SECRET LOVE

For there is nothing hidden, which shall not be manifested; neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come to light.

—Mark 4:22

Secret Love
Brenda Jackson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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Acknowledgments

To my husband, Gerald Jackson, Sr. and my sons, Gerald Jackson, Jr. and Brandon Jackson. Thanks for your understanding and support. You make writing my stories easier.

To my family and friends, who continue to give their undying support.

To my avid readers, who believe in me and the work that I do. This book is for all of you.

To my Heavenly Father, who makes all things possible.

THE MADARIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS SERIES

Dear Readers,

I love writing family sagas, and I am so happy that Kimani Press is reissuing my very first family series, the Madaris family. It’s been twelve years and fifty books since I first introduced the Madaris family. During that time, this special family and their friends have won their way into readers’ hearts. I am ecstatic to be able to share these award-winning stories with everyone all over again—especially those who have never met the Madaris clan up close and personal—in this special-edition collectors’ series.

I never dreamed when I penned my first novel, Tonight and Forever, and introduced the Madaris family, that I was taking readers on a journey where heartfelt romance, sizzling passion and true love awaited them at every turn. I had no idea that the Madaris family and their friends would become characters that readers would come to know and care so much about. I invite you to relax, unwind and see what all the hoopla is about. Let Justin, Dex, Clayton, Uncle Jake and their many friends transport you with love stories that are so passionate and sizzling, they will take your breath away. There is nothing better than falling in love with one of these Madaris men and their many friends.

For a complete list of all the books in this series, as well as the dates they will be available in a bookstore near you, please visit my Web site at www.brendajackson.net.

If you would like to receive my monthly newsletter, please visit and sign up at www.brendajackson.net/page/newsletter.htm.

I also invite you to drop me an e-mail at

WriterBJackson@aol.com. I love hearing from my readers.

All the best,

Brenda Jackson

Contents

Prologue

BOOK ONE: The Beginning

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

BOOK TWO: The Present

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Epilogue

Prologue

The telephone rang—loudly, repeatedly.

After about the fifth ring, Jacob Madaris bolted upright in bed when the shrill sound finally infiltrated his sleep-entrenched mind. He took a deep breath, dragged a hand across his face then reached out to grab the phone before it reached its eighth ring.

“Yeah?” he said, glancing at the illuminated clock on the nightstand. It was three in the morning.

“Jake, it’s Sterling.”

There was a peculiar sound in his good friend, Sterling Hamilton’s, voice that made Jake throw back the covers and move to sit on the side of the bed. He could think of only one reason why Sterling would be calling him at this hour and sounding so strange. Jake’s heart suddenly began racing and knots began forming in his stomach.

“Diamond,” he said raggedly, almost fearful. His mind suddenly clamored with images of what could be wrong. “What is it? What happened?”

Sterling, to Jake’s way of thinking, didn’t respond quick enough. “Answer me, Sterling!” He was on his feet now and his voice had escalated to a shout.

“Calm down, Jake. Diamond’s fine, but—”

“But what!”

“She needs to come home.”

More images, worse than the ones before, flashed through Jake’s mind. “What happened? For Pete’s sake, Sterling, what happened to Diamond?” The racing of Jake’s heart increased.

“Someone broke into her home…and tried to attack her.”

“What!” After that explosion several earthy expletives poured from Jake’s lips.

“Jake, she’s okay. Diamond’s fine, Jake. Listen to me, she’s fine.”

But Jake Madaris was past listening. “Who was it? What happened?” One hand balled into a fist at his side, and the veins in his neck nearly popped.

“Some obsessed fan climbed over the wall and came in through a window, Diamond’s bedroom window. Luckily she was able to get away from the intruder and call the police.”

Jake closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Thank God for that. “What about the security system? I thought that place was wired tight.”

“The intruder managed to get past it.”

More earthy expletives poured forth from Jake’s lips.

“Your anger won’t help Diamond, Jake. She needs you to be calm when you see her. She’s pretty shaken up.”

“I’m on my way.”

“No need. She’s on her way there. I’m sending her on my plane. In fact she should be arriving in less than an hour. Just be at the airstrip when the plane gets there.”

Jake shook his head, angry with himself. He should have been with her tonight. He should have been there to protect her. Or better yet, she should have been here at his ranch, Whispering Pines, and not hundreds of miles away in California. He was her husband. The two of them should not be living apart.

His shoulders slumped when he remembered that their living arrangements weren’t the tip of their problems. The real scorcher was the fact that very few people even knew they were married. His own mother didn’t know, and only one of his brothers knew.

“I’ll be at the airstrip, waiting.”

“Call me after you get her settled in, and let me know how she’s doing.”

“All right and thanks.” As soon as Jake hung up the phone, he quickly began getting dressed.

Slow down, calm down, he ordered himself, but it didn’t work. He moved around his bedroom, putting on his clothes at a frantic pace.

When he and Diamond had married a little over year ago, he had gone along with her request that they keep their marriage a secret for a number of reasons. The main one had been for their privacy. If the tabloids knew that Hollywood’s most sought-after African-American actress, Diamond Swain, was married to wealthy Texas rancher, Jacob Madaris, they would have a field day at their expense. Diamond had not wanted their special relationship, their extraordinary love, scrutinized, criticized or placed under the media’s attention. She had been determined to protect the love they shared at any cost.

