Branded by Annette Broadrick

Author:Annette Broadrick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2004-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Eight

Ashley absently closed the door to her bedroom, going over what had been said just now.

She’d misinterpreted his actions all those years ago. He’d admitted that he was attracted to her.

That said, she knew he still carried a torch for Tiffany. How could he not? Jake loved her when he married her and he was very loyal to those he loved. Hearing that she was on her way to get married again must have been painful. Added to that pain was his discovery that he had a daughter and Tiffany hadn’t told him.

No wonder he was still reeling.

She understood that he was vulnerable; otherwise he wouldn’t have admitted that he was attracted to her. She also knew that Jake had no intention of acting on that attraction, but his reasons puzzled her.

Why did he consider himself poor husband material? Why did he blame himself for Tiffany deciding to leave? How could he believe that marriage wasn’t for him? Maybe nothing would work out for the two of them in the long run, but couldn’t he at least give their relationship a chance?

He was being as honest with her as he could be, she knew. He’d always been an honorable man. She was one of the few people who saw beneath his strong, taciturn surface to his kind and gentle heart.

Of course he didn’t want to hurt her.

However, she knew that if she decided to stay here to be with Heather until he found someone permanently, there was a strong chance that despite his best intentions she and Jake would end up in bed together—considering the sparks that flew whenever they were around each other. The electricity created could light up New Eden.

Ashley had to be honest with herself. She could very easily end up with her heart broken—again—unless she accepted the reality of her situation.

Whether the decision was reasonable or not, Jake had no intention of getting married again. They might become sexually involved, but an affair was the most she could expect from him. Her childhood dreams about him were just that—from her childhood—and had no bearing on any choices she made now.

Her problem was that she’d wanted Jake Crenshaw from the time she understood what all those hormonal changes meant. Unfortunately, the past twenty-four hours had taught her that those feelings hadn’t died away. Her life had turned into something magical and exciting since he’d come back into it, and that was without including Heather in the equation. She had definitely lost her heart to that little girl.

Before going to bed, Ashley checked on Heather. She smiled to find her sound asleep, covers in disarray. Who wouldn’t love this little chatterbox with the insatiable curiosity and outrageous remarks guaranteed to cause an adult to cringe with embarrassment?

Once in bed, Ashley was almost asleep when she remembered that she didn’t have clean clothes to wear for tomorrow. She’d need to go to her dad’s first thing in the morning and see what she might have left to wear at his place.

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