Under the Millionaire's Mistletoe

One

Anna Cameron ducked behind a tinsel-draped potted plant and peeked through the lacy fronds at the mingling crowd. The Cameron Leather company Christmas party was in high gear. People she’d known most of her life were here, laughing, talking, drinking. She wished she were out there in the middle of them enjoying herself.

Instead, she was hiding from her stepmother. Not that Clarissa Cameron was an evil woman or anything. But she’d had a little too much to drink and now all she wanted to do was corner Anna and try to convince her to win back her former boyfriend, Garret Hale.

“As if I’d take him back,” Anna muttered, pulling aside a tinsel-decorated frond to scan the crowd in front of her.

They’d gone out only a few times when Garret’s older brother Samuel told him to drop her. He’d actually had the nerve to suggest that Anna was doing exactly what Clarissa now wanted her to do. Using Garret to help her father’s company. Okay, fine, a merger with Hale Luxury Autos would probably save Cameron Leather, but she wasn’t a bargaining chip. And even if she had been, it wouldn’t have worked.

Because Garret had backed away from her so fast that he’d left sparks in his wake. He hadn’t stood up for her to his snooty, suspicious older brother. He’d called Anna to tell her they couldn’t see each other anymore because the Great Sam Hale had decreed it. He’d threatened to cut Garret off financially if he hadn’t stopped seeing Anna.

“No loss,” Anna reassured herself. So despite what Clarissa wanted, Anna wouldn’t have Garret back on a platter. She hadn’t even been that interested in the man in the first place. One kiss had told her everything she needed to know about him. She hadn’t felt the slightest tingle of expectation when he kissed her. Hadn’t seen a single star. She had known then that he was not the man for her.

She wanted the magic.

Of course, the fact that he’d wimped out for the sake of his big brother and his wallet didn’t exactly endear him to her either. And her life might have been easier if she could just admit to Clarissa what had happened. But she had a little pride after all.

Clarissa kept urging her to do exactly what Garret’s brother had assumed she was up to in the first place-marry the man and bring a nice merger to the family business.

“Anna, honey, is that you in there?”

She jerked, startled and turned to look guiltily into her father’s eyes. “Um, hi, Dad.”

“What’re you doing behind a plant, sweetie?” Dave Cameron’s green eyes were smiling, but Anna couldn’t help but notice that there was a glimmer of worry there, too.

How to explain that she was hiding from his wife? Nope, couldn’t do it. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but Clarissa and Anna had never been as close as her dad wanted them to be. Until ten years ago, it had been just her and her father. Her own mother had died when Anna was two, so all she really had were photographs and her dad’s stories.

When Clarissa came into their lives, Anna was seventeen. She hadn’t been interested in acquiring a new “mother,” and at the time had really resented having to share her father’s affections. She and Clarissa had finally gotten to the point where they could be friends, if not mother and daughter, but Anna knew her father still worried about their relationship.

So, instead of blurting out the truth, Anna ran her fingertips across the top of the big blue ceramic pot. “Just checking to make sure everything’s tidy. Yep, no dust.”

He laughed and took her arm, drawing her out from behind the palm. “Housekeeping has never been one of your interests, so what’s really going on?”

The music was too loud for any deep conversation and Anna wasn’t interested in having one anyway. So she simply smiled, kissed her father’s cheek and said, “Nothing, Dad. Everything’s great. The party’s wonderful.”

“So wonderful you’re hiding in the shrubbery?”

“Honestly?” she said, mentally crossing her fingers for the tiny lie she was about to tell, “Darren Shivers has had one beer too many and wanted to tell me all about how he won the high school football game back in the seventies.”

“Oh, he’s not telling that story again, is he?”

“You know Darren,” she said, telling herself that really, it wasn’t much of a lie. Any time the man had more than three beers, he cornered someone and forced him or her to relive his glory days with him. Still, couldn’t hurt to change the subject. “Looks like everyone’s having fun.”

“Seem to be,” he mused, swiftly scanning the crowd that was even now dancing to the music and gathering in knots to try to talk. “Your stepmother’s done a fine job.”

“Yes, Clarissa’s very good at this sort of thing,” she said, meaning it. She and her stepmother did have common ground after all. They both loved Anna’s dad.

Her dad sent her a sidelong glance. “Is there something going on between you two?”

“Absolutely not,” she said, unwilling to put her father in the middle of all this. Besides, Anna knew that Clarissa’s tipsy attempt at matchmaking was only because she was worried about her husband.

Hard to fault her for that when Anna was worried, too.

Cameron Leather company was in trouble and despite this wonderful party, the truth was, if something great didn’t happen soon, her dad was going to lose the company he’d built up from nothing. But Dave Cameron was an “old school” kind of man. He treated the women in his life like princesses and didn’t want them “fretting” about company concerns. Her dad was sweet and old-fashioned and she loved him fiercely.

She forced a smile on to her face and said, “Don’t worry about Clarissa and me. We’re fine. And it’s a great party, Dad. Why don’t you go enjoy it?”

“Good idea.” He took a step, stopped and asked, “You’re not going back behind that plant are you? You’re too beautiful to hide away.”

She held up one hand. “I swear. I will have a good time. Now go, dance with your wife.”

And keep her off my trail, she added silently.

By the time her father had slipped back into the crowd, greeting old friends with a forced holiday cheer, Anna had disappeared from the ballroom. As a child, she’d explored every inch of the big house, so she knew all the nooks and crannies to disappear into.

She was stopped a dozen times to talk to someone or answer a question from the catering staff. The music jumped into a wild dance beat with a tune from the forties and the drumbeats seemed to echo in the headache behind her eyes.

“Clarissa’s looking for you,” someone said and Anna smiled and kept moving. Just nod, she told herself. Smile and keep walking.

She was almost at the long hallway leading to the front door when she heard, “Anna!”

She stopped again with a barely restrained sigh. Not an easy thing to do at all, she thought, slipping out of a party where she knew everyone. She turned to chat yet again with one of her father’s employees.

Eddie Hanover was short, round and sported a wispy gray comb-over. He was one of the guys Anna had grown up around and she loved him like a second father. “Hi, Eddie. How’s it going?”

“Going great, Anna. Trust your dad to hold to traditions even when times are hard,” he said with a grin.

True. Her father hadn’t wanted to even discuss canceling the annual Christmas party. The company might be in trouble, but her dad wouldn’t “cheat” his employees out of something they looked forward to all year.

“Have you seen Clarissa?” Eddie’s wife Trina asked. “She’s been looking all over for you.”

“Well, I’ll go look for her.” In the driveway. Inside her own car.

“Just wanted to say howdy, let you know we all appreciate the Camerons throwing the party,” Eddie told her, then grabbed Trina’s hand and dragged her off in the direction of the music.

She nodded, but the pair were already lost in the mingling crowd. Then she caught a flash of something bright red out of the corner of her eye. When she glanced over, she saw it was Clarissa, headed her way.

Think fast, she told herself. If only she were dating someone else, she thought frantically. Then Clarissa would have to give up on the whole “marry for the sake of the family” idea and she’d drop the subject of Garret Hale for good.

Unfortunately, there was no man in Anna’s life and no prospects for one anytime soon. Her gaze scanning the room, frantically trying to find an escape route, she eventually spotted something even better.

A tall man with no woman clinging to his arm, standing beneath a red ribbon-bedecked sprig of mistletoe.

With Clarissa hot on her heels, Anna sprinted toward him, moving in and out of the ever-shifting crowd like a race car driver on a complicated course. When she was right behind him, she tapped him on the shoulder and shouted to be heard over the pounding music.

“Kiss me and save my life!”

Two

He spun around, his lake-blue eyes fixed on her. Then he smiled, reached for her and said, “My pleasure.”

She barely had time to take a breath before his mouth came down on hers. He wrapped his arms around her, held her tight and kissed her as she’d never been kissed before. Long and hard and deep, he sent sparks of something wonderful shooting through her system. His tongue tangled with hers as he tasted her completely and Anna found herself melting into him, giving herself up to the incredible glory of what he was making her feel.

The magic she used to dream about was here. Finally here. In the arms of a man she’d never met before.

Who was her newfound hero anyway?

“Oh, Anna!”

Clarissa’s voice penetrated the lovely glow surrounding her and Anna reluctantly broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to stare up into her rescuer’s blue eyes.

Really, the man was drop-dead gorgeous. No, better. He was bring-the-dead-back-to-life gorgeous. Lake-blue eyes, night-black hair, a strong jaw and shoulders wide enough to belong to a professional football player.

The music was playing, the steady roar of conversations continued to roll on, but she felt as though she and her mystery man were all alone in the world. Until Clarissa piped up again.

“You should have told me!”

“What?” she asked, still looking into those deep blue eyes. “Told you what?”

Clarissa moved in close, gave Anna a tight hug and said, “You should have told me that the reason you stopped seeing Garret was because you were involved with his brother!” Brother?

“You’re Anna Cameron?”

“You’re Sam Hale?”

“This is wonderful,” Clarissa said on a satisfied sigh.

This was a nightmare, Sam Hale told himself, looking down at the pretty woman who had just knocked his socks off.

He didn’t belong there and he knew it. Didn’t matter that he’d been invited to the Cameron Christmas party. Hell, it looked as if half of Crystal Bay, California, was crammed into the ballroom of Dave Cameron’s big house on the sea.

But he wasn’t there for the warm holiday celebration, he’d come to get an up close look at Dave’s daughter. Of course he’d seen pictures of her, but he hadn’t had the time to recognize her before that mind-numbing kiss. The woman he’d heard so much about from his brother, Garret. The same woman who was now looking at him as if he’d just crawled out from under a rock.

He was here to find out if maybe he’d been wrong about the woman. It was no secret that Cameron Leather was in trouble. And the fact that Dave Cameron’s daughter had been dating his brother had just seemed too coincidental to Sam. He’d figured that some wily, sneaky, money-hungry woman had latched on to Garret for one reason only.

Cash.

But Garret was still pissed about this, so Sam had decided to see for himself if his suspicions were true. If he was wrong about her, he could try to smooth things over between this woman and his brother.

He was off to a hell of a start.

“I can’t believe you kissed me!” she accused.

“You asked me to,” he reminded her. And there was nothing he’d like better at the moment than to kiss her again. As soon as that thought hit his brain, his blood started humming. He was ready and willing and all too damn eager to give in to his desires. So, he clung to the threads of his anger and used them to fight back the growing rush of want.

She pointed to the arched doorjamb above his head. “You’re standing under mistletoe. And I didn’t know it was you, now, did I?” the redhead with the beautiful eyes argued.

“Anna, you two shouldn’t bicker,” Clarissa lowered her voice and leaned in to make sure she was heard. “It’s a party.”

“This isn’t what you think it is,” Anna said, still glaring at him.

What he should do is leave. Distance himself from this whole mess. But he couldn’t quite make himself walk away from her. At least, not yet.

“Lovers’ quarrels,” the older woman said, “happens to everyone, dear.”

“Oh, God,” Anna whispered.

Then she licked her lips and Sam’s insides tightened. His focus was narrowed on her. This woman was nothing like what he’d expected. The kind of woman his brother usually went for was-less than this one. This woman had fire inside her and a mind of her own. She clearly wasn’t an empty-headed party girl looking for a good time. The question was, was she a mercenary woman looking for a fat wallet?

“I can’t believe this,” she muttered.

Damned if he’d stand there and be accused of being a lecher or something. “You know, I was just standing there minding my own business…”

“Have you met my husband?” Clarissa asked.

“You should have introduced yourself,” Anna told him.

“Before or after you propositioned me?” he countered.

She gasped, outraged. “I did not!”

“You said, ‘Kiss me and save my life,’” he reminded her with a grin. “What did you expect a man to do?”

“Okay, yes, I did. But I didn’t know it was you.”

“We covered that already,” he said.

“I’ll just find Dave,” Clarissa said, tipsily oblivious. “He’ll be so happy to know about the two of you!”

“Don’t!” Anna spoke up quickly, but it was too late, the older woman was already disappearing into the crowd. “Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

“Now that we’re alone, want to move back under the mistletoe?”

“No!” She flushed, though, and he knew she was lying. She stared helplessly after her stepmother for a long minute. Then whipping back around to glare at him again, she said, “You have to leave.”

He’d been thinking the same damn thing a second ago. But now that she was practically ordering him out, Sam wasn’t about to leave. “Hey, I was invited. Why should I leave just because you’re suddenly regretting trying to seduce me?”

She hissed in a breath and her cheeks flamed with hot color. Amazing. He hadn’t thought there were still women around who actually blushed. Sam was more intrigued by the minute-and even less inclined to leave than he had been.

“I did not try to seduce you,” she said through gritted teeth. “It was a blip. An emergency situation.”

He was starting to enjoy himself. “An emergency make out session?”

“We didn’t-” She stopped, took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. “You know what? I’m not doing this anymore. If you’re not going to leave, I will.”

She turned around so fast that her long, auburn hair swung out behind her like a flag. She was wearing a sleeveless silver top that clung to her breasts and a short, black silk skirt that hugged her behind and defined every curve. Her long, lean legs looked as smooth and pale as fresh cream and the three-inch black heels she wore had a cutout at the toes that spotlighted dark red nails.

