Free True Colors by Jayne Ann Krentz Page A

self-consciously quaint little town by the sea.
    As she deliberated between whole-wheat bread and rye, she found herself once again asking the question that had been plaguing her since the previous evening. When all was said and done, why should Cade show such a strong intention to renew the relationship? She had, after all, dismissed him very haughtily from her life.
    She understood her own actions. She knew what had driven her to seek him out. She was obviously a woman who loved unwisely but completely. Jamie was not, however, certain about what motivated Cade.
    He had only been using her during those two months this past summer. There had been no words of undying love from him that night on Dreamer II . Nothing to indicate he had suddenly fallen head over heels in love with her. He hadn't claimed he couldn't live without her. In fact, he hadn't claimed as much last night, she thought ruefully as she decided on the whole-wheat bread. Cade had misled her, even used her in some ways, but to give the devil his due, he hadn't lied to her about something as important as his own feelings for her. He had wanted her this past summer and apparently he still wanted her, but he hadn't claimed to love, her.
    She ought to be grateful for finding some element of honesty in him, Jamie decided wrathfully as she carried the small basket over to the checkout counter. After all, a woman liked to know that the man to whom she had given her heart had a couple of good points in his character!
    At least she had made a strong start at reclaiming her pride, if not her heart, last night.
    "Will that be all?" the high-school boy behind the counter asked disinterestedly as he began totaling up the contents of Jamie's basket. It was obvious the youth was not viewing his after-school job as a stepping stone toward a career in the retail business. He appeared quite bored.
    "That's it for the groceries. I'll need some gas, though."
    "It's self-service. Help yourself. You pay my dad next door."
    Automatically Jamie glanced out the window at the stand of gas pumps that adjoined the convenience store. A nondescript dark Buick stood waiting for its owner to finish paying for fuel. As soon as the Buick was driven off, she could pull the Audi into position. Jamie hated pumping her own gas. On the other hand, she hated paying the extra few cents per gallon that it cost to refuel at a full service station.
    Ah, well, she'd be home soon, and she could tolerate the smell of gasoline on her hands until then, she supposed.
    She was about to refocus her attention on her groceries, when something about the silver head of the man who had just finished paying for his gas caught her attention. His back was toward her as he climbed into the
    Buick, but there was a familiarity about him that caused her to try to get a good look at his face. There was no chance. The man slammed the door of the Buick and set the car in motion, without once glancing sideways or back over his shoulder.
    Jamie stood staring out at the car as it pulled onto Highway 1 and headed north. The man had been in his late fifties, she estimated, with a well-styled wealth of aristocratically gray hair.
    "Eight ninety-five, ma'am," the clerk said in a prompting tone.
    "What?" Confused by the incredible thought that had struck her as she watched the man in the Buick, Jamie belatedly pulled her attention back to the business of paying for her groceries. "Sorry, I was thinking about something else." Quickly she dug out a ten and waited for change.
    Silver hair. Somewhere in his fifties. A certain, familiar dignity in his bearing. If only she'd gotten a better look.
    Jamie shook her head impatiently as she hurried out to the waiting Audi. She was letting her imagination, or perhaps Miss Isabel's imagination, run away with her. It wasn't possible that she'd really seen Hadley Fitzgerald. She had simply seen someone who reminded her of him.
    As much as she hated to give Cade Santerre credit, she had to admit that