“Yeah, but not this cost,” Jake muttered as he finished putting on his boots. He didn’t care about the media. But Diamond, who was always in the spotlight, and constantly hounded by the press and paparazzi, had felt differently. She had wanted a secret place she could always come to when she needed to escape. He and his ranch had become her loving and safe haven.

Another reason for the secrecy was that there was no way he could ever give up his life as a rancher. Knowing that, he knew he could never ask her to give up her life as an actress. The decision to keep their marriage a secret had been a difficult one for him. The Madaris family was a close one. But he had gone along with her request, although he hadn’t liked it, because at the time all the reasons for doing so had seemed for the best.

But now, none of that mattered. What mattered most was keeping her safe. As far as she was concerned, their secret had run its course.

As he rushed out of the house, he couldn’t help but remember how it had begun. He couldn’t help but call to mind another time, nearly eighteen months ago, when he had gone to the airstrip to await Diamond’s arrival.

BOOK ONE

Chapter 1

He needed to have his head examined, Jake Madaris thought as he peered up into the sky. Dark clouds were forming, which meant there would probably be a torrential downpour later tonight. Evening was setting in, and with the possibility of bad weather, he had more things to do with his time that sit at the airstrip and wait on, of all things, a woman.

Maneuvering the vehicle’s seat as far back as it could go, he stretched out his long legs and tilted his Stetson to cover his eyes. He frowned slightly and wondered how on earth he had let Sterling Hamilton talk him into this.

Sterling had known exactly what he was doing during his last visit to the ranch, when he’d suggested that they play what was supposed to be a friendly game of poker. The stakes had been whatever either of them wanted from the other…within reason. Sterling’s desire had been a three-week stay at Jake’s ranch, Whispering Pines.

Jake had simply shrugged upon hearing that, thinking Sterling’s request was an easy one. After all, since the time he and the well-known movie actor had formed a friendship over fifteen years ago, Sterling had been a frequent guest at Whispering Pines, often staying for weeks at a time.

It was only after Sterling had won the poker game that he had dropped the bombshell that the three-week stay was not for him, but for a friend.

A serious frown encased itself in Jake’s expression as he remembered that night two weeks ago. He had literally blown his stack when Sterling had announced just who that friend was. Jake shook his head, still ticked off when he thought about it. The last thing Whispering Pines needed was a visitor the likes of Diamond Swain.

Granted, some people would be honored to have the most sought-after African-American movie actress as a guest. But he wasn’t one of them. Whispering Pines was not a celebrity resort or a dude ranch. It was a working ranch that encompassed hundreds and hundreds of acres of land for grazing cattle.

The Whispering Pines ranch was known worldwide to raise only the highest quality grass-fed Texas Longhorn cattle. And although the ranch house was a real piece of art, a massive hacienda-style villa that he himself had designed, it was not a hideaway for the rich and famous. He had told Sterling that in no uncertain terms.

But, as Sterling had pointed out, Whispering Pines was also like a fortress. No one got on its land unless Jake Madaris wanted them there. That meant there was no chance of Diamond Swain being bothered by pestering reporters. The other thing Sterling had been quick to point out was the fact that the people who worked for Jake were fiercely loyal to him and could be trusted. That meant news of Diamond Swain’s visit wouldn’t get leaked to the press.

But Jake had not been appeased and had continued to put up a strong argument against her visit. Sterling had smoothly shot down every argument that he’d given, so here he was sitting and waiting patiently for the renowned Diamond Swain to arrive and not liking it one bit.

Jake shifted in his seat when he saw the first signs of Sterling’s private plane as it jetted across the horizon. According to the media, Sterling and Diamond, who had appeared together in numerous movies, were an item and had been for years. Sterling had always flatly denied the rumor, claiming he and Diamond were nothing more than the best of friends. Her father, Jack Swain, was one of the few African-American movie directors to make his mark in Hollywood during the late sixties. Sterling’s first starring role, at the age of twenty-four, had been in one of Jack Swain’s films. That particular movie, made nearly ten years ago, had been the first ever to be directed by an African-American and nominated for Best Picture of the Year.

As Jake watched the plane land and then come to a stop on the runway, he wondered just what he was going to do with Diamond Swain for three weeks. He shrugged, deciding it would probably be best if he just ignored her. According to Sterling, her doctor claimed she was on the brink of physical exhaustion and needed a rest from the high pressures of her hectic lifestyle of moviemaking and public appearances. If that was the case, then hopefully she would closet herself in the cabin he had arranged for her to stay in, and keep out of his way. It was roundup time, and he and his men would be extremely busy. No one had the time to baby-sit some stressed-out movie actress who was probably used to getting attention.

When Diamond stepped off the plane and Jake took a really good look at her, he knew at that very moment that ignoring her would definitely be a problem. Oh, he’d known she was a beautiful woman. Like most people, he had seen many of her movies at one time or another. But what he hadn’t counted on was her beauty being so vivid, so rich and so knock-him-dead brutal. And he sure hadn’t counted on the sudden surge of desire that jolted his body.

He watched her graceful stride as she moved down the steps of the plane, thinking how elegantly her taut body moved—the lush curves of her hips in black denim jeans, not to mention the long legs. Her hair hung like a silk curtain around her shoulders.

Jake shifted in his seat, feeling sweat pop out on his forehead and perspiration form in his hands. A breath hissed forth from his closed teeth as he studied her almond-colored features that went above and beyond drop-dead gorgeous. Another ripple of desire tore through his body.

