cupped his hand around her bare, tanned forearm.
She was tense, muscles tight. What would it be like, he wondered, to loosen her, to get to the soft woman beneath the tenseness?
âJackson?â
He skimmed his thumb up until he felt the pulse inside her elbow skitter. âYes?â
âIâ¦â She took a deep breath. âWhat did you think about when I told you I teach archery?â
Hearing her voice hitch gave him a small thrill of powerâand pleasure. He smiled. âI thought that youmust be stronger than you look.â He squeezed her arm. âYou are. You fascinate me, Cheyenne. Iâm not quite sure why.â
He saw a brief, uneasy flicker in her dark eyes before she shifted away, forcing his hand from her arm.
âIâve told you about myself. Why donât you tell me something about Jackson Colton?â
âYouâre changing the subject.â
âWhy are you a lawyer?â
Resigned with her distance for the time being, he leaned back in his chair. âBecause my father groomed me to be one,â he replied, then hesitated. He had never thought of things that way, but it was the truth. His mother had barely acknowledged his existence, which had made him as pliable as clay in his fatherâs hands. Jackson supposed he would have agreed to a career of digging ditches if that would have gained him the love of the one parent whoâd paid him any attention.
That heâd never felt truly satisfied working at his fatherâs side had been something Jackson had chosen to overlook. Until last month when heâd discovered Grahamâs affair with Meredith. Learning his father had paid for his auntâs silence not out of remorse for his actions, but from fear that Joe Colton would write him out of his will if he found out the truth had put a sick feeling in Jacksonâs gut.
âIs that what you wanted, too?â Cheyenne asked. âTo be a lawyer?â
âI thought I did until recently.â He moved his shoulders carelessly. âI donât know. Could be Iâm just in the wrong area of the law. One reason Iâm hanging around Prosperino for a while is to figure that out.â
She sipped her latte. âWhatâs another reason?â
For the space of a heartbeat, he considered telling herthat the police suspected him in the two attempts on his uncleâs life. That he could be arrested. Go to jail. And that she might be in a position to help the cops put him there.
Just as quickly, Jackson pushed away the urge. He was innocent and he planned to clear his nameâmaybe as early as the following day if the trip he planned to make to L.A. paid off. If it did, there wouldnât be any reason for Cheyenne to know heâd even been questioned by Detective Law. No reason for this woman, who had slid into his thoughts so easily and often over the past months, to have cause to avoid him.
He took in her fine-boned features, dark eyes, the seductive arch of her throat. She lookedâ¦elegant, he decided. A kind of inner elegance that wasnât the least diminished by the simple blouse and slacks she wore. Granted, heâd always preferred more flamboyant women, but this was the first time in his life heâd felt so intensely drawn to one woman. Right now, he didnât know why. He was only sure that he wanted her in his world where he could see and touch her. And find out just what those secrets were he saw in her eyes.
âIâve thought about you a lot since my uncleâs party,â he said quietly. âIâm not going to let you get away this time. I have to go into L.A. tomorrow. Will you have breakfast with me the day after?â
She regarded him steadily. He had the uncomfortable feeling she knew more was going on than what heâd said.
âI have an early archery lesson,â she said after a moment. âAnd a counseling session later that morning.â
âIâll come to