The Borrowed Ring

“The hell of it is, he was absolutely right. Doing this to you is much more effective than anything he could have used to threaten me.”

“You said we aren't in any danger.”

“No. We'll be fine here. Not particularly comfort able, but safe.”

“We'll miss Ingrid's performance.”

“That's probably just a side benefit to Drake. He was ticked with you and her both for backing him into that corner.”

“Have I mentioned that I can't stand that guy?”

“I wouldn't call him my favorite pal either.”

“Then why don't you cut your losses and get away from the creep? We can leave as soon as we get back tomorrow—whenever that might be.”

Daniel sighed gustily and pushed a hand through his hair. “It's too late for that.”

“No, it's not.” She took a step closer to him, speaking with an urgency that seemed to grip her by the heart. “You can come back to Texas with me. My uncles can help you with Drake if he becomes a problem. Talk to Jared. I'm sure he'll be able to…well—”

“Reform me?” Daniel supplied ironically. And then he shook his head. “The thing is, I don't want to be reformed, B.J.”

“But—”

“Look.” His voice was rough now. “Don't mistake me for the confused kid I used to be. I'm not looking for a foster home now or a mentor. I'm making my own life—and I don't need anyone giving me guidance in how to do it.”

Including her. The unspoken addition seemed to hang in the air between them.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she turned away from him. “Fine. If you would rather model yourself after Judson Drake than Jared Walker, you have every right to do so.”

“Damn it, B.J.” He seemed to want to say more, but he bit off whatever it might have been and turned abruptly toward the storage cabinets at the back of the shelter. “I saw some lighters in one of the cabinets. I'll see if I can get the torches burning before it gets dark.”

He had sounded oddly insulted by her comment, she thought speculatively, watching him stalk across the rough stone floor. But he shouldn't hold his breath waiting for her to apologize.

She thought the world of her uncle, a former Navy man turned rancher whose tough, work-weathered exterior hid a heart as big as the Texas sky. Though he had always provided for his family—and made time for the troubled boys who had drifted through his life—Jared would never have access to the kind of money or social status that Drake commanded. But when it came to character, Drake wasn't worthy of wiping the dust from her uncle's boots.

It broke her heart to think that Daniel had been more impressed by Drake's flashy posturing than Jared's quiet, steady decency.

Daniel hadn't become the man she had hoped to find. And she realized sadly that she'd brought entirely too many adolescent fantasies along with her on this search.

The torchlights flickered brightly, casting a golden glow through the pavilion and into the immediate surrounding area. Daniel had lit them all, as well as the logs that had been stacked in the fire pit, providing enough light that B.J. probably could have read again, had she been able to concentrate on the story.

Standing outside the pavilion, she could see stars gleaming in the black-velvet sky and the white crests of waves lapping against the sand. It was a blatantly romantic setting. There was certainly nothing outwardly threatening about the situation. Which made the underlying message all the more insidious.

“We have plenty more food, if you want a snack,” Daniel said, stepping out of the shelter to join her. “Cookies and pastries or fruit and cheese and crackers. There are more cold sodas and bottled waters, too.”

She started to refuse and then she changed her mind. It wasn't as if there was much else to do. She might as well have a cookie.

“You know, I really love chocolate for a late-evening snack,” she said with a regretful sigh after swallowing a bit of crispy almond cookie. “That was truly malicious of you to tell Creepy Guy I'm allergic to chocolate.”

“You started it with that big tale about me being lactose intolerant,” he retorted. “Just like your grandfather,” he added in a mutter.

She couldn't help laughing at the memory of his expression when she'd said that—not to mention the looks Drake and Ingrid had given her. “Sorry, but I thought I deserve to get in one low blow, considering everything.”

“You deserve a lot more than that. Especially now that I've gotten you stranded here for a night. I wouldn't blame you if you found a coconut and knocked me upside the head with it.”

His rueful tone made her smile again. She was glad they weren't still verbally sniping at each other. Since they were here for the duration of the night, the time would pass much more pleasantly if they got along—which meant she should butt out of his business, she advised herself. After all, she was the one who had stumbled into his life and put both him and his mysterious plans at risk.

Once this night was over and she had returned to her life in Dallas, she would put the old daydreams behind her and write Daniel off as a lost cause, she promised herself. She doubted she woul