Jake clipped back a deep, gutted sigh. What had Sterling gotten him into?

Diamond Swain threw her black denim jacket over her shoulder and walked down the steps of the plane. When her feet touched the earth, she gazed around at the beauty of the land that surrounded her. The aerial view had been gorgeous, simply magnificent. Even the clouded sky hadn’t detracted from its loveliness. The mesquite-covered valleys had an unlimited area of canyons and mountains on one side, and miles and miles of lush green grassland on the other. Never had she seen a place so scenic. According to Sterling, the owner was someone by the name of Jacob Madaris. She wondered if anyone had ever approached him about filming a movie here.

She spotted a black Jeep Cherokee parked a short distance away. Sterling had said Mr. Madaris would be picking her up and that he was a good friend of his. As far as she was concerned, any friend of Sterling was definitely a friend of hers. Besides, she appreciated Mr. Madaris for extending an invitation to her to stay at his ranch for three weeks. That was very thoughtful of him, and she could definitely use the rest.

“I’ll get your bags for you, Ms. Swain.”

The sound of Sterling’s pilot interrupted her thoughts. “Thanks, John. I think Mr. Madaris is parked over there,” she said. She looked beyond him to the parked vehicle. She couldn’t help wondering why Jacob Madaris had not gotten out and come to greet her.

No sooner had that question crossed her mind than the Jeep’s door opened and what she saw nearly took her breath away. The man who straightened himself out of the vehicle had to be every bit of six feet seven inches tall. The Stetson on his head nearly covered his face, but even from a distance she could make out intense, dark eyes and skin the color of chestnut. Everything about him said diehard Texas cowboy. Dressed in western boots, jeans, shirt and his Stetson, he looked like the traditional cowboy. With the masculine swagger in his stride, he walked like the traditional cowboy.

“Welcome to Whispering Pines, Ms. Swain. I’m Jacob Madaris,” he said, tipping the brim of his hat in greeting when he reached her.

Diamond smiled. With his slow, deep drawl he even sounded like the traditional cowboy. His voice was rough and sexy. And his smell, a musky male scent of outdoors, was enticingly cowboy. She looked into his face, and her smile vanished when he removed his hat. The man, who appeared to be in his early forties, was dangerously handsome. His curly hair, damp from sweat, was a succulent blend of black and gray. The premature strands of silver gray were in stark contrast to his hard muscled body and made him appear more mature, charismatic and sexy.

Her breath expelled and her pulse stopped. He is gorgeous, she thought to herself. He is as gorgeous as the land he owns.

“Ms. Swain?”

Suddenly feeling like she had a mouth full of cotton and unable to get any words out, Diamond swallowed quickly and took the hand he had offered her seconds ago. “Yes, and thanks for the invitation,” she recovered her voice to say.

It was on the tip of Jake’s tongue to tell her that he had not invited her, but decided not to. “I’ll help John with your luggage.”

Tilting her head to one side, Diamond watched him walk off, thinking that Jacob Madaris definitely knew how to wear a pair of jeans. The back view of him was incredible, fascinating. His entire body was physically potent. And his walk…he moved like someone aware of his surroundings and comfortable with them, as well.

She closed her eyes, swallowed sharply and pulled herself together. This was the first real vacation she had taken in years. Her agent, Shelton Penn, usually had her on an airtight schedule. There was no time in between filming to ever totally relax. That was one of the reasons her doctor had ordered that she find someplace to go and rest.

According to him, she couldn’t keep up her vigorous pace without some sort of break. At first he had ordered six weeks of rest. But after she had given him every reason imaginable as to why she couldn’t take off six weeks, he had then pushed for five, not less than four. She had countered with three, and seeing that she wouldn’t budge any further, he had let it go at that. So here she was, in the heart of Texas on a ranch that was too beautiful for words, and whose owner could make her forget her vow not to get seriously involved with a man for a long time.

Her short and unbearable marriage to Samuel Tate had taught her a long-lasting lesson. When it came to the women they were married to, some men were possessive, overbearing and insanely jealous. Samuel had been all three. Never would she place herself in a position to live through something like that again. He had gone so far as to actually pay people to spy on her. He had even tried to destroy her long-standing friendship with Sterling. She knew for a fact that he was the one who started the rumor that had begun circulating after her divorce that she and Sterling were having an affair. She would never forgive Samuel for trying to cheapen her and Sterling’s friendship. And then last, but clearly not least, she would never forgive him for his betrayal of the vows they had taken.

“I’m ready if you are.”

Jacob Madaris’s deep, husky voice broke into Diamond’s thoughts. She turned quickly. Her gaze went straight to his face and once again she thought the premature graying of his hair gave him a abundance of raw sex appeal. More than any one man should have. Breathing deeply, she felt a strong attraction to him. Diamond’s forehead wrinkled. Nothing like this—something this quick, spontaneous and gripping—had ever happened to her before. And more than anything, she didn’t want it to happen. She was here to get some rest, nothing more.

“Is something wrong? You’re frowning.”

Relax, Diamond commanded herself. This man didn’t miss much. He was sharp at picking up on things. “No, I’m fine. Just tired,” she responded, forcing a weak smile. She almost lost it again when she gazed into his dark eyes.

He watched her for a few seconds before nodding. “That can be remedied. If you’ll follow me, I’ll see that you get settled in.” He then turned and walked off.

