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  The only one that bothered him was Cody. Cody had been a brother to him his whole life, so not speaking felt wrong. He knew he needed to apologize to him, but he wasn’t even sure where to begin. He had to do it soon. His parents were due in tomorrow, and they wouldn’t like seeing their 'boys' fighting. Jake swiped his hand across his face.

  Thank God he hadn’t booted Mike out after Bethany’s little visit. The only thing that had stopped him was tequila. He’d been drunk for three days. When he finally sobered up, he’d already realized his mistake. So he hadn’t kicked Mike out of his house. And Mike hadn’t asked why Jess had left. He knew Jess hadn’t told him. If she had, there was no doubt in his mind that Mike would’ve beaten the crap out of him. Jake was bigger but he would’ve let Mike do it. He deserved it.

  He knew from the crew that Jess had been back out to the house a couple of times, but he hadn’t seen her. He was pretty sure Mike had played a part in that too. And now the house was done. He hadn’t been able to convince himself to buy any furniture for it, so the hands had all pitched in and helped him move some of the existing stuff over there.

  Marsha had opted to stay at the old house, although she’d come over to the new one to cook. She had glared at him, mumbling that “someone oughtta use such a nice kitchen.” Jake had moved his bed and his office furniture over there. He’d taken the leather couch as a temporary fix for the living room. He had bought a new big screen TV, but it was still sitting on an old crate from the barn.

  He thought about asking his mom to furnish it, or at least some of it, while they were in town, but he just couldn’t. Not yet. It was still Jess’s house. He was hoping if he lived there long enough, that feeling would start to fade. He walked through the house, seeing the cabinets that they’d fought over, the flooring. The crazy huge front door with the stained glass above it. He loved the house because it reminded him of her. At the same time, he half wanted to burn it to the ground to get rid of the memories.

  Jake hadn’t even made it out to buy a guest bedroom set for his parents to sleep on until three days ago. And that had been another nightmare altogether. He went into Evanston, driving past the Hotel Terra on his way to the furniture store, causing an ache in his chest strong enough he’d had to rub at it. No one told him heartbreak physically hurt. Then he’d wandered through three stores until he found a bedroom set that he liked. It wasn’t until they’d delivered it yesterday that he discovered that it reminded him of Jess. It was an elegant sleigh bed set, in a dark black brown, the same color as her hair. And the sheets and blankets he’d picked were all reds, and purples, and blues, shot through with the same silver as her eyes. He’d made the bed then slammed the door. He couldn’t even pick furniture without thinking of her. So, the rest of the house would stay empty until he could pick something he wanted, not what he thought she’d like.

  Everyone, Marsha and Cody included, had been delighted to move him in here. Apparently he wasn’t all that much fun to have around right now. Jake chuckled softly, without any real humor. He had no idea how he was going to pull off this party in a couple of days. He’d done his part, working with Marsha to hire caterers, order the tables necessary, the tents, etc. The house was empty, but it was built. And, the whole town was coming to celebrate his parents’ thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. Everyone would be there. Everyone except Jess. Jake headed back into the empty house. He would go to bed and dream of her. He’d dreamed of her every night, so he’d come to expect it. He sighed. He would play the happy go lucky bachelor at this party. And he would apologize to Cody. When that was done, he could come back to his huge, empty, lonely house. It was better this way.

  If he told himself that often enough, maybe he’d start to believe it.

  Two days later, Jake watched the chaos on the grass, grateful his mother was there to finalize things. He stood on the porch, looking out at people scurrying around like they were ants building a hill. The party started in two hours, but he knew people would show up early, anxious to see his parents and the new house. He checked his watch again. He had time for one beer before he showered and dressed. He ran and grabbed one out of the fridge, seeing Cody sitting on the porch as he turned back to the front door he’d left open. He grabbed a second beer and headed out to join him. Time to apologize.

  He handed the beer to Cody, who silently accepted it. Jake sat down by him, neither of them speaking for long minutes.