His gaze dropped to her behind as she hurried away from him and he had to admire the indignant sway of her hips. But damned if he was going to let her walk off and leave him standing there still buzzed from that kiss.

Sam caught up to her in a few long strides. Grabbing her arm, he stopped her, then swung her around to face him.

She looked pointedly at his hand on her arm. “Excuse me?”

He laughed but let her go. “Does that snotty queen-to-peasant tone usually work on men?”

Her eyes widened. “I’m not the one who tells people how to live their lives,” she told him flatly. “That would be your specialty, remember?”

A couple of guests wandered through the hallway and before he could suggest it, Anna pointed down the hall and he followed her. She was clearly looking for some privacy to finish this conversation. She led him to a pair of French doors that opened into a garden with a stone pathway laid out between the flower beds. She started off down the path and Sam was right behind her.

A glance to his left showed him bright lights spilling from the ballroom to lay across a wide, brick patio. The music was muted at a distance and the rush of people talking sounded like the sea, rising and falling in rhythm.

Only twenty or so feet away, it was as if he and Anna were alone in the world. There were no lights decorating this tidy garden, just the moonlight covering everything in a pale glow. She kept walking and Sam stayed close, until she stopped beside a stone bench encircling a small fountain in the shape of a dolphin.

The white noise of the falling water drowned out most of the party, but truth to tell, Sam was so caught up in the woman in front of him that he wouldn’t have noticed a train blasting through the yard.

Satisfied that they were alone, Anna continued her rant as if she hadn’t been interrupted.

“How is it you get to decide what people do and who they date?”

Irritated, he snapped, “I don’t remember filling out your social calendar. As for my brother…”

“Did you or did you not tell him to stop dating me because I was-” She stopped and tapped her chin with the tip of one finger. “Let me see if I can get this just right. She’s using you to get to my money to save her father.” She narrowed her eyes on him. “That about cover it?”

Hearing his own words tossed back at him caused him to wince. Figured that his brother would be fool enough to actually tell her what Sam had said. He should have known.

Most of his life, Sam had been taking care of Garret. He’d seen him through school, bailed him out of trouble occasionally and waited for him to grow up. Hadn’t happened yet, though.

He moved in closer to her and had the satisfaction of seeing her eyes widen slightly at his nearness. Good to know he wasn’t the only one still affected by that kiss.

“He shouldn’t have repeated that to you.”

“You shouldn’t have said it in the first place.”

“I’m looking out for my family.”

“And what? I’m a threat?”

Looking at her now, Sam thought she was only a threat to a man’s sanity. But how could he be sure she wasn’t simply an excellent actress? If she was feigning insult, though, she was doing a damn good job of it.

“Babe, I don’t know what you are. All I know is I do what I have to for my family-why shouldn’t I expect you to do the same?”

“So you don’t even deny saying it-and don’t call me ‘babe.’”

He scraped one hand across the back of his neck. “No, I don’t. Can you deny that your father’s company’s in trouble?”

She took a deep breath and helplessly, Sam’s gaze briefly dropped to the deep V of her shirt. When his eyes met hers again, he noted fresh fury sparking in her grass-green eyes.

Lowering her voice, she said, “Are you in the Middle Ages or something? You really believe I would barter myself to save my dad’s company?”

“People have done a lot more for a lot less,” he mused.

“Well, I don’t,” she told him. “And I really think you’ve insulted me enough for one night, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” he said, edging closer, “I think we’ve both done enough talking.”

Staring down into her eyes, he reached for her and waited to see if she would pull away. She glared at him. He pulled her in closer, until her breasts were pillowed against his chest and he could feel the heat of her body sliding into his.

“This isn’t a good idea,” she said, tilting her head back to look up at him. “I should be kicking you.”

“Yeah,” he said, his gaze moving over her features as if trying to burn her image onto his brain. “But doesn’t seem to matter. I’ve got to taste you again.”

“Really not a good idea,” she whispered, going up on her toes to meet him as he lowered his head to hers.

His lips brushed hers and he felt that zip of something amazing scatter through him. Her mouth opened under his and he swept inside, losing himself in her heat, her acceptance. He felt her heartbeat pounding against his chest and knew that his own heart was matching that wild rhythm.

She leaned into him and he swept her up, nearly lifting her off her feet to get her closer to him. He wanted more. Wanted bare skin beneath his hands. Wanted to ease her down on that damn bench and-

Close by, a raucous burst of laughter shattered the night as people started wandering out into the garden. The intrusion was enough to tear them apart instantly.

Sam took a step back from her, just for good measure, and he didn’t think it was far enough. Her taste still filled his mouth and his blood was pumping through his veins as hot and thick as lava.

“This is crazy,” she whispered, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe what was happening between them.

Sam knew exactly how she felt. “Doesn’t seem to matter,” he said, as he took a step closer to her.

An uneasy laugh shot from her throat. “We are not doing that again.”

“Why not?” Yeah, he knew this was trouble. But he didn’t really care.

“Because…” She mentally searched for a good reason and apparently came up empty. Still struggling for breath, she added, “We’re just not going to, trust me. And if you won’t leave, then I will.”

She swept past him, chin lifted, head held high.

“Good night, Anna Cameron,” he said softly.

She stopped, looked over her shoulder at him and said pointedly, “Goodbye, Sam Hale.”

Three

Sam didn’t leave.

Instead, he wandered through the party, listening to snippets of conversation even as he tried to get her out of his mind. She wouldn’t go, though. Instead, he kept seeing her eyes, filled with fury and dazzled with passion. He heard her voice, standing up to him as no one had dared do in years. She hadn’t backed down. She’d stood her ground and challenged him. Argued with him.

And then kissed him senseless.

Why the hell had a woman like her ever dated Garret? he asked himself. She was way too much woman for his younger brother. Which led him back to his original thought, that she had only been dating Garret to try to help her father’s company.

But if that were true, why wouldn’t she have tried to snag Sam? Why not go for the head of the business?

He accepted a glass of wine from a passing waiter, had a sip, then set the flute down again on a nearby table. His gaze scanned the crowd, noting the decorations, the Christmas tree that had to stand ten feet tall and the mountain of small gifts beneath it, tokens for their guests, all wrapped in bright paper and festive ribbons.

Sam didn’t know whether to admire Dave Cameron for going ahead with a party when times were so bad for his company, or to pity him for being a fool. The snippets of conversations he’d heard throughout the place told him that everyone in the room knew about Dave’s troubles, so this party wasn’t fooling anyone. Why do it, then?

“Having a good time?”

The voice behind him caught Sam off guard and his shoulders stiffened. He should have known that Dave Cameron would come and find him. Especially considering the man’s wife had probably reported seeing Sam and Anna kissing like teenagers in the backseat of a car.

Turning, he held out his hand. “It’s a good party, Dave.”

“Glad you could come,” the other man said, shaking his hand. “Don’t recall seeing you here last year.”

Or any other year. Sam didn’t usually get involved in community activities. The only reason he was here this year was because he’d wanted a look at Anna. Now, he wanted another, longer look at her. “You know how it is,” he said, “never enough time to relax.”

“You should take the time,” Dave told him. “There’s more to life than business.”

“So I hear.”

The older man watched him thoughtfully. “Clarissa tells me you and Anna have…met.”

Uncomfortable, Sam hedged. No doubt, the story of that mistletoe kiss had already made the rounds, thanks to Clarissa. As it was, he felt the stares of at least a dozen people. Small towns were notorious for gossip, and Sam knew he and Anna were going to be the hot topic for at least a few days.

“Yeah. That’s a long story, though,” he said and gave a quick look around at the surrounding crowd. “Not really the time for it now.”

Nodding, Dave said, “I’ll look forward to hearing it.”

“Right.” Not a conversation Sam wanted to have. “Well, I only stopped by to wish you a Merry Christmas, so I think I’ll be going.”

“No need to rush off,” Dave told him. “Stay, enjoy yourself.”

The only way that would happen is if he could get Anna to himself again. And because the chance of that was slim, there was really no point in sticking around.

“I appreciate it. Another time.” He took a step, then stopped and added, “Say good night to Anna for me.”

Let her explain the situation to her father, he thought with an inner smile.

“Now that’s a gorgeous Christmas tree.”

Anna stepped back to admire her own handiwork and smiled at her best friend, Tula Barrons. Her real name was Tallulah, but heaven help you if you actually called her that. Tula’s blond hair was cut short, close to her head. She wore silver hoop earrings, a blue tunic sweater and black jeans with navy blue boots.

“Thanks,” Anna said. “I like a lot of lights.”

“Yeah, they’ll probably be able to spot that tree from space.” Tula grinned as she carried in the lattes she’d gotten at the corner coffee bar.

Anna studied the tall Douglas fir. There were only four strands of a hundred lights on it. “Can you really overdo Christmas?” she wondered aloud. “I don’t think so.”

Tula handed her one of the lattes and took a long look at the tree herself. After a second or two, she nodded. “I think you’re right.”

“Plus, it looks great in the front window and maybe it’ll draw in some holiday business.” She could use it, Anna thought. Her shop, Faux Reality, had been all too quiet for the last couple of weeks.

But then, people weren’t really thinking about faux finishes or trompe l’oeil paintings on their walls right now. They were too busy buying presents and baking. All good, she told herself, because Anna, too, loved the Christmas season. But she could do with a really big job about now, so she could go and do some Christmas shopping herself.

Tula took a sip of her latte and looked at Anna over the rim. “Is business that bad?”

Anna sighed. As a writer of children’s books, Tula had her own worries, but at least she understood that making a career out of the “arts” was usually feast or famine. “Bad enough that I took a couple of quickie jobs painting storefront windows. Art is art, right? I mean, Christmas trees on windows is still painting.”

“Absolutely.” After taking another sip, Tula nodded and said, “So, I heard all about the big mistletoe kiss last night.”

Anna choked on a gulp of hot latte. “You heard? How? Where?”

“Are you kidding?” Her friend laughed. “You’ve lived in Crystal Bay your whole life, just like me. You know the grapevine in town works faster than a Google search.”

“Oh, God.” Suddenly, the brightly lit tree wasn’t uplifting her spirits quite so much anymore.

“Oh, yeah,” Tula said, walking to the front counter and dropping onto one of the high-backed stools. “So spill. Tell me everything. Word is you and Sam Hale were lip-locked so completely that steam was lifting off the tops of your heads.”

“Oh, this is perfect,” Anna muttered.

“Sure sounded like it,” Tula agreed, then asked, “still, I’m dying to know…wasn’t it weird kissing the brother of the guy you used to go out with?”

Weird wasn’t the word she’d use, Anna thought. Hot. Passionate. Intense. Crazy, even. All good words. Weird? Not so much.

“I really don’t want to talk about this,” she said, moving to hang one of her antique ornaments from a high branch of the tree.

“Nice attempt at evasion,” Tula told her with a laugh. “But no way are you getting out of this. I left the party early, so I didn’t see the show you two put on. But ac cording to Kate, down at Espresso Heaven, people clear across the room from you guys were going up in flames.”

“Just shoot me.” Anna looked out the front window onto Main Street and imagined everyone in their shops taking about her. Just great.

“Come on, give a little,” Tula whined. “I haven’t had an actual date in six months and the least you could do is let a girl live vicariously.”

“Just what I want to do.”

“Was it great?”

“Are you going to let this go?”

Tula laughed. “Have you met me?”

Anna had to laugh, too. She and Tula had been best friends since junior high. They’d gone to college together and had planned to move to Paris and be famous. They never had made it to France, though, instead coming back to Crystal Bay. Anna had opened her own shop and Tula was making a name for herself as the author of the popular Lonely Bunny books.

Tula was loyal, a great friend and profoundly nosy. Anna knew darn well that her friend was never going to let this go.

“Fine,” she said on a sigh. “It was incredible. Happy?”

“Not nearly. If it was so incredible, why do you look so bummed?”

Anna shook her head. “Hello? Don’t you remember that Sam Hale is the guy who told his brother to dump me?”

Tula frowned and pointed out, “Yeah, and I remember that Garret Hale was the giant weasel dog who did the actual dumping.”

“True.” What kind of grown man took orders from his big brother? Anna wondered. But on the other hand, what kind of guy was Sam to step in and try to take over his younger brother’s life?

“So, how’d you happen to bump into Sam’s luscious mouth?”

Anna glared at her. “What makes you think it’s luscious?”

“I’m not blind, you know. I have seen the man from a distance.”

And one look would be enough for most women to curl up and whimper at his feet. Not that she was going to be doing any whimpering, thanks very much. “It was an accident.”

“So you slipped and fell onto his mouth. Sure. As your friend, I’m happy to buy that lame explanation.” Tula took a sip of latte and leaned back against the counter. “The question is, why are you so touchy about it?”

“Because he was an ass and because I liked that kiss too much.”

“Ah, that I get,” Tula said, then straightened up, a look of horror on her face. “Oh, you never slept with Garret, did you?”

“Of course not!” Anna practically recoiled at the idea. The few kisses she’d shared with Garret hadn’t exactly started a fire inside. “We only went out a few times.”