Not even trying to keep up with his pace, Diamond followed him to the vehicle.

Jake’s brow furrowed as he drove his Jeep toward the area where the cabin was located. He tried, against all odds, to ignore the woman sitting next to him. He couldn’t remember a time any woman had caught his interest as seriously as Diamond had. And that was totally out of character for him.

“Now you’re the one frowning, Mr. Madaris.”

Jake couldn’t help but smile at Diamond’s observation. She must have been watching him pretty closely to notice. He took a glance over at her and his smile widened. “Yeah, I am, aren’t I? And you can call me Jake.”

Diamond nearly groaned out loud. His smile was deadly. “Thanks, and I’m Diamond. I’ve never cared for nicknames so if you don’t mind, I prefer calling you Jacob.”

Her voice was like silken oak. It stirred Jake’s insides and sent his pulse spinning. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that she could call him anything she liked, but he decided it wouldn’t be a good idea.

“Does your frown have anything to do with the fact that you really didn’t invite me here, Jacob?”

Jake blinked in surprise at Diamond’s question. He wondered how she had figured it out. “What makes you think that?”

“From the expression that crossed your face when I thanked you earlier.” She then let out a chuckle. “I’m an actress, remember. I’m trained to display a number of expressions, as well as being able to read them on others. Although the expression crossed your face quickly, I was able to pick up on it.”

When Jake still didn’t admit one way or another whether she was right or not, Diamond glanced over at him. “What did Sterling do? Threaten you with bodily harm, or does he have some incriminating information on you?”

Jake couldn’t hold back his laugh. “It was nothing as bad as either of those two,” he finally answered, deciding to level with her. “I lost a poker game to him. I’m still wondering if he played fair. I’m usually a better poker player than Sterling.”

Diamond smiled and her eyes lit up in a sparkle. “You’re too trusting if you have to think about whether or not Sterling played fair. I doubt very seriously that he did. He knows how to cheat at cards when it suits him.”

Jake considered her words. They were spoken like someone who evidently knew Sterling extremely well. Suddenly and expectedly, he felt a tinge of jealously at the thought of just how well that might be. He was tempted to ask, but decided it was none of his business. Sterling had told him on numerous occasions that he and Diamond Swain were friends and nothing more. He knew that although his friend might have a tendency to cheat at cards every once in a while, he was fairly honest otherwise. Besides, Sterling had no reason to lie to him.

Jake pulled the Jeep to a stop in front of the cabin. “Here we are.”

Diamond took a good look at the structure they were parked in front of and became speechless. Before them was the most luxurious log cabin she had ever seen. A deck surrounded the house on three sides that provided a beautiful view of a half-acre lake.

She turned toward Jake. “Oh, Jacob, it’s beautiful. I know that you really didn’t invite me here, and a part of me feels I should do the noble thing and leave. But now, after seeing this, I don’t want to leave. Please let me stay. I promise not to be a bother.”

Jake didn’t think it would be possible for her not to be a bother, when her very presence was bothering him already. But for some reason, the thought of her leaving bothered him as well.

“Of course you’ll stay. Sterling may have cheated an invitation out of me, but I’d really like you to stay.”

What Jake thought was Diamond’s most heart-stopping smile appeared on her face. “Thank you, Jacob.”

Jake felt his heart trip against his ribs with that smile and the sultry sound of his name from Diamond’s lips. He stared at her mouth and his nostrils flared as he felt total awareness in the lower part of his stomach. He couldn’t recall the last time a woman had gotten hold of his attention this much. He decided to get out of the vehicle before he did something really stupid like haul her into his arms and kiss her.

Chapter 2

Diamond leaned against the doorway with arms crossed as she surveyed the room. If you were looking for a nice private hideaway, you couldn’t do any better than this, she thought. The cabin was located approximately four to five miles from the main house in a very secluded section of Whispering Pines. It featured a master bedroom with a king-size bed and a full bath and two other bedrooms. It also had a full kitchen, a mudroom with a washer and dryer, a spacious living room with a vaulted ceiling and a large stone fireplace.

While showing her around, Jacob had told her that he had built the house himself years ago but had not spent a night in it. She had found that surprising as well as intriguing but hadn’t questioned him about it. And he hadn’t felt compelled to share any explanations.

Diamond walked out on the deck. The sky was still clouded, and in the distance she could hear the distinct sound of thunder. After Jacob had brought in her bags, he had given her a quick tour of the cabin. He’d also given her instructions on how to reach the main house if she needed something. The phones, he had informed her, had direct lines to his ranch and in order to place a call somewhere off the ranch, she would have to come to the main house to do so. Then he had left.

She frowned. No doubt Sterling had known about the absence of an outside phone line at the cabin. He had made her promise that she would not be calling her agent or anyone else regarding work. He had wanted her to spend the next three weeks resting.

Diamond walked back inside. Jacob had told her that the kitchen had been stocked for her visit, but if she ever got tired of cooking to just pick up the phone and call the ranch, and he would have his cook prepare something and that he’d bring it out to her.

Although she knew he was doing certain things to assure her privacy, Diamond couldn’t help but feel that he was also doing everything within his power to keep her at a distance. It appeared the ranch was his domain. He didn’t mind sharing his land as long as she stayed in the space he had decided to give her.

