Page 20 of The Bargain Bride

It was their first night in the house alone together, and Beth was ultra-aware of his presence, even when she wasn't in the same room with him. She had taken a long bubble bath in the hopes Jared would be too tired to talk once she finished. No such luck. He was waiting for her in the parlor when she went downstairs for a glass of warm milk to help her sleep. She felt awkward in her silk robe with him still fully dressed.

“Delta made your old bed up for you,” she said to fill the silence. “And she told me to let you know there are leftovers in the fridge. Help yourself to anything you want.”

“I just got off the phone with Skylar Griffin,” he said. “My lawyer. He'll fax us the contract tomorrow, and the ranch will be yours by noon.”

Guilt returned with a vengeance. Jared only wanted to give her the ranch because he thought she was pregnant with his nephew or niece. “Maybe we should talk first.”

He rolled his eyes. “I'm done talking about it. The ranch is yours. End of story.” His gaze traveled down the length of her, reminding her that she was dressed for bed. He asked, “Why aren't you asleep?”

“My mind is buzzing.”

“About?”

Was he kidding? She couldn't stop thinking about him or the fact they were married. But she wasn't about to admit he was the reason she couldn't sleep. Instead, she gave him the first bit of information that popped into her head. “Bad weather is coming, snow just in time for Christmas.”

“Good thing I'm flying out tomorrow then.”

His practical statement made her heart sink, but she didn't know why. Life could get back to normal after he was gone. Wasn't that what she wanted?

Since his arrival, she tried not to look straight at him if she could help it, but now that he was leaving she gazed up at him. Hooded, his gray eyes appeared sleepy, making him look sexier than usual. It was obvious he hadn't shaved in a couple of days. The shadow covering the lower half of his face added to the sexy mystery that was Jared Wilder.

Her mouth went dry.

Gone was the fabulous tuxedo he'd worn for the wedding. It had been replaced by snug blue jeans and what appeared to be three layers over his solid chest: a plaid shirt over a black tee with a gray undershirt beneath that. At least he had remembered to dress for the frigid weather.

Jared's hands went to his hips. “So, you live in this big house all alone, huh?”

Why did that sound like an accusation? Perhaps he thought she should be living in the old foreman's house where she used to reside with her father. Going on the defensive, she said, “Simon asked me to move in after our fathers died. If you didn't want me here in the big house, you should have told us when you inherited everything.”

“You're misunderstanding my problem with this. It isn't about the house. It's the alone part that bothers me.”

“Delta has a husband to go home to every night. You know that. Simon was living here until he decided to run off with my...”

Her cheeks burned hot as she realized her mistake.

Jared jumped on the slip. “Your what? Who do you think Simon ran off with?”

“I... uh, nobody. I was going to say, until he decided to run off with my heart.”

Good save. She smiled in relief as Jared scowled. Did he believe her? She mentally shrugged. It didn't matter if he believed her or not as long as she stuck to her story.

The great thing was that her slip and subsequent cover-up took her mind off his handsome features. She could breathe again. How could one man wreak such havoc on her with a single glance? She wanted to embrace him and punch him at the same time. Torn in two, she simultaneously wanted to send him back to Boston and keep him with her. Part of her never wanted to see him again, but another part knew she'd miss him with every passing second.

He approached her like someone might approach a frightened deer. His hands started on her shoulders and slid down her arms. Intense, his gaze locked with hers until she feared she'd never be able to look away. Then his eyes drifted down to her mouth.

She bit her lower lip to keep from saying something she couldn't take back.

He swallowed hard, and she read the desire in his hooded eyes. Double-take. Was she hallucinating, or did he actually want her?

“You want to kiss me?” she asked, breathless already.

He grinned, and the dimples that deepened in his cheeks made her melt. “I think I do.”

The mere thought filled her belly with hot coals and burned her cheeks. Jared Wilder wanted to kiss her, the girl he'd rejected eight years ago. She wished she could go back in time and tell her sixteen-year-old self not to cry over him because one day he would want to kiss her.

Naughty thoughts teased her mind in living color. She longed to rip his clothes off and live out her most treasured fantasy. For years, he'd been all she could think about during the day and all she dreamed about at night. She still wanted him to be her first, but a little thing called self-respect wouldn't let her go through with it.

“Too bad.” It was her turn to reject him. She owed it to her sixteen-year-old self. She teased him with a wry smile while making her younger self proud. “You missed your chance, sweetie.”

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