“Good,” Tula said with a chuckle, “because that could have been awkward. No guy wants to think you’re comparing him to his own brother.”

Remembering that long, amazing kiss under the mistletoe had Anna practically sighing. “Trust me when I say, there is no comparison.”

“Aha!” Tula crowed. “You’re all gooey-eyed and you just admitted that Sam’s a better kisser than Garret. The plot thickens.”

Anna laughed a little. Impossible to be mad at Tula, especially when she was right. “There is no plot. He still thinks I set out to deliberately trap his precious brother into marrying me so I could save Dad’s company.”

“Well, then, I don’t care how great a kisser he is-he’s an idiot.”

“Thanks, pal,” she said.

“You bet.” Tula watched her for a second or two, then apparently decided a change of subject was needed. “I’ve got to drive down to Long Beach to see my cousin Sherry.”

Since Crystal Bay was in northern California, going to Long Beach in the southern half of the state was at least a seven-hour drive.

“Why are you going? You guys aren’t exactly close. Heck, it’s been six years since you’ve seen her.”

Tula shrugged and took another sip of her latte. “Yeah, but we’re all the family either of us has…”

“You’ve always got me.”

“I know,” she said with a smile. “And thanks. But Sherry called and said she really needs to see me.”

“And she can’t come up here.”

Wrinkling her nose, Tula said, “You know Sherry. Afraid of freeways, afraid of driving, afraid of flying…afraid, period. So I’m driving down today. Should be back in a few days. Want to have dinner when I get back?”

“Sure, just be safe and call if you need to. I know how Sherry gets to you.”

Tula grinned. “I’m going to do a chant for patience all the way down the coast.”

“Good idea,” Anna said, realizing how grateful she was that Tula had stopped by this morning. Just being around her friend made her feel more herself. She’d spent most of the night before thinking about Sam Hale and those two amazing kisses. And she so didn’t need to be thinking about him or his mouth, Anna told herself firmly.

She was back to normal-despite being the topic of gossip all over town.

She pushed that thought aside and tried to focus on work.

“Did you call that Mrs. Soren back?”

There had been a message on the answering machine when she arrived this morning. A woman wanted her to come out and give her an estimate on what it would cost to do a mural on her living room wall.

“Yep,” Anna said. “I’ve got an appointment to see her at one today. Fingers crossed it works out. Her house is on the bluff.”

“Ooh,” Tula said softly. “So it’s probably one of those mansions like your dad’s.”

Anna nodded, but she knew all too well that a fabulous house didn’t necessarily mean a lot of extra cash.

Her own father’s house had been built more than thirty years ago. Looking at it, anyone would assume that the Cameron family’s financial health was in great shape. Nothing could have been further from the truth. A twist of worry for her dad hit her hard and fast and for a second or two, she almost felt guilty for not falling in with Clarissa’s plan to snag a rich husband.

Four

A few phone calls were all it took to give Sam all of the information he needed on Cameron Leather. Yes, the company was in trouble, but it wasn’t in its death throes just yet. Dave Cameron had expanded when he should have been more cautious, but with a little judicious input of capital, the company would be back on its feet.

Didn’t make him feel any better to realize that. All it told him was that the odds of Anna being exactly as mercenary as he suspected her to be just went a lot higher.

He leaned back in his desk chair and stared out the window at the backyard. Working from home had its perks. Even though Hale Luxury Autos had a full-size shop on the outskirts of town, Sam also had a specially built garage here at home. At the shop, his master mechanics, artists and upholsterers had free rein and he rarely stepped in. Here, he had his own setup and indulged himself whenever he felt the need to get his hands dirty.

His gaze fixed on the manicured lawn and garden that ran down a slope to the ocean below. Sam took a minute to realize just how far he’d come. He’d started out small, building custom cars for people with more money than taste.

Now, Sam had people flocking to him for his expertise and he spent most of his time trying to rein in the near-constant stream of paperwork involved.

“Mr. Hale?”

“Yes, Jenny?” He turned when his housekeeper opened the door and called to him.

“I made the call. Ms. Cameron will be here at one.”

He smiled. “Excellent. Thanks.”

When she left again to go back to the main house, Sam let his smile widen as he imagined the look on Anna’s face when she arrived to give Mrs. Soren an estimate, only to find out he was the one who had initiated the call. She wouldn’t be happy, but Sam needed to know her. If only to prove to himself he’d been right to break up her and his brother.

Smiling to himself, Sam stepped out of the multi-bayed garage. He studied the view and let his mind wander to the green-eyed redhead whose memory was torturing him.

“The living room is this way.”

Anna followed the fiftyish woman down a parquet hallway to an arched doorway that opened into a huge room. Clearly masculine, the decor was mostly big leather chairs, heavy tables and brightly colored rugs scattered across the inlaid wood floor. A stone fireplace took up most of one wall and floor-to-ceiling windows displayed a view of the wide front lawn.

A huge, beautifully decorated Christmas tree stood in one corner, with wrapped gifts beneath it. Which reminded Anna just how much she needed this job.

“It’s lovely,” she said, meaning it. But she couldn’t help wondering, “This is your husband’s lair, isn’t it?” she asked with a smile.

“My husband?” The woman laughed and waved one hand. “Oh, my, no. My husband died twenty years ago. This is my employer’s house.”

She was the housekeeper? Anna frowned and looked around the room, as if searching for a hint to the owner’s identity. When she found nothing, she said, “I’m sorry. I thought you wanted to talk to me about painting a mural in here.”

“No,” a deep, familiar voice said from behind her. “Mrs. Soren made the call, but I’m the one who wants to hire you.”

Anna went completely still. A setup. And she’d walked right into it. Turning around slowly, she looked up into Sam’s blue eyes and, keeping her voice cool, she said, “I’m sorry. There’s been a mistake.”

He scowled at her. Small consolation, she knew, but she was pleased that she’d disrupted whatever plan he’d concocted.

Shifting his gaze to the other woman in the room, he said, “That’s all, Jenny. Thanks.”

“Yes, sir,” she answered and nodded at Anna as she left.

“You had her lie for you. That’s just low.”

“She didn’t lie.”

Anna tipped her head to one side and tapped the toe of her boot against the floor. “So you want to hire me? Please.”

His eyebrows arched high on his forehead. “Are you always this crabby with a prospective customer?”

“You’re not a customer, prospective or otherwise,” she said firmly and clutched her portfolio closer to her chest.

He walked into the room and Anna couldn’t help but notice how at home he looked in faded black jeans and the dark red T-shirt that clung to his broad chest. His black work boots hardly made a sound as he walked across the deep blue and green rug to stand in front of her.

“Business that good, then?” he asked. “You can turn down customers?”

“In my shop, I can do what I like.”

“True, but seems shortsighted to turn down a job just because you’re embarrassed about kissing me.”

“What?” Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Are you delusional?”

He smirked. “You seem a little sensitive.”

“I’m not sensitive. I’m insulted.”

“Don’t know why. It was a great kiss.”

True. Damn it.

“Look,” Anna said, clinging to every stray fiber of her dignity, “we’re wasting each other’s time here and even if you can afford it, I can’t.”

“You agreed to give me an estimate on a wall mural,” he reminded her. “The least you can do is keep your word.”

Anna glared at him and the dirty look she gave him had zero effect on the man. If anything, he looked supremely pleased with himself. Well, fine. She’d keep the appointment and then when she quoted him an outrageous price, he’d tell her no and she’d leave. All she had to do was take control of this situation.

“Fine, then,” she said. “What did you have in mind?”

He gave her a wide smile that tugged at something deep inside her. The man was a walking hormone party. Anna gave herself a stern, if silent, talking-to. There would be no more kissing. No more flirting. No anything with Sam Hale.

“Actually,” he said, spreading his arms wide to encompass the room, “I’d prefer to hear your opinion. What kind of murals do you usually suggest?”

Anything would look fabulous in the opulent room, but Anna wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of saying so. She gave a quick look around and fixed her gaze on the wide, empty space above the fireplace.

“A window and garden scene would look nice there.”

“A window?”

“Trompe l’oeil,” she told him patiently.

“Optical illusion?”

“You could call it that,” she said and in spite of what she was feeling, she found herself warming to her theme. She loved faux finishing. Loved the trompe l’oeil murals that mimicked reality so completely, she’d once seen a man try to pick up a marble that had been painted onto a tabletop.

“A close translation of the French name means trick the eye. With the right artist, you can pretty much remodel your entire home without lifting a hammer.”

“And you’re the ‘right’ artist?”

“I’m really good,” she said simply.

“I bet you are.”

She flushed a little and hated herself for it. But she would defy any woman in the world to remain completely cool and unruffled with this particular man focusing all of his attention on her.

He watched her. “Explain what you mean about the painting.”

She didn’t know what he was up to, but as long as she was there anyway, she couldn’t resist talking about her favorite kind of work. “For instance, on that long wall over there, I could paint a set of French doors opening onto an English garden. It would look real enough to convince you that you could step outside and smell the flowers.” She looked back at him. “Or I could give you an ocean scene complete with crashing waves and seabirds overhead. I could really, within reason, give you anything you wanted.”

Oh, boy, that had come out a lot different than it sounded in her head. He must have been thinking the same thing, because something hot and wicked flashed in his eyes.

“And what do you charge for this amazing service?”

She cleared her throat, inhaled sharply and told herself that he didn’t really care. He wasn’t actually interested. So she gave him a price well above what she would normally charge for a mural.

He didn’t even blink.

“I’ll give you twice that if you can have it done before Christmas.”

“Are you serious?” He couldn’t be, she told herself. This was all part of some twisted game. He’d brought her here for his own purposes, whatever they were, and now he was dangling a great job in front of her like bait.

The hell of it was, it was working.

“Yes, I’m serious,” he told her, and walked toward her with slow, measured steps.

“Why?” Anna stared up into his deep blue eyes and didn’t flinch from the gleam of passion she saw shining at her. “Why would you hire me? Why would you offer so much money?”

“Does it matter?”

She wrestled with that question for a second or two. Her mind raced with arguments, pro and con. One part of her wanted to throw his offer in his face and march out the door, head held high. The other, more practical side of her was shrieking, Are you crazy? Take the job!

In a couple more silent seconds, she had already tallied up the bills she could pay if she took the job he offered. It had been a slow couple of months in the world of faux finishing and with this one job, she could cover her expenses for another two months. Not to mention the Christmas presents she could buy if she took this commission.

The downside was obvious.

She’d be spending a lot of time with a man who both infuriated and excited her. Who needed that kind of irritation on a daily basis? Not to mention the fact that her body tended to light up like a fireworks display whenever he was within three feet of her. That couldn’t end well.

“So what’ll it be?” he asked, a sly smile on his face as if he knew she was arguing with herself. “Stay or go?”

His satisfied expression told Anna that he was completely sure of himself. He thought he had her pegged. That she was just another woman ready to grab the money and run.

She should go. She knew it. She’d love to be able to look into his eyes and say, “No, you can’t buy me.” But as satisfying as that sounded, she knew she wasn’t going to walk away.

She couldn’t afford to.

“Fine,” she muttered. “I’ll take the job.”

“Thought you might.”

To keep from saying something she would no doubt regret, she bit her tongue. The man was more irritating than he was gorgeous, which was really saying something. She’d work for him, Anna told herself, but she wasn’t going to let him insult her for her trouble either.

“Just so you know,” she told him with a patient tone she was proud of, “I’m only taking this job because I really need the work. But so we’re clear…I don’t like you.”

His eyebrows winged up. “And yet, you’re staying. So money talks?”

Make that even more irritating than he was gorgeous. He’d already told his younger brother to dump her because he thought she was after his money. Now, he was no doubt convinced that he’d been right about her, which just made her furious.

“Easy to say money doesn’t matter when you have plenty of it,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, it is.” Then he said, “Not the point of this, though. The point is, even though you hate me personally, you’re more than willing to take my money.”

“Less willing every second,” she muttered.

“That I don’t believe.”

Anna narrowed her gaze on him and asked, “Are you trying to make me quit before I’ve even started?”

“Nope, just waiting to see how long you could hold on to your temper.”

“Not much longer,” she admitted. Taking a breath, she said, “If it’s all right with you, I’ll start tomorrow.”

“Fine. I’ll expect you at eight.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

“Well,” she said after a simmering few seconds, “this is childish.”

“I’m sort of enjoying it.”

“Color me surprised,” she told him. “But believe it or not, some of us have other, more important things to do.”

He grinned and Anna took a breath. Why was it this man who got to her so easily? Where was the indifference she’d felt for his brother? Why did the wrong brother feel so right?

If this was some sort of test of her morals, Anna thought, she was already failing badly. It was taking every ounce of will she possessed to keep from finding more mistletoe and dragging this man under it. She didn’t want to be interested, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.

How was she ever going to be able to hold her ground against Sam Hale?

She had It’s a Wonderful Life playing on the TV, and the lights on the tree were the only illumination in the room. Anna took a sip of her cold, white wine and told herself to relax already.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t working. Her mind kept turning to Sam Hale and what he might be up to. Since leaving his house that afternoon, she’d been trying to figure him and his plan out. So far, she had nothing.

