The Black Sheep's Inheritance(4)

Her heartbeat sped up at the picture he made. Sage Lassiter stalked  across the parking lot toward her. It was the only word that could  describe that long, determined stride. He was like a man on a mission.  He wore dark jeans, boots and an expensively cut black sports jacket  over a long-sleeved white shirt. His brown hair flew across his forehead  and his blue eyes were narrowed against the wind. His long legs closed  the distance between them in a few short seconds and then he was there.  Right in front of her.                       
       
           



       

She had to tip her head back to meet his gaze and when she did, nerves  skated down along her spine. For three months, she'd listened to J.D.  Lassiter as he talked about his family. Thanks to those chats, she knew  that Sage was ruthless in business, quiet, hardheaded and determined to  make his own way rather than capitalize on the Lassiter name. And though  that last part had irritated J.D., she knew that he'd also admired Sage  for it. How could he not? The older man had done the same thing when he  was starting out.

Still, being face-to-face with the man who had filled her mind for  weeks was a little unnerving. Maybe if she hadn't spent so much time  daydreaming about him, she wouldn't feel so awkward right now. Colleen  took another deep breath and held it for a moment, hoping to calm  herself. But there was a flash of something she couldn't quite read in  his eyes and the nerves won.

Wind slid down off the mountain, wrapped itself around them briefly  then rushed on, delivering chills to the rest of Cheyenne. Ridiculously,  Colleen was grateful for the cold wind. It was like a slap of common  sense and though it wasn't enough to completely dampen her hormones, her  next thought absolutely was.

The only reason she and Sage were here, about to talk, was because they  had both attended the reading of his father's will. Remembering that  helped her keep her voice steady as she gave him a smile and blurted,  "I'm so sorry about your father."

A slight frown crossed his face briefly. "Thanks. Look, I wanted to talk to you-"

"You did?" There went her silly heart again, jumping into a gallop. He  really was impossibly handsome, she thought absently-tall, dark and  glower-y. There was an aura of undeniable strength that emanated from  him. He was the kind of man other men envied and women wanted. Herself  included. A brand-new flock of butterflies took off and flew in  formation in the pit of her stomach. "You want to talk to me?"

"Yes," he said, his voice a deep rumble that seemed to roll across  every one of her nerve endings. "I've got a couple questions..."

Fascination dissolved into truth. Instantly, Colleen gave herself a  mental kick. Here she was, daydreaming about a gorgeous man suddenly  paying attention to her when the reality was, he'd just lost his father.  She knew all too well that the families left behind after a loss often  had questions. Wanted to know how their loved one had been feeling. What  they'd been thinking. And as J.D.'s private nurse, she had been with  him the most during those final days.

And now that reality had jumped up to slap her, she was forced to  acknowledge that Sage Lassiter had probably planned to talk to her the  night of the party for the same reason. What had she been thinking?  She'd half convinced herself that the rich, gorgeous Sage Lassiter was  interested in her. God, what an idiot. Embarrassment tangled with a wash  of disappointment before she fought past both sensations, allowing her  natural empathy to come rushing to the surface.

"Of course you do." Instinctively, she reached out, laid her hand on  his and felt a swift jolt of electricity jump from his body to hers.  Totally unexpected, she felt the heat from that brief contact sizzle  inside her. It was so strong, so real, she wouldn't have been surprised  to actually see the arc of light shimmering between them. Quickly, she  drew her hand back, then curled her fingers into her palm, determined to  ignore the startling sensation.

His eyes narrowed further and she knew he'd felt it, too. Frowning a  little, he pushed one hand through his hair, fixed his gaze on hers and  let her know immediately that whatever he might have felt, he was as  determined as she to ignore it.

Shaking his head, he said, "No. I don't have any questions about J.D. Actually, you're the mystery here."

"Me?" Surprised, Colleen stared up at him, practically mesmerized by  those cool blue eyes of his. "You think I'm a mystery? I'm really not."

"Oh, I don't know," he mused. "You went from nurse to millionaire in a few short months."

"What?" Confused now, she shook her head as if that might help clear things up a little. It didn't.

His lips curved but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Sure, it's a big step, isn't it? I just wanted to say congratulations."

"Con-what? Oh. What?" Colleen's mind was slowly working its way past  the hormonal surge she'd first felt when Sage had walked up to her. And  now that she was able to think almost clearly again, it finally dawned  on her what he was talking about. The bequest. The money J.D. had left  her. He was making it sound...ugly.                       
       
           



       

Stung, she said quietly, "I don't know if congratulations is the right word."

"Why not?" He set one hand on the roof of her old, but completely  reliable, Jeep and leaned in closer. "From private nurse to millionaire  in one easy step. Not many people could have pulled that off."

Cold slithered through her and it was an icier feeling than anything  the weather could provide. She glanced around the nearly empty parking  lot. Only a half dozen or so cars were sprinkled around the area. The  law office adjoining the lot seemed to loom over her, so for a second or  two, she let her gaze drift past the city to the mountains in the  distance. Sunlight glanced off the snow still covering the peaks. Gray  clouds scudded across the deep blue sky and the ever-present wind tugged  at her hair.

Just like always, the view of the mountains soothed her. She and her  mother had moved to Cheyenne several years ago, and from the moment they  arrived, Colleen had felt at home. She hadn't missed California and the  beaches. It was the mountains that called to her. The wide-open spaces,  the trees, the bite of cold in the air. In a moment, she was ready to  face the man glaring at her. "I don't know what you mean."

But she did. She really did. His eyes were icy, detached and a muscle  in his jaw ticked as if he were biting back all kinds of words he really  wanted to say. J.D. had told her so much about Sage, and for the first  time, she was seeing the less than pleasant aspects. Ruthless. Hard.

He was more different now from the man who had flirted with her from  across a crowded room not two weeks ago than she would have thought  possible. Did he really believe she had somehow engineered this bequest?  That she'd tricked J.D. into leaving her money?

"I think you know exactly what I mean." His head tilted to one side as  he studied her. "I just find it interesting that J.D. would bequeath  three million dollars to a woman he didn't even know three months ago."

While she stood there, pinned in place by the sheer power of his gaze,  Colleen felt like a bug on a glass slide under a microscope. The cold  inside her began to melt beneath the steam of insult. She was still  feeling a little shaky over J.D.'s death and the fact that he'd  remembered her in his will. Now, staring up into Sage's eyes, seeing the  flash of accusation gleaming there, she had to wonder if others would  be thinking the same thing. What about the rest of the Lassiter family?  Did they feel the same way? Would they also be looking at her with  suspicion? Suddenly, she had a vision of not just the Lassiters but the  whole town of Cheyenne whispering about her, gossiping.

That thought was chilling. She'd made Cheyenne her home and she didn't  want her life destroyed by loose tongues spreading lies. Anger jumped to  life inside her. She'd done nothing wrong. She'd helped an old man  through his last days and she'd enjoyed his company, too. Since when was  that a crime?

Gorgeous or not, Sage Lassiter had no right to imply that she'd somehow  tricked J.D. into leaving her money in his will. Lifting her chin, she  glared at him. "I didn't know he was going to do that."

"And you would have stopped him if you had known?"

The sarcasm in his tone only made the sense of insult deeper. She met  his gaze squarely. On this, she could be completely honest. And she  would keep being honest until people believed her. "I would have tried."

"Is that right?"

"Yes, it is," she snapped, and had the satisfaction of seeing surprise  flicker in his eyes. "Whatever you might think of me, I'm very good at  my job. And I don't ordinarily receive gifts from my patients."