Betrayed by Love

“You’ve changed,” he said finally. “You’re more mature. More poised. What do you do at that newspaper you work for?”

“Politics,” she said without thinking.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s very exciting,” she confessed. “Especially the elections. You get involved, even though you try to report impartially. I think I jinx the candidates, though,” she added with a sheepish smile. “Mine always seem to lose.”

He didn’t return the smile. He lifted his cigarette to his mouth again while Tom shifted restlessly in the background. It was unusual for Jacob and Kate to talk without looking for weapons.

Jacob dropped his cigarette and ground it out under his expensive boot. His dark eyes searched hers. “I suppose you and Tom will go back tonight?”

She nodded. “We have to. I’ve got an interview first thing in the morning.”

His cleft chin lifted and he narrowed his eyes, searching hers. “That boy, Kate…”

“I never lied to you, Jacob,” she whispered.

The change in his face was faintly alarming, explosive. The muscles in his jaw tautened, his eyes went black. “I can’t remember a woman ever saying my name the way you do,” he said half under his breath.

She had to fight from flinging herself into his arms and begging for his mouth. She looked at it now with aching hunger, followed its chiseled perfection with eyes gone misty from all the years of hopeless longing. Would it never end, this longing for him? He’d never touched her, never kissed her, in all the years she’d known him. She dreamed about it, about how it would feel. But it would never happen.

“I have to go,” she said miserably.

His chest expanded slowly, as if he was taking a deliberate breath. “Yes,” he said finally. “So do I. I’ve got to catch a train to New York for meetings about some cattle futures.”

He was taking the train because he didn’t trust airplanes, she recalled with a faint smile. He never flew unless it was a matter of life and death.

He did look every inch a businessman, all right. Her eyes adored him one last time. Now that Margo was married, she might never see him again. The thought was vaguely terrifying. That fright seeped into her expression, puzzling the tall man beside her.

“What is it?” he asked, his deep voice almost gentle.

“Nothing.” She clutched her purse closer. “Well… I have to go.”

“You said that.”

She shrugged and smiled faintly. “Yes.”

He didn’t reply and she turned slowly toward Tom, her heart sinking.

“I get to Chicago from time to time,” he said unexpectedly.

She turned, nervous and breathless. “Do you?”

His chin lifted again and his eyes lingered on her face speculatively. “I might take you out to dinner one night.”

She tried not to let her enthusiasm show, but she failed miserably. “Oh, I’d like that,” she whispered.

“So would I.” He let his eyes run slowly down the length of her body, admiring it with sensuous candor. “You’ve been off-limits for a long time, Kate,” he mused, catching her gaze suddenly. “But Margo’s out of the picture now; there are no more barriers.”

She didn’t understand. “What?”

He laughed softly, but it wasn’t humorous. “We’ll talk about that sometime. Are you in the phone book?”

“Yes,” she replied. “My first initial and my last name are listed. I’m in the Carrington Apartments.”

“I’ll find you.” He turned away to glance at Tom, who was still hovering. “Can I give you a lift to the airport?”

Tom joined them, smiling. “Thanks, but we’ve got a rental car.”

“Those do come in handy. I’ve got a train to catch. Nice to see you again, Tom.” He extended his big, lean hand and shook Tom’s. Then he glanced back at Kate with a peculiar smile. “I’ll see you.”

She nodded. “Have a nice trip.”

“I usually do.” He turned and strode off, while Kate watched him with her heart in her eyes.

“If he sees the way you’re looking at him, the game’s up,” Tom teased, holding her by the arm to propel her to the Ford he’d rented. “Come down out of the clouds, girl. We’ve got to make tracks if we’re going to catch our plane on time.”

“Yes, of course.”

“What were you talking about?” he probed.

“He comes to Chicago on business sometimes,” she murmured, glancing out the window and catching sight of Jacob as he passed them in his big Lincoln. She sighed. “Oh, Tom. He wants to take me out to dinner.”

“Horrors,” Tom exclaimed, pulling out into the street. “Watch out.”

She frowned. “Why?”

“For God’s sake, Kate. Margo’s married and you’ve just gone on the endangered-species list. Or hasn’t it occurred to you that he’s wanted you for years?”

Her heart skipped. “Me?”

“Of course, you,” he grumbled. “Jacob looks at you as if you were a juicy steak with his name branded on it. He always has. My God, if it hadn’t been for the fact that you and Margo were best friends, he’d have seduced you years ago.”

“It isn’t like that—”

“The devil it isn’t,” he persisted. “Listen, honey, I’m a man. I know how men think. Now that Margo’s out of the picture, Jacob feels free to pursue you, and I do mean pursue. He’s never believed you about that Gerald boy; he never will. As far as he’s concerned, you’re a city sophisticate, not a shy little country maiden. So watch it. I’ve heard stories about that man all my adult life, and I believe them. He’s a mature, sophisticated man with a line of women an arm long, and he doesn’t drag his feet. Did you really think that he was celibate all this time?” he added as he caught a glimpse of her shocked face.

“Margo said he never brought anybody home.” Her voice faltered.

“Of course not—he wouldn’t flaunt his conquests around Margo! Or don’t you remember what a peculiarly old-fashioned man he is when it comes to women and liberation?”

“I remember all too well,” she sighed, leaning back against the seat as she recalled his reaction that long-ago afternoon to the sight of her in a man’s arms.

“Then keep it all in mind. He isn’t in the market for a wife, honey,” Tom added softly. “I know how you feel about him. But don’t let your emotions blind you to the truth. What he wants is to satisfy a temporary hunger. When he marries, if he marries, it will most likely be Barbara Dugan, whose father owns the Double D Ranch adjoining his. It will be a nice merger and double his holdings, and Barbara isn’t half bad to look at.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right, Tom.” She felt sick all over. How was she going to manage to say no to Jacob when the time came and he asked her out? She loved him so desperately that even a few minutes of his company would last her starving heart for years. She looked at her brother helplessly. “Maybe he cares about me, a little.”

“Maybe he does,” he said. “But don’t you ever forget his mother and how he feels about the whole female sex because of her. He’ll never marry a woman he’s slept with.”