unable to keep the hint of irony from his tone.
“You seem to have your doubts about that,” Meredith pointed out. “Or is it because you don’t want her to be?”
“No, because that would make her a liar and a fraud, and we’d have a much bigger problem on our hands.”
“Actually, I think that would be less of a problem than you being interested in a woman who’s very much attached and who came here to get married.”
“Trust me, my only interestin her is why she’s really here.”
Even as he said it, he knew it was a lie.
If he was right, then he was attracted to a woman who was a liar, and probably worse. If he wasn’t, then he was attracted to a woman who was completely off-limits. He wasn’t going to chase after a woman who was marrying someone else.
Either way, he had no business thinking about her at all.
From thelook on her face, Meredith didn’t believe him any more than he did. He waited for her to call him on it, but she didn’t.
“Good. Then we don’t have a problem.”
“Unless she gives us one.”
“It’s fine,” she said firmly. “Everything is going to be fine.”
Adam almost wondered how she could be capable of such optimism and hope after everything she’d been through.
The words weredefinitive, but Adam caught the barely noticeable tremor in her voice, the slightly tremulous quality of the smile she worked up. He knew her too well. He knew deep down she was trying to convince herself as much as she was him, as though if she tried hard enough, she could will it to be true. Because she wanted everything to work out, needed it to for reasons he understood all too well.
He would give anything to make it true.
But every instinct told him he couldn’t, any more than he had in the past. At least this time he could keep her from getting hurt.
Even as part of him wondered if there was any chance he would be more successful at that than he’d been before.
* * *
U NABLE TO SHRUG off her wedding-planning duties any earlier without it looking suspicious,Jillian waited until lunch to announce she intended to drive into town, saying she wanted to explore the area a bit.
“I can come with you,” Meredith offered. “I could show you some spots you might want to know about so you can point them out to your wedding guests as places to visit.”
“That’s all right,” Jillian said. “I think I’d like to try to get a feel for the area on my own.”
“Of course,” Meredith said, forcing a smile. Jillian didn’t miss the worry the woman could barely conceal. Was she concerned Jillian wouldn’t come back? Jillian wondered if Meredith was aware her brother was trying to scare her off, or if she had other reasons to be worried. It was just another of the mysteries at Sutton Hall, and Jillian already had enough of those to unravel.
She leftmidafternoon, finding her way to the garage where her rental car had been parked. The tension tightening the back of her shoulders eased slightly as she drove away. She glanced back in the rearview mirror once. The mansion completely filled the reflective surface, looming as large as ever. It didn’t look as dark and gloomy as it did up close, but Jillian still felt unsettled as she took it in. Onlywhen the trees blocked it did the mansion finally disappear from view. The instant it did, an involuntary sigh eased from Jillian’s lungs. Inhaling deeply, she turned her focus to the road.
The town of Hawthorne was located a few miles down the road at the base of the mountain. Jillian hadn’t paid much attention to it on her way through the day before, too intent on reaching her destination.This time she made a point to study her surroundings as she entered the town limits. It was even smaller than she’d realized, but utterly charming, with a comfortable small-town feel. The buildings that lined the main street were large and older, classic in style. She wouldn’t have been surprised to learn they’d all been standing for more than a
“You seem to have your doubts about that,” Meredith pointed out. “Or is it because you don’t want her to be?”
“No, because that would make her a liar and a fraud, and we’d have a much bigger problem on our hands.”
“Actually, I think that would be less of a problem than you being interested in a woman who’s very much attached and who came here to get married.”
“Trust me, my only interestin her is why she’s really here.”
Even as he said it, he knew it was a lie.
If he was right, then he was attracted to a woman who was a liar, and probably worse. If he wasn’t, then he was attracted to a woman who was completely off-limits. He wasn’t going to chase after a woman who was marrying someone else.
Either way, he had no business thinking about her at all.
From thelook on her face, Meredith didn’t believe him any more than he did. He waited for her to call him on it, but she didn’t.
“Good. Then we don’t have a problem.”
“Unless she gives us one.”
“It’s fine,” she said firmly. “Everything is going to be fine.”
Adam almost wondered how she could be capable of such optimism and hope after everything she’d been through.
The words weredefinitive, but Adam caught the barely noticeable tremor in her voice, the slightly tremulous quality of the smile she worked up. He knew her too well. He knew deep down she was trying to convince herself as much as she was him, as though if she tried hard enough, she could will it to be true. Because she wanted everything to work out, needed it to for reasons he understood all too well.
He would give anything to make it true.
But every instinct told him he couldn’t, any more than he had in the past. At least this time he could keep her from getting hurt.
Even as part of him wondered if there was any chance he would be more successful at that than he’d been before.
* * *
U NABLE TO SHRUG off her wedding-planning duties any earlier without it looking suspicious,Jillian waited until lunch to announce she intended to drive into town, saying she wanted to explore the area a bit.
“I can come with you,” Meredith offered. “I could show you some spots you might want to know about so you can point them out to your wedding guests as places to visit.”
“That’s all right,” Jillian said. “I think I’d like to try to get a feel for the area on my own.”
“Of course,” Meredith said, forcing a smile. Jillian didn’t miss the worry the woman could barely conceal. Was she concerned Jillian wouldn’t come back? Jillian wondered if Meredith was aware her brother was trying to scare her off, or if she had other reasons to be worried. It was just another of the mysteries at Sutton Hall, and Jillian already had enough of those to unravel.
She leftmidafternoon, finding her way to the garage where her rental car had been parked. The tension tightening the back of her shoulders eased slightly as she drove away. She glanced back in the rearview mirror once. The mansion completely filled the reflective surface, looming as large as ever. It didn’t look as dark and gloomy as it did up close, but Jillian still felt unsettled as she took it in. Onlywhen the trees blocked it did the mansion finally disappear from view. The instant it did, an involuntary sigh eased from Jillian’s lungs. Inhaling deeply, she turned her focus to the road.
The town of Hawthorne was located a few miles down the road at the base of the mountain. Jillian hadn’t paid much attention to it on her way through the day before, too intent on reaching her destination.This time she made a point to study her surroundings as she entered the town limits. It was even smaller than she’d realized, but utterly charming, with a comfortable small-town feel. The buildings that lined the main street were large and older, classic in style. She wouldn’t have been surprised to learn they’d all been standing for more than a
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