her fingers to keep moving.
The look had made her wonder if he was thinking of the woman who had not shown up here. How long had he known her? How had they met? She guessed the relationship was serious, since he’d insinuated he was thinking of settling down.
He stood and clapped when her final musical piece came to an end. “That was great, Regan.”
“Thanks. That’s how I wind down, by playing my piano.” He knew about the Steinway Grand piano that she’d bought a couple of years ago.
“I wish Charm had kept up those lessons, but her heart wasn’t in them.”
She nodded. “No, it wasn’t.” There was no need to tell him why Charm’s heart wasn’t in it. At the time, Charm’s heart had been into Dylan Emanuel. Dylan, then a seventeen-year-old from Memphis, had won a summer scholarship to attend the University of Alaska’s Fairbanks Summer Music Academy. That was where Charm and Dylan had met. One of the instructors teaching Dylan that summer had also been Regan and Charm’s piano teacher.
Garth had been away in the military at the time, and when Bart found out about the budding romance, he’d wasted no time putting an end to what he’d called utter teenage nonsense. He thought Charm was too young to consider herself in love with anyone, and that Dylan wouldn’t ever amount to anything. Regan wondered if Bart thought that now, since Dylan, with several Grammys under his belt, was being lauded as one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time.
Regan stood and glanced at her watch. “Goodness, I’ve been playing for over an hour.”
“No problem. Paulo texted to let me know dinner was ready.”
“Why didn’t you say something? I would have stopped playing.”
He smiled. “And that’s why I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want you to stop. I loved hearing you play, and listening to music relaxes me.”
She knew that. While in flight he would request all types of music, but he liked jazz and rhythm and blues the best. “I’ll go wash up for dinner.”
“Okay, and I’ll do the same.”
She headed toward the west wing, where her bedroom was located. As tempted as she was, she didn’t look back over her shoulder. But why did she have a feeling he was still standing there looking at her?
When she reached her bedroom, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. As she drew in a deep breath, a low moan escaped her lips. Garth Outlaw had no idea how sexy he looked sitting there with his head thrown back, his long legs stretched out in front of him, his eyes closed while listening to her play.
And then there had been those times when she’d glanced over at him to find him staring at her. Whenever their gazes met, she had fought hard to make her fingers not miss a note. Why had he stared at her that way? What had he been thinking? Maybe he was looking at her, but not thinking about her. Perhaps he’d been thinking of the woman who wasn’t here. Longing for her. Wishing Regan was her.
Simone’s insinuation that Garth had invited Regan here to take the woman’s place came to mind and she pushed it away. She refused to even consider that as a possibility. But what if it was true? She shook her head, refusing to go there. Just like he trusted her, she trusted him.
But she recalled one of her ex-boyfriends once telling her that sex to some men was like an itch. For some, it didn’t matter which woman did the scratching.
She was about to go to the bathroom to freshen up when she heard the sound of voices not far from her bedroom window. She moved toward it, staying back so she couldn’t be seen. Garth was outside talking to Paulo, thanking him for preparing dinner and letting him know he would be doing all the cooking tomorrow.
Garth stood and watched Paulo get into his car and leave, but he didn’t move to come back inside. Instead, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and stared out at the long driveway that bordered the beautiful grasslands. He appeared to be deep in thought, and she wondered if he was again thinking about her, the woman who hadn’t shown up.
As she continued to watch him, she could no longer deny the intense desire she felt for him. Desire she had no right to feel, but felt anyway. It was the same with the