Call It Destiny

learned to accept rejection before. I’m really not interested in what you’re offering, Jake. I couldn’t care less about creating a home and putting down roots. I’ve been living in California for the past few years, remember? You get used to being on the cutting edge out there. It gets in your blood. The idea of settling down in Tucson for the rest of my life is enough to scare the daylights out of me. I appreciate your nice offer but I really can’t accept. Go find yourself some nice female who wants to bake bread and make babies. I’m sure you’ll be much happier with someone like that than you’d ever be with me. I’d drive you crazy and we both know it.“
    To her surprise he nodded in agreement. „You may be right. About driving me crazy, I mean. Well, I can see when I’m not wanted. I’m sorry I bothered you, Heather. I really thought we had found something together. Something important.“ He stopped as if inviting her to change her mind.
    „Nothing I can’t live without,“ she said flippantly, although her heart was breaking. It seemed that only as she went through the charade of rejecting him did she realize just how much he meant to her.
    „Goodbye, Heather. I won’t annoy you and your friend any further. You know I’m not the kind of man who hangs around when he’s not wanted. I like to think I’m a gentleman.“
    Heather blinked. A gentleman? No gentleman would have tracked her down to that motel and seduced her the way Jake had done last night. No gentleman would have deliberately lured her into marriage by concealing the true financial facts of the situation. It occurred to Heather that Jake Cavender was definitely not a gentleman. He was a street fighter.
    But he was handling this situation as if he was an impeccably behaved, well-mannered gentleman struggling to rise above an embarrassing event.
    „You know I have no doubts on that score,“ Heather murmured coolly. „It’s just that true gentlemen tend to be so dull.“
    Jake stood very still, and then without glancing back at a sneering Rick Monroe, he strode to the door. Flinging it open he stalked out into the rain and went to the car. A moment later the Fiat roared to life. Heather stood at the window, watching as the man she loved drove off into the storm.
    „Well, well, well. You’ve really gotten to be a tough little broad over the past few years, haven’t you?“ Monroe got to his feet, ambling over to where Heather stood staring out into the gathering darkness. He lifted a hand and traced a line down her cheek and along her shoulder. The sickening sensuality of the gesture made Heather flinch.
    She covered the reaction by stepping away. „What happens now, Rick?“
    „We wait.“
    „For what?“
    „The arrival of my partner. It’s going to be a while. I got here early because I’ve found that partners in my line of work have a nasty habit of double-crossing each other. Safest to arrive early at the scene of a meeting. Not that I have any reason to be suspicious of Joe. He’s a pretty good guy, all things considered. And we’ve worked together before.“
    „Doing what?“
    „You really want to know?“ he drawled.
    „No, I don’t think so,“ Heather gritted. „Something tells me that the less I know the better.“
    „You sure kept that joker in the Fiat from guessing anything at all. I was impressed. Like I said, you’re tough. Had a lot of experience tossing men aside?“
    Something new in the tone of his voice warned Heather that matters had taken a turn toward the more dangerous. Assuming it was possible for things to get worse.
    „I don’t imagine you’re particularly interested in the status of my love life,“ she tried mildly.
    „Oh. I don’t know. The way you handled that guy a few minutes ago reminded me a little of the way you told me to go to hell that day we left Tucson. And he went. Just like I did.“
    „At least he didn’t steal my transportation in the process!“
    „Maybe not, but he sure managed to leave you stranded, didn’t he?“ Rick retorted in savage amusement. „You must have really wanted to get rid of him. Why was that, Heather? Because he is as dull as you told him he was or because you were trying to protect him?“
    „Both. He’s a nice guy, Rick. I don’t want him involved.“
    „A nice guy,“ Monroe repeated. „You know what they say about nice guys.“
    „You don’t seem to have had much experience along that line yourself.“
    „Nah, I’m not a