Free Paradise Wild by Johanna Lindsey Page B

used to take her to lunch in, nor was it as comfortable. Corinne nearly swore aloud when a bump in the road almost unseated her.
    “I must apologize for this conveyance.” Jared spoke from the dark interior. “But it was the best I could find on short notice. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t too sure the driver would wait as I had paid him to do.”
    “You should consider hiring your own driver,” Corinne suggested impulsively. “That is, if you plan to be here much longer.”
    “I don’t,” he replied.
    “So you plan to invest your money and run?”
    “If you wish to put it that bluntly, yes,” Jared answered without hesitating.
    “And have you made a decision about our firm yet? Or if you’d rather not say, I’ll understand.”
    Jared smiled, though Corinne could not see it in the dark. “Would I be making a sound investment if I did?”
    “Certainly.” Pride slipped into her voice. “I’ve made a fortune over the years myself, so I’ve been told.”
    “Don’t you know?”
    “My money is in a trust, Mr. Burk, that my grandmother arranged for me. It contains the money she leftme, plus all the shares she owned in the shipyard. But my father has control of it until I marry.”
    “With his approval?”
    “Yes.”
    “I take it you don’t care for those terms?” Jared asked casually. “I mean, considering how fond you are of being independent?”
    “I don’t mind having to get my father’s approval to marry,” Corinne replied. “What I mind is having to wait for my money in the meantime. I mean, there is all that money just sitting there, and my father doesn’t give me enough to meet my needs.”
    “I find that hard to believe.”
    “My spending money would be sufficient for most women, but it isn’t for me.”
    “Because of your gambling?”
    Corinne gasped. He was so perceptive it was frightening.
    “I just want control of my own money, Mr. Burk. Wouldn’t you?”
    “Yes, but when you marry, you still won’t have control. Your husband will.”
    Corinne laughed softly. “No, he won’t.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “It’s quite simple, Mr. Burk. You see, that’s one of the agreements Russell and I have. He understands that I can’t tolerate restraint. When I marry, I will be free.”
    “I see.”
    And Jared finally did see. In Russell Drayton, she had found herself the perfect husband. Perfect for her.
    “If it only takes getting married to get what you want, why haven’t you done so yet?” Jared asked curiously, hoping Corinne would continue to talk on this personal level without getting suspicious. “Is Mr. Drayton afraid to confront your imposing father?”
    Corinne could see Jared’s face only when the carriage passed a street lamp and light filtered in. She couldn’t see his expression at that moment, but he did not sound as if he were baiting her.
    “The truth is, Mr. Burk, Russell has seen my father about me, but my father refused him.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t be. My father will come around.”
    “He doesn’t strike me as a man who changes his mind easily,” Jared remarked.
    Jared had touched on a sore subject. And he was right. Samuel Barrows hardly ever changed his mind. He had put very few restrictions on Corinne’s life, but when he did, there was nothing that could make him reverse his decision. This would be different, though, Corinne told herself. He just had to give in this time.
    “When he sees how set I am on this marriage, he will relent,” she said with more confidence than she felt.
    “Then perhaps I will be invited to the wedding?”
    “If you are still here,” Corinne said lightly.
    “By the way, you left your purse behind today, or rather, yesterday. Had I known I would see you again so soon, I would have brought it along.”
    “I was afraid I had lost it for good.” Corinne was relieved. “I will send someone around to pick it up at your hotel tomorrow, if that will be convenient?”
    “It won’t be necessary at all. I