  Jake finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. Especially since you were right.”

  Cody looked over. “Yeah, I was right. But, not completely. I shouldn’t have said it like that. You don’t deserve to be alone.” Cody sighed, looking over at him. “I was pissed, Jake. You threw away everything that I’ve ever wanted in my life. You had it in your hands, and you threw it away.”

  “What you’ve wanted?”

  “Yeah, what your parents have.”

  Jake was shocked, two fold. “You want that? For yourself? And what do you mean I had it?”

  Cody smiled a little sadly. “Yeah, I want that. Don’t you?”

  Jake looked at his mom, laughing as his father kissed her loudly on the cheek. His hand still sliding down to her butt after all these years. Jake smiled, even as his heart ached. Jessica. “Yeah, I want that too.”

  “Jake, buddy. You had it. And you let jealousy and stupidity chase her away.”

  “Cody, why was she with Mike in Evanston? You know, don’t you? Something I don’t.”

  Cody stared at him. "You really never asked her?” At Jake’s glare, Cody answered. “They were buying a building. An office building.” Jake was sure he still looked confused since Cody continued, slowing his speech patterns until he sounded like he was talking to a slow witted child. “She and Mike were going into business together. Opening an architectural firm in Evanston. She was leaving that company she worked for in Austin.”

  Jake was stunned. “But, one hotel room? Why?”

  Cody looked over at him, disappointment clear in his face. “First, you should’ve trusted her and never called the damn hotel. And if you were going to check up, you should’ve done a better job of it. She reserved the room, so it was in her name. But, did you know that the Hotel Terra has three room suites? Hotel rooms with three separate bedrooms in them. One room, three bedrooms.”

  The shock was turning to guilt. “By the way, since you seem to know so little about her, you might want to Google Wythe. Specifically in Virginia.” Cody shook his head. “You haven’t gotten back with that viper, Bethany, have you?”

  Horrified at the thought, Jake grimaced at Cody.

  Nodding, he said, “Better late than never, I guess. Since she’s coming today, and you know Jess didn’t cheat on you, she’ll probably try to bring up the money thing too. I know Karen was only after your money. So does Bethany. You may want to check Jess out before Bethany convinces you she was after your cash too.” With that, Cody pushed up, swung over the porch rail and went to help Jake's parents.

  Jake stood up, all but running to his computer. What the hell was Cody talking about? Virginia? Jess was from Texas. She was an architect from Texas. Okay, so when she got mad, she got a very icy, proper tone to her voice, a tone that could possibly be east coast, but that was just anger. As he Googled the name, he saw a picture of a very elegant, well dressed man, with a beautiful woman, mid fifties, on his arm. The blurb next to it read, “Virginia’s next Governor?”

  As Jake scanned the article about Jonathon Wythe, it came to his attention that Jess had never mentioned her parents’ names. He knew she had a sister named Dana who was pregnant. No, who would’ve had her baby last month. But that was it. He kept skimming until he saw it. “Daughter Jessica Wythe is a highly successful architect based out of Austin, Texas.” It went on to talk about her educational background, and the prestige of both the firm and her career.

  Jake leaned back in his chair. He already knew he’d been wrong. Wrong about Mike. Wrong for listening to Bethan
y. It was no excuse, but the situation had hit on his worst fears. He’d been played a fool once. He was never going to let it happen again. And then Jess had snuck in. She’d gotten past all his carefully erected defenses, touched his heart and made him yearn. Not just physically, although he wasn’t sure it was possible for him to ever get enough of her, but she’d made him dream of a future again. A future with her. And he hadn’t even known her. Not really.

  Even as he had that thought, he discarded it. He had known her. She’d been more herself with him than she was with her family. Okay, so he didn’t know her dad was running for Governor, but he knew her. Inside and out. He should’ve trusted her. Should’ve known there was nothing going on. Should’ve known that Bethany had lied. Jake paced around, cussing a blue streak a mile wide. He was an idiot. A damn fool, just like Cody had called him. He deserved whatever pain he suffered.

