As that thought settled into the forefront of her mind, Colleen cleared her throat and tried for heaven's sake to get a grip. Honestly, she'd been alone so long, was it really so surprising that a man like Sage Lassiter would tangle her up into knots without even trying?
"Everything okay?" He was frowning now.
"Fine. Fine." She breathed deeply and repeated, "What I want. Do what I want."
"Not so hard, is it?"
"You wouldn't think so..." But she'd been raised to consider more than her wants. There was doing the right thing, and in this case, she just didn't know what that was.
"You know," he murmured, "once you show people you don't care what they think, they usually stop talking about you."
Wryly, she asked, "And if you do care what they're saying?"
His lips quirked into a quick half smile that tugged at something inside her. "Well, that's a different story, isn't it? But why would you care?"
"Because I have to work here. Live here. If people think-" She swallowed hard. Everything she'd worked toward, everything she'd built in the past five years. Her reputation...her hopes and dreams. It could all disappear.
Suddenly, the windfall from J.D. looked like more of a curse than a blessing.
"You're giving other people all the power here," Sage said, drawing her attention away from her thoughts.
"I don't want to, but..." Shaking her head, she folded her hands together on her lap. "Ever since this morning, my mind's been filled with questions. And now I don't know what to do about this."
"Not much you can do about it." Sage walked around her, pushed the open suitcase out of his way and took a seat beside her on the bed. "The will's a done deal."
"But I could donate the money."
He shrugged. "People would still talk. The only difference would be you wouldn't have the money."
She sighed heavily and turned to look at him. He was so close to her, his muscular thigh was just a bare inch from brushing against hers. Heat rushed through her and Colleen forced a deep breath as she met his gaze. His eyes weren't as frosty as they had been earlier, yet they were still unreadable. As if he'd drawn shutters down, to keep others from sensing his emotions. He was so closed off-much like J.D. had been when she'd first come to take care of him. But, she reminded herself, it hadn't taken her long to bypass the older man's defenses and get him to really talk to her.
The difference was, Sage wasn't her patient. He was a strong, completely masculine male who made her feel things she hadn't felt in far too long. Which was, of course, not only ridiculous, but inappropriate. He was the son of her patient. A family member who'd just gone through a devastating loss. He wasn't interested in her and she would only do herself a favor if she found a way to tamp down the rush of attraction she felt every time he came close. Of course, way easier said than done.
"Look," he said, his voice quiet, "why don't we have dinner tonight? Give us a chance to talk some more."
She blinked at him, so stunned she could hardly manage to croak, "You're asking me out?"
One corner of his mouth lifted. "I'm asking you to have dinner with me."
Not a date. Of course it wasn't a date. Idiot.
"Why?" And why are you questioning it, her mind demanded.
"Well, I still want to talk to you about J.D.," he said. "And it's been a long day. For both of us."
Of course. That explained it, Colleen told herself firmly. He wanted to talk about his father and all she'd managed to do was talk his ear off about her problems.
"Okay," she said after a long moment. "That would be nice."
"Great." He stood up and looked down at her. "I'll pick you up at seven."
"I'll give you my address."
"I know where you live," he told her. "I'll see you tonight."
He knew where she lived. What was she supposed to make of that?
"Can I carry your suitcase down to the car?"
"What? Oh. No, thank you." She glanced around the room. "I've still got a few things to pack up."
"All right then, I'll leave you to it," he said, heading for the doorway. When he got there, he paused, turned around and speared her with an unfathomable look. "See you tonight."
When he left, Colleen stared after him for a long minute. Her heartbeat was racing and her knees felt a little wobbly. Her reaction to Sage was so staggering, she wasn't really sure how to deal with it. However, as the sound of his footsteps faded away, Colleen told herself that she couldn't really be blamed for her response to his presence. He was like a force of nature. Sage Lassiter was a gorgeous steamroller, flattening everything in his path.
And Colleen realized that now, for whatever reason, she was in his path.
Four
"So how's the rest of dealing with the will going, Walter?" Sage drove straight from Big Blue to the lawyer's office. He wanted a chance to talk to J.D.'s lawyer without the explosive release of emotion that had happened when the family was gathered together. Not that he'd been able to dismiss the anger churning inside him. The plan had been to arrive, calm and cool, and outstare the older man. That didn't happen though, because he was far from feeling cool and detached.
Tension played in every one of his muscles and tugged at the last threads of his patience. Being with Colleen had ramped his body up to the point where he'd practically had to limp his way out of the ranch house. Just sitting beside her on the bed in her room had tested his self-control, because what he'd really wanted to do was lay her back on the mattress and explore those amazing curves she kept so carefully hidden.
Instead, he'd talked to her. And talking to Colleen hadn't solved a damn thing-it had only muddied waters that were already so damn thick it might as well have been concrete. He couldn't make her out. Was she the innocent she seemed to be? Or was she working him as she had worked J.D.? He had to find out...but that was for later. Right now, he had a couple of questions for his late father's lawyer.
"It's coming along but I'm not discussing it with you, Sage, and you damn well know it." Walter Drake steepled his fingers, leaned back in his leather chair and looked at Sage with the barely hidden impatience he would have shown a five-year-old. "J.D.'s will is a private matter. I've already read publicly the parts that affect the family. As for the rest..."
Sage jumped out of his chair and stalked to the far window. Yeah, he was too on edge to be facing down a lawyer. He should have known better than to come here today, but damn it, there were just too many questions about the will.
Looking down on the street below, he focused for a second on the traffic, the pedestrians wandering along the sidewalks and even the mountains jutting into the sky in the distance. He looked anywhere but into the smug features of J.D.'s lawyer.
Going in, Sage had guessed that Walter wouldn't talk. Hell, he wouldn't have even if he could. The man liked holding all the power here. Liked having information that no one else did. And getting anything out of him would probably require dynamite-or someone with far more patience than Sage possessed. Fine, then. He'd back off the topic of the rest of the will for the moment and try a different tack. Half turning, he faced the man watching him through hooded eyes.
"All right," Sage said, "never mind."
Walter nodded magnanimously.
"But there's still the matter of J.D. leaving control of Lassiter Media to Evan instead of Angelica."
Walter frowned at him, sat up and braced both elbows on his desktop. "J.D. had reasons for everything he ever did, Sage. You know that."
J.D. had sure thought so. But Sage had given up trying to figure out the old man years ago. The whole time he was growing up, the two of them hadn't even been able to be in the same room together without snarling and growling like a couple of alpha dogs fighting for territory.
But Angelica was different. Right from the start, she had been J.D.'s shining star. So how he could have cut her out of her rightful inheritance was beyond Sage. "Yeah, but what reason could he have for cheating his daughter out of what should have been hers?"
"I can't tell you that."
"Can't?" Sage demanded, walking back to stand opposite the man's desk. "Or won't?"
"Won't." Walter stood up, since staying in his chair required him to look up at Sage, and he clearly didn't enjoy that. "J.D.'s my client, Sage, dead or alive. Not you. Not the Lassiter family."