right. We’re perfect for each other.”
Perfect for each other. This was beginning to feel rather warped. “I’m not afraid. I just don’t want a serious relationship. I told you that.”
“You can’t stay single your whole life. At some point you’re going to have to get married.” She reached for him yet again.
This time he caught her wrists and stopped her. “Maybe we should take a break for a while.”
Now anger flowed into her pretty blue eyes, eyes that had enchanted him when he’d first met her. She jerked her wrists free. “You’re breaking up with me?”
“No. Let’s just take a break.” A permanent one. He’d just let her down gently. It wasn’t his style to use women. He made sure they understood what he was after. He must have missed the signs in Jillian. She definitely wanted more than he could give.
“I’m not an idiot, Brandon. I know when a man is trying to get rid of me.”
He bent his head momentarily, trying to think of what to say.
“It’s okay, Brandon. I understand. We don’t have to take a break. If you’ll just give it some time…You’re only confused because your old girlfriend came back.”
“She’s married,” he repeated.
“That doesn’t matter. I saw the way you looked at her, and her at you.”
That was ridiculous. But inside, her words mocked him.
“Please, Brandon.” He let her put her palms on his chest. “Please don’t give up on us.”
“There is no us.”
She stared up at him, finally believing him. This was it. He was finished.
“What did I do to scare you away?”
“Nothing.” Suffocate him. Try to control him. And the way she’d gone from angry to pleading…
Something wasn’t right about her. She was a little too desperate.
“I’m sorry.” He moved away from her, backing into the living room. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Tears swelled in her eyes.
Damn it.
“Brandon. I love you.” She came for him again.
He turned and strode toward the front door, hearing her stumble after him, sobbing, “Brandon.”
It made him ill. How could she possibly love him? They’d only dated a few times. He never allowed a relationship to last longer than a few months. Anything longer than that led to more. It had happened once. He’d gotten too close, too far out of his comfort zone. It had ended badly. If he ever settled down, it’d be with a woman who didn’t crowd him like that.
He could not be crowded.
After handing Jillian her purse from where she’d left it on the table in the entryway, he opened the front door. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
She stood there crying. “I don’t understand why you’re breaking up with me.”
“Sometimes I don’t understand it myself.”
Sniffling, her tears eased. “Then you aren’t sure.”
No, he was sure. Especially when she kept doing that, misconstruing his words and hanging on to hope that he wouldn’t end it between them. She’d probably had other experiences like this and that was why she was taking it so hard.
Reaching for him, she took his hand. “Let’s go up to bed. By morning you’ll feel better.”
He removed his hand from hers and backed up against the open door, giving her room to pass.
She looked through the open space and then back at him. Her eyes cleared of tears and anger seeped back into them. “You can’t do this.”
He angled his head. Really? Was she going to snap on him?
“You can’t be loving one minute and then let me down the next!” She marched right up to him and pointed at his face. “Before that bitch arrived, everything was fine. Now you’re telling me to leave?”
How had he missed this crazy streak in her? “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
The anger melted away. “Oh, Brandon.” She pressed her body against his and began kissing him. “I knew you were just confused.”
Whoa. Brandon grasped her arms and forced her away. “You need to leave now.”
“But—”
“Please, Jillian, just go.”
“No.”
He moved her so that she was outside his door and shut it.
“You bastard!” she screeched, pounding the door. “I knew you were hiding something from me about that bitch. Let me back in there! I’ll make sure she knows where you belong!”
Holy cats! The woman had lost it. Was she referring to Eliza? She’d questioned him about her. Maybe someone in town had let her in on the history between them. That he’d broken up with her, and she’d moved away with a broken heart. Had seeing him interact with her tonight triggered this bizarre tantrum?
A few seconds of silence passed.
“Brandon?” Jillian pleaded. “Please don’t do this. Please let me in. I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect you to do this tonight. It started out so good, and…Brandon?”
He didn’t respond.
The doorbell rang. Rang again. When he didn’t answer, she knocked. Pounded.
“Brandon?” she called louder.
She pounded for about a minute longer before she finally gave up.
“This isn’t over,” she growled from the other side of the door.
There had to be something wrong with her. She was unnaturally angry. Violently jealous of Eliza. What would she do next? Would she come after him? Or Eliza….
Chapter 2
Was that yelling she heard? And someone had pounded on the front door. Who was it? Was someone here for David? Alarmed and worried about Brandon and Jillian, Eliza checked on David. He’d passed out as soon as he lay down. He hadn’t even undressed or gotten under the covers.
In her nightgown, she left the guest room that was on the first level and made her way down a long hallway, opposite the kitchen. Stepping into the living room, she saw Brandon looking out the front window.
After a few seconds, he turned and saw her, his unwelcoming
