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  "I think you were playing it safe. I also think Tim will agree with me." He held out his hand. "Come on, let's go."

  ❧

  Hours later, Greg and Brandi were a fair distance from the cabin. Greg had quickly discovered that Brandi was quite adept at getting around on skis. She seemed to be enjoying herself, and he was hard-pressed to keep up with her.

  During the past several hours, he'd gotten a glimpse of another side of her personality. She was quick to smile, and he discovered that he enjoyed provoking her smile. Although shadows sometimes lurked in the depths of her beautiful eyes, she seemed to be making an effort to relax.

  He paused, looking around. Her bright red ski jacket should have been easy to spot, but at the moment he could see nothing but the snowy expanse around him, the dark brown and dull green of the pine trees.

  "Brandi? Slow down, okay? I'm not in quite as good shape as I thought I was," he said.

  Everything was quiet. She didn't answer. Greg had a slight sense of unease. He began to follow her tracks over the side of the hill.

  A sudden avalanche of snow fell on his head and shoulders, and he yelped. The limb he'd paused under had just been shaken clear of its weight of snow. Greg heard delighted laughter behind him, and turned and saw Brandi peeking around the tree.

  He slipped out of his skis and made a lunge for her, bringing her to the ground. Her squeal echoed in the clear air.

  "That was unfair and uncalled-for," he said, pushing her so that she lost her balance and fell back into a snowbank. Greg began to laugh at her outraged expression. Every time she tried to get up, she lost her balance and fell back. Finally he walked over and offered her his hand, only to find himself jerked off balance. He fell face first into the snow beside her.

  He came up sputtering, grabbed a handful of snow and mashed it into her face.

  The afternoon's skiing was soon reduced to a snow fight deluxe.

  Eventually Greg managed to subdue his opponent by the simple expedient of sitting on her and pinning both arms out away from her body with his hands.

  "Do you give up?"

  "Never! I never give up!" she managed to yell breathlessly.

  "Even when you can't even move?" he asked, laughing.

  "I can move! I can—" She kicked out with both legs but couldn't hit him. "Get off me, you big oaf! I can't breathe! Tim would never have—"

  "I know. Tim, no doubt, always lets you win. That's why you're so spoiled."

  "Spoiled! I'm not spoiled. I just—"

  "You're just used to getting your own way, that's obvious." He grinned down at her. "Now, then. Do you give up?"

  Brandi lay in the snow and looked up at the big man above her. He'd lost his cap in the tussle, and his blond hair fell rather endearingly across his forehead. His cheeks were red from exertion and he was wet, but for the first time Brandi saw a part of him that she hadn't guessed existed—a playful part. He looked years younger as he watched her warily, his smile gleaming brightly. His eyes, which had seemed so cold to her earlier, now sparkled with silver glints, and there were dancing imps in their depths.

  Why, he's gorgeous, she suddenly realized. Gone was the implacable, pragmatic lawyer she had spent the day with. Here was a man who radiated a warmth and virility that caused her heart to set up an increased drumming in her chest.

  She stared up at him, entranced by what she saw. Perhaps her expression gave her away, because Brandi noticed that Greg's smile slowly altered and the warmth in his eyes seemed to increase. He shifted so that his weight was no longer on her, but she didn't move. Not even when he lowered his head toward hers and placed his mouth on hers.

  His lips felt warm as they tentatively touched hers. Brandi's eyes drifted closed, and she shyly returned his kiss.

  Greg pulled her into his arms, holding her against his chest while he continued to explore the soft contours of her mouth. By the time he pulled away slightly, they were both warm and flushed.

  Brandi didn't know what to say. She felt as though she had practically melted into his arms. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so affected by a kiss. And this one had come from a man she hardly knew. And you've agreed to stay with him, she reminded herself. What is he going to think about you now?

  Greg got to his feet and pulled her up beside him. He began to dust himself off without looking at her. "We'd better get back. It will be dark soon."

  "Yes" was all she could think of to say.

  They found their skis and put them on again. Then Greg took the lead and they followed their tracks back to the cabin.

  ❧

  Greg couldn't believe what he had done. He'd wanted Brandi to feel comfortable about staying there for a few days in case Tim showed up, but then he'd ruined it by doing something stupid like kiss her.

  There was no telling what she was thinking at the moment. She was without transportation, totally at his mercy. The last thing he wanted her to think was that he would take advantage of the situation.

  And yet that was just what he had done. And why?

  He couldn't really explain his reaction to Brandi. She was young, too young for him. They were totally different in temperament. Now that she was no longer frightened, Greg could see that Brandi was normally friendly and outgoing. He, on the other hand, had trouble relating to people. He was good at what he did professionally, but he was a failure at relationships.

  But he couldn't deny his attraction to Brandi. Perhaps it was because of her warm and friendly personality. He didn't know. All that he knew for sure was that he felt the same way around her as he felt after he'd built a brightly burning fire—as though he could warm himself and find comfort near that flame.

  Somehow Brandi had become a flame to him. He had to be careful that he didn't singe himself.

  By the time they reached the cabin, dark shadows surrounded the area. They had come around the side of the house so that they could enter through the kitchen door when Greg abruptly paused.