Diamond tried to laugh at the thought of any man keeping her at a distance. She’d never had that sort of problem before and found the thought interesting. She had always become irritated with men who became obsessed with the way she looked. If her theory was true and Jacob was keeping her at a distance, it would be a first. But then, Jacob Madaris had started off being a first in a number of ways already. He was the first man, other than Sterling and her other childhood friend Kyle Garwood, who could elicit a genuine smile from her. And he’d been the first she had actually noticed as a man in a long time. A very long time. His masculinity was something any sane woman just couldn’t miss…or ignore.

Opening the refrigerator door, she began pulling out the items needed to make a salad. The sound of thunder was getting closer. After dinner she would take a shower and curl up in bed with a good book. For the first time in years, she would spend her evening doing practically nothing.

“And you’re sure she’s okay?”

Jake stared out of his kitchen window. From the brightly lit patio he could see at least half a dozen roses already in full bloom. He could easily remember the day his ex-wife had planted a number of them in various places on his land.

“Jake, did you hear what I asked?”

Sterling’s sharp words startled Jake out of his study of the flowering plants. Just as well, he thought. The last person he wanted to think about was his ex-wife, Jessie. He would have destroyed all of the rosebushes after she’d left if the darn things hadn’t bloomed so beautifully that year and every year since.

“Yes, Sterling, I heard,” he barked back into the telephone as he moved away from the window. “I’ve already told you at least twice that she’s fine. A thunderstorm came up after dinner so chances are she’s already retired for the night.”

Jake’s brow pulled tight over his forehead. “What’s with you and Diamond Swain anyway? I thought you told me there was nothing going on between you two.”

“There’s not. Diamond and I are just good friends. I’m worried about her, that’s all. She’s been pushing herself a lot lately and needs plenty of rest.”

“Well, she has no reason not to get it here. I put her up in the cabin like you asked, so she has all the seclusion she’ll ever need.”

“If she’ll stay secluded. You don’t know Diamond. She actually likes being around people. Unfortunately in our line of business you can’t afford to be too friendly. You never know whether or not the person you’re befriending has a part-time job with the tabloids.”

Sterling paused before continuing. “I have a feeling she’ll love Whispering Pines so much that she’ll eventually come out of her shell.”

Jake frowned. “What shell?”

“The one she’s been in since her divorce. Professionally she’s doing fine, but personally I’m still worried about her. Her divorce last year was a nasty affair. I’m sure you probably remember reading about it.”

Jake shook his head. “No, I’m not into reading that sort of stuff. I have enough to do around here without worrying about what goes on in someone else’s life. I don’t have time to concern myself with other people’s problems.”

“Hmm, I’ll see how long that lasts.”

Jake frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing. Hey, look, I need to get off the phone and study my script. I’ll check in again at the end of the week.”

“Yeah, you do that.”

Jake hung up the phone, wondering if Diamond had indeed retired for the night like he’d told Sterling. When the storm had hit earlier that afternoon, he couldn’t help but think about her and wonder how she was making out. She hadn’t called, so he could only assume she was doing okay. But maybe he should check on her anyway. Sterling seemed awfully antsy about her welfare.

Convincing himself that he was calling for Sterling’s benefit and not his own, Jake dialed the number to the cabin. His forehead knotted into a frown when she didn’t answer by the fifth ring. He was about to hang up when she finally picked up. He could tell by the quickened sound of her breathing that she had rushed to the phone.

“Where were you?” he demanded to know in a raised voice.

An intense frown covered Diamond’s face, and her back stiffened. Jake’s question brought back memories of when Samuel used to ask her that same question in a very accusing tone. “I was in the shower. Is something wrong?” she snapped defensively.

“No.”

“Then why are you yelling?”

Jake scowled at the sudden realization that he had indeed raised his voice. “For no reason,” he said, lowering it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. Sterling called tonight and was concerned when he couldn’t reach you earlier. So I thought I’d check on you to make sure you were okay. You had me worried when it took so long for you to answer the phone.”

Diamond’s anger deflated somewhat upon hearing that he’d been worried about her. She wrapped a huge towel securely around her body. “I’m fine. I had planned to take my shower earlier, before the storm hit, but things didn’t work out that way. I had to wait until now. I was just stepping out of the shower when I heard the phone. I barely had time to completely dry off.”

Jake’s heart began to thump erratically, and his hand holding the phone began to shake when a heated image of a half-naked Diamond rushing from the shower filled his mind. He hadn’t had to look twice at the way she had filled a pair of jeans to know that her body was a real work of art, especially her perfectly rounded backside.

“Jacob, was there anything else you wanted?”

Her innocent question hung in the air. Yeah, there was something else he wanted but he wouldn’t dare tell her what that something else was. He immediately squashed the thought. He and Diamond were as different as night and day. He was a rancher, and she was a Hollywood superstar, and that was far worse than her being just a sophisticated city woman. One sophisticated city woman had already taught him a lesson that he would never forget. Ranchers and sophisticates didn’t mix. What he’d gone through with Jessie had helped to mold him into the man he was today, especially when it came to women. His strictest rule was to never get tangled up with another sophisticate again. Diamond was not only a sophisticate, she was a celebrity. That spelled double trouble.

“No, there’s nothing else. Sorry I bothered you.”

“You didn’t bother me, Jacob.”

Jake nodded, glad that he hadn’t. He moved to the window again and looked out at the roses. They were a constant reminder of what a fool he’d been at one time. He had no intention of repeating it.

