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He pulled a key out of his jeans pocket and unlocked the front door They stepped into the stillness
Light spilled in the s, illu rooe, with a fireplace and Crafts rooe and a s
Everywhere she looked she spotted ah and crownIn the kitchen, the appliances were refurbished fifties style and blended perfectly with sleek new cabinets and a slate floor There was an eat-in nook and French doors that led out into the garden
A lot like Jo’s house, she thought with a happy sigh Only better
"I love it," she said wistfully "I don’t even have to see the upstairs It’s beautiful, but I have a feeling it’s out of e"
"I know the owner and he’ll deal"
"Is there anyone in town you don’t know?"
"There ht be a couple of babies I haven’t met yet"
"Life in a small town," she said
"It works"
She turned in the center of the kitchen, ad of home and space
"You’re not the least bit te like this for yourself?" she asked
"I like where I live"
"But it’s a hotel"
"Exactly No et a break on pay-per-viewto keep her attention on the house rather than the man She was alone with Josh in a quiet, empty space If she didn’t keep herherself at hiod in bed
"Don’t you get tired of the room service menu?"
"They take requests"
"From you" She shook her head "A rock star in a sine"
"It has its benefits"
"And the downsides?"
His gaze locked with hers "There are those, too"
So, she deliberately switched the conversation "Still riding alone at night?"
He nodded
"Have you talked to anyone about what happened? A sports psychologist?"
He glanced away "When it first happened I’ve seen the pictures, the TV coverage I know there was nothing I could have done But knowing and believing aren’t the sa in his voice, a hopelessness As if soo back," she said quietly
"Every da who I was Not the fa I ride here, but it’s not the same I miss my teammates, the anticipation of the race"
She suspected hewith other people?" she asked
He stiffened "More than once" He glanced at his watch in obvious dis, she crossed to hihtly touched his arht it up The past, I mean It’s not my business"
One corner of his mouth twisted into a smile "I’m not delicate, Charity You can say what you want"
She seemed unable to look away from his mouth The shape of his upper lip, the unexpected fullness of the bottom one She remembered the feel of his kiss, how she’d wanted to surrender He was aso
Josh looked more amused than put off "Robert?"
"Uh-huh We’ve been out to dinner"
"I reuy"
Now she felt stupid What had she expected? That Josh would get jealous and tell her to stop seeing Robert? That he would make a move on her?
"Yes, he is," she said primly "A very nice ether
The upstairs is that way"
She moved toward the stairs, when in truth she felt like both crying and sto her foot She did neither Instead she followed him to the second floor and tried to tell herself it was for the best Wanting Josh was a one-way ticket to disasterville A place where she’d already spent way too much time
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHARITY WAS LOOKING forward to her uy He and Josh used to be best friends and ride together Then Ethan had gotten hurt ten or twelve years ago The details on the whole thing were vague at best and she hadn’t been able to figure out a way to ask without appearing too interested in either man
Ethan owned a construction co facility about ten ave her a chance to actually drive her car for once At least she wasn’t spending a lot on gas these days Or wasting ti in traffic
She followed the directions Ethan had given her, turning off at the big driveway leading to Hendrix Turbine The site was e towers being loaded onto long trucks
She followed arrows pointing to the office, then parked and walked inside A small foyer led into a reception area Beyond that were offices, desks and computers, with lots of pictures of wind turbines
She’d done so and knew that Hendrix Turbine was a fast-growing company Wind poas popular, as ind expenses were minimal While wind turbine "farreat potential source of green power, especially in rural communities
An attractive wo jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, and had short blond hair
"Hi," she said with a smile "You must be Charity Jones You’re Ethan’s eleven o’clock He’ll be back any second There was a delivery issue" She wrinkled her nose as she walked toward Charity "There’s always a delivery issue"
When Charity shook hands with her, the woman continued, "I’ineers here"
"Nice to ineer The raduated fro as many of my male classmates as I could to town So far none of the"
"I’m sure we all appreciate the effort"
A door slammed in the back "That’s Ethan" Nevada lowered her voice "He’s single, by the way One of the few in town, if you’re interested"
"Ah, thank you," she said, not sure of the correct and polite response Fool’s Gold le guys tossed her way in the past month than in the past three years Okay--only three, but still