell at her feet, eager to grant her every wish—but not him. Maybe once, a long time ago. But he’d learned his lesson the hard way, and since then, he’d done his damnedest to avoid pitfalls like her: gorgeous women who made him forget his past and believe he was a guy who could fit, could be the type of steadfast man they wanted. There was only one thing that mattered to him right now, and it had Mexico written all over it.
Jenny was nearing the opening to the path. With each ass-swinging, sand-flying step she took, he could feel his money disappearing. He told himself to let her go. To let her walk away. Getting tangled up with her would be the worst thing he could do.
But what choice did he have?
“Son of a bitch.”
He caught up with her before she’d taken another step. He blocked her path, forcing her to stop. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. “Tomorrow, oh seven hundred. I’ll see you at the office. And, Cotton Tail, make room for my desk.”
FIVE
Night settled on Hidden Lake. In the darkness, Jenny sat on her front porch, staring out across the moonlit water. Most nights she found an inner peace sitting out here, a peace she couldn’t find anywhere else. In the quiet darkness, the lake possessed a serenity that was lost in the bright light of day. But tonight, no matter how hard she tried, the tranquillity she craved was nowhere to be found.
The wind rustled through the trees, and she drew her legs up, wrapping the afghan her grandmother had made around her. The rocking chair swayed at her movement. She rested her chin on her bent knees, wondering not for the first time how her whole life could be turned upside down in one short day.
Tomorrow, oh seven hundred. I’ll see you at the office. And, Cotton Tail, make room for my desk.
She looked down at her left hand, to the diamond ring she still wore. Steven . . . But instead of the memories that usually filled her when she thought of him, tonight, she was full of questions. Why hadn’t he told her about that loan? But before she finished the thought, she knew the real question wasn’t why hadn’t he told her, it was why she hadn’t asked.