She eyed him silently for a moment, remembering the gold piece he had offered her. “You might want my body, but you made it very clear last night you don’t want my love.”

He didn’t answer, couldn’t answer. Heather felt pain squeeze her heart. Sloan didn’t even realize how much he was hurting her. Her anger faded, leaving a sense of hopelessness. “Sloan … this isn’t working. You know it as well as I.”

“What isn’t working?”

“Our arrangement. Our marriage. I think perhaps … we need to put some distance between us. For a time, at least.”

Sloan stood there, unable to manage a word. He felt as if he’d taken a fist to the gut. He’d wanted to push Heather away last night, to drive her away emotionally. Evidently he’d succeeded beyond his expectations. “You want to end our marriage, is that what you’re trying to say?”

“I … I hadn’t considered that far ahead yet. But that might be best. I can’t go on the way we have been.” When he remained mute, she clasped her hands together, seeking courage to continue. “If you’re concerned about my debt, I still intend to pay back every penny.”

He made a gesture of impatience. “I don’t give a damn about the money.”

“That isn’t what you said last night,” she reminded him in a low voice. “And even if you don’t care, I do. I still owe you nearly fifteen hundred dollars.”

“You don’t owe me a thing. What you’ve done for Janna is worth ten times that amount to me.”

She shrugged and turned away, but she couldn’t dismiss the issue. “Perhaps it’s merely pride, but it is important to me that I not be so dependent on you. Gus McAllister has offered to expand my job responsibilities at the paper. He needs some bookkeeping done, secretarial work, that sort of thing. It wouldn’t be full-time, but it would double my salary. And Caitlin says I may live here with her and Jake.”

Sloan felt a stab of panic as he sensed her slipping away. “What about the campaign?”

“What about it? You don’t really need my help any longer.”

“How do you expect me to explain to voters why you’re living in my brother’s house?”

“I can’t imagine that my absence will affect your chances any more than your drunken behavior last night.”

For a span of several heartbeats he didn’t answer. When Heather risked a glance at him, Sloan’s lean face was shuttered.

“You could at least wait till the election is over,” he said tonelessly.

She looked away. Of course Sloan wouldn’t want her to abandon his senatorial campaign before he won.

“You can punish me if you want,” he added finally, “but it isn’t fair to hurt Janna. She still needs you.”