He had her and he knew it. Good. He reached for his checkbook. “Name your price, Terri. What’s it worth to you?”

* * *

Bliss scooted back the chair at her desk. So she and Mason had finally made love. She chewed on the edge of her lip and thought, as she had since returning from the ridge, about the only man she’d ever cared for—ever loved. “Oh, you’re the worst kind of fool,” she told herself as she tossed down her pencil and ignored the plans for a remodel of a warehouse on the Seattle waterfront that had been sent to her and lay open on the desk in her father’s den. Work, which usually interested her, held no appeal—not this morning when the sunlight was streaming off the mountains and sparkling in the dewy grass.

Last night she’d watched as Mason had returned, unsaddled and unbridled Lucifer. He hadn’t so much as glanced at the house where she’d stood at a window. Instead he’d climbed into his truck and driven away, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

She didn’t believe that he’d used her, wouldn’t even consider her father’s protests that Mason was only getting close to her to get back at him. No, the attraction that she and Mason felt for each other was deep enough to cross time barriers, strong enough to dim the past with all its pain.

So here she was, contemplating loving a man she’d sworn to avoid.

Every time the phone had rung she’d nearly jumped out of her skin, hoping that Mason had decided to call. Each time, she’d been disappointed. She hadn’t heard a word from him all day, but then, she supposed, it was her turn to make a move in his direction. If that was what she wanted.

She heard a car in the drive and her heart did a quick little leap. Pulling the old curtains aside, she saw Katie’s convertible approaching the house. Her hair was wild and free, her smile wide as she parked, and though Bliss was still thinking about Mason, she was glad for the distraction that her half-sister was sure to bring.

A few seconds later, Katie was ringing the bell on the front porch and Bliss threw open the door. A wave of heat rolled inside. “Come in,” she said, before the younger woman had a chance to say a word.

“I just stopped by to let you know that John’s being released, but Mom’s insisting he stay with her in town. She wants him where she can keep her eye on him, and, really, I don’t blame her.”

“Neither do I,” Bliss replied, still unsure exactly how she felt about this dynamo of a half-sister but willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. “Would you like something to drink or eat?”