peace and quiet and freedom. In many respects, her life, indeed her world, had been quite sheltered. Now that Mark was gone, the only thing disturbing her peace these days took the undeniably and potently masculine form of Jake Harrigan.
“Probably the last time you were in a place like this was when you came back for the wedding. Remember we all went out for tea at that old pub...somewhere in the Blue Mountains, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, now I remember.”
It had been a happy night, Nicolette recalled. Mark had been in fine form, full of hope for their future together, as had she.
How things had changed.
“Let’s walk,” he suggested. Jake’s fingers rested momentarily in the small of her back as he guided her across the grassy area toward the ferry dock. She liked the warm reassurance and comfort of his touch and wished he’d left them there.
“I seem to remember you didn’t say much that night,” she reminded Jake. “I got the impression you weren’t very happy about our marriage.”
At least Jake had the grace to look just a little bit guilty. He ran his fingers through the dark drift of waves that fell against his brow. If the action was meant to brush them aside, it didn’t succeed.
“You’re right. I wish I could say I was drunk that night. But it wasn’t that at all. I wasn’t particularly pleased because I thought Mark would wreck his life by marrying, settling down in one place, with one woman...a woman who expected him to rearrange his life to suit her. I thought Mark could have done better. Or preferably, stayed single.”
He couldn’t know how much his words hurt.
“Like you?”
“Yeah.”
“And now you think otherwise?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s typical of you, Jake.”
“I know. I’ve misjudged you badly. And I’m sorry for that. It didn’t really occur to me at first that Mark was happy, that marriage was what he wanted. It was something I knew wasn’t right for me and didn’t want to believe it was right for Mark either.”
She was aware of the tension within him.
“I had difficulty in accepting Mark’s decision and couldn’t get past that. I expected us to work as a team for a long time to come.” He paused. “You know the mentality—why change what works?”
“You don’t believe in marriage?”
“Yes, I do. For other people. It’s not for me. I like my life the way it is—uncomplicated, not having responsibility for someone else. I like my freedom. And I like being on the move. It’s as simple as that.”
Standing at the edge of the river, he turned and studied her for a long moment.
“I just couldn’t understand why Mark would want to give it all away. Now I know a little bit more about you, I can see why he did.”
He reached out and brushed a finger along her cheekbone, allowed it to linger, along with his dark assessing gaze that caused a quiver right down to her toes. His gaze lowered to her mouth and she tried hard not to moisten her sun-dry lips. The burning lazy heat slowed the air around them. Jake seemed mesmerized and Nic felt it too. Then Jake lowered his arm and the moment was lost.
Nicolette took a deep breath. “Don’t you want a family of your own one day? A place to settle and call home?”
“Those aren’t high on my list of priorities. I know they can be snatched away in a heartbeat. I’ve seen too much.”
Jake Harrigan was a curious man. Nic was tempted to ask him what was on his list of priorities. She’d also misjudged him, perhaps. She couldn’t blame him for wanting an uncomplicated life. Didn’t everyone? Heaven knew the kind of job he did brought its own hassles. But now, with his scrutinizing gaze sweeping every inch of her, Nicolette found herself involuntarily wondering just what a fling with Jake Harrigan would be like.
“So tell me more about you and Mark.”
His husky voice broke into her thoughts that were becoming more intense by the moment, or was it the summer heat that took away the air, scrambled
“Probably the last time you were in a place like this was when you came back for the wedding. Remember we all went out for tea at that old pub...somewhere in the Blue Mountains, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, now I remember.”
It had been a happy night, Nicolette recalled. Mark had been in fine form, full of hope for their future together, as had she.
How things had changed.
“Let’s walk,” he suggested. Jake’s fingers rested momentarily in the small of her back as he guided her across the grassy area toward the ferry dock. She liked the warm reassurance and comfort of his touch and wished he’d left them there.
“I seem to remember you didn’t say much that night,” she reminded Jake. “I got the impression you weren’t very happy about our marriage.”
At least Jake had the grace to look just a little bit guilty. He ran his fingers through the dark drift of waves that fell against his brow. If the action was meant to brush them aside, it didn’t succeed.
“You’re right. I wish I could say I was drunk that night. But it wasn’t that at all. I wasn’t particularly pleased because I thought Mark would wreck his life by marrying, settling down in one place, with one woman...a woman who expected him to rearrange his life to suit her. I thought Mark could have done better. Or preferably, stayed single.”
He couldn’t know how much his words hurt.
“Like you?”
“Yeah.”
“And now you think otherwise?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s typical of you, Jake.”
“I know. I’ve misjudged you badly. And I’m sorry for that. It didn’t really occur to me at first that Mark was happy, that marriage was what he wanted. It was something I knew wasn’t right for me and didn’t want to believe it was right for Mark either.”
She was aware of the tension within him.
“I had difficulty in accepting Mark’s decision and couldn’t get past that. I expected us to work as a team for a long time to come.” He paused. “You know the mentality—why change what works?”
“You don’t believe in marriage?”
“Yes, I do. For other people. It’s not for me. I like my life the way it is—uncomplicated, not having responsibility for someone else. I like my freedom. And I like being on the move. It’s as simple as that.”
Standing at the edge of the river, he turned and studied her for a long moment.
“I just couldn’t understand why Mark would want to give it all away. Now I know a little bit more about you, I can see why he did.”
He reached out and brushed a finger along her cheekbone, allowed it to linger, along with his dark assessing gaze that caused a quiver right down to her toes. His gaze lowered to her mouth and she tried hard not to moisten her sun-dry lips. The burning lazy heat slowed the air around them. Jake seemed mesmerized and Nic felt it too. Then Jake lowered his arm and the moment was lost.
Nicolette took a deep breath. “Don’t you want a family of your own one day? A place to settle and call home?”
“Those aren’t high on my list of priorities. I know they can be snatched away in a heartbeat. I’ve seen too much.”
Jake Harrigan was a curious man. Nic was tempted to ask him what was on his list of priorities. She’d also misjudged him, perhaps. She couldn’t blame him for wanting an uncomplicated life. Didn’t everyone? Heaven knew the kind of job he did brought its own hassles. But now, with his scrutinizing gaze sweeping every inch of her, Nicolette found herself involuntarily wondering just what a fling with Jake Harrigan would be like.
“So tell me more about you and Mark.”
His husky voice broke into her thoughts that were becoming more intense by the moment, or was it the summer heat that took away the air, scrambled
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