When the doorbell rang, she groaned, pried herself off the couch and went to answer it. One glance through the peephole had her briefly resting her forehead against the door. Then she surrendered to the inevitable and opened it. “Hi, Clarissa.”

Her father’s wife scurried inside, fingers clutching at her shoulder bag. She glanced around the room, frowned, then reached over to flip the light switch. Anna blinked at the sudden blast of light.

“Oh, Anna,” Clarissa said, “I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for behaving so foolishly at the party. I didn’t mean to embarrass you or anything.”

“It’s okay. I understand.”

“I know you do, dear.” The older woman patted her hair as if searching for a strand out of place. She was doomed to disappointment. Clarissa’s short, bright red hair was, as always, perfect. “I’m just so worried about your father.”

Which was the only reason Anna was willing to overlook Clarissa’s panicky attempts at matchmaking. “Dad will be fine. The company’s had rough times before.”

“Not like this.” Clarissa reached out, snagged Anna’s wineglass from her hand and downed what was left of it in one long gulp before handing it back. “Thank you. But now that I know you’re actually interested in Samuel Hale, I’m resting easier.”

Here it comes, she thought. “Clarissa, there’s nothing going on between-”

“No, no, I don’t want to invade your privacy,” she said with a careful shake of her head. “I just wanted you to know that I understand completely. It was so wise of you to move from Garret to Sam. After all, it’s his company. Garret’s just the younger brother.”

Anna felt a headache coming on and wished for more wine to drown it. “I’m not after either of them. Sam…”

“Oh, we all saw the kiss,” Clarissa assured her, letting her gaze sweep around the small living room of Anna’s bungalow cottage. She stared at the brightly lit tree for a moment and smiled before adding, “Your father is pleased, too. Though he does want to talk with Sam.”

“No,” Anna said quickly, imagining her father asking Sam’s “intentions.” “No talking. Clarissa you have to tell Dad that I’m not dating Sam.”

“Why ever would I do that?” Clarissa smiled conspiratorially. “He only wants to know that you’re happy, dear.”

“Clarissa…”

“Oops,” she said, with a quick check of her watch. “I really have to run. I’m meeting your father for an early dinner before we go to the community theater. They’re doing A Christmas Carol.”

“Clarissa,” Anna tried again, but her stepmother was already halfway out the door. “It’s not what you think. Honestly, there’s nothing between Sam and I.”

She laughed. “Darling, I saw that kiss. Along with half the town, I might add. Whether you want to admit it or not, there’s definitely something between you!” She leaned in, brushed a kiss on Anna’s cheek and said, “Your tree’s lovely, by the way!”

Then she was gone and Anna was left alone with her disturbing thoughts and an empty wineglass.

Five

She wasn’t going to be painting in that wonderful room she had seen the day before.

Anna drove around to the back of Sam’s house, following the long, wide driveway around the house to a sprawling lawn and what looked like a five-car garage. Trees lined one side of the property and the lawn sloped down toward the cliff and the ocean below. A white rail fence meandered along the cliff’s edge and boasted a few late blooming chrysanthemums at its base.

Storm clouds hovered on the horizon, looking as though they were gathering strength to make a rush toward shore. A cold wind rattled through the boughs of the pines and snatched a few orange leaves from a huge maple tree. Winter in coastal northern California didn’t mean snow after all. It meant fall-colored trees long into January.

It really was lovely, but why she was back here, she didn’t have a clue. The housekeeper had directed her to the back of the house and now, she wasn’t sure what to do next. Anna got out of her car and looked around, pushing the wind-twisted tangle of her hair out of her eyes.

She walked back to the trunk of her small SUV and lifted the hatch, displaying all of her tools. Yardsticks, paints, transfer papers, charcoal sticks and painter’s tape. Her brushes were standing straight up in empty coffee cans and she used a plastic caddy to hold a selection of pencils along with painters’ rags and tightly closed jars of clean water.

Movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention and Anna turned to look. She hated the fact that her heartbeat jumped in her chest at first sight of Sam Hale striding from the garage toward her. Faded blue jeans hugged his legs, and he wore a dark green sweater and black boots.

She hadn’t expected to have to deal with Sam while working here. Didn’t he have things to do? Cars to build? Universes to run?

“What are you doing here?”

“I live here, remember?”

“Yes,” she said on an irritated sigh, “I meant…”

“I know what you meant.” He glanced into the trunk of her car. “You need all of this to paint a picture?”

“It’s a faux finish, not just a picture,” she told him, then added, “and yes, I do.”

One corner of his mouth lifted and Anna hated to admit even to herself what kind of impact even that tiny half smile of his had on her.

“Okay, then,” he said, reaching into the trunk to pick up most of her equipment. “Follow me.”

She didn’t have much choice, Anna thought, trotting behind him in an attempt to keep up with his long-legged stride. He led her toward the garage and headed directly for an open doorway. She followed him inside and glanced down the long open space at the cars parked in separate bays. There were two of them and they were really just shells. No tires, no engine, no window glass.

“You couldn’t afford one with an engine?”

He grinned at her and the solid slam of that smile hit her hard enough to momentarily dissolve her balance.

“Those are great cars,” he pointed out after he set her supplies down onto a neatly organized workbench.

“If you say so.”

“I thought artists had great imaginations,” he taunted.

“I use it for painting, not for driving.”

“When I get that Bentley and the Cobra up and running, you’ll change your tune.”

Confused, she looked again at the skeletal cars. She hadn’t known that he was a man to actually get his hands dirty. All she’d ever heard of Sam Hale was that he designed luxury cars that his company built for the bored rich. “You work on them yourself?”

“I do. Got my start that way,” he said with a sigh of satisfaction. “I was a mechanic,” he told her, shaking his head in memory. “A damn good one. Worked night and day when my folks died to make sure Garret could go to college and have a good shot at life.”

“What about your shot?” she asked, surprising herself as much as him.

He shrugged. “I did the college thing, but it was cars that drew me in. I built my reputation slowly, growing my business and then I built a custom car for a Hollywood producer. He liked what I did so much that he recommended me to his friends. And before I knew it, I was running Hale Custom Autos. But I still like to work on cars myself, get my hands on a flatlined engine and make it purr again. Guess you don’t understand that, huh?”

“Actually, I do,” she mused and found herself looking at him in a whole new light. She’d assumed he was simply another wealthy man, locked in his office, running his own little world from the top of a pedestal. It seemed there was more to Sam Hale than she had thought. “Trompe l’oeil painters can use computer programs to design and detail out every move. But I’d rather get my own hands on a blank wall and make it something amazing.”

“So,” he said with that half smile she found so dangerously compelling, “you’re telling me we have something in common after all?”

She looked at him, standing there all tall and dark and gorgeous. Seriously, he had enough charisma and magnetic attraction about him for two healthy men. She knew that for her own well-being, what she should do was say screw the job and the money and get back into her car. But she wasn’t going to do that and she knew it.

“Yes,” she admitted. “I guess I am.”

For a brief moment, their eyes locked and the air between them practically sizzled. There was something here, she thought as her heart pounded and her mouth went dry. Something that was as exciting as it was dangerous. And she had zero business feeling this way about him. There was no way anything was going to happen between them.

He didn’t trust her. He thought she was after his money. Well, to be honest, she was. At least what he was going to pay her for this job. And as far as Anna was concerned, Sam Hale was an overbearing, arrogant boob-except he apparently had unexpected depths.

With those thoughts ringing loudly in her head, she took a breath and shifted the subject to safer ground. “So, what exactly did you have in mind for your mural?”

“Business it is, then,” he said, still studying her. “For now.”

He walked to the small office area, separated from the garage by a half wall. There was a desk, two chairs, a single filing cabinet and a half-dead fern in a blue pot inside. The walls were white and blank. There was a skylight overhead, providing plenty of natural light, but there were no windows, which struck Anna as odd.

“I don’t have a lot of windows in here,” he said as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. “When I’m working on the cars, I like to keep the area as clean as possible. Don’t want dust and dirt blowing in, but it gets claustrophobic in here after awhile.”

“I can see why,” she said, already studying the pristine white wall, letting her imagination kick in. “Can’t you put in windows that don’t open?”

He shook his head. “Dust can still get in with a loose seal or whatever. The skylights are double-sealed. Until I get down to serious work I can open the garage bay doors for air. But once the detail work starts, I’ll be keeping the place shut up tight.”

“Okay, do you want anything in particular?”

Another slow smile curved his mouth. “I can think of a couple of things.”

“I’ll bet,” she said, taking a step back from him just for good measure. “But I was talking about the mural.”

He shook his head. “I’ll leave that to you. I just want to be able to look at something that makes me feel less closed in. Can you do it?”

“I can.” She walked to her supplies and pulled out pencils, a yardstick and blue painter’s tape.

“Do you need anything from me?”

“Just for you to go away,” she said, knowing she’d never be able to concentrate if he was in the room watching her.

“You got it.” He started out of the office. “I’ll be working in the garage. If you need anything, let me know.”

“You’re working here?”

He smiled again and Anna felt that rush of something hot and wicked sweep through her one more time. She hadn’t counted on having him underfoot all day. She’d expected him to leave her alone. The claustrophobic feel of the massive garage instantly notched up a level or two.

“I can run my company from here with a laptop and a phone,” he was saying. “So until you’re finished, I’ll be right here. Every minute.”

“Great.”

He grinned and she knew he was enjoying her discomfort. Deliberately, she turned her back on him and went to work. If she could keep busy enough, she told herself firmly, she’d forget he was near.

Sadly, even Anna didn’t believe that.

She sang when she worked.

Sam groaned and banged his head on the uplifted hood when he straightened abruptly. Rubbing the aching spot on his skull, he shot a glare toward the woman taking up far too many of his thoughts. He’d thought having her here would be a good idea. He could watch her. Find out who she really was.

Sam had thought about calling his brother to let him know that Anna actually did have a price. But he decided against it. He knew Garret was over her, but Sam didn’t want hard feelings between him and his brother. If Garret brought up her name again, Sam was simply going to point out to his younger brother that Anna had said flat-out that even though she hated him personally, she was going to take his money.

Wouldn’t that prove once and for all that the gorgeous Anna was as mercenary as she was beautiful?

Wouldn’t that prove to his brother that Sam had been right all along?

Only problem?

Sam wanted her.

Bad.

When his cell phone rang, he lunged for it, eager for a distraction. “Hale.”

“You sound like you want to hit somebody.”

Sam scowled at his brother’s cheerful tone. It was Garret’s fault that Sam was, at the moment, tied into knots. “You volunteering?”

“Hell, no,” Garret said, laughing. “Just wanted to tell you I’m leaving town for a while.”

“What?” Irritated, Sam wondered when the hell his younger brother was going to grow up. “You can’t leave town. You’ve got a job.”

“Oh, that didn’t work out,” Garret dismissed it easily.

“Damn it, Garret-”

“I didn’t call for a lecture,” his brother interrupted. “I’m heading to Aspen for a few days. Just wanted you to know, is all.”

“Great,” he muttered. “Thanks.”

Garret sighed, clearly as irritated as Sam felt. “I don’t want to fight with you, Sam. I just need some time, okay? That job you got me at the advertising firm was making me nuts.”

Sam thought about the favor he’d called in with a friend in San Jose and realized he’d have to make another call to his old friend. To apologize for his brother. “Garret, you said you wanted that job.”

“It just wasn’t me.”

“What is?” Sam asked, unable to understand his younger brother’s inability to find something he had a passion for. So far, all the younger Hale had been really good at was women and snowboarding. “What’re you going to do for a living, Garret?”

His brother laughed shortly. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll think of something.”

That was what worried him, Sam told himself silently.

“Look, I’ll be back for Christmas. Promise.”

“All right,” Sam said, lifting his gaze toward the office where Anna’s singing had quieted. “I’ll see you when you get back.”

Anna stepped out of the office. When he hung up, she asked, “Problem?”

“No,” he said flatly. He wasn’t going to discuss his brother with the very woman he’d forced Garret to stop dating. “How’s it coming?”

She watched him for a second or two, then said, “Great. Want a look?”

He walked to the office, brushed past her and stared at the wall where blue painter’s tape was applied in a series of arches and straight lines. Sam couldn’t see where she was going with this, but she seemed happy enough with it. “That’s good?”

“It is,” she said, coming up beside him. “I’m almost ready to start laying down some background color along with the outside detail lines.”

“What is it?” he asked, watching her face rather than trying to make sense of the taped wall.

She looked up at him. “A surprise.”

She was too close and smelled too good. Her dark red hair pulled back in a ponytail at the base of her neck, her bright green eyes glittered with excitement. Her blue denim jeans and oversize blue work shirt over a paint-stained black T-shirt somehow looked…perfect.

Sam had never seen a more beautiful woman. He was in deep trouble here and he knew it.

He just didn’t care.

Before he could think better of it, he reached out, took her arm and dragged her close.

“Sam…” Her voice was a whisper.

“Don’t talk, Anna,” he told her and slowly bent his head to hers. He had to see if everything he’d felt when he first kissed her was still there.

