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Why was he telling her this now? When it was too late?

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted to protect

you.” “From what? The truth?”

“From the danger surrounding you.” He reached

across the table and curled his fingers around her arm.

She jerked away. “Don't.”

“Jenna, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

How odd. Her body felt like it had been injected with

Novocain. Everything had been a lie. From the beginning.

Tomorrow morning, she'd make arrangements to ship out

of Kentucky on a van going to California.

“Say something, please.”

Jenna loosened her grip on the mug and inhaled

deeply. She attempted to release her anger with an

exhale. “It’s all been said.”

Dani and Guy returned to the table arm in arm,

smiling at each other. Jenna hated to ruin her friend's

evening, but had no choice. “Dani, I'd like to go home.

Mind if I spend the night at your place?”

Dani stared at Jenna, concern in her expression.

“Sure you can. Want to go right now?”

“I'd better before I give in to my impulse to kick some

ass.” Guy tilted his head back and laughed.

Jenna pushed away from the table without another

glance at Rye. The room swayed and she grabbed the

chair to steady herself. Christ. How many beers had she

drunk?

“Jenna? Let me follow you to Dani’s.”

She stiffened at Rye's offer, but didn't turn.

Guy spoke. “I’ll do that. I’m headed out of here

anyway.”

Jenna smiled. “Thanks, Guy.”

“You'll be at the barn tomorrow morning, Jenna?”

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Rye asked.

The man didn't know when to quit. Jenna forced

herself to turn and look at him. “I'll be there. Consider it

official. You have my two week notice.” With as much

grace as she could muster under the effects of the alcohol,

she held her head high and sailed out of the bar. The

minute she breathed the fresh night air, her shoulders

slumped.

“What happened between you and Rye while Guy and

I were dancing? We were only gone ten minutes.”

Jenna's long legs carried her swiftly across the dirt

parking lot, and Dani ran to keep up with her. Guy

walked beside Dani.

“Not much. I just decided that I can no longer live

with Rye’s lies.”

“Ouch.” Dani touched her hand. “I'm sorry, Jenna. I

know how much that must hurt.”

“Whoa,” Guy barged into the conversation. “Don't

ride yourself so hard. You're one hell of a trainer. Besides,

you've got a wonder horse. You don't need Rye Cameron

to make a name for yourself in this business.”

Jenna smiled, touched by his kindness. “You're a nice

man, Guy Anderson.”

“Hell, I've got more horses than I can handle. Come

work with me. Two trainers are better than one. We'll

split the winnings fifty-fifty.”

They arrived at Dani's car. “I'll think about it.

Thanks again.”

“I'll stay right behind you. Dani told me what’s been

happening, Jenna. Scary business. You can't be too

careful.”

He started to walk away, then turned around. “Six

o'clock work for you in the morning, Dani?”

“You bet. See you then.”

Jenna climbed in the passenger side and closed the

door, her eyes lingering on Guy as he sauntered to his

truck parked a few rows away.

“He's a super guy,” she told Dani when she got

behind the wheel. “He likes you. Grab him before someone

else does.”

“Jenna! He asked me to ride his horse, not him.”

“I'm sure he'd be willing.” She laughed at her friend's

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scandalized expression. “A bit of advice from a friend.

Forget Brett. The Cameron brothers are nothing but

trouble.”

“You’re right. Sometimes it’s hard to listen to your

head instead of your heart.”

“What is it?” Jenna asked when Dani kept checking

the rearview mirror.

“I wish Guy wasn't following us home.”

“Why? It was sweet of him to offer.”

“I'm embarrassed for him to see the dump I live in.”

Jenna's heart went out to her friend. Dani lived in a

bad part of town in a rundown trailer park.

“Hey, don't apologize for where you live. Besides, it's

not like it's the family homestead. It's just a place to hang

your hat when you're in town.”

“True, but still...”

Dani pulled into her driveway. Guy pulled in right

behind. Jenna saw Dani relax when he tooted the horn,

waved and backed out.

“There. That wasn't so bad.”

Dani shrugged. “Guess not.”

The trailer only had one bedroom, so Jenna prepared

to bunk on the couch. Despite the condition of the outside

of the trailer, Dani kept the inside clean. Cluttered

maybe, but clean. Granted it looked more like a tack room

than a home, but her life consisted of horses and the

racetrack. One side of the living room was full of saddles,

bridles and riding boots. On the other side sat a couch

facing a small television and an arm chair.

As soon as they stepped into the trailer, Jenna's cell

phone rang. She checked the incoming number and shut it

off. “Rye?” Dani asked with a smile.

“You got it.”

Thirty seconds later, the phone on the wall in the

trailer rang.

Dani glanced at Jenna. “Sorry. I'd better answer it or

we'll end up with company.”

The conversation was short.

“He just wanted to make sure we got home safely.”

“Rye or Brett?”

Dani's brows shot up. “Now who do you think?”

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Jenna feigned disinterest. “It doesn't matter. Got a

blanket? I'm going to bed.”

Dani leaned against the kitchen counter. “Come on

Jenna, level with me. You're too far gone on Rye to just up

and forget him.”

“I came damn close to falling over that cliff, but

grabbed the branch of a scrub pine on the way down and

saved myself.”

Dani shook her head. “Lie to yourself if you want, but

not to me. You're in love with him. Why fight it? It's

obvious he cares for you, too. So he made some mistakes.

Haven’t you done that yourself a few times?”

“Obvious to who? Not me. He wants a trainer,

bedmate and best friend all rolled into one.”

“And you want 'wife' added to the list?”

“Is that so hard to understand?”

Dani shook her head. “No, not for me. But then

again, I'm not a man. I don't think like a man.”

