she was one tight little package. But Jared was quickly discovering there was more to Cotton Tail than met the eye. Gorgeous, hell yes. But stronger than he’d anticipated. He’d been sure that moving into her house would be enough to drive her to Mommy and Daddy to beg them for the money to pay him off. But she was standing her ground, proving him wrong. And her passion was as intoxicating as it was surprising. Instead of caving at the first spark of opposition, she seemed to grow more determined. She stood her ground, fought for what she loved. Her home . . . her business . . . her family. A grudging smile tugged at his lips as he remembered how she’d stormed to Cody’s defense. Every kid should have family like that. And then there was the information Zeke was unknowingly feeding him, about the new business ideas she had created and was implementing.
Jared took another drink. But was it a passion and desire to keep the business going that propelled her forward, or was she still clinging to Steven’s dream?
Steven had made it clear that the charter business had been his idea, his dream, and Jenny had just been along for the ride.
But was that the truth?
Yes, he told himself. The business had been Steven’s vision. Jared would be doing Jenny (and Steven) a favor by forcing her to see the truth now, before she lost everything.
“This seat taken?”
A tall man wearing a suit slid onto the bench seat across from him.
Great. Exactly what he didn’t want: company. “Listen, mister, I—”
Before Jared could finish, a waitress sashayed over to their table. Her jeans were tight, her shirt was low, and her smile was almost as big as her hair. “Hiya,” she said. Then, without taking her eyes off him, she said to the man seated across from him, “Hi, Paul.”
“Hey, Tammy. How’s your brother doing?”
“Good. Got a new job over in Redmond. Likes it real fine.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah.”
With her eyes still glued on Jared, she leaned forward and made sure he had a clear view of her ample cleavage. “Thought you could use a refill ’bout now.” She set a fresh beer down in front of him.
Jared wasn’t even halfway through his first, but he gave the curvy brunette a smile and a thanks as he reached for his wallet.
“Forget it,” she said, flipping her hair, batting her eyes, and motioning for him to put away his wallet. “We’ll even up later.” She flashed him another wide smile. “Bye.” She turned and started to walk away, hips swaying to the music. She’d taken a half-dozen steps before she stopped and, as an afterthought, called over her shoulder, “See ya later, Paul.”
The jukebox kicked over to another song.
“So, Paul,” Jared said, sliding the full beer across the table, “something tells me you’re not here for idle chitchat.”
Paul tipped the beer in a silent acknowledgment, then took a drink. “It’s Beckinsale,” he said, wiping the foam off his upper lip. “Paul Beckinsale.”
“As in Jenny’s—”
“Brother.”
So much for his small bit of peace and quiet.
“Ron told me you were here.”
“Ron?”
“The bartender.”
“Remind me to thank him later.”
Paul almost smiled. Almost. But there was a tightness to him that Jared knew didn’t bode well for their discussion ahead.
“You’re the lawyer, right? Steven told me. So, what’s on your mind?”
“Jenny.”
Obviously. “Specifically?” Jared said with a bluntness that tended to shock most people. Paul didn’t flinch at Jared’s directness.
“I spoke with Jenny today.”
Jared just waited.
“I don’t like this current situation.”
Jared ran his thumb through the condensation on the outside of his glass. “What situation would that be?”
Whatever civilities Paul had been trying to maintain vanished. He pushed his beer off to the side and tried to stare Jared down.
Jared had to give the lawyer credit. He looked to be in okay shape, but years of easy living had left him soft where it mattered the most. He was no match for Jared. Jared wasn’t proud of some of the things he’d had to do in his life, but they’d kept him alive. And those fighting instincts, once honed, had never left.
“You know damn well what I’m talking about,” Paul said through clenched teeth. “You. Living at her house.”
“I’m only too happy to leave.”
“Perfect,” Paul said after a small hesitation. It was obvious that wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting.
“I’m only too happy to leave,” Jared repeated, then clarified, “once my loan is repaid.”
“Jenny said something to the same effect. She also told me to back