She lifted one hand to his chest and he could have sworn he felt the heat of her palm slide down inside him, easing away the chill. “This isn’t a good idea,” she told him.

“You’re still talking,” he said.

“Right,” she agreed, lifting her face to his. “Shutting up now.”

Then he took her mouth with his, felt the hard punch of desire and knew that Anna Cameron was going to be way more trouble than he’d first believed.

Six

The next few days settled into a routine. Anna worked in the office, Sam worked on his cars and they met in the middle for lunch provided by his housekeeper. By silent agreement, neither of them referred to the blisteringly hot kiss they’d shared in his office.

But the memory was there. Haunting them. Keeping each of them so tightly wound that just being close to each other sent up sparks.

Anna didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t wanted or expected to like Sam, but he was getting to her. Slipping beneath her radar, worming his way into her thoughts. Heaven knew he had already breached her body’s defenses. Anytime he came near, her heartbeat sped up and every square inch of her jolted into electric life.

But it wasn’t just the desire, the passion; it was more. Over the last few days, they’d talked and even laughed. He’d told her about some of his more “eccentric” customers and she’d shared a few of the truly hideous murals some of her clients had asked for. She actually liked working in the office, listening to the sound of power tools as he refurbished one of his cars.

At the bottom of it, though, she had to keep in mind that he didn’t trust her. He thought she’d been willing to seduce his brother to save her father’s company and what did that say about him? But he’d also given her free rein to paint whatever she wanted in his office. That was trust of a sort, wasn’t it?

Yet, she remembered all the things Garret had told her the night he broke things off with her. Along with the whole out-to-get-my-money speech, Sam had also told Garret that he considered artists to be flaky and emotionally unstable. So what was she supposed to make of that?

“None of this makes sense,” she told herself, glad that the day was almost over. Sam had gone up to the main house half an hour ago and she’d heard Mrs. Soren leave shortly after. As soon as Anna finished this one section of the mural, she’d be leaving, too. Christmas was getting closer and she still had shopping to do. Besides, one of her own traditions was to wander through Crystal Bay at night to enjoy all of the Christmas decorations. She hadn’t had a chance to do that yet and she figured tonight was as good a time as any.

She reached up and with her fingertips, quickly brushed the line of paint she’d just laid down, softening the edge and blending the paint into the other background colors so that it became a pale wash of blue and gray that would, eventually, be the sky in her mural. Stepping back, she nodded to herself, and wiped her fingers on the rag stuffed into her pocket. Then she stretched her aching shoulder muscles and swiveled her neck, trying to ease the tension there as well.

Satisfied she’d done all she could, she quickly cleaned her brushes and closed up her paints. The sudden roar of a powerful engine splintered the quiet and Anna stepped outside to follow the sound.

A cold wind slapped at her as she spotted Sam, astride a huge, gleaming black motorcycle. He grinned at her approach and revved the engine again, making the bike sound like a hungry lion.

He wore a battered, brown leather jacket and balanced two helmets and another leather jacket across his lap. He looked way too good, Anna thought, feeling that rush of heat swamp her again. There might as well have been a Danger sign flashing over his head. But she still couldn’t seem to stop herself from walking toward him, like a moth headed directly for the tantalizing flame.

She shouted over the rumble of the engine, “What’s going on?”

“We need a break,” he said, his voice deep and loud enough to carry. “Put this on.”

He held out the leather jacket and Anna knew she should say no and head back inside. Sunset was already staining the sky and she should be headed home. Back, she thought, to her empty apartment, a hot shower and a cold glass of wine. Then she looked into his blue eyes and knew that she wasn’t going anywhere but with him.

She slipped the jacket on and zipped it up. Then she accepted the helmet he offered her and tugged it on as well. He grinned at her and her stomach did a slow bump and roll. He pulled on his helmet, flipped the visor down and indicated that she do the same. Then he shouted, “Hop on!”

Knowing it was most definitely a mistake, Anna did just that. She climbed aboard the motorcycle, her thighs spread wide, aligning along his. She leaned into him and he turned his head to say, “Wrap your arms around me and hold on, Anna.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” he called back.

He’d already surprised her, she thought, feeling the rumble of the engine rippling throughout her body. She’d never been on a motorcycle before and she had a feeling that this trip, wherever he was taking her, was going to be memorable. She wrapped her arms tightly around his middle and inhaled sharply as he roared down the length of the driveway and out onto the road.

Sam drove along the coast road for miles, and Anna watched as night claimed the sky. Trees lined one side of the wildly twisted road and the ocean, dazzled by moonlight, lay on the other.

She’d never experienced such a thrilling sense of freedom before. Fear rode just below the surface of her excitement, but she refused to acknowledge it. Instead, she focused solely on the incredible sense of being as one with Sam and the machine carrying them both through the darkness.

He doubled back after a long while and she realized they were headed back to Crystal Bay. Disappointment rose up in her as she realized she wasn’t ready for the ride to end. For the magic to be finished. Lifting one hand from the handlebars, Sam pointed into the distance and she shifted her gaze to follow the motion. Her breath caught as she saw the town of Crystal Bay, sitting on a crescent-shaped harbor, spreading back through the trees. In the surrounding darkness, the town’s Christmas lights shone from a distance like jewels strewn across the ground. She smiled and felt a stirring of something magical rise up around her.

Soon, they were roaring down Main Street and Anna wondered if everyone they passed was speculating. Sam’s motorcycle was well known and she was guessing that her long, red hair hanging out from beneath her helmet would be enough for most people to identify her. The question was, did she care?

No. At the moment, no, she didn’t care. She loved the feel of being on the powerful Harley with Sam. It was a moment snatched out of time. They couldn’t speak, so they couldn’t argue. They were wrapped so tightly together, each of them could feel the heat of the other’s body.

Her own heartbeat was hammering in her chest and she thought she felt a matching rhythm coming from Sam’s body. Anna swallowed hard and rested her head against his broad back. Her grip on him tightened as the rumbling of the engine vibrated her body and jolted every already-sensitive nerve ending.

Christmas lights blurred into a stream of color as they whizzed past. Shoppers hurried along crowded sidewalks. Pine garlands were strung across the street from lamppost to lamppost. Carols pumped from one of the stores they passed and she smiled behind her helmet. The giant Christmas tree in the town square glittered, while overhead, stars slipped in and out from behind clouds.

She didn’t know why he’d taken her on this ride, but she was so glad he had. Anna felt alive in a way she had never known before. She wanted this night to never end, but of course, it did.

He slowed the motorcycle down as they pulled into the driveway of his home. Light spilled from the windows onto the lawn in golden patches and Mrs. Soren’s car was gone from its usual parking space.

They were alone and instantly, Anna felt tense. It had been so liberating, riding behind Sam, tearing along the coast. But now they were back and nothing had really changed between them. There was that amazing sense of chemistry that burst into life whenever they were together. But at the heart of things, they were on opposite sides of a figurative wall.

He hit a button on the handlebars and as one of the garage doors opened, he steered the bike inside. An overhead light came on with the opening of the door and when he shut off the engine, the silence was deafening.

Reluctantly, she released her death grip around his waist, ignoring the empty feel of her arms. She reached up to pull off her helmet and shook her hair back. Her voice was soft and nearly breathless as she said, “That was amazing, Sam. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He climbed off the bike, then took both helmets and set them on a nearby bench.

She was still sitting on the black leather seat, afraid to stand up for fear her legs wouldn’t support her. The engine was off, but her body was still vibrating. In fact, it felt as though every cell she possessed was electrified. Her gaze locked with his and she took a long, slow breath.

In the pale light, his blue eyes looked gray and stormy. She was willing to bet that the same wild passions were shining in her own eyes.

“Sam-”

“Anna-”

They spoke together and then closed their mouths in sync. Anna was edgy and she knew it. There were too many thoughts running through her mind. Too many emotions clamoring to be noticed and acknowledged. Carefully, she swung her leg over the back of the bike and stepped down onto the gleaming garage floor.

She swallowed hard. “You know, maybe I should just go now.”

“Don’t.”

Her gaze snapped to his. Every breath was a challenge. Her heartbeat was so frantic that she could hear the roaring pound of it in her own ears. A damp, hot ache settled between her thighs at the same time tension gathered in her chest. She wanted to whimper with the force of the want nearly choking her. But acting on what she-they-were feeling wouldn’t solve anything. Wouldn’t change anything. It would only make things worse.

“Sam, you know as well as I do that I should leave.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want you to and I don’t think you do either.”

“It’s not about want.” Unfortunately, she added silently.

“It’s all about want,” he answered, walking toward her with slow, deliberate steps.

Every step that brought him closer to her sounded like a gunshot in the quiet. Anna’s pulse was racing and her breath was now chugging in and out of her lungs. When he was close enough to touch her, Anna instinctively leaned in toward him. Her better judgment was being tossed aside. While a still-rational corner of her mind warned her that she was making a mistake, a much more powerful voice within told her to take what he offered. She knew then she wouldn’t be leaving. Not until the desperate ache inside had been eased.

He scooped both hands into her hair, cupping her head in his hands, then he drew her closer, lowered his head and kissed her. Anna was done for.

Plain and simple, Sam Hale swept all common sense right out of her mind. He silenced that warning shriek inside her and awakened the part of her that wanted. Needed.

She was blistered by the heat racing through her. She welcomed it, moved into him and wrapped her arms around him. Nestling as close to him as she could, Anna gave him everything she had.

Their tongues tangled in a fierce dance of desire. Breathing became secondary to the rising tide of passion erupting between them. Hands moved, explored, claimed. Bodies melded and whispered words of hunger rattled through the silence.

Finally, he tore his mouth from hers, stared down into her eyes and demanded, “Come with me.”

She met his gaze, saw exactly what she needed to see and knew that denying him wasn’t an option. Because she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to feel as alive as she had on the back of that motorcycle-alone in the dark with him.

“Yes,” she said softly. “Now.”

Hand in hand, they raced across the yard, Sam’s longer strides forcing Anna to run at his side. She laughed shortly, the sound escaping into the night and dissolving like soap bubbles.

He opened the back door, drew her inside and closed the door behind them. Swinging her up against him, he held her so tightly she could hardly breathe. Yet she didn’t care. All she cared about was his mouth on hers, his hands stroking up and down her back in a proprietary manner that absolutely thrilled her.

“You taste so damn good,” he murmured, breaking away to nibble at the base of her throat.

She sighed because she didn’t need words to tell him what she was thinking, feeling. He just knew.

He slid his hands up under her shirt, skimming his fingertips across her skin until she was shivering in his arms. Then he smiled down at her and said, “Not in the kitchen, damn it. Upstairs. In my bed.”

Here was her last chance, that tiny voice in the back of her mind whispered. Last chance to back out before she made what could be an incredible mistake. She stared up into those amazingly blue eyes of his and nodded. “Yes, Sam.”

He grinned, swept her up into his arms and headed for the hallway.

“I can walk,” she said on a laugh.

“Your legs are too short,” he countered. “I’m faster.”

“Good point.” She snuggled into him, kissing his neck, the underside of his jaw. Her hands slid across his chest and she felt the pounding of his heart beneath her palms.

He took the stairs at a dead run and rushed her down a dimly lit hall so quickly that she noticed nothing. Then he was stalking into his bedroom and Anna took a quick look around.

Boldly masculine, the furniture was big, dark and heavy. Deep blue drapes were pulled back, allowing the moonlight to pour through the wide windows to lay across a bed big enough for four people to sleep comfortably.

But sleeping wasn’t on her mind.

He set her on her feet and instantly reached to pull off his shirt. Anna watched and took a short, sharp breath at the first sight of his broad, bare chest. Muscular and tanned, he actually rippled when he moved and she wanted nothing more than to be held against that expanse of warm, golden skin.

In seconds, they were naked. Sam tugged the navy blue duvet off the mattress and then they were tumbling onto the cool, crisp sheets. He seemed to be touching her everywhere at once. Her body was humming with sensation and her mind fogged over as he dipped one hand to her core and cupped her heat.

“Sam…” She lifted her hips into his touch, seeking more, needing more.

He leaned on one elbow, looking down at her, watching her eyes as she twisted and writhed beneath his touch. She read a desperate craving in his eyes and that only served to inflame her own desires.

He dipped one finger into her warmth and she groaned, lifting into his touch. Her hands moved up and down his arms, nails scraping along his skin. His thumb caressed that one small nub of sensation until Anna felt as though she were about to splinter into a million jagged pieces.

Her breath was strangled as she fought to reach the pinnacle that was waiting for her. She needed it. Needed him. “Sam, please. Now. Inside me.”

He dipped his head and took one of her nipples into his mouth, licking and nibbling, before suckling at her until she felt the draw of his mouth all the way to her toes. She grabbed at his shoulders, then stabbed her fingers through his thick, dark hair. Holding his head, she drew his gaze to hers and whispered, “I need you, Sam.”

“I’ve got to have you, Anna. All of you.” He shifted then, moving over to kneel between her parted thighs. Scooping his hands beneath her bottom, he lifted her off the mattress and as she fumbled for something to hold on to, he covered her aching heat with his mouth.

