His arms remained around her, and she waited, not certain he would release her, tantalized by the thought that he wouldn’t.

“Darci, what do you want from this relationship?”

His question made her thoughts spin. I want love-lifetime, lasting love. I want to be needed, to have a safe haven. The words echoed through her heart, accenting the longing she’d struggled with for so many years. But she held the thought deep inside, knowing she couldn’t share the words. Not now. Not ever.

She forced a smile to her lips. “I want to save Blackmore’s, of course. That’s all that matters to me.” For the first time, the words rang hollow. “And you?”

Through the shadow of his hat brim, she saw something flicker in his eyes, but it was so quick, she didn’t have a chance to define it. “The same thing, honey. The very same thing.”

His arms loosened and he stepped back. Darci turned and walked slowly to the revolving door, regret sounding in every step. Why shouldn’t she stay with him? They were married, it was morally and legally acceptable. And her body burned for his touch.

But the price was too high; she couldn’t afford to take the chance. Cole was just another man who wanted to use her for his own gain, the same way Jeffrey had. At least Cole had been honest about his plans. Jeffrey had deceived her from the first. And she’d never craved Jeffrey’s touch like she did Cole’s.

Somehow, she made it home, her thoughts a whirling jumble of confusion. When she unlocked the door to her condo, she tried to imagine Cole there, to feel his presence. But he didn’t fit. He was a man who needed the open range, the freedom of a cowboy’s life. He’d stagnate in the city. Another reason not to get too attached to the man. Their lives were headed in very different directions.

Scruffy was there to greet her as usual, but tonight, it only intensified Darci’s loneliness. Taking the little dog to bed with her, she pulled him close, knowing he was a very poor substitute for what she wanted.

The long night passed in a blur of longing for what she couldn’t have. Cole’s touch haunted her, and she remembered the texture of his skin, the scent that was uniquely his.

The next morning, Darci repeated the ritual of trying to hide the ravages of little sleep, but with no more success than before. The staff would begin to think she led a wild nightlife if this continued much longer.

She fiddled with the papers on her desk until almost ten o’clock, the disappointment, the nagging doubts, growing when Cole didn’t seek her out. Maybe he’d found a more interesting distraction. Maybe he hadn’t meant anything he’d said about working by her side to save their shared heritage.