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“You don’t owe me anything,” he said. “That is the persona the public sees. I prefer it that way.”
“It makes doing business easier, right? Because having a heart can be a weakness?”
“Yes. Companies like Murdoch will exploit any weakness they can find.”
Heat filled her cheeks. One of these days, she needed to come clean about her past. He wasn’t going to like it, and somewhere in the past month, she’d begun to care what he thought. Rowan really wanted to prove herself first. To prove that she was not her father or brother, that she followed rules where they circumvented them. All for money.
Just a little more time. That’s what she needed.
“Shall we go inside?”
“Yes. It’s time to get to work, right?”
“Right,” he answered.
Without giving her a choice, Gerard lifted both suitcases from the back of the SUV and carried them to the door. He set hers down to input the entry code. “I’ve updated some things since I took the place over.”
“The family doesn’t use it any longer?”
“No. Sometimes, Emersyn will come here, but my parents are traveling and loving retirement. They have no plans to settle down anytime soon and rarely even come back to San Francisco.” Not that it kept his father from checking in regularly to make sure his son hadn’t tanked the business.
He opened the door, picked up her suitcase, and led the way inside. She followed and turned to close the door. He watched her closely as she slowly pirouetted to view the inside. He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted her opinion to be a positive one.
“Oh, this is completely different from what I expected.” She moved farther into the small living room.
“I remodeled the inside a few years back.” He smiled as he looked at the white-washed shiplap walls and the natural pine wood ceiling that followed the A-frame up.
“It’s really beautiful.” She ran her hand along the back of a light brown suede couch, the oversized, overstuffed cushions nestled inside a rustic wooden frame. He’d had the cushions made, but built the frame himself, and he was proud of it.
“I went for comfortable. I wanted that here.”
“Homey and comfortable.” She looked up at him with curious eyes. “You surprise me at every turn.”
He smiled, happy she liked his vision for the cabin. When had that become important? Her eyes seemed lighter, as if joy had pulled some of the darkness from her life. His gaze dipped to her lips. So kissable and something he wanted to touch.
He couldn’t do that. It would complicate things so much more. And there was that damned pledge. Fuck. Pulling every bit of self-control he had out of the bag, Gerard stepped back, away from everything that tugged him closer to her, and saw the hint of confusion.
“Wait until you see the kitchen,” he said, trying to leap past the awkward moment.
After watching him a moment longer, Rowan walked in the direction he’d indicated.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding.”
Gerard enjoyed cooking and had spent money here, obviously sparing no expense. Open shelves above, knotty pine cupboards below. Bold granite countertops and high-end appliances finished off the chef’s kitchen.
“My custodian stocks the refrigerator, and I thought we’d cook while we’re here. As you probably noticed, there aren’t any restaurants close by.”
She chewed her lip, a habit he was growing to like. “I don’t cook much.”
“I wish I had more time to cook.” And someone to cook for.
“Thank God. Really, we’d starve if I had to make anything besides salad. I do make a pretty mean one, though.”
“All right. You’re on salads; I’ll do main course and side dish.”
Rowan’s bright smile lit up the room as she nodded. He liked seeing her happy. Joy looked lovely on her face. He reached out to touch her cheek, then stopped and dropped his hand. He could not do this.
“I’ll show you your room.”