  Brandi almost ran into him. She stopped and began to unfasten her skis.

  ''Stay here," he said in a low voice.

  She glanced up, disturbed by the strange note in his voice. "What's wrong?"

  He motioned for her to be quiet and stepped out of his skis. Stealthily he moved closer to the cabin, silently signaling that she should stay where she was.

  Greg disappeared around the corner, only to reappear in a few minutes, motioning her to join him.

  "What's wrong?"

  "We had some company while we were gone." He pointed to two pairs of tracks leading up the driveway to the house.

  " Maybe it was the people who check on the place for Tim."

  "Maybe."

  "Did they go inside?"

  "If they did, nothing was disturbed. They aren't in there now. I checked."

  When they got inside, Brandi shivered. She was feeling the effects of their snow fight.

  "Why don't you get your shower while I build up the fire again?" he suggested.

  She glanced around and saw the solemn stranger she had seen earlier in the day. Gone was the laughing, loving man who had kissed her earlier. Brandi discovered that she missed that man. She had a hunch that very few had ever seen him.

  "All right. Then I'll find us something for dinner while you change."

  Greg watched Brandi go into the bathroom and shut the door. Then he went over to the fireplace and began to blow on the coals. As soon as the new logs were burning, he straightened and looked around the room. As far as he could tell, nothing had been disturbed. The intruders had been professionals. He didn't like that, not at all. Having someone break in while they were gone gave more credence to Brandi's story.

  Of course, he was going to let Brandi believe it was the couple who kept an eye on the place. There was no reason to make her more nervous. She was just now beginning to relax for the first time in days.

  He was glad she hadn't looked at the door. Whoever had gotten in had not had a key, but they had managed to ent
er easily enough. Professionals.

  Now Greg knew for certain that he couldn't leave Brand! until this whole mess was resolved. He just hoped that Tim got in touch soon. Brandi had been right. Tim had the contacts.

  In the meantime, Greg had to make sure that Brandi was kept safe—from whoever was hunting her, and from himself.

  Chapter 3

  Dinner was over, and once again Brandi found herself sitting in front of the fireplace, alternately watching the flames and the man who sat on the rug nearby staring into the fire as though learning the secrets of the universe.

  He'd been quiet during dinner, although he had complimented her on her imaginative casserole. However, Brandi had felt his distraction and wondered about it.

  Was he thinking about the kiss they had shared earlier? She had found it a little disturbing herself, partly because the action seemed to be so out of character for this man. But then, she recognized that she really didn't know much about him. And she was discovering that she wanted to learn a great deal more about him.

  "Greg—" she began, just as he turned.

  "Brandi—" he murmured simultaneously.

  They both smiled and said, "Go ahead." They began to laugh.

  "What were you going to say?" she asked.

  "I was just going to ask you about Tim. How you met, that sort of thing."

  "Oh. Well, that's easy enough. We grew up next door to each other." She wondered why he seemed to withdraw a little at her words. "I was eight when my father died. Mom and I were taken care of financially, but I'm afraid we were both rather helpless. Tim's family adopted us, looking after things, seeing that repairs were made, inviting us to family gatherings, that sort of thing."

  He nodded, as though waiting for her to continue.

  "That's about it. Mom died in my second year of college. She'd appointed Tim the trustee of my financial estate." She laughed. "He's only a few years older than I am, but he's always been so responsible. She knew he would look after me, and he has."

  "I'm surprised you haven't married him," he offered, looking into the flames rather than at her.

  "Marry Tim?" she repeated, surprised at the idea. "It would have been like marrying my brother. I mean, we don't see each other in that light. Tim has always been there for me—" she paused, thinking about the past few days "—well, almost always, but he's not the least bit interested in me romantically, I assure you."

  "I suppose I'm just surprised that someone like you is not already married," he said finally.

  "Someone like me? What does that mean?"

  "You have so much to offer a man."

  "I do? I would hardly agree with that. I get too wrapped up in my work to pay attention to what is going on around me.''

  "You're a great cook."

  "Thank you, kind sir. But then, I forced myself to concentrate. Besides, casseroles are easy—you dump the ingredients together, stick it in the oven and wait for the timer to go off." She grinned. "Of course, there have been times when I was concentrating so much on my work that I didn't hear the timer. The first thing I knew, the smoke alarm alerted me that dinner was slightly overdone."

  They laughed at the verbal picture she painted.

  "How about you? Why aren't you married?" she said after a few moments.

  "I almost was, once."

  She waited, but he didn't say anything more. "Don't tell m.e you're going to stop there, leaving my curiosity unrelieved?''

  "It's a very boring story, really," he offered reluctantly.

  "Nonsense. I can't believe you'd be involved in a romance that was boring." Her adamant remark surprised them both, and she found herself blushing.

  Greg watched her discomfort with amusement. He was a little surprised by her comment. He knew himself very well and recognized that he was in fact more than a little boring. His surprise was that she hadn't already seen that.

