Once Forbidden...

Here was the one place she felt as if she truly belonged. She’d picked the house and its furnishings with great care, creating a nest where she fully anticipated living the rest of her life. Alone.

She’d decided to come here, grab a bite of late lunch, then head to the ranch and put in a couple of hours of work there. Harriet had insisted she needed the day to acclimate herself to the small town and had further insisted Johnna leave her to her own devices for the day. They would meet first thing in the morning for Erin’s arraignment.

As Johnna got out of her car, two people standing in the front yard of the house across the street caught her attention. A wave of dismay swept through her as she recognized Jerrod and Shirley Swabb, the local real-estate agent.

That particular house had stood empty and been for sale for some time. Surely Jerrod wasn’t considering buying the place. But what else could he be doing there with Shirley?

It was bad enough Johnna had to share this small town with Jerrod, bad enough he apparently intended to be a big part of Erin’s support. Johnna certainly did not want to share this street with him. She didn’t want to have to look out her window and see him day in and day out.

“Hi, Johnna.” Shirley waved, her broad face beaming as Johnna approached.

“Hi, Shirley, Jerrod.” Johnna tried not to notice how handsome Jerrod looked. He was clad in a pair of charcoal slacks and a white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to expose well-developed forearms sprinkled with dark, curly hair.

His eyes were the color of the sky overhead, a blue so intense it almost hurt to look at them. There had been a time when Johnna had been able to lose herself in those blue depths.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him.

“Looks like we’re going to be neighbors,” Jerrod replied.

“Jerrod is buying the place,” Shirley added with another of her big, salesperson smiles.

“Why? It’s a wreck.” Shirley’s smile slid away beneath Johnna’s pronouncement. “The porch is sagging, one of the windows is broken. It needs painting.”

“All cosmetic,” Shirley replied stiffly, and shot Johnna a glare.

Johnna ignored her. “Jerrod, surely you can find a place that doesn’t need so much work.” Someplace not on my street, someplace on the other side of town, she wanted to scream.

“I like this house,” Jerrod replied, his gaze unreadable as it lingered on her. “Besides, Shirley is right. It’s structurally sound. It just needs a little tender, loving care. In fact, Shirley tells me your brother does a lot of carpentry work.”

“I’m sure Luke is far too busy to take on another project,” Johnna replied. She knew she sounded churlish and petulant, and she hated herself for it. But he was stirring old emotions, emotions she found more and more difficult to shove away.

“My father needs a project and this place will be just the thing for him,” Jerrod said.

“We’re on the way to my office to sign the paperwork,” Shirley added coolly, obviously irritated by Johnna’s attempt to interfere in a sale.

“I promise you I’ll be a good neighbor,” Jerrod said, a knowing smile curving his lips.

“I’m sure you will be.” Johnna felt the heat of a blush warm her face and wondered how transparent she had been.

“How was church this morning?” she asked grudgingly.

“Wonderful. The good reverend delivered a beautifully moving goodbye sermon. Unfortunately there was only a handful of people there.”

“I’m sure you’ll turn that around in no time,” she said, then added, “And I hope you and your father will be very happy here.” She realized she was fighting a losing battle with the house and refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing any more of her protests.

Before anyone could say anything else, she spun on her heel and strode back to her house.

Once inside, she dropped her briefcase by the front door, then stood at the front window and stared outside. She watched as Jerrod took the For Sale sign down and walked it over to lean it against the side of the garage.

When he’d touched her face the night before, she’d wanted to fall into his arms, feel the heat of his mouth, allow him to take whatever he wanted or needed from her. And that had frightened her.

At eighteen she had been positively besotted with Jerrod McCain. She’d given him power over her mind, her body and her heart. And he had thrown it all away, leaving her in a state of devastation she’d never fully recovered from and never again wanted to experience.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.