Anna hissed in a breath and closed her eyes only to open them again an instant later. She wanted to watch him. Wanted to see as well as feel what he was doing to her. His lips and tongue moved over her flesh with a deliberation that pushed her higher and higher. He tasted her, licked her and took her to the very peak of that release she knew was waiting for her.

Then he pulled back and left her dangling over the precipice.

“Sam!” She called his name in a broken voice and heard the desperate need in her tone. “Don’t you dare stop now,” she warned.

That smile of his curved his mouth as he shook his head. “Not stopping, Anna, just shifting gears.”

He laid her down on the mattress, caught her gaze with his and entered her body in one long, smooth stroke. She gasped, arching into him. He filled her completely and as her body stretched to accommodate him, she lifted her hips into him to take him deeper.

“Easy…” He whispered it, the word almost strangled. “You start moving and this is going to be over way too fast.”

She smiled up at him, and pulled his face to hers for a kiss. “I’ll take my chances.”

“My kind of woman.” He kissed her back as his body moved into hers, setting a fast rhythm that she eagerly matched.

He pushed her higher and higher and Anna felt herself spinning completely out of control. She’d never known anything like this. This was so much more than she’d expected. So much more than anything she’d ever experienced.

It was magic, she thought wildly. The very magic she’d dreamed of finding one day. And it was more than the incredible chemistry they shared, Anna thought with a start. She was falling for Sam Hale-and there was no way that this would end in anything but misery.

Sam had already told his brother that she wasn’t, in effect, “good enough” for him. So why would she be good enough for Sam himself?

Heart suddenly aching, she looked up into his eyes and was held, spellbound as she shattered. Her body clenched around his and she held him tightly to her as he followed her into the sensation-filled abyss.

Seven

“You slept with him.”

Anna hadn’t expected the truth to be quite so obvious, but she shouldn’t have been surprised. Tula had gotten home from visiting her cousin and had come straight over to talk, bringing a bottle of wine with her. Now that they had the wine poured and were settling in for a good talk, Tula had taken about five seconds to blurt out her suspicions.

Anna blinked at her friend but didn’t bother to deny the obvious. “How could you tell?”

“You’re practically radioactive you’re glowing so brightly,” Tula said as she plopped down on Anna’s living room couch. “Man, go away for a few days and the whole world tips on its axis. I thought you hated Sam.”

“I thought so, too,” Anna muttered and dropped onto the other end of the sofa. Shoving both hands through her hair, she shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know how this happened. He made me so mad at first and then, we started talking and he’s really funny and nicer than I thought and he kisses so well and before you know it, we were on his motorcycle looking at Christmas lights and then we were at his house and in his bed and boom.”

Tula stared at her for a long moment before whispering, “Wow.”

“Yeah, wow.” Anna shifted her gaze to the Christmas tree, where a few packages lay in a bright carpet of color. Shaking her head, she idly said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know-” She said it automatically, then stopped herself. “That’s a lie. Yeah, I am. For all the good it’ll do me.”

“Oh, Anna, it could work out.”

She smiled, in spite of the growing sense of dread inside. “I don’t think so. He didn’t think I was good enough for his brother, remember?”

Tula waved that off with a sniff. “Please, you were way too good for Garret.”

Anna laughed. She’d always been able to count on her best friend. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling she’d had since leaving Sam’s bed the night before. That she was on borrowed time and that she was feeling a lot more for him than he was for her. There was simply no way this was going to end well.

“Thanks for that,” she said, reaching out to squeeze Tula’s hand. “But I’m tired of thinking about me. Tell me why your cousin Sherry wanted to see you so badly.”

Tula sighed and reached to the coffee table for her glass of white wine. “You’re not going to believe this, but Sherry’s pregnant.”

“Really? Who’s the father?”

“I don’t know,” Tula said and took a sip of her wine. “She refused to tell me. But what’s worse, she hasn’t even told the guy he’s going to be a father.”

Anna couldn’t imagine keeping something like that to herself. “Why would she do that?”

“I don’t know.” Tula frowned. “I told her that if the guy was worth sleeping with, he’s worth telling him the truth, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“So why’d she want to see you?”

Tula leaned back into the couch. “She wanted to name me the legal guardian of the baby just in case something happens to her.”

“But she hasn’t even had it yet.”

“You know Sherry. Afraid of everything. Although,” Tula said, “she’s not scared of raising a baby alone, which would absolutely terrify me.”

“Did you agree to be the baby’s guardian?”

“Sure I did,” she said. “We’re family.”

“So,” Anna told her, picking up her own wine, “we’ve each had a busy few days, huh?”

“Guess so,” Tula agreed. “Though yours, I’m thinking, was way more fun.”

The next few days were a blur of stolen moments and passion hot enough to burn a man to a cinder. Sam dreamed of Anna at night and thought of nothing but her during the day. Every time he was with her, he wanted her more.

Scrubbing one hand across the back of his neck, he kicked the wall behind his desk and hardly felt the pain. He’d come into the office to avoid Anna at home. He couldn’t see her without wanting his hands on her and he couldn’t think when he was touching her.

How the hell could Sam lay claim to Anna when he had practically forced his brother to walk away from her? Would his brother ever forgive him? Could he risk losing his only family on the chance that what he and Anna had was lasting? “Mr. Hale?”

He looked up as his assistant opened the door. “What is it, Kathy?”

“A Mr. Cameron here to see you.”

Shock had him speechless for a second or two, but he recovered quickly. “Send him in.”

Sam stood up to greet Anna’s father and the older man shook his hand with a wary look. Suddenly, Sam felt a little uneasy. After all, he was sleeping with the man’s daughter. “Good to see you, Dave.”

“Sam.” The man glanced around the spacious office before settling his gaze on Sam’s again. “I won’t take up much of your time. Just thought we should have a little talk.”

“About what?” Oh, he knew what.

“Anna.”

“Ah.”

“Crystal Bay’s a small town,” Dave was saying. “Secrets are impossible to keep. So I figure we both know what’s going on.”

“Meaning?” Sam asked, unwilling to give any information on the off chance that Dave was still in the dark.

The older man frowned at him. “Meaning, I know you’ve been seeing my daughter just as you know my company’s in trouble.”

“Dave…” What the hell was he supposed to say? He knew Dave Cameron was a proud man.

He lifted one hand in a bid for silence. “Whatever’s between you and Anna is your business. You’re both adults. What I’m here to tell you is, contrary to what everyone in town is thinking, I won’t use my daughter as a bargaining chip for business.”

Scowling himself now, Sam took a deep breath. “And I wouldn’t use her either.”

Dave studied him for a long minute. “Then we understand each other?”

“I think so,” Sam said, bristling a little under the man’s close scrutiny.

“Fine, then. I’ll wish you a good day and be on my way.” Dave started for the door, then stopped and looked back. “One more thing. You hurt my little girl and we’ll be having another talk.”

The man was gone before Sam could respond. But then, what could he possibly have said? He felt like a damn teenager after a dressing-down. The hell of it was, he had the feeling he’d deserved it.

Christmas was just a few days away when Anna finally finished the mural in Sam’s home office. She could admit to herself that when she’d begun this job, she’d actually considered giving him some ghastly painting. A horrific view out an artificial window. But that idea hadn’t lasted more than a moment or two. Her own professionalism prevented her doing anything less than her absolute best.

And now that she stood back to get the full effect of her work, she had to admit that she’d really outdone herself this time.

She was glad of it, too. Now every time Sam looked at this wall, he would think of her. It was the perfect goodbye. Because she’d come to the conclusion only the night before that what was between them had to end. There was no future in it. And she was only hurting herself. Falling for Sam Hale had been inevitable. But she wouldn’t stay with him, knowing what she did about how he really felt about her.

Sex between them was incredible. She knew he felt the same way. But desire was a long way from any kind of real feeling. She’d been deluding herself into thinking that something could come of this, when the truth was, he would never allow himself to care for her because when it came right down to it, he didn’t trust her.

Well, she couldn’t keep fooling herself. It was better to get out now, while the pain was still livable. If she waited any longer, she knew the loss of him would kill her.

Pasting a bright smile on her face, she closed up the last of her paint jars, tucked them away in the carrier, then took a breath. Steadied as much as she was going to be, she opened the office door and called out, “Sam? I’m finished. You can see it now.”

He looked up from the car he was bent over and smiled at her. Anna’s heart jolted and she knew she would miss that smile of his.

“The big secret revealed, huh?” He wiped his hands on a towel, tossed it across the car fender and headed her way. “Can’t wait.”

She stepped back so he could enter and shifted her gaze to his face as he saw the finished painting for the first time. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He couldn’t have had a more perfect reaction.

“That’s incredible,” he said, walking closer to it.

“The ocean’s still wet, so don’t touch,” she warned.

“The ocean’s always wet, babe.”

“Very funny.”

Still shaking his head, he leaned in closer to the wall. “That’s really amazing, Anna.” He shot her a look over his shoulder. “I’m impressed.”

“Thanks.”

It had turned out well, she thought, studying her own work objectively. A gracefully arched window, shadowed from an unseen sun, opened up to a seascape that looked as vivid as life. Blue-gray sky, storm clouds on the horizon. Waves crashing against rocks, sending spray so high that it dotted the painted-on glass of the open window. A tumble of flowers and vines spread across the window sill, dripping color and motion onto a still life that made it seem all the more alive and real. “What’s this?”

“Hmm?” She glanced to where he was pointing. With a shrug and a smile, she admitted, “I was a little angry with you when I painted that part.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

He grinned anyway, though, so Anna was glad she’d left in the snake with Sam Hale’s features peeping out from the vines on the windowsill.

“You,” he said as he walked toward her with a familiar glint in his eyes, “are a very talented woman.”

“Thank you,” she answered, her voice hardly more than a whisper.

He pulled her into his arms, dipped his head to kiss her and then seemed to notice her hesitation. “What is it?”

She should tell him now, Anna thought. Tell him that whatever was between them was over. But damn it, she wanted one more time in his arms. One more glimpse of the magic before she turned her back on it forever.

“Nothing,” she said and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. “It’s nothing.”

Then he kissed her and she forgot everything but what he made her feel.

Her body blissfully humming with remnants of pleasure, Anna turned her head on the pillow and looked at the man beside her. How had she come to feel so much for him in such a short amount of time? And did that really matter? The simple truth was, she loved him and every moment she spent with him was only setting herself up for disaster and pain.

She had to end this while she still could.

“Sam,” she said abruptly into the quiet, “this isn’t going to work out.”

He grinned, rolled to his side and slid one hand down the length of her naked body, making her shiver even as new fires erupted inside.

“Seems to be working just fine.”

“No,” she insisted, rolling out from under his touch. If she didn’t say something now, she never would. Scrambling off the bed, she stood up and reached for her clothes. “It’s really not.”

“What are you talking about?”

She had his attention now, she thought, looking down into beautiful blue eyes that were narrowed in suspicion.

“Just that we can’t do this anymore,” she blurted.

“Why the hell not?”

She tugged her shirt over her head and shook back her hair. “I can’t keep being with you when I know exactly what you really think of me.”

He pushed off the bed and stood naked, facing her. He was amazing-looking and Anna had to fight hard not to be distracted. “What? What do you mean what I think of you?”

This was harder than she had expected it to be, but Anna kept going. She told herself that pain now would save her misery later, so it was best to just get this done so they could both move on with their lives. “I mean,” she told him, “Garret told me exactly what you said about me. Not only do you think I’m after him for money, but that you consider me flaky and immature and-why are you laughing?”

He shook his head, grabbed up his jeans and tugged them on. “Because this is so stupid.”

“Oh, thanks very much.”

“I didn’t say you were stupid,” he muttered, then spoke up more loudly. “Why is arguing with women so frustrating? The flaky and immature thing? That’s not what I think of you. It’s what I think of Garret. He refuses to grow up and I’m starting to wonder if he’s even capable of it.”

Only slightly mollified, Anna said, “But you did think I was after your money.”

He didn’t deny it. What would be the point? They both knew the truth. After a second or two, he said, “Okay, yeah. I did. Why the hell else would a woman like you be dating Garret?”

“You really believe I could do something like that? Use someone? Barter myself?”

He scowled and folded his arms over the chest she’d been draped across only moments ago. “I don’t have to remind you that your father’s company is failing-or that I’ve got more than enough money to save it.”

“No,” she assured him haughtily, “you really don’t.”

“Stop being so damn insulted. You wouldn’t have been the first woman to use sex to get what you wanted.”

She fisted her hands at her hips. “And is that what I’m doing now? With you?”

He glared at her. “How the hell am I supposed to know? You tell me.”

Stung to the heart of her, Anna’s unshed tears nearly blinded her. She stepped into her shoes and lifted her chin to match him glare for glare. “If you really do think so little of me, then I was wrong about you from the beginning.”

He didn’t say a word, just stood there, watching her. With every pulse beat, another tiny piece of Anna’s heart broke away and shattered. Gathering up what dignity she had left, she said quietly, “I never want to see you again. You can mail me a check for my work.”

“Fine,” he answered quietly.