Jenna shifted from foot to foot. “The Cameron men

don't think like most men do. They've got quite a hang-up

about marriage and the happy-ever-after ending.

While Dani went to get the blankets, Jenna pulled all

the thin shades in the trailer. She slipped out of her

shoes, deciding to sleep in her clothes. Nothing of Dani's

would fit. She should have grabbed a nightshirt when

they stopped at her apartment.

“Here you go. One blanket enough?”

“For sure. See you in the morning.”

Dani turned out the lights in the kitchen on her way

back to the bedroom.

Jenna checked to make sure the door was locked and

lowered herself into a purple chair beside the couch.

Where in hell had Dani managed to find such an ugly

piece of furniture? As well as being ugly, it wasn't even

comfortable. The rock-hard cushion hurt her butt.

Something scraped on the window outside. A shiver

of apprehension shot through her. A branch tapping the

window? No, that was impossible. The wind hadn't been

blowing when they'd arrived. There hadn’t been so much

as a breeze stirring the night air. God. What a wimp she'd

turned into.
You feel sorry for yourself, Jenna Green.

She rested her head against the purple upholstery

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and rehashed the evening's events. Her shivering stopped

when she recalled the heat of Rye's body during their

dance. Why had she acted so unreasonable? So bitchy?

He'd never promised her anything in the beginning.

The headlights of a car flashed across the wall, a

reminder that not only was Dani's trailer close to the

road, but the shades were paper thin. Two dogs yipped

incessantly from somewhere within the trailer park,

grating on her frayed nerves. Why didn’t the owners bring

the dogs inside or tell them to stop barking? Some people

shouldn’t be allowed to have animals.

Just as she'd grown accustomed to the barking, a

baby began to wail, adding to the chorus. Christ. No

wonder Dani never stayed home.

She forced her thoughts back to Rye. Instead of

hearing him out like an adult, she'd given him the cold

shoulder. Behaved like an adolescent. She could be at the

farm with him right now curled up in his arms rather

than sitting here in this ugly purple chair listening to

strange noises.

Think of something else, Jenna.
Guy Anderson and

Dani popped into her mind. They'd make a great couple,

but since Guy would be heading back to New York after

his horse raced this weekend, it probably wouldn't

happen.

She absently trailed a finger across the wood of the

chair's armrest. Maybe a glass of milk would help her

sleep.

The glasses were on the top shelf of the cupboard

over the sink. Jenna had to stand on tiptoe to reach one.

At five feet, Dani wasn't tall enough to get a glass from

her own cupboard. Probably why her friend ate all her

meals in the track kitchen.

After a quick look at the expiration date on the milk

carton, she settled for a glass of water. At least it wet her

dry throat.

She set the glass in the sink and sighed. No sense

prolonging the inevitable. She needed to sleep. Tomorrow

the sun would rise, bringing a new day with new

possibilities. In the morning she'd agree to have that

conversation with Rye. She had a right to be angry, but

she'd at least hear his side of the story before she headed

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west. Jenna settled on the couch, cuddled into the quilt and

pretended the springs weren’t poking her backside. Ten

minutes later, she still lay in the dark pondering her

problems. Could she accept all that had happened and

give Rye another chance?

Eventually, her muscles relaxed and she drifted off.

Suspended in a half-asleep, half-awake state, Jenna

struggled to open her eyes when a muffled sound came

from the door.

The back of her neck prickled. Dani? Of course not.

Dani wouldn’t sneak up on her.

Maybe it was Rye. Would he have the nerve to just

walk into Dani’s home? Possibly. The man was persistent,

if nothing else. Jenna sat up and swung her legs off the

couch. The instant her feet touched the carpet, something

heavy connected with the side of her face. Stars exploded

inside her head, then faded like burned out fireworks.

****

at nothing in particular. He nursed a shot of Jack

Daniels. How could he have screwed up so badly with

Jenna? Would he ever understand women? Didn’t she

realize how much he cared for her? He tilted the glass,

swirling the amber liquid. If drinking the entire bottle

would heal his hurting, he’d drink it. At least he wasn’t

that stupid. Just the thought of having to face tomorrow

morning with a hangover gave him the willies.

Why did Jenna blame him for everything? Hadn’t she

lied as well? Pretending to only want fun between the

sheets, when the whole time she’d wanted more? As hard

as he tried, he couldn’t work up any anger. Knowing she

loved him warmed him more than the whiskey. He’d keep

Jenna in his heart until he could hold her in his arms. He

hoped it would be tomorrow.

The past had finally caught up to him. Christ. He

was no better than his mother. How many women had he

hurt with his coldhearted attitude? Just because none of

them complained about his callous treatment didn't mean

he hadn't crushed their egos.

Damn it. He refused to accept he was too late to

make it right with Jenna. She belonged to him — whether

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she acknowledged it or not.

Restless, he rose and paced the floor.

“You’ll wear a hole in that rug you’re so fond of.”

Rye barely glanced at Brett standing in the doorway.

“I thought you were in bed.”

“Couldn’t sleep. What about you?”

Rye gestured toward the bottle of whiskey. “Have a

drink.”

“No thanks. It's not like you to drink at midnight.”

“Hard to explain. I’ve got this feeling that I can’t

shake.”

Brett settled in the recliner, and fisted his hand

under his chin. “Tell me about it.”

Rye shrugged. “Can’t. Don’t know what it is. At first I

thought it was anxiety because Jenna refused to listen to

me. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“One of those generic ‘all’s not right with the world’

feelings?”

Rye attempted a smile. “Something like that.”

“Tomorrow we’ll search Casey's room. Even if we

don't find evidence, we'll take him in for questioning. I’m