Somewhere in a corner of her heart she was beginning to recognize that Harlan Adams wasn’t like any other man she’d ever known. And all of those sturdy defenses that had served her so well the past few years were slowly but surely beginning to topple.

“Let’s talk a little more about you and me, then,” he suggested, shifting gears so quickly it left her head reeling. “Where do you see us heading?”

Janet wished she had prepared herself better for this moment. She had known a conversation like this was inevitable. Harlan wasn’t the kind of man to be satisfied for long by evasive answers and rushed, skittish departures. She had no idea what had triggered this particular confrontation at midmorning in her office, rather than some evening out at White Pines, but apparently he’d reached a decision about the future and intended to put his plan into motion.

“I don’t know where we’re heading,” she said, which was too close to the truth to suit her and too wishy-washy an answer to suit Harlan.

“You ever think about marrying again?” he asked.

She swallowed hard. “You mean, getting married to you?”

His gaze was riveted on her. “Or anyone,” he conceded grudgingly.

Her throat went dry. She couldn’t have croaked out a reply if she’d had one handy.

“Something wrong?” he inquired. “Cat got your tongue?”

An odd note in his voice triggered an alarm somewhere deep inside her. “Is there some reason you’re forcing this issue now?”

“I just thought it was time to get our cards on the table.” He studied her pointedly, then added, “All of our cards. Call the bet, so to speak.”

Panic flooded through her. What exactly did he know? Had he somehow figured out her intentions about the Comanche lands? She’d been doing legal research in all her spare time, but no one knew about that, she reassured herself.

No one, except Jenny. Surely her daughter wouldn’t have said a word. She knew how important silence was, especially when there was every chance in the world that nothing would come of her plans.

She studied Harlan’s face and tried to guess what was going on behind that enigmatic expression. She had a feeling whatever decision she reached about that was critical. If she jumped to the wrong conclusion, said the wrong thing, it could ruin everything.

“My life’s an open book,” she said in what she hoped was an innocent-enough tone.

“Is it really?” he said, then shrugged. “I wasn’t thinking so much of the past. I’m more concerned with the future.”

“Harlan, I’m just a single mom struggling from day to day to make ends meet.”

The comment sounded a little ingenuous even to her own ears. Harlan responded with a lift of his eyebrows, indicating that he wasn’t fooled by it, either. Janet sighed.