chair. "How long do you think you'll be at your boss's ranch?"
She shrugged. "Who knows? These meetings could be wrapped up in a matter of days or they could take a couple of weeks. Both sides of this negotiation are stubborn and refuse to back down, so I can see it ending up as a tie, if there can be such a thing with them."
"When it's over, why don't you take some vacation time and come down to San Diego. By then I should know the town well enough to find us some night life," he promised her.
"I have an idea you'll find a new girl friend before you learn anything at all about the town," she mocked him with sisterly affection. She rose from her chair when the doorbell rang.
"Templeton doesn't happen to have a woman chauffeur, too, does he?" Wes asked, looking down at his half-naked state.
"No, thank goodness, I don't think she could handle the shock." Alex was still laughing when she opened the door, a laugh which disappeared when she found Jared standing on the other side, dressed casually in jeans and a sweater.
His greeting was halted by the sight of Wes rising from his perch and lazily stretching his arms over his head. Looking back at Alex, Jared's eyes immediately frosted over.
"I apologize if I interrupted something," he began in a cold voice that was also blatantly insincere.
"No." Alex was puzzled by Jared's icy demeanor. She stepped back to allow him to enter. "Mr. Templeton, this is Commander Wesley Hayden." It was a habit of hers to use the full title when she wanted the intimidating advan tage, although it didn't work with Jared.
"Commander." Jared held out his hand, but there was no friendliness in his voice.
Alex was growing a little angry by the cool reception Wes was receiving from Jared, although she noticed that her brother seemed to be only amused by Jared's actions.
"Excuse the casual attire." Wes was totally at ease. "I've been suffering from jet lag for the past week since I left my last duty in Italy and decided to stop off here to see Alex before reporting to my new station in San Diego."
"Oh?" Jared glanced at Alex with raised eyebrows.
She stood by, confused by this cryptic conversation and resisting the urge to give her brother a good swift kick for enjoying himself too much. She had been astonished to see Jared on the other side of the door and was curious as to why he was picking her up instead of Frank. Jared turned to her, asking brusquely if she was ready. Her answer was to point silently toward her suitcase.
"Thanks for everything, Al." Wes kissed her soundly. "Give me a call when you get back to L.A. and we'll plan a wild weekend."
"Sure," she mumbled absently, still puzzled by Jared's cold attitude toward her brother.
"Shall we go?" Jared's icy voice cut through her mus ings.
By now Alex was angry. Just because Jared had gotten out of the wrong side of his current lady friend's bed didn't mean he had to take it out on her. She walked over to Wes and planted a kiss on his cheek, then retrieved her tote bag, leaving her suitcase for Jared to take.
"Don't worry, I'll lock up when I leave," Wes assured her, a wide grin on his face, and him looking as if he were enjoying a private joke.
Alex's spine was rigid with exasperation when she walked down the hallway to the elevator, a grim-faced Jared striding beside her.
"Say, Al?" Wes's cheerful voice followed them.
She looked around to see her brother holding her gun by a forefinger hooked over the trigger guard. "You forgot your piece, sweetheart." He gave a fairly accurate imitati on of Bogart.
Alex's eyes flashed sparks to him as she returned to her apartment door and snatched the gun out of his hand to jam it inside her purse. "I'm certainly glad to see someone is enjoying this," she hissed.
"Hmm?" He squinted his eyes in Jared's direction, then looked down at her. "I'm sure you'll find out why the blizzard soon enough."
"Not soon enough for me."
Alex took her time walking back to the waiting elevator car. The ride to
She shrugged. "Who knows? These meetings could be wrapped up in a matter of days or they could take a couple of weeks. Both sides of this negotiation are stubborn and refuse to back down, so I can see it ending up as a tie, if there can be such a thing with them."
"When it's over, why don't you take some vacation time and come down to San Diego. By then I should know the town well enough to find us some night life," he promised her.
"I have an idea you'll find a new girl friend before you learn anything at all about the town," she mocked him with sisterly affection. She rose from her chair when the doorbell rang.
"Templeton doesn't happen to have a woman chauffeur, too, does he?" Wes asked, looking down at his half-naked state.
"No, thank goodness, I don't think she could handle the shock." Alex was still laughing when she opened the door, a laugh which disappeared when she found Jared standing on the other side, dressed casually in jeans and a sweater.
His greeting was halted by the sight of Wes rising from his perch and lazily stretching his arms over his head. Looking back at Alex, Jared's eyes immediately frosted over.
"I apologize if I interrupted something," he began in a cold voice that was also blatantly insincere.
"No." Alex was puzzled by Jared's icy demeanor. She stepped back to allow him to enter. "Mr. Templeton, this is Commander Wesley Hayden." It was a habit of hers to use the full title when she wanted the intimidating advan tage, although it didn't work with Jared.
"Commander." Jared held out his hand, but there was no friendliness in his voice.
Alex was growing a little angry by the cool reception Wes was receiving from Jared, although she noticed that her brother seemed to be only amused by Jared's actions.
"Excuse the casual attire." Wes was totally at ease. "I've been suffering from jet lag for the past week since I left my last duty in Italy and decided to stop off here to see Alex before reporting to my new station in San Diego."
"Oh?" Jared glanced at Alex with raised eyebrows.
She stood by, confused by this cryptic conversation and resisting the urge to give her brother a good swift kick for enjoying himself too much. She had been astonished to see Jared on the other side of the door and was curious as to why he was picking her up instead of Frank. Jared turned to her, asking brusquely if she was ready. Her answer was to point silently toward her suitcase.
"Thanks for everything, Al." Wes kissed her soundly. "Give me a call when you get back to L.A. and we'll plan a wild weekend."
"Sure," she mumbled absently, still puzzled by Jared's cold attitude toward her brother.
"Shall we go?" Jared's icy voice cut through her mus ings.
By now Alex was angry. Just because Jared had gotten out of the wrong side of his current lady friend's bed didn't mean he had to take it out on her. She walked over to Wes and planted a kiss on his cheek, then retrieved her tote bag, leaving her suitcase for Jared to take.
"Don't worry, I'll lock up when I leave," Wes assured her, a wide grin on his face, and him looking as if he were enjoying a private joke.
Alex's spine was rigid with exasperation when she walked down the hallway to the elevator, a grim-faced Jared striding beside her.
"Say, Al?" Wes's cheerful voice followed them.
She looked around to see her brother holding her gun by a forefinger hooked over the trigger guard. "You forgot your piece, sweetheart." He gave a fairly accurate imitati on of Bogart.
Alex's eyes flashed sparks to him as she returned to her apartment door and snatched the gun out of his hand to jam it inside her purse. "I'm certainly glad to see someone is enjoying this," she hissed.
"Hmm?" He squinted his eyes in Jared's direction, then looked down at her. "I'm sure you'll find out why the blizzard soon enough."
"Not soon enough for me."
Alex took her time walking back to the waiting elevator car. The ride to
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