  Greg had never talked about his engagement to Penny Blackwell to anyone. It was a closed chapter in his life. Now, for some reason, he found himself wanting to look at it again, with another person. To be more precise, he wanted to share what had happened with Brandi Martin. More surprises.

  He stood up and walked over to the small cabinet where Tim kept his liquor. Picking up a bottle, he said, "How about a snifter of brandy while I tell my tale of unrequited love?"

  She wrinkled her nose. "Despite the name, I've never cared for the taste of the stuff. Does Tim stock any amaretto?"

  He found the appropriate bottle and poured her a glass, then joined her in front of the fire once more. This time he sat down on the sofa beside her, handing her one of the glasses he held in his hands.

  "I had a large law practise in St. Louis and decided to move to Payton, a small town that reminded me of the hometown where I'd grown up back east. Penny Blackwell taught high school in Payton. We were introduced. I noticed that she didn't seem to be dating anyone, so I began to ask her out. The more I was with her, the more I came to love her. After we'd dated for several months, I asked her to marry me. She accepted."

  Greg had started off in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, as though he were explaining the facts of a case to a jury. However, Brandi heard a hesitancy toward the end, as though a slight note of pain had colored the timbre of his voice, when he'd mentioned his proposal and her acceptance.

  For the first time, Brandi recognized that this strong, self-assured, almost arrogant man also had a vulnerability to him that was almost as appealing to her as the lightheartedness that had peeked out at her earlier in the day—just before he'd shared a kiss with her. She was fairly sure that few people had seen this side of him, either.

  Now that he was talking, Greg discovered that it wasn't going to be as easy to relive the past as he had first thought. He took a sip of his drink and wondered how he could change the subject without being too obvious.

  "What happened?" Brandi asked softly. Greg heard compassion and caring in her voice. He was touched. She didn't know him very well, and yet she recognized that what he was telling her was difficult.

  "WelI..." he said, pausing to clear his throat. "What I never realized during that time was that there was another man in her life—a man she'd grown up with who lived next door to her." He glanced over at Brandi. "Rather like you and Tim, from what you tell me." His gaze returned to the fire. "Only, in Penny's case, Brad had moved away and become a well-known television actor." He took a sip of his drink. "Have you ever heard of Brad Crawford?"

  "Brad Crawford? You mean the hunk on Hope for Tomorrow!'' she asked in surprise.

  "That's Brad, all right. I found out a week before our wedding that Brad was Penny's childhood sweetheart."

  "Then there's no parallel between Tim and me, that's for sure," she said with a chuckle. "What happened? Did Penny call off the wedding?"

  ''No."

  She watched him for a moment in silence. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

  "Neither did I, at first. It took me a few days to recognize the fact that Penny really did think she loved me and that she wanted to marry me. She didn't seem to realize how bonded she and Brad truly were. After spending hours analyzing the situation, I finally had to face the fact that what Penny wanted from me was the settled, comfortable, non-threatening existence that I could provide for her."

  "She was actually going to marry you, even though she was in love with someone else?"

  "I don't think she understood her feelings toward Brad at the time. There was a lot of resentment and anger on her part. And yet—" he paused and absently ran his hand through his hair, mussing it in a way that Brandi found peculiarly attractive in this carefully ordered man "—it's tough to explain, but Penny came alive whenever Brad was around. She sparkled and glowed. He seemed to bring out all of her emotions, so that she practically vibrated with energy whenever he was around her."

  He stood up and put another log on the fire. "Penny taught me so much. I had never felt so much love toward another person, not since I was a child. She brought my feelings t
o the surface, and I'll admit I was uncomfortable having to face them. But because she had taught me what love was all about, I recognized what was happening. I wasn't the man she needed to make her life complete. She was settling for less because she was afraid to reach out and grab what life was truly offering her."

  "That must have been a very painful conclusion for you to come to."

  He was surprised that she saw that so quickly. He nodded, unable for the moment to find the words to agree.

  "You loved her. You loved her enough to understand that your loving her wasn't right for her. You loved her enough to let her go."

  "I don't think I looked at it quite so unselfishly, I'm afraid. If I'd thought our relationship had a chance of working out, I'm sure I would have fought for what we had. But I knew it was only a question of time before Penny recognized what she had given up by not marrying Brad. I didn't want to stay around and watch her gradual disillusionment."

  "So what happened? Did you call off the wedding?"

  "I'm afraid I wasn't that honorable about it. I just didn't show up."

  Brandi set her glass down abruptly and stared at Greg in shocked dismay. "What? You mean you let Penny show up at the church without telling her you'd changed your mind? How horrible!"

  "Yes, Brad expressed similar sentiments to me the day before the wedding when I told him of my intentions."

  She stared at the man sitting beside her, unable to comprehend anyone behaving in such a cold and callous manner. "Poor Penny."

  "I was hoping you would give me a little credit for understanding human nature better than to think that Brad would allow her to be humiliated in front of everyone. By telling him my intentions ahead of time, I knew that I was giving him an opportunity to save the day. I deliberately made myself look like a heel. Otherwise, I was fairly sure that Penny would insist on going through with the marriage and ignoring how she felt toward Brad."

  "But still-"

  "I know. What I did was cowardly and reprehensible."