He was in the middle of saddling his horse to leave when Derringer walked up. “Hey, man, you want to talk about it?”

Jason drew in a deep breath. “No.”

“Come on, Jas, there’s evidently trouble in paradise at Jason’s Place. I don’t profess to be an expert when it comes to such matters, but even you will admit that me and Lucia had a number of clashes before we married.”

Jason glanced over at him. “What about after you married?”

Derringer threw his head back and laughed. “Want a list? The main thing to remember is the two of you are people with different personalities and that in itself is bound to cause problems. The most effective solution is good, open communication. We talk it out and then we make love. Works every time. Oh, and you need to remind her every so often how much you love her.”

Jason chuckled dryly. “The first two things you said I should do are things I can handle but not the latter.”

Derringer raised a brow. “What? You can’t tell your wife you love her?”

Jason sighed. “No, I can’t tell her.”

Derringer looked confused. “Why? You do love her, don’t you?”

“Yes, more than life.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Jason stopped what he was doing and met Derringer’s gaze. “She doesn’t love me back.”

Derringer blinked and then drew back slightly and said, “Of course she loves you.”

Jason shook his head. “No, she doesn’t.” He paused for a moment and then said, “Our marriage was based on a business proposition, Derringer. She needed a husband to retain her trust fund and I wanted her land—at least co-ownership of her land—and Hercules.”

Derringer stared at him for a long moment and then said, “I think you’d better start from the beginning.”

It took Jason less than ten minutes to tell Derringer everything, basically because his cousin stood there and listened without asking any questions. But once he’d finished the questions had begun…as well as the observations.

Derringer was certain Bella loved him because he claimed she looked at Jason the way Lucia looked at him, the way Chloe looked at Ramsey and the way Pam looked at Dillon—when they thought no one was supposed to be watching.

Then Derringer claimed that given the fact Jason and Bella were still sharing the same bed—although no hanky-panky had been going on for almost a week now—had significant meaning.

Jason shook his head. “If Bella loves me the way you think she does then why hasn’t she told me?”

Derringer crossed his arms over his chest. “And why haven’t you told her?” When Jason couldn’t answer Derringer smiled and said, “I think the two of you have a big communication problem. It happens and is something that can easily be corrected.”