il

he doorbell sliced through t

t leaping in

out of his room. Maybe he was ready to talk, to expla

door sta

m earlier already dissolving into a

rough the

n't Do

, and she was wearing a cream-colored Chanel suit that probably cost more than this entire cabin. Behind her

usty Ford pickup, was a gleaming black Bentley.

of caution tightened in my sto

ed, a small, patient smile on her face. Then, as if she knew I was

re disarmed me slightly. A hesita

to Donovan's bedr

ing by the door. He frowned, then pushed me aside and wa

es close to t

into pure, unadulterated shock, and beneath it-unmistakable thi

per. A word I'd never

letely unguarded, that it stole my breath. No ice. No walls. Just a despera

ing, a half-step back

ough his lungs. The shoulders squared-not in anger, but like

. "Donovan, my dear boy! Is that

dmot

ked like she'd just stepped out of a magazine was Donovan's gran

sh, that for a moment I forgot to be confused. He shifted his weight, blocking the doorway more out

she glided into the living room as if he were nothing more than a minor inconveni

toe. But there was no judgment in he

y. A hand extended, wrist adorned with a simple, elegant diamo

Hers was warm and surprisingly

Genevieve. You're even lovelier in

ot

m pale to a dark, thunderous shade of red. The expression

en who had appeared out of nowhere to start unloading a

watching his carefully stacked house of cards begin to wobble. "Grand

right. You said you wanted to handle it yourself. And I can see you're doing a

consciously touched my cheek, realizing the e

ened his mouth, then closed it. No words. J

ustic cabin. Then a wide, satisfied

heerful authority. "I'm going to stay here for a while. It's

eamed

en a groan and a laugh-the hollow, defeate

ly constructed, miserable little world was