An Indecent Proposal (Landon's Legacy 1)

“No!” Angelica shook her head. “No, he was right. I didn’t know anything about the business. That’s why I was screwing up.”

Jack gave a puzzled laugh. “So he offered to keep you on as director for as long as you wanted?” He grinned and chucked her under the chin. “I must be missing something here.”

Angelica stared at him. Yes, she thought, oh, yes, he was definitely missing something. He was missing the part that mattered, where Cade had demanded she make a cold-blooded choice between his selfish idea of love and her need to feel whole.

But she would never feel whole again. Never, because without Cade—without his love…

A choked sound burst from her throat. Jack stared at her.

“Angelica?” he said.

He reached toward her but she shook her head fiercely and swung away from him. Tears rose in her eyes as she stared blindly out over the village.

She loved Cade. Lord, how she loved him! And she always would, no matter how many long, empty years went by.

How could Cade have been such a fool? How could he have imagined she’d choose the directorship of Gordon Oil over a life at his side?

Would he ever suspect that leaving Gordon Oil had been the easiest thing she’d ever done in her life?

It was living without Cade that was going to be hard. Impossible, maybe, if the last week was any indication. She’d spent it in such misery, lying awake at night and aching for the feel of his strong, comforting arms, waking in the morning and not opening her eyes so she could pretend that loving him and losing him had all been a bad dream…

“Angelica?” Jack’s hands clasped her shoulders and he turned her toward him. “What’s wrong? Please, tell me.”

She tried to smile her reassurance, but it didn’t work. The tears only came faster. Jack put his arms around her. She let him draw her close and bring her head against his chest.

Please, she thought, please let me feel safe, and secure, and happy.

But she felt none of those things. Jack was a good man, a kind man, and though she’d never admitted it to herself before, she knew that he was close to falling in love with her.

They were a perfect match. They held the same convictions. He respected her as an equal; he would never dream of doing anything without seeking her opinion first—and she would need that from a man before she could make a life with him, she knew that.

The trouble was that she’d have to have other things, too. He’d have to make her blood sing just by touching her, his kisses would have to turn her to flame, and just the sight of him or the sound of his voice would have to fill her with a joy so fierce it was almost painful.

“Angelica?”

She went rigid in Jack’s arms. Was she so unhappy, so lost without Cade, that she’d taken to imagining the sound of his voice?

“Angelica.”

Time seemed to stop. She pulled a deep, shuddering breath into her lungs and put her hands against Jack’s chest. Slowly, his embrace loosened and she turned in his arms.

A tremor went through her.

“Cade,” she whispered.

He looked much as he had that day at the Odessa wells, standing tall and handsome in a leather jacket, jeans and boots…

Her heart felt as if it might burst.

“Cade? What—what are you doing here?”

He moved slowly toward her, his eyes never leaving her face.

“I came to see you,” he said softly. “And to tell you—to tell you…” He looked away from her then, at Jack.

Angelica looked at Jack, too. He was staring at Cade as if he’d seen an apparition, and just for an instant Angelica smiled as she thought how each must be sizing up the other and trying to make sense out of what he saw.

“Jack,” she said, “this is—this is Cade Landon. Hehe…” He’s the man I love, the man I’ll always love, she almost said, but she had at least some pride left. “He—he’s the man I was telling you about, the one who—who offered to let me stay on at my father’s oil company.”

“But you didn’t,” Cade said, his eyes meeting hers again.

Angelica sighed. “No.”

Cade took another step forward. “Why?” he said softly. “It was what you wanted, Angel, what you wanted more than anything else in the world.”

“Did I ever say that?”

Cade’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t have to. You made it clear enough.”

Her chin trembled. “Cade Landon,” she said, “you are the biggest damned fool…”

Tears rose in her eyes again and she spun away from him.

“Angelica?” Jack cleared his throat. “Angelica, what’s going on here?”

She rubbed her hand across her eyes, hating herself for breaking down, hating Cade for whatever pound of flesh he’d come to collect—and feeling nothing but compassion for Jack, who looked like a man who’d found himself trapped inside a maze without a clue as to how he’d got there.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Jack, I’m so sorry, but—but…”

Jack looked from Angelica to Cade. “I understand,” he said, and he smiled a little sadly. “At least stop by and say goodbye before you leave, Angelica. Will you do that?”

Angelica looked at him as if he were crazy. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Jack nodded. “Right,” he said. He put his hand against her cheek in a last, gentle caress. Then he nodded at Cade, brushed past him and strode down the hill.

Cade waited until the other man was barely a pinpoint in the distance. Then he frowned and turned to Angelica.

“An old flame?”

“A good friend.”

“For somebody who’s just a friend, he was holding you pretty damn close.”

Angelica’s chin lifted. “He’s a very good friend. Besides, it’s none of your business.”

“All right, then, let’s try something that is my business. Why did you give up your job at Gordon Oil?”

She stared at him, and then she turned away, tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket and started walking. He fell in beside her.

“An employee only has to give notice, not a reason for resigning a position.”

Cade’s lips twitched. “What textbook is that from?”

“I don’t owe you any explanations, Cade. I’m not asking for severance pay or even a reference.”

“And a good thing,” he growled, “considering that you don’t know a damned thing about running an oil company.”

Angelica spun toward him, her eyes flashing. “Are we back to that? Anyway, I never said I did!”

Cade smiled. “No. You didn’t.” He looked at her. “But you do know something about finance and debt structure.”

“You’re damned right I do! I…” She frowned. “Who says so?”

Cade?

??s lips twitched again. “You did, if I’m remenv bering right. Well, and my brother says so, too.”

“Your brother!” Angelica tossed her head. “Another Landon genius, no doubt.”

“I wouldn’t call Zach a genius—not to his face, anyway.” Cade grinned. “But he’s got a pretty fair reputation as a guy who knows how to take a little bit of money and coax it into a lot.”

“And he said that I…” Angelica smiled sweetly. “Are you sure he knows I’m a woman? That might change his attitude considerably.”

Cade took a deep breath. “I’m the one who needs the change of attitude,” he said, “the one who needs to remember that you can be my woman and still be your own person.”

Angelica stared at him. “What?”

He smiled. “I think you might find that you and my sister, Kyra, have a great deal in common.”

“I don’t—I don’t understand. What does your sister have to do with me?”

“Nothing.” He moved closer to her, and the way he looked into her eyes made it almost impossible for her to breathe. “Nothing—and everything. She’s a very wise young woman, that sister of mine. It turns out she knows things about me that I…” Cade took a deep breath. “Angel,” he said softly. He reached out, framed Angelica’s face in his hands. “Angel, I love you. I love you with all my heart.’’

Angelica’s lips trembled. What was the sense in denying the truth?

“Oh, Cade,” she whispered, “I love you, too. I always will—but it won’t work.”

“It will,” he said, with that wonderful strength and determination she knew so well. “I’ve learned a lot in the past week, Angel. For instance, I know now that the only way to keep you is to let you have your freedom.”

Hope blossomed in Angelica’s heart. “Not too much freedom,” she said, her eyes on his. “I’ve learned some things too, Cade, that—that love can make you stronger, not weaker, that I’ve never been happier than when you’re holding me in your arms.”

Cade smiled and gathered her to him. “I’ll make you an offer, Angel.”

“What offer?” she whispered.

He brushed his mouth gently over hers. “I’m flying to London in a couple of days. Come with me.”

“Come with—”