  Even as Jake acknowledged his mistake, he heard a voice in the back of his head telling him it was too little, too late. He’d let his own fears, his own pride, chase away the woman he loved. The woman he needed to complete his life. He hadn’t just chased her away, he had tossed her out the door, kicking her just for good measure. He’d lost her, and there was nothing he could do to repair the damage. He thought about the look in her eyes just before she’d walked out. He’d never seen anything that cold, that angry. Ice over steel, he thought again. He ran his hands over his face, surprised to find wetness on his cheeks. He headed to the shower, knowing she would never forgive him. And he would never get over her.

  Chapter 30

  Jess looked around her new office. She was happy, she really was. So, she wasn’t smiling foolishly like Cindy and Mike were, but she was just as happy. Or, she would be. Someday. Right now, she was trying not to think about the party going on just over an hour away. The party where she was supposed to show off her new house. Jess sighed.

  Luckily they’d finished that back road out there, so she’d been out to the house, overseeing the final steps, getting photos of the finished product. They couldn’t take potential clients to see the house itself, not with Jake now living in it. So, before he’d moved in, Cindy and Jess had taken about a million photos of the entire property, including the landscaping, although there was still work to be done outside. Cindy had taken the pictures of the kitchen. Jess couldn’t even walk into that room. Mike had hired someone to finish the backsplash, put on the knobs. All the little final touches Jess had planned to do herself.

  As much as even seeing the pictures hurt, she knew she needed them to round out their resume. Most of Jess’s buildings had been industrial, and with the smaller town, smaller area, they wanted to take on more personal residences as well. So far, they had four personal residences scheduled, and one small office complex. Her reputation had preceded her.

  She hadn’t wanted to use her name for the business name, not because she was above using her family’s reputation, but because the business belonged to all of them. Cindy and Mike had insisted. So, on the front of their new office was a sign saying “Wythe and Company Designs.” They still needed to find a good landscape architect to round out the firm, but they were officially in business.

  Living this close to Jake was hard, but it was worth it. She loved Wyoming. So, she just made a concentrated effort to forget he was only an hour or so away. Most days it worked. Today…not so much. But it would get better with time.

  Jess thought back to the incredulous looks on her bosses’ faces when she’d walked in and quit. She’d told them she was going to Wyoming and they’d laughed at her. Brundel had ultimately admitted that she would be missed. Greatly missed. And they were glad she would be far enough away not to pull any of their business. That was a huge compliment coming from him.

  Jess, who had always lived conservatively much to her parents’ consternation, had spared no expense on this office. This was her business, worth every penny it cost to set it up and set it up right. And, after the party at the ranch today, they were hoping to bring in lots of clients. She’d asked Mike to attend, representing the company and bringing business cards. Brundel and Schein had pitched a fit until they realized that, as they had never even seen the plans, they really couldn’t take credit for the design in any way. Also, she’d agreed to give up her commission as long as she could advertise it as her build. They had agreed.

  Jess headed back into her office. They each had personal offices although, as they had yet to hire a secretary, one of them usually stayed at the front desk. The offices were as lushly appointed as was the front. Jess wanted the full experience for the clients. The building exterior was fairly neutral, blending in with the offices around them. But, the interior was breath-taking. All three of them had pitched in. Using a lot of Cindy’s creativity, and a lot of sweat, they’d gotten the interior done in just over a month. And it was perfection. Probably a little over the top for Evanston, but so worth it.

  She sat at her desk: dark wood, warm, rich tones. It was huge, masculine even. As she looked around, she knew what she’d used as her inspiration, but she refused to acknowledge it. He’d never see it anyway, so it didn’t matter that her office was a carbon copy of Jake’s. She leaned back in her chair, put her feet up on her desk and looked out the window. The view was worth it. The office building backed up to the woods. They were on the fifth floor, the top floor of the building. To make sure no one could cancel their lease, or cause any problems, Jess had bought the building. And taken the entire top floor as their offices. And behind their building was a wildlife preserve. She would always have a view of the trees she loved, the green that had pulled her here, even as it pained her broken heart.

