Tangled Hearts by Barbara McMahon Page A

said anything untrue. Jake wasn’t the man for Brianna. Josh had made that clear, but it would not have influenced Jake a bit if he hadn’t agreed with the man. He had known Brianna had a crush on him. He had relished feeling special to such a warm and loving woman. But his way of life wasn’t suitable for such a gentle woman, nor his background. She deserved much more. And Josh had known it.
    “…sisters?” she said.
    “What?” He’d missed the first part of her question while brooding on what had happened two years ago.
    “I asked if you had any brothers or sisters? You never mentioned any when…before. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have any.”
    “I don’t.” His reply was clipped. He didn’t want to talk about families.
    Brianna studied Jake as he drove. He seemed lost in thought. When they’d been dating, he had sometimes been preoccupied, usually with a case he was working on. At that time, she'd felt comfortable enough to ask what he was thinking.
    Not now. She longed to know what he’d been doing the past two years. She wondered about the crimes he’d investigated. Wondered when he became a detective. She didn't even know what division he worked in, though she suspected burglary since he seemed to know all about her case.
    More than anything, she wondered what he thought they'd accomplish by leaving Texarkana for a long weekend. Was it merely to keep her safe while the rest of the force searched for the burglar? Or was there more to it?
    “I missed you these past years,” she said bravely. “Did you miss me?”
    He nodded once, briefly.
    Her throat ached as she held back the words demanding to know why he’d stopped calling, why he hadn’t responded to her calls.
    “Where exactly are we going?” she asked instead.
    “My place.”
    “I didn’t know you had a place in the mountains. Where?”
    “Not too far from the state park. I’ve had the land for a long time. A couple of summers ago, I built a small cabin. Some of the guys from work helped. Now I let them use it when I’m not coming up.”
    “I can’t wait to see it.”
    “It’s not much, just a couple of rooms. But the view's nice.”
    He was proud of the cabin. It wasn't much, but it was all his. He'd designed it, built it with help, and furnished it. He'd spent a couple of weeks right after it was built just sitting on the porch and staring at the view. Building it helped him forget about Brianna.
    Sitting on the porch gave him unlimited time to remember her.
    It was growing dark when he turned onto the narrow road leading to his place. Five minutes later, he pulled to a halt before a small log cabin. The wide front porch was well sheltered from the snow, which drifted considerably deeper in the yard than it had back in Texarkana.
    At least it wasn't too deep he couldn't pull into the small drive.
    Brianna’s eyes darted everywhere as she took in the building, then the fantastic view.
    “Jake, this is beautiful.” Her voice was hushed as she gazed in delight at the scene. “You must come up here every chance you get.”
    “I don’t get up that much.” Building it had been a way to keep the memories at bay. But once he had completed the work, staying at the cabin proved lonely. It reminded him too much of things that he couldn’t have.
    Brianna hopped out of the car, glad she’d worn warm boots when she sank to her knees in the snow. Reaching for her briefcase, she turned and trudged to the porch. Jake followed, carrying both their bags.
    Nestled in the lee of the mountains to the west, the cabin was already in shadow. Dusk would follow shortly. Opening the door, Jake stood aside as Brianna stepped inside. She looked everywhere, curious to see how he’d decorated it. It was Spartan, the furniture sturdy and practical and looked imminently comfortable. To the left of the doorway, she saw a long sofa placed in front of a stone fireplace with a couple of easy chairs flanking it. To the right, a large, scarred pine