Before she left, she took one last jab. “When you’re in your office, I hope you look at the snake often and remember why it has your features.”

Eight

Christmas Day was just awful.

The Cameron family holiday breakfast was strained as Anna watched her father strive to remain cheerful despite the deepening worry lines at the corners of his eyes. Clarissa made a big show of a supposed “cold” that kept her constantly sniffing and wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.

And Anna missed Sam desperately.

She hadn’t spoken to him in days, which only told her that she’d made the right decision. Sam had no doubt realized that they were better off apart. Truth didn’t make the pain any easier to live with, though.

Yet, watching her father go through the motions on a holiday he loved was unsettling. She was worried enough about him that her own pain was taking a backseat.

After an exchange of presents, Anna joined her father in his study for a cup of coffee. Clarissa excused herself to take some cold medication.

“Dad,” Anna said, sitting beside him on the brown leather sofa, “is it really so bad?”

Her father frowned and Anna knew she was crossing into unexplored territory. Ordinarily, her dad preferred that she and Clarissa be happy and completely ignorant of his business dealings. But after a moment or two, he gave a resigned sigh.

Patting her hand, he admitted, “It’s not looking good right now, honey.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“I don’t want you worried about this, understand?” He gave her tight smile. “Things will work out as they’re supposed to. I’m sure the new year will bring plenty of opportunities.”

Her heart already aching from the loss of Sam, Anna felt another wrench. Her father had worked hard his entire life to build a company he was proud of. Was he really going to lose it? And if he did, what would it do to him?

“No sad faces,” he chided, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “We’ve got some Christmas cakes to eat, remember?”

Another family tradition. Decadent cupcakes covered in Christmassy icing were always eaten after breakfast in the Cameron house. She watched her father fight past his own disappointments and worries and knew she could do no less.

“Yes, we do, Dad. Want me to go get them from the kitchen?”

“Please. Take them into the living room by the tree.” He stood up, still smiling tightly. “I’ll just give Clarissa a hand finding her cold medication and we’ll join you.”

“Okay.” There was a knot in her throat but she wouldn’t let her father down. If he wanted to have a normal Christmas morning, then that’s exactly what they would do. As he started walking away, though, she said, “I love you, Dad.”

His smile was warm and real as he answered, “I love you, too, Anna. Now don’t worry, all right?”

She nodded, though her concerns were still there. But she wouldn’t contribute to her father’s worries, so she silently vowed to keep her anxiety well-hidden.

“Have you heard from him?” Tula asked later that night over a Christmas dinner of takeout tacos.

Because Tula had no family, the two of them always had Christmas dinner together-with only one rule. Nobody cooked. So every year, they looked around for any restaurant that happened to be open. This year, it was Garcia’s Familia. The food was terrific, but Anna wasn’t enjoying it anyway.

Hard to eat when it felt as though there was a ball of lead in the pit of your stomach.

“Sam?” Anna shook her head and took a sip of wine. She pushed the tines of her fork through the Mexican rice as if drawing a picture. “No. And it’s better that way. Really.”

“Yeah,” Tula told her. “I can see that. This is working out great for you.”

Sighing, Anna set her plate on the coffee table and sat back on her couch. Her gaze fixed blankly on the brightly lit Christmas tree, she wondered what Sam was doing. If he missed her as much as she missed him. And she wondered how he had become so important to her in such a short length of time.

“Anna, you’re miserable. Why don’t you call him?”

She glanced at her friend and ruefully shook her head. “What would be the point? Nothing’s changed. Even if it’s not a conscious notion, he still thinks I’m after him for his money.”

“That’s crazy,” Tula said with a snort of derision. Picking up her wine, she took a drink and said, “You had a fight. People always say things they don’t mean in a fight.”

“Or the truth comes out,” Anna suggested. She’d already had this same conversation with herself a dozen times. She’d thought about that last fight from every angle and each time she came to one conclusion. “Either way, it’s just over.”

The phone rang, but she didn’t move to pick it up. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone anyway. Her heart hurt, not just for what she’d lost in Sam, but for her father. And there was nothing she could do about either situation.

“You’re not going to get that?” Tula asked.

She shook her head. “Let the machine pick it up.”

Which it did a moment later. She listened to her outgoing message and then her heart jolted at the sound of Sam’s voice.

“Anna?” His deep voice sounded commanding. “If you’re there, pick up.”

Tula waved at her frantically, but Anna shook her head again. She had to curl her fingers into fists to keep from reaching for the stupid phone, but she did it. She couldn’t talk to him. Not now. Maybe not ever again. It was hard, but it would be even more difficult if she didn’t stay strong.

Sam sighed into the phone, then said, “Listen, I, uh, wanted to say merry Christmas-”

Anna’s heart tugged a little at that and the twisting pain made her close her eyes. If things had been different, Sam might have been here right now, with her and Tula, having dinner and laughing. But things weren’t different and they weren’t going to be.

“Talk to me, Anna. Don’t let it end like this.”

“Oh, God,” she whispered.

When she still didn’t pick up, he muttered something unintelligible and hung up.

“Yeah,” Tula said, every word coated in sarcasm, “I can see why you don’t want to talk to him. Sounds like a heartless bastard.”

“You’re not helping,” Anna told her.

“This time,” her friend said sagely, “I think you’re going to have to help yourself.”

Sam glared at the damn phone as if Anna not speaking to him were its fault instead of his own. “Idiot,” he muttered thickly, shoving one hand through his hair. He’d done nothing but think about Anna for the last few days. Their last argument was on constant replay in his thoughts. And every time he relived it, he saw the shock on her face and the hurt in her eyes. He still wasn’t sure how the damn argument had erupted and he’d like nothing better than to step back in time and bite back the words that had hurt her so badly.

Why the hell had he said something so stupid? He knew damn well that she wasn’t after his money. He had been convinced of that as soon as he saw how much time and effort and artistry she’d poured into the mural she had painted for him. No mercenary woman would have cared so much about doing a good job. She would have come in, slapped some color on a wall and cashed his check.

But Anna had pride. Integrity.

And his heart, damn it.

He poured a Scotch and took a seat on the sofa. The Christmas tree was lit up and soft jazz pumped through the stereo. It would have been perfect, he thought. If Anna were there.

Instead, there was a hollow spot in his chest that he couldn’t see being filled anytime soon. God, if he had to live the rest of his life with this emptiness inside…

“Sitting alone in the dark?” Garret said when he came into the room. “Not a good sign, Sam.”

“It’s not dark,” he protested lamely. “The tree lights are on.”

“Yeah.” Garret grabbed a beer from the wet bar, then sat down in a chair close to his brother. He took a long drink and said, “So, you want to tell me what’s eating you?”

“What?” Sam shot his brother a look.

“I was gone like a week or so, not years. You’re…” he tipped his head to one side and studied Sam “…different, somehow. Still mean as hell, of course, but there’s something else, too.”

This was a rare moment, Sam thought. His younger brother was noticing something outside himself. And maybe it was a sign that the younger Hale brother was finally taking a step toward maturity. God, he hoped so. Because Sam knew what he had to do.

He’d missed Anna like he would have an arm or a leg. Somehow, in the last couple of weeks, she had become as necessary to him as breathing. And he couldn’t live without her. So he had to tell his brother that not only wasn’t Garret going to get Anna back, but also that Sam was in love with her himself.

Love.

Wasn’t the first time he’d thought that word over the last few days. But it was the first time he’d welcomed it. And admitting the truth, if only to himself, made him feel…good. He looked at his brother and knew that what he was about to say could cost him the relationship. But he had no choice. He had to try to make things right with Anna.

“Actually,” Sam said, setting his glass of Scotch aside. He sat up, and braced his forearms on his thighs. Looking directly into his brother’s eyes he said, “There is something else.”

Garret paled at the suddenly serious tone. “Are you okay? You’re not sick are you?”

“No.” Sam laughed shortly and realized it was the first time he’d even smiled since losing Anna. That thought steeled him for what came next. “Nothing like that. But you remember when I told you to break up with Anna Cameron?”

Garret rolled his eyes. “You mean when you ordered me to stop seeing the man-hunting gold digger? Yeah, Sam. I remember.”

Sam bristled, hearing his own words tossed at him. God, he’d been an idiot. “She’s not, you know. A gold digger.”

One of Garret’s eyebrows lifted and he took a swig of his beer. “Interesting. I seem to recall trying to convince you of that.”

“Yeah, well. Things have changed.”

“I’m getting that. So let’s hear it.” He sat back, kicked his legs out in front of him and crossed his feet.

Sam couldn’t sit still. He jumped up and paced to the wide front window where the Christmas tree lights were reflected on the glass. Staring out at the night, he started talking.

“I was going to get her back for you,” he admitted.

“What?” Garret jolted upright. “Just a minute-”

“Was,” Sam repeated, turning now to look at his brother. “Look, I didn’t mean for this to happen, to go around you like this, but the truth is, I’m in love with Anna.”

He waited, letting his words sink in. Watching his brother’s face, Sam didn’t miss the wide smile or the relieved sigh.

“Thank God.”

“Excuse me?” Sam said.

“I don’t want Anna back, Sam.” Garret blew out a breath.

Now Sam was confused. He’d thought his brother had real feelings for Anna. “But I thought-”

“Is this what’s been bugging you since I got home?” Garret asked, standing up to walk to his brother’s side.

“Well, yeah.” Sam hadn’t expected their little chat to go so well and damned if he could figure out why it was. But he was grateful, as well as surprised.

“Then relax, brother,” Garret said and clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m entirely over Anna. I mean, I knew she wasn’t after the family money, but she wasn’t for me anyway. That’s the only reason I went along with you telling me what to do. I mean, come on, what am I? Twelve?”

Sam scowled at him, but realized he should have considered that before. Garret never had done anything he didn’t want to.

“I’m glad for you, Sam. You’re a way better fit with her than I ever could have been. She’s nice and everything, but she’s too traditional for me.”

“Traditional.” Sam laughed, still stunned by his brother’s reaction. “And you told her I thought she was flaky and immature.”

Garret laughed, too, then shrugged. “Well, I wasn’t going to tell her that you had called me that.”

Sam looked at his younger brother and felt a rush of love for him. Didn’t matter if Garret hadn’t found his way yet, Sam was suddenly sure that he would. Now all that was left was for Sam himself to find a way back to Anna.

“Is it just me?” Garret wondered aloud. “I thought love was supposed to make you feel good and you still look crappy. What’s going on?”

He scrubbed one hand across the back of his neck and stared out at the night again. “Anna’s not real happy with me right now.”

“Ah, that explains it.”

Sam shot a look at his brother. “What?”

Garret grinned. “Why the snake Anna painted on your wall has your face.”

“Yeah, that’s a long story.”

“Why don’t you tell me about it?” Garret said. “We’ll have another drink. And then I’ll tell you all about the professional snowboarder I met in Aspen.”

Sam shook his head and smiled. “What’s her name?”

Garret winked. “Shania. She’s gorgeous. And amazing-brilliant, talented. She’s really something special. And in two days, we’re flying to Geneva for a couple of weeks to do some serious boarding.”

Sam pulled his brother in for a brief, hard hug, then let him go again. “I’m not gonna worry about you anymore, Garret,” he said with a smile. “I think you’re going to do just fine.”

Garret’s features sobered and he nodded as if accepting an award. “Thanks for that, Sam,” he said. “I really will be all right, you know. So now that I’m off your worry list, why don’t you tell me all about Anna and we can figure out a way to get her back in your life?”

“I’ll tell you,” Sam said, draping one arm over his brother’s shoulders to steer him over to the chairs. “Then you can tell me all about Shania. As for me, I’m doing whatever I have to to get Anna back.”

Nine

Christmas was over and New Year’s Eve was just a day away. Anna had buried herself in work, wishing away the holidays, wanting to get lost in the dark, gray days of January. A storm was settling in over Crystal Bay and the cold damp suited Anna’s mood perfectly.

Maybe her father was right. Maybe the new year would be filled with lots of opportunities. But at the very least, time would be passing. And the more time passed, the easier it would become to get over Sam.

At least, that’s what Anna fervently hoped.

“For now, though,” she told herself firmly, “I’m going to concentrate on work and try to put everything else out of my mind.”

Sounded good in theory, but Sam’s image would never completely leave her thoughts. He was with her, sleeping and waking. He was always there, just behind the mental door she tried repeatedly to close.

“How’s it coming, Anna?”

“What?” She jolted and her grip on the paintbrush in her hand tightened. Whipping around, she looked at Mateo Corzino as he walked toward her. The owner of Corzino’s, home of the best lasagna on the California coast, Mateo had hired her to do a mural on the wall of his restaurant.

It was a big job that could keep her busy for a couple of weeks. He wanted a view of a Sicilian harbor, fishing boats tied up at a dock, complete with cliffs and sand-colored buildings in the background. And he wanted it to look as though the view was seen through a crumbling wall. She was eager to dig in, loving the challenge and a crumbling wall was one of her favorite effects. If only she could fully concentrate instead of having her heart and mind torn in two.

“Jeez,” he said with a grin, “didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Sorry.” She shook her head and laughed a little. “I guess I was just thinking so hard I didn’t hear you come up.”