“Do you think you’ll need a car while you’re here? If so, you can use mine. Maybe it’s not a good idea for you to be so far out from the ranch without some sort of transportation,” he said.

“A car won’t be necessary. But what are my chances of getting a horse sometime later this week? I’d like to go riding. Would that be okay?”

“Sure, just as long as you don’t mind the risk of running into one of my men. This is roundup time and although the location of the cabin is pretty secluded, they’ll be out working all over the place if they ever have to look for strays.”

Diamond nodded. “That’s fine. I’ll call you when I’m ready to go riding.” There was a pause, then she said, “Sterling told me that the people who work for you can be trusted to keep my presence here a secret.”

Jake leaned back against a kitchen counter. He couldn’t help but smile when he remembered the meeting he’d held with his men yesterday morning to announce Diamond’s visit to the ranch. At first all of them had simply stared at him, then one by one their mouths had dropped open. They had walked around the rest of the day tongue-tied. The thought of someone like Diamond Swain at Whispering Pines had some of them acting downright ridiculous. A few of them had even shown up for work this morning in what he considered as their Sunday best. He had sent them back home to change. No one in their right mind wore a suit to roundup and brand cows.

“Yes, they can be trusted. In fact, they’ve taken a solemn oath to make sure your privacy is protected at all costs.”

“That’s very nice of them. I’d like to meet them while I’m here.”

Jake lifted a brow. It surprised him that she would bother to take the time to do that. “I’m sure they’ll get a kick out of it.” He knew that was putting it mildly. His men would be overjoyed at the chance to meet her. Some of them were really big fans of hers.

After a somewhat lengthy pause, she asked, “How do you do that?”

Jake lifted his brow. “Do what?”

“Get your men to be so loyal to you.”

Jake shrugged before answering. “Loyalty, like respect, is earned. A lot of the men have worked for me for years. I believe if you give people respect and loyalty, they’ll give it back to you. There are three things my daddy always told me that have stuck over the years. The first thing is to watch older cowboys work; they know the simplest and least expensive ways to get things done, and they’ll appreciate you for taking the time to show interest in what they do. The second thing is to always hire cowboys who are smarter and more skilled than you are. And lastly, never hire a cowboy who won’t tell you when you’re wrong. I have that kind of relationship with my men. I’m the boss, and they know it. But they also know their thoughts and ideas count. I didn’t make Whispering Pines into what it is today by myself. I give my men just as much credit.”

Silence fell, and Jake knew it was time to withdraw. He had shared more about himself with her than he had intended to. “Look, I know you’re pretty tired, so I’ll let you go.”

“Thanks for calling, Jacob. Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Probably not, unless you need something. I’ll be out on the range most of the day. Blaylock, my housekeeper and cook, will be here, and he’ll be glad to help you anyway he can. Just pick up the phone.”

“All right. Is there any particular day that you might be expecting visitors to the ranch?”

Jake knew the reason she was asking. That would be the day she would want to stay out of sight. “My veterinarian comes by every Thursday morning between ten and twelve to check on the cows. And then there’s my family. They may drop by anytime. But most of them know that this time of year is a busy one for me here at the ranch and they usually limit their visits.” Jake let out a deep chuckle. “Except for my mother. She thinks anytime is the right time for her visits. Usually one of my brothers will let me know in advance of her visits since one of them has to bring her. I’m her youngest son, and she won’t let me forget it.”

“Sounds like the Madaris family is a rather close one.”

“We are.” He couldn’t help but grin when he thought about his brother and the nieces and nephews that he was close to. “It’s been nice talking to you, Diamond. Good night.”

“Good night, Jacob, and thanks again for calling.”

After hanging up the phone, Jake closed his eyes to visualize Diamond’s features, as he had last seen them that day. The darkness of her eyes, the full lushness of her lips and a mouth that had definitely been ripe for kissing had held him captive.

“Is there any reason you’re standing in the middle of my kitchen with your eyes closed and looking downright silly?”

Jake’s eyes snapped open. Blaylock, the elderly man who had worked for him more years than he cared to count, stood in the doorway staring at him.

“Uhh, no reason. Well…I guess I’d better finish up with this,” Jake said, holding up the book that contained the cows’ breeding records.

Before Blaylock could ask him any more questions, he quickly moved out of the kitchen, went into his study and closed the door behind him.

Diamond placed the mystery novel she had been reading aside. The plot was a good one, and the characters were interesting, but the book could not hold her attention. No matter how hard she tried to get into the story, her mind and thoughts kept drifting.

She could not get Jacob Madaris out of her mind.

Standing, she walked across the room to look out of the window. The night was lonely and black, and the smell of the rich, wet earth filled the air. She turned her attention back to the room and looked around. Once again she marveled at how beautiful the cabin was. Jacob had built it, yet he had never stayed in it.

Returning to the overstuffed leather wing chair, she curled her legs beneath her. What was there about Jacob Madaris that she found so intriguing, so overpowering and so beguiling? Oh, he was a good-looking man, there was no doubt of that, but there was something else about him that pulled at her.

It would be absolutely, positively foolish to deny she was attracted to him, but then it would be just as equally foolish if she even considered doing anything about it. She thought about all the hell she’d gone through in her short one-year marriage to Samuel. There had been the arguments, the accusations, the bouts of jealous rages and then the betrayal. In the end, a man she had loved, and whom she thought had loved her in return, had shown his true colors. He had shown her just what he was capable of and had ended up being her worst enemy.

