Love Isn't Blind 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

our working relationship if you'd like to continue in my service."
    "If that's what you really want," she replied, blinking back tears and trying not to let her feelings of rejection show in her voice.
    "It's what's best," he said. His tone was clear and firm. He'd made his decision and was going to stick with it. She could see the trained marine and CIA operative in him now, his face a cool impersonal mask showing no emotion.
    They walked back to the truck in silence, Anthony finding his own way with the aid of his cane. The drive home took less than fifteen minutes, yet it felt like hours sitting in that big rattling truck. She didn't know what to say that would make the situation any less awkward, and he seemed perfectly content to ride in silence. When they arrived at the house, he bid her a polite good evening and left to work on his manuscript. He made a point of saying that he'd see her the following afternoon for their regularly scheduled meeting. She could see he was working hard to pretend they'd never kissed in the cemetery.
    They had kissed, however, and for a moment he'd kissed her with more passion than she'd ever dared hope for. He was suppressing his own desire to be with her, and as much as she wanted to make him believe that it was okay to take that leap with her, she'd be damned if she was going to force him to love her.
Chapter Eight
    THEY MET IN HIS office at their usual time. Several days had passed since the kiss, and the spark of energy that fueled their previous editorial review sessions had fizzled out to where they needed only thirty to forty-five minutes to review the previous night's work and her suggested modifications. Their relationship was now strictly business, and his schedule had reverted back to taking meals in his room and crossing paths with her as little as possible. She sensed that he was on the verge of discontinuing their afternoon meetings, as nothing much of consequence was being achieved, and she felt he'd rather be using the time to write or exercise away his frustrations.
    She tried to throw herself into her writing, but every word suddenly felt clunky on the page, and she couldn't seem to get her characters to be as exciting as they had been. The strained relationship between her and the man who'd become her mentor was bleeding into her ability to formulate a suspenseful and engaging plot. She found herself avoiding her usual blocks of writing time, choosing instead to read or go for a long walk just to get away from the house.
    The house became a stuffy prison, and she took advantage of her free time to leave it as often as she could. Helene was still the same kind, sweet woman as always, and if she knew something was amiss between Ashley and Anthony, she didn't address it. The woman was always busy with cooking or cleaning, leaving Ashley feeling quite alone in the old building with its creaky floorboards and drafty windows. But rather than sitting around feeling sorry for herself, she walked into town most days to enjoy a coffee and some reading at the cafe next to the bookstore.
    After eventually getting over the sting of rejection from what happened in the cemetery, Ashley realized that something would have to be done to resolve the situation. Anthony needed an assistant he could trust to bounce ideas off of, and she needed to keep this job where she was learning more about the craft of writing than school had ever taught. She longed for him to admit that he was being a fool before scooping her up in his arms and whisking her off to bed, but this was a silly fantasy and she needed to keep her expectations firmly rooted in reality. The only thing to be done about it was to talk to him. She needed to explain that she understood his position and that she no longer wanted it to affect their working relationship.
    She would confront the awkwardness between them and do everything in her power to get rid of it. She would assure him that she'd been caught up in the moment, and that