that he didn’t like the idea of some cowboy—childhood friend or not—hanging around Maddie. It was the second time that she’d made him come close to feeling jealous. And he’d only known her—what? A handful of hours?
In the silence that stretched between them, Maddie’s stomach growled.
“You’re hungry.” Jase rose from his stool and pulled the refrigerator door open. Nothing except two bottles of energy water. He pulled them out and set them on the island. “When was the last time you ate?”
Maddie shrugged as she opened one of the bottles. “They served some pretzels when we were stranded for three hours on the runway at O’Hare.”
Jase began a methodical search of the cupboards. “Jordan doesn’t cook, and she’s a regular old Mother Hubbard when it comes to stocking provisions. But she usually keeps a stash of cookies.” Giving up on the cupboards, he opened the microwave door. “Aha, success.” He pulled out a bag. “Chocolate chip. Will these tide you over?”
Maddie selected one from the stack he piled in front of her. “They’re my favorite. I always keep some in my studio at the ranch.”
Jase smiled. “Another thing you and Jordan have in common besides temper, I guess.”
When she’d finished the first cookie, she began to fiddle with her braid. Jase found himself wanting to reach out and touch it too—instead of asking some important questions. Alarm bells had been going off in his head ever since she’d told him that Eva had been the victim of a hit-and-run driver. Three weeks after her store had been robbed.
“Maddie, do you have any idea why Eva made out her will that way?”
“Jordan thinks that in the event of her death, Eva wanted a daughter with a flair for jewelry design to get involved in her business.”
Jase didn’t much care for the way Eva had set up her will, but all he said was, “Do you know if anyone knew about the terms of the will ahead of time?”
As she reached for another cookie, she considered the question. Then she shook her head. “They all seemed pretty shocked when Fitzwalter read the will. Except for Cho Li. Besides Jordan’s, his was the only friendly face in the room.”
“Why do you think Eva wanted you and Jordan to change places?”
She set down the cookie. “I’m not sure. But I’m not comfortable with Jordan’s theory. I don’t like the idea of taking something that belongs to her. I’m hoping that Eva’s plan had a broader design and that she wanted Jordan to experience what she’d missed all these years by not growing up on a ranch. While she’s out there, Jordan’s going to try to see what she can do to help me make the ranch more profitable.”
Jase studied her. “The ranch is in trouble beyond the vandalism?”
Maddie sighed. “I’m not the rancher my father was. And I can’t help feeling guilty about that.”
“Guilt can be hard to deal with.”
Maddie’s eyes flew to his. After a moment she said, “I’m sorry. All I’m doing is talking about myself. Jordan said that you were away all this time because you were trying to free some hostages. Were you successful?”
“Partially. There were three. We lost one of them.”
This time, she was the one who reached for his hand. “I’m sorry.”
For the first time since he’d left South America, Jase felt something loosen inside of him. Then he said aloud what he’d been telling himself ever since he’d looked down at the body of the man he hadn’t been able to rescue. “The two we did free were a man and his son. They were reunited with the rest of their family in Panama City yesterday.”
“Sometimes, no matter what you try to do, you lose someone. For months after my father died, I kept thinking if I’d just been with him—or if I’d just done something differently. Maybe if I’d nagged at him more not to ride out by himself. He had a heart attack while he was alone. If he’d just had someone with him…”
His fingers tightened on hers. “You shouldn’t blame yourself.”
“Neither should you.”
As the silence stretched between them, Maddie became intensely aware of the pull between them. She’d felt it the moment she’d stepped out of the bathroom and started toward him. But now she sensed that it was more than a pull. As she looked into those blue-green eyes, something moved through her. Recognition? How could that be? They were strangers.
Dragging her gaze away from his, she glanced down at their joined hands. His was so large that hers was barely visible. And even though her skin was tan, it was shades lighter than his. They were so different, yet somehow her hand felt just right in his. She might be baffled by it, but she couldn’t deny it was true.
“Maddie, I don’t think what happened between us last night was a mistake.”
Even as she jerked her hand away, she met his eyes again. What she saw had her bones melting. She fought against losing brain cells and swallowed hard. She’d had a clear plan when she’d stepped out of the bathroom. She’d just gotten off track. “Whether it was a mistake or not, it just can’t happen again.”
“Why not? Especially if we both want it to?”
The man was nothing if not direct. And the hint of recklessness she saw in his eyes triggered not panic, but a thrill. Maddie tried to ignore it. Logic and reason. Those were the keys. “Like I said before, we’re both busy. And I only have three weeks.”
“But you’re not saying you don’t want it to happen again.” He rose and moved around the island.
She slid off her stool but held her ground. “If you come nearer, you’ll end up on your butt again.”
“It might not be so easy if you try that a second time.”
She felt her temper rise, and she very nearly said, Wanna bet? But she swallowed the words.
He took a step closer. “On the other hand, it might be fun to find out.”
Maddie absolutely hated the fact that a part of her agreed with him. She detested that she took two steps in retreat. But she couldn’t deny that that the way he was advancing on her had excitement streaming through her.
Reason and logic. Reason and logic. She struggled to infuse both into her voice. “That’s just it. I don’t have time for fun and games. That’s not what I came to New York for.”
She very nearly sighed in relief when her words stopped Jase. But he was only a couple of feet away. If she reached out, she could touch him again. Disgusted with herself, she fisted her hands at her side.
The recklessness in his eyes faded. “You’re right, Maddie Farrell.” He reached out to toy with the end of her braid. “I’m not sure why I keep getting distracted by you, but I’ll figure it out. In the meantime, there’s a phone call I have to make. I want to find out what really happened when your mother was run down.”
Chapter Five
“DAVE,