And that had hurt.

During the days and months following her divorce, she had worked herself into a frenzy, making one movie after another, allowing no rest in between and not allowing time for her pain to heal.

Sterling, being the good friend that he was, had detected her turmoil. He had known she wasn’t as strong as she had pretended to be. And so, with her doctor’s advice, he had decided to do something about it. He had thought that three weeks in a secluded cabin on the grounds of Whispering Pines would heal all. But what he probably had not counted on was her having such a gripping and profound attraction to his friend.

Diamond gave a quiet laugh. In his haste to help her, Sterling had unknowingly placed her right smack in the middle of the lion’s den.

Chapter 3

As Jake rounded the corner of his barn, he came across a group of his men who were standing together talking.

“I’m telling you guys the truth. I did see Diamond Swain,” Lowell Brown was saying to the men gathered around him. “I saw her from a distance. She was in the south pasture picking berries.”

Jake stopped in his tracks and shook his head, frowning. It had been three days since Diamond had arrived and already there had been more Diamond Swain sightings on Whispering Pines than there were Elvis sightings around the country. At least half a dozen of his men claimed to have gotten a glimpse of her at one time or another. He couldn’t help but wonder if any of them had actually seen Diamond or if it was just a figment of their overactive imaginations. He doubted she had even left the cabin since she didn’t have any sort of transportation to do so. She was to call him when she wanted to use one of his horses to go riding. So far, he had not heard from her. Nor had he seen her since the day he had picked her up from the airstrip and taken her to the cabin. He had no idea what she’d been doing the last three days, and frankly, he didn’t want to know. Just like he had originally planned, he was trying his best to ignore the fact that she was there.

Hearing his men talk about her wasn’t helping matters.

“Don’t you guys have work to do?”

Just as he’d known they would, the group of men disbanded immediately. Jake continued inside the barn to saddle his horse. The computerized range monitor had detected that a part of the fencing was down near the south pasture. If that was the case, it needed to be repaired as soon as possible. It wouldn’t do for a bull from another breed to get on his land and mate with his pureblood Longhorns.

A brisk breeze ruffled the treetops as Jake rode away. One part of his mind was on the business he had to take care of with the fence. The other was on Diamond. He didn’t want to think about her, but he did. And although he kept trying to convince himself that he really didn’t want to know, he couldn’t help wondering what she had been doing the last three days.

As he trotted his horse up the narrow slit of a trail that led to the south pastures, he knew that before he returned to the ranch he would stop by the cabin and find out.

A satisfied smile played at Diamond’s lips as she stood back and gazed at the tray of cookies she had just taken out of the oven. She couldn’t remember the last time she had taken the time to bake anything. But after finding that cookbook in one of the kitchen cabinets, she’d been tempted to do it. Baking had stirred up memories of how as a child, she used to work alongside her grandmother in the kitchen. Those had been happy times for her.

Diamond inhaled the aroma that filled the kitchen. She hoped the cookies tasted as good as they smelled. The recipe had been a fairly simple one to follow and upon discovering that the cabin’s kitchen was stocked with all the ingredients she would need, she had gotten busy, enjoying herself immensely. Baking the cookies had kept her from thinking about Jacob. But now that she was finished, thoughts of him began to fill her mind again.

Sighing deeply, she removed her apron and placed it over the chair before opening the door and stepping out on the deck. Other than the mere bits and pieces she had gotten out of Sterling, she knew very little about Jacob Madaris, and a part of her knew she should leave it at that. But then another part of her couldn’t. In their brief meeting, the man had stirred feelings inside of her that she had thought she would never feel again.

At thirty-one she no longer believed in love for ever after. If she had been smart, she would have stopped believing in love altogether at the age of twenty-two when her father had married for the fifth time. But somehow after meeting Samuel at a fund-raiser for AIDS Awareness, she had convinced herself that Samuel Tate, race-car driver extraordinaire, was the key to her happiness.

A year later, she had painstakingly discovered that no one was the key to her happiness. She had accepted the fact that just like her father, when it came to love, it wasn’t for her. But unlike him, she didn’t need five failed marriages to convince her of that.

Actually Jack Swain still wasn’t convinced. After recently meeting the woman he was currently involved with, Diamond had a feeling that her father of seventy-one was about to tie the knot for the sixth time, with a woman young enough to be his daughter.

Some people never learned. But she was not one of them.

She squinted her eyes against the fading bright sunlight when she heard the sound of a horse and rider coming toward the cabin from across the high prairie. Her pulse quickened as she leaned against the post and watched their approach. Horse and man seemed attuned to each other.

The grounds surrounding the cabin were covered by a huge shadow as the sun began making its slow descent beyond the mountains. The setting was beautiful. But nothing, she thought, looked more beautiful than the man approaching on horseback. His movements were fluid and in full control of the huge animal beneath him. As she watched Jacob come closer, she became painfully aware of just how much she had wanted to see him again.

Unbeknownst to Diamond, Jake was thinking that very same thing about her, and that admission wasn’t easy for him. In fact, it downright irritated him. He managed a tight smile when he reached her and sat up straighter in his saddle. His fingers gripped the reins tight as he tried to still his horse, not to mention the wild beating of his pulse.

