Free Call It Destiny by Jayne Ann Krentz Page B

haven’t thought of that place in years. It was rather fun to go up there once in a while. Has dad used it at all lately?“
    „Not since he gave up hunting in favor of golf. He claimed golf was much more of a gentleman hotelier’s sport than hunting, but I think he just got tired of making a sport out of killing deer. We haven’t had occasion to go up to the cabin in years. Liz and Ann and their husbands take the children up there once in a while for an outing in the mountains. That’s about it.“
    Before Heather could continue the discussion, a cheerful greeting announced the arrival of her father. She glanced up to see him striding toward her. Jake was at his side. Paul Strand was dressed in brightly colored golfing slacks and a knit shirt in preparation for the round he intended to play later that morning. Beside him Jake looked dark and restrained. His teak-brown hair was still damp from the shower. Dressed in a pair of khaki slacks and a conservatively styled dark brown shirt, he appeared a little remote and not nearly as affable as her father.
    And when her eyes met his cool gray ones, Heather realized she was learning to read that formerly unreadable gaze. There was no doubt, for example, that when he looked at her now he was remembering last night, and she sensed that he was silently challenging her to recall it. Uncomfortably Heather reached for the coffeepot, unwilling to betray the fact that last night had been on her mind all morning long. He had no need to remind her of it, she thought. No woman could possibly forget coming so close to giving herself to a man. The knowledge burned inside like a steady flame that could not be snuffed out.
    „Good morning, Heather.“ Jake came forward and bent to brush her mouth lightly in a way that was becoming his familiar morning greeting.
    „Your coffee,“ she offered quickly, and then chided herself for being even slightly nervous around him. Good Lord. She wasn’t a teenager. She ought to have a bit more poise under the circumstances!
    „Heather and I were just discussing the old cabin, dear,“ Ruth said as her husband sat down beside her. „I was telling her that you and I spent our honeymoon there.“
    Paul Strand laughed. „Did you tell her where we’ll be spending our second one?“
    „No, not yet. I was saving it for a wedding present.“
    „What’s this all about?“ Heather demanded, aware of Jake’s hard thigh casually touching hers under the table.
    „Ruth and I are going to do you both a favor and take a three-month cruise while the two of you are settling down to married life and the business of running the Hacienda.“ He gave his wife an affectionate smile. „Ruth’s been very patient all these years. Now that we’re both going to have a lot more free time we’ll be doing a great deal of traveling. You and Jake won’t have to worry about having us hanging around the Hacienda all year long.“
    „Don’t let Paul make you think he’s doing you any favors,“ Ruth said laughing. „He’s set a goal of playing all the major golf courses of the world. And he can’t wait to get started. Since I adore cruises we’ve agreed to compromise and cruise to the various islands and resorts where he wants to play golf.“
    „And in between cruises I will plan on playing the new Hacienda Strand course, hmm?“ Paul reached for the jam pot.
    „If we can get Cecil Winthrop to sell us that land,“ Jake agreed, his eyes on Heather. „But after the way Heather had him charmed last night I expect we can get just about anything we want from the man.“
    „We’ll see,“ Heather said dismissingly. „I’m not at all sure the Hacienda needs a course of its own. And no matter how ‘charmed’ Cecil might be, he’s not going to let that land go cheap.“
    „If we don’t pick it up fairly quickly he’ll probably sell it to someone else,“ Jake said carefully. „There’s a corporation back east that has its eye on it. The last thing we want is a