He glanced at the wall where she’d just begun laying down the dark brown tracer lines that would eventually look like cracks in old plaster.

“It already looks real,” he said, a touch of awe in his voice. “I don’t know how you do it.”

Pleased, Anna smiled and wiped her fingers on a paint rag. “Well, I don’t know how you make that amazing sauce of yours either, so we’re even.”

“Speaking of that, I’d better get back to the kitchen. My wife’s minding the stove and the baby.” He looked at the wall again and nodded in appreciation. “You need anything, you give a shout. The restaurant won’t be open until dinner, so no one will bother you.”

“Thanks, Mateo,” she said, but he was already gone, hurrying back to his family. She heard a deep baby giggle coming from the kitchen and then Mateo’s wife laughed along.

Anna sighed and turned back to her paints. Emptiness filled her as she reached up to paint another jagged line on the wall. As she did, she felt as though she were capturing in paint the cracks in her own broken heart.

She worked for another hour or two uninterrupted. Then she heard a frantic knocking on the glass door behind her. Anna ignored it, figuring that Mateo would be rushing out to take care of an overeager customer. But when the knocking continued, Anna sighed, and stepped out from behind a tall, potted ficus tree.

Clarissa was standing outside the restaurant, leaning up against the glass, shading her eyes so that she could look inside. A second later, that frantic knocking started up again.

Mateo finally headed out of the kitchen and Anna stopped him. “I’ll take care of it, Mateo. Sorry.”

“Oh, sure,” he said, recognizing Anna’s stepmother. “No problem.”

Anna hurried to the door, turned the lock and opened it. “Clarissa, what is it? What’s happened?” Then she saw her stepmother’s eyes were red and swollen, tears streaming down her face. Grabbing hold of the woman, Anna demanded, “Is it Dad? Is he okay?”

Clarissa nodded, gulped audibly and lunged for her. Hugging Anna tightly, she tried to talk around her own tears, but the words were garbled.

Relieved that her father was all right, Anna patted the woman’s back until she calmed down, then pulled away and said, “What’s going on, Clarissa? Why are you crying?”

“Oh,” the woman said, rummaging in her black bag for a handkerchief, “it’s just so wonderful…”

Anna’s heart picked up a normal rhythm. Not bad news, then. She waited impatiently for her stepmother to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. Then, at last, Clarissa spoke again.

“I had to find you, Anna,” she said. “Tell you right away. I know how worried you’ve been for your father and you just had to know the good news.”

Patience, Anna reminded herself, though the opposite feeling was pumping through her fast and hard. You needed patience with Clarissa.

“If it’s good news,” Anna said softly, steering Clarissa to a chair, “then I definitely want to hear it.”

But Clarissa didn’t want to sit down. She stopped suddenly, gave Anna another hard, tight hug and stepped back, giving her a brilliant smile. “Thank you, Anna. I don’t know how you did it, but thank you.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, feeling that hard-won patience begin to dissolve. “What are you thanking me for?”

Clarissa’s eyes widened and her smile got even brighter.

“You don’t know? I can’t believe you don’t know,” she said. “I thought for sure you were behind this somehow, but now…”

Anna took a breath and blew it out again. “Honestly, Clarissa, I do love you, but if you don’t tell me what’s going on soon-”

“Of course, of course.” Clarissa grabbed hold of Anna’s paint-stained hands and said, “It’s Sam Hale. He contacted your father yesterday…Hale Luxury Autos has signed an exclusive contract with Cameron Leather.” Her tears started again in earnest, but her brilliant smile never wavered. “Your father’s company is safe, Anna. He’s so relieved. So happy. I thought you had talked to Sam about this. Somehow arranged it all and I had to come and thank you for whatever you’d done.”

“Sam called Dad?” she echoed, her heart jumping into an accelerated beat. She hadn’t talked to Sam in days, but he’d called her father. Done this to help her father.

Hope leaped to life in her chest and she silently prayed that this meant what she thought it might. Dazzled, confused, Anna realized that Clarissa was talking again and forced herself to pay attention.

“He did. They met this morning with Sam’s and your father’s lawyers and settled it all in an hour. Everything’s taken care of and, oh, Anna, it’s so wonderful to see your father really happy again.” Clarissa reached out and hugged Anna tightly before letting her go. “It’s as if a boulder had been rolled off his shoulders.”

“Why would Sam do this?” Anna wondered aloud, not really expecting an answer. Was it possible that he did feel more for her than want?

“I don’t know, dear,” Clarissa said softly. “I thought he’d done it for you.”

Why would he, though? she asked herself. Why, when she’d broken it off with him, refused to take his calls? Why would he do something so wonderful?

Anna tore off the oversize apron she normally wore when she was working. Bunching it together, she passed it off to Clarissa and said, “I have to go. Will you tell Mateo I’ll be back?”

“Going to Sam?” Clarissa asked softly.

“Yes,” she said, frantic now to see him. She had to know why he’d done this. Had to know if he felt even half as much for her as she did for him.

“Good for you, honey,” her stepmother told her, reaching out to pat her cheek. “You go on. I’ll tell Mateo. But come to the house for dinner tonight, all right? I know your father will want to share this with you. We can celebrate.”

“I will, Clarissa,” Anna said and impulsively kissed the woman’s cheek.

Hopefully, she thought as she ran out the door, there would be a lot to celebrate.

Ten

Sam cursed as he jammed his thumb on the undercarriage of the Bentley. Should have known better than to be out here working, he told himself as his thumb throbbed in time to his heartbeat. His mind wasn’t on the work and that was a recipe for danger.

But as he’d given his staff two weeks off, he hadn’t been able to face going into an empty building. Instead, he turned and went into the small office off the garage. He stood in the doorway, staring at the painting Anna had completed what now seemed like a lifetime ago.

The illusion of the ocean view was so clear, so real, he half expected to feel a breeze sliding through that painted-on window. Then his gaze dropped to the hidden snake peeking out of the flower vine. He scowled as he realized that he’d deserved to have her immortalize him like that. Damn it, he cared for her and he hadn’t told her. He’d let his own suspicions drive her away when all he really wanted was her. Here. Now.

“This isn’t helping,” he muttered, trying to find something to do. Something to occupy his mind so it wouldn’t automatically turn to-

“I thought I’d find you here.”

He went still as a post. Her voice came from behind him and he’d hungered to hear it for so many days, he wanted to just take a second to enjoy it. But when she didn’t speak again, he turned around to face her.

Her long, auburn hair was pulled into a ponytail and she was wearing paint-stained jeans and a black sweatshirt, also decorated with splotches of paint. Her eyes were locked on his and Sam thought he’d never seen anything more beautiful.

Behind her, he could see that the promised rain had finally arrived. The sky was gray and trees were bending in the wet wind.

“I went to your office first,” she said.

He just looked at her. He couldn’t seem to get his fill. “I closed it until after the holidays.”

“Yeah, I saw the sign.” She walked closer, the heels of her boots tapping in tandem with the rain.

It took everything Sam had not to go to her, wrap his arms around her and hold on. He wanted her with an ache that had only gotten more overpowering over the last few days. And he knew unless he had her in his life, he was doomed to misery.

“You’ve got paint on your cheek,” he said.

She shrugged. “I’m working at Corzino’s.”

He nodded and wondered why they were suddenly being so damn polite.

“I know what you did,” she said and walked close enough that he could smell her. The scent of her shampoo mingled with the sharp scent of paint and he almost smiled. Because to him, that was the essence of Anna.

“And?” he asked, staring down into her emerald green eyes.

“And, I want to know why,” she told him softly.

“You know why,” he admitted, his blood stirring, his body quickening. She was so close and he’d missed her so much.

After his meeting with Dave Cameron, he’d known that he’d have to face Anna. But he hadn’t been sure what her reaction would be. Hell, she was a hard woman to predict, which was only one of the reasons he was crazy about her.

She watched him through guarded eyes. “I hope I do. Why don’t you tell me?”

Grumbling now, he admitted, “I did it because I love you, okay? You wouldn’t answer the damn phone and I knew you wouldn’t see me. So this was the only way I had to tell you.”

“Sam…”

“It’s not the only reason,” he told her, talking fast now that he had her here and it was so important to make her see what he was feeling. “Your dad’s a good man and it’s a good business decision for both of us, but you’re the main reason I did it, Anna. I did it because of you. For you.”

When she didn’t say anything, he added, “I don’t expect anything from you. You don’t have to do anything. Hell, I don’t even expect you to believe that I love you, but I do.”

She still wasn’t talking, and Sam suddenly couldn’t stand still under her gaze. He grabbed her, giving into the instinctive urge clawing at him. He pulled her close, stared down into those green eyes of hers and said, “I’d do anything for you, Anna.”

He loved her.

Anna sighed, grinned up at him and threw her arms around his neck, holding on for all she was worth. “Oh, Sam, I love you, too. I love you so much.”

“God.” He buried his face in the curve of her neck and swept his big hands up and down her spine, as if reassuring him that she was once again in his arms.

He kissed her, long and deep, and Anna felt her world right itself again. Fires burned inside her and she knew that with him in her life, she would never again be cold.

“You could have said something,” he accused, when he finally broke the kiss long enough to look down at her. “Did you have to let me keep babbling?”

She grinned and leaned into him, arching her body into his. “Sorry. But after you said you loved me, I sort of zoned out.”

“Is that right?” His voice was low and almost seemed to rumble along her nerve endings.

“Yeah, it is. I do love you, Sam,” she said, staring into his eyes and letting him see everything she was feeling. “And what you did for my dad-you didn’t have to.”

“I know that,” he said, and bent to kiss her again. Once. Twice. “I wanted to do it, not because I had to but because I knew it would make you happy.”

“You make me happy, Sam. Just you.”

“I’m making that my mission in life,” he told her. “Because I never want to be without you again, Anna.”

“Never,” she whispered and sighed as he kissed her again and again.

At last, though, he pulled back and pointed at the mural. “This is the first time I’ve come in here since you left,” he admitted. “I couldn’t look at that painting without thinking of you. Couldn’t look at that snake without remembering that I’d let you go.”

She laid her head on his broad chest and smiled at the steady beat of his heart. “I’ll paint over that snake,” she promised.

“No,” he told her. “Leave it. It’s a good reminder to me.”

“Of what?”

“Everytime I see it, I’ll remember how close I came to losing you, and that’ll make me appreciate what we’ve got together even more.”

Tears filled her eyes as she smiled at him. “Tell me what we’ve got, Sam.”

“Everything, Anna,” he said. “Marry me and we’ll have everything.”

“Yes.” She didn’t have to think about it. Didn’t have to wonder. Didn’t have to ask herself if she was sure. It didn’t matter if she’d met him two weeks ago or two years ago. This was the one man for her. The man she would love for the rest of her life. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

One corner of his mouth tipped into that delicious half smile she loved so much. “Just what I wanted to hear.”

His hands swept under the hem of her sweatshirt to cup her breasts and she groaned at the contact. He tweaked her nipples through the lace of her bra and Anna sighed in pleasure.

“I know a great way to spend a rainy day,” he said.

She sighed, and almost surrendered before she remembered, “Oh, I can’t! I have to work. I told Mateo and-”

Sam kissed her again until she couldn’t think, let alone speak. When he lifted his head, he smiled down at her. “It’s okay,” he said. “We’ve got tonight to celebrate.”

She winced and groaned aloud as she remembered she’d already made a promise to her stepmother. “I promised Clarissa I’d go to the house for dinner. To celebrate. You have to come, too, so we can tell them our news together.”

He laughed and rested his forehead against hers. “Dinner with the family. Agreed. And I should probably have a talk with your dad about us anyway. But after, it’s just you and me.”

“Absolutely.” She couldn’t wait to get him alone. To feel his body sliding into hers. To hear him say he loved her again and to know that she would be with him forever.

“Since we missed our first Christmas together,” Sam was saying, “we’ve got some catching up to do.”

“What did you have in mind?” she asked a little breathlessly.

“Well,” Sam said, “I’m thinking we’ll have some wine, sit in front of the Christmas tree and open our presents.”

“Presents?” she asked, confused.

He dropped his fingers to the snap of her jeans and flicked it open. Anna gasped as he undid her zipper and slid one hand across her abdomen. Then she understood. “Ah. Open our presents,” she said, moving into his touch. “Yep, that’s a great idea. We could even call it our first tradition.”

“You really are my kind of woman,” he mused, zipping up her jeans and snapping them closed again.

“And don’t you forget it,” Anna told him, her insides melting at the wild, wicked look in his eyes.

“Not a chance, babe.” Taking her hand in his, he kissed her knuckles, then said, “Come on, I’ll drive you to Mateo’s. I don’t want you taking chances in this rain.”

Anna hugged him and whispered, “Rain? What rain? All I can see is sunshine and rainbows.”

While the rain pelted down from a steel-gray sky, inside the garage there was warmth and love and the promise of tomorrow.

Sam held on to her for another long minute, giving each of them a chance to settle. To relish the realization that they were together now and everything was going to be just as it should be.

“Happy New Year, Anna.”

“Happy New Year, Sam.”