Just tired,” she responded, forcing a weak smile. She almost lost it again when she gazed into his dark eyes.
He watched her for a few seconds before nodding. “That can be remedied. If you’ll follow me, I’ll see that you get settled in.” He then turned and walked off.
Not even trying to keep up with his pace, Diamond followed him to the vehicle.
Jake’s brow furrowed as he drove his Jeep toward the area where the cabin was located. He tried, against all odds, to ignore the woman sitting next to him. He couldn’t remember a time any woman had caught his interest as seriously as Diamond had. And that was totally out of character for him.
“Now you’re the one frowning, Mr. Madaris.”
Jake couldn’t help but smile at Diamond’s observation. She must have been watching him pretty closely to notice. He took a glance over at her and his smile widened. “Yeah, I am, aren’t I? And you can call me Jake.”
Diamond nearly groaned out loud. His smile was deadly. “Thanks, and I’m Diamond. I’ve never cared for nicknames so if you don’t mind, I prefer calling you Jacob.”
Her voice was like silken oak. It stirred Jake’s insides and sent his pulse spinning. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that she could call him anything she liked, but he decided it wouldn’t be a good idea.
“Does your frown have anything to do with the fact that you really didn’t invite me here, Jacob?”
Jake blinked in surprise at Diamond’s question. He wondered how she had figured it out. “What makes you think that?”
“From the expression that crossed your face when I thanked you earlier.” She then let out a chuckle. “I’m an actress, remember. I’m trained to display a number of expressions, as well as being able to read them on others. Although the expression crossed your face quickly, I was able to pick up on it.”
When Jake still didn’t admit one way or another whether she was right or not, Diamond glanced over at him. “What did Sterling do? Threaten you with bodily harm, or does he have some incriminating information on you?”
Jake couldn’t hold back his laugh. “It was nothing as bad as either of those two,” he finally answered, deciding to level with her. “I lost a poker game to him. I’m still wondering if he played fair. I’m usually a better poker player than Sterling.”
Diamond smiled and her eyes lit up in a sparkle. “You’re too trusting if you have to think about whether or not Sterling played fair. I doubt very seriously that he did. He knows how to cheat at cards when it suits him.”
Jake considered her words. They were spoken like someone who evidently knew Sterling extremely well. Suddenly and expectedly, he felt a tinge of jealously at the thought of just how well that might be. He was tempted to ask, but decided it was none of his business. Sterling had told him on numerous occasions that he and Diamond Swain were friends and nothing more. He knew that although his friend might have a tendency to cheat at cards every once in a while, he was fairly honest otherwise. Besides, Sterling had no reason to lie to him.
Jake pulled the Jeep to a stop in front of the cabin. “Here we are.”
Diamond took a good look at the structure they were parked in front of and became speechless. Before them was the most luxurious log cabin she had ever seen. A deck surrounded the house on three sides that provided a beautiful view of a half-acre lake.
She turned toward Jake. “Oh, Jacob, it’s beautiful. I know that you really didn’t invite me here, and a part of me feels I should do the noble thing and leave. But now, after seeing this, I don’t want to leave. Please let me stay. I promise not to be a bother.”
Jake didn’t think it would be possible for her not to be a bother, when her very presence was bothering him already. But for some reason, the thought of her leaving bothered him as well.
“Of course you’ll stay. Sterling may have cheated an invitation out of me, but I’d really like you to stay.”
What Jake thought was Diamond’s most heart-stopping smile appeared on her face. “Thank you, Jacob.”
Jake felt his heart trip against his ribs with that smile and the sultry sound of his name from Diamond’s lips. He stared at her mouth and his nostrils flared as he felt total awareness in the lower part of his stomach. He couldn’t recall the last time a woman had gotten hold of his attention this much. He decided to get out of the vehicle before he did something really stupid like haul her into his arms and kiss her.
Chapter 2
Diamond leaned against the doorway with arms crossed as she surveyed the room. If you were looking for a nice private hideaway, you couldn’t do any better than this, she thought. The cabin was located approximately four to five miles from the main house in a very secluded section of Whispering Pines. It featured a master bedroom with a king-size bed and a full bath and two other bedrooms. It also had a full kitchen, a mudroom with a washer and dryer, a spacious living room with a vaulted ceiling and a large stone fireplace.
While showing her around, Jacob had told her that he had built the house himself years ago but had not spent a night in it. She had found that surprising as well as intriguing but hadn’t questioned him about it. And he hadn’t felt compelled to share any explanations.
Diamond walked out on the deck. The sky was still clouded, and in the distance she could hear the distinct sound of thunder. After Jacob had brought in her bags, he had given her a quick tour of the cabin. He’d also given her instructions on how to reach the main house if she needed something. The phones, he had informed her, had direct lines to his ranch and in order to place a call somewhere off the ranch, she would have to come to the main house to do so. Then he had left.
She frowned. No doubt Sterling had known about the absence of an outside phone line at the cabin. He had made her promise that she would not be calling her agent or anyone else regarding work. He had wanted her to spend the next three weeks resting.
Diamond walked back inside. Jacob had told her that the kitchen had been stocked for her visit, but if she ever got tired of cooking to just pick up the phone and call the ranch, and he would have his cook prepare something and that he’d bring it out to her.
Although she knew he was doing certain things to assure her privacy, Diamond couldn’t help but feel that he was also doing everything within his power to keep her at a distance. It appeared the ranch was his domain. He didn’t mind sharing his land as long as she stayed in the space he had decided to give her.
Diamond tried to laugh at the thought of any man keeping her at a distance. She’d never had that sort of problem before and found the thought interesting. She had always become irritated with men who became obsessed with the way she looked. If her theory was true and Jacob was keeping her at a distance, it would be a first. But then, Jacob Madaris had started off being a first in a number of ways already. He was the first man, other than Sterling and her other childhood friend Kyle Garwood, who could elicit a genuine smile from her. And he’d been the first she had actually noticed as a man in a long time. A very long time. His masculinity was something any sane woman just couldn’t miss…or ignore.
Opening the refrigerator door, she began pulling out the items needed to make a salad. The sound of thunder was getting closer. After dinner she would take a shower and curl up in bed with a good book. For the first time in years, she would spend her evening