  * * * * *

  Jake saw Mike, dressed in a suit and looking every inch the professional, talking and chatting with everyone that looked at the house. He wasn’t upset to see him, he’d invited him, actually both Jess and Mike. They’d done an amazing job and deserved to take the credit. He hadn’t thought Jess would come, but she’d always been the consummate professional, so maybe. He headed to Mike, hoping against hope she was here.

  Mike glanced up and saw Jake walking toward him. Something must have shown in his face because Mike shook his head before Jake even reached him. His heart fell, but he still headed over to shake Mike's hand and say hello.

  “Hey, how’s it going? I’ve heard nothing but good things about the house. You can be proud of this place.”

  “Thanks, just glad to hear you like it.”

  “So, how is…everything?” Jake couldn’t bring himself to say her name, but he was hoping Mike would get the drift.

  “Good.” He waited a beat. “She’s fine, Jake.”

  Jake nodded. As much as he'd like to know she missed him, he was glad she wasn't as miserable as he was. “She didn’t come?”

  “No. She won’t be here.”

  “It makes sense. Austin’s a bit far just for her to spend the day avoiding me.”

  “Austin?” Mike looked confused. With a shake of his head he said, “Evanston, Jake. She’s in Evanston.”

  “What? She came anyway?” She was here. She was here and he hadn’t even known.

  Mike nodded.

  “Cody mentioned she was looking, you guys were looking. But I figured, after…with us…”

  “No. We’re here. We opened officially a week ago. Still looking to fill a couple positions, but…” Mike handed him a card. “This is us.”

  Jake took the card, “Wythe and Company Designs. Good for you Mike.”

  Mike hesitated. “Jake, you’re obviously miserable, she’s not exactly happy. What happened?”

  Jake was truly shocked, down to his boots shocked. “She really didn’t tell you?” Mike shook his head. “I, um, well, I thought…” Jake rubbed a hand over his face. “No, she’ll tell you. If she wants to.” He turned, started to walk into the house. He needed a drink and beer wasn’t going to cut it.

  He stopped and turned back to Mike, guilt over what he’d thought of Jess, what he’d though
t of Mike forcing him to apologize, even while he hoped Mike never knew the truth. “I said some things. She’ll never forgive me, but for what it’s worth, I was wrong. Really wrong and I’m sorry.”

  Jake grabbed bourbon out of the kitchen, smiling politely at everyone looking around. He went and sat back down on the edge of the back porch, seeing Bethany walk toward him. Jake groaned. God, will this day never end? He didn’t want to deal with her right now.

  Bethany walked up to Jake. For the first time he really saw her. Everything about her seemed deliberate, too made up. Even her walk. He felt like prey while she was the hunter. Even as he wondered how he'd missed it before, she smiled, a slow sexy smile and sat down next to him.

  “Hey there, handsome. Hiding out from all the noise?”

  Jake nodded, afraid to speak. He had nothing good to say to her. His mom had raised him to be polite to women, and he had tried to live by that. He’d failed miserably with Jess, and look where that had gotten him.

  “This is some shindig you’ve got going out here. I saw your mom. I took the liberty of introducing myself, since you weren’t anywhere around. I haven’t met your dad yet, maybe you can introduce me?” She settled a hand on his thigh, tracing little circles with her fingernail.

  Jake slowly, deliberately grabbed her hand, removing it from his leg. “Beth, don’t. It’s over. It’s been over. You just don’t want to believe it.”

  Bethany looked truly shocked. “Come on, you can’t mean that, Jake.” She tried a cajoling smile, running her hand down his cheek.

  Jake pulled back, leaning away from her and scooting over. “Bethany, no! I’m trying to be nice, here. Just go.”