Sweet Fortune

this. Elizabeth is going to be heart-broken. And he doesn't give a damn.” Tears burned in her eyes. She blinked angrily.
    “You're being a little hard on him, Jessie. You know he cares about Elizabeth. But this thing down in Portland is—”
    “I know what it is, Hatch,” she said through her teeth. “This is business , isn't it? Business as usual .”
    “There's a lot of money involved in the Portland project. Jobs and the company reputation are on the line too. We have to keep to the schedule.”
    “That's right, go ahead and defend him. You're no better than he is, are you? You'd have done the same thing in his shoes.”
    Hatch's fingers tightened around the mug. “Don't drag me into this. It's between you and your father.”
    “Not your problem, is it? But the truth is, you're on his side because you think like him. You have the same set of values, don't you? The same priorities.” She narrowed her eyes. “Business always comes first. What do a twelve-year-old kid's feelings matter when there are a few thousand bucks on the line?”
    “Dammit, Jessie, I'm not the one who changed his plans for Saturday. Don't blame me for this mess. You set it up and you knew as well as anyone that Vincent might alter his plans if business got in the way at the last minute.”
    The fact that he was right only made things worse. “Are you telling me that you wouldn't have acted the same way in the same situation?”
    “Christ, Jessie, take it easy, will you?”
    “Just answer me, Hatch. No, don't bother. We both know what the answer is, don't we? You would have done exactly the same thing.”
    “ That's enough .”
    Jessie stared at him, astounded by the flash of raw temper. She had never seen Hatch lose his self-control like this. Until now she had found baiting him a challenge, a way of protecting herself from the attraction he held for her. But having succeeded at last in drawing a reaction, she realized she had made a mistake.
    “It's true and you know it,” she muttered, unwilling to back down completely.
    But Hatch was already on his feet, looming over her. His hands clamped around the wooden arms of the chair. “Shut up, Jessie. I don't want to hear another word about how much I resemble your father. I am not your father, goddammit .”
    “I know that. But you certainly could have been his son. A real chip off the old block, aren't you? You'd have gone down to Portland on Saturday, wouldn't you? Given the same situation, you'd have done what he's doing. Admit it.”
    “No, I damn well would not have gone down to Portland,” Hatch told her, his voice a dangerously soft snarl. His eyes glittered in the gloom. “Not if I'd promised a little girl I would take her to a science fair instead. I do not break my promises, Jessie. If I make a commitment, I keep it. Remember that.”
    “Let me up, Hatch.” Her lower lip was trembling. She could feel it. Out of long habit she caught it between her teeth to still it.
    “Why? Am I making you nervous?”
    “Yes, dammit, you are.”
    “Tough.”
    “Hatch, stop it.” Jessie drew her legs quickly up underneath her and stood in the chair. She teetered there for a few seconds and then she stepped over the arm of the chair and onto the desktop. She glared down at Hatch, feeling a little safer in this position.
    Hatch straightened, reaching for her with his powerful, dangerous hands. “Come here.”
    “Hatch, no. Don't you dare touch me, do you hear me?” Jessie sidled backward until the backs of her knees came up against the rows of little cubbyholes that lined the top of the desk.
    “I hear you. But I don't feel like listening to you just now.” His hands closed around her waist and he lifted her effortlessly down off the desk.
    “ Hatch .”
    He lowered her feet to the floor, gripped her upper arms, and pulled her against his hard length. “I've had it with you lumping me into the same category as your father. From now on, Jessie, you're going to start seeing me as an individual. I'm me, Sam Hatchard, not a clone of Vincent Benedict. I make my own decisions and I do my own thinking and I make my own commitments. And I damn sure keep those commitments.”
    “Hatch, listen to me, I'm not confusing you with my father. Believe me, that is not the issue. I'm just saying you have the same list of priorities and I don't like the list.”
    He cut off her frantic defense in mid-sentence by covering her trembling mouth with his own. Jessie froze beneath the