Jake looked her over, suddenly realizing just how young she was. With him being forty-two, there had to be at least a ten-to twelve-year difference in their ages. He wondered why that fact seemed important to him now. He lifted his brow when he noticed something else about her. He couldn’t help smiling a little when he asked, “Who won the fight? You or the flour?”

At first Diamond looked confused. Then a chuckle escaped her when she realized what he was talking about. She looked down at herself and chuckled again. Flour covered most of her clothing. She then raised her head and smiled up at him. “Would you believe I actually had on an apron?”

Jake shook his head. With a smile like the one she had just given him, he could believe just about anything. “I don’t even want to think about how the kitchen looks.”

She laughed. “I have to admit it’s not the neat, clean place it was when I arrived three days ago. But I promise to get things back to normal.” A huge grin covered her face. “I had so much fun baking.”

Jake chuckled and nodded. There was even a dab of flour on her nose and cheek. “Yeah, I can tell.”

Diamond looked up at him. Even sitting on a horse, he looked tall, lean and muscular. There were some qualities about him that reached out to her: strength and capability. “I was just about to sit down and enjoy some of the fruits of my labor. Would you like to join me for cookies and milk?” she found herself asking him.

Jake looked at her thoughtfully as he shifted in his saddle. Common sense told him to decline her offer. After all, it was pretty close to dinnertime and as usual Blaylock had probably prepared a feast. But the thought of sitting down at a table, eating cookies and drinking milk with Diamond was a whole lot nicer than sitting down to dinner with Blaylock and a few of the men who lived on the ranch. He glanced at the cabin before glancing back down at her. “Cookies and milk, huh?”

Diamond smiled. “Yes. Fresh-baked cookies and a tall, cold glass of milk. You can’t go wrong with that, Jacob.”

Jake nodded as he dismounted, thinking that in truth, he could easily go wrong with just about anything involving Diamond. He followed her inside the cabin, gritting his teeth and calling himself all kinds of names for having such a weak resistance to her.

The echo of his boots sounded on the hardwood floor when he stepped inside the kitchen and glanced around. Pots, pans and dishes were piled in the sink and a dust of flour covered the floor. For once the kitchen actually looked used. When he had built the cabin, he had added additional square footage in the kitchen on the assumption that it would get plenty of use. But Jessie had had other plans.

Diamond saw Jake glance around and mistook the meaning of his silence. “I’ll clean up the mess,” she said warily as she watched his expression.

Jake gave no sign of having heard her as he continued to look around the kitchen. He even noticed the cookbook lying on the counter. His six sisters-in-law had gone to great lengths to collect all those recipes for that cookbook and put it together. It had been a labor of love and just one of the many gifts his family had lovingly given; their contribution to the home he had built for his wife.

“Jacob, I said that I’d clean up my mess,” Diamond repeated softly, slanting a glance at his rugged profile.

Jake turned and met her gaze. She was looking at him with intense concern, and he saw an apology shimmering in her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with how this place looks. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, it looks just like a kitchen should.”

He smiled down at her. “I’m dying to try out those cookies to see if they were worth the fight. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go wash up.” He held her gaze for another quick second before abruptly moving toward the mudroom.

“You know,” Jake commented to Diamond a short time later, “you may want to consider a career in baking if you ever decide to give up acting. These cookies are delicious.” They were seated across from each other at a table in the kitchen by the window.

Diamond smiled, appreciating his compliment. She had tried baking for Samuel once or twice. He had laughed at her effort. “It was really nothing. I simply followed the recipe.” She motioned to the leather-bound cookbook lying on the counter. “Whoever put that book together did a fantastic job.”

Unable to help himself, Jake reached for another cookie. It seemed he had eaten a couple of dozen of them already. “My sisters-in-law will appreciate hearing that. It was a joint effort between the six of them and was intended to be a gift to the woman who was my wife at the time.”

Diamond nodded, hearing the slight bitterness in his voice. Sterling had told her that he was a divorcé. “Did she forget to take it with her when she left?”

“Nope.” Jake’s eyes narrowed. “She didn’t want it. She didn’t want anything to remind her of this place.”

Diamond knew it was probably none of her business, but she couldn’t help asking. “Why? It’s beautiful here.”

Coolly, Jake’s eyes met Diamond’s inquisitive ones. “She didn’t think so. She hated this place. She was a city girl from Boston, and married me hoping she could one day convince me that ranching wasn’t what I was good at, and that I’d eventually move with her back to Boston. On the other hand, I believed that one day I’d be able to convince her that ranching was what I was good at, and that she would be happy here. In the end, we both lost out. She went back to Boston and I remained here. End of story.”

Diamond’s eyes grew thoughtful as she watched Jake take another bite of his cookie. She doubted in all actuality that that was the end of the story. It was all he cared to share with her at the moment.

“So tell me. What brought you by? Did Sterling ask you to check up on me again?”

Drawn as if by magnet, his gaze locked with hers. “No. Coming out here was my idea. I was wondering how you were getting along.”

Diamond smiled. “Other than my fight with the flour today, I’ve been fine. On my first day I mostly slept in, and yesterday I decided to explore the great outdoors. I even went berry picking. I collected two pailfuls.”

Jake nodded. So Lowell had actually seen her near the south pastures picking berries after all. “What do you plan to do with all those berries?”

Diamond lifted a brow as if the answer to that question should have been obvious to him. Since it wasn’t, she decided to respond. “I’m going to make pies.”

“Pies?”

She nodded. “I came across a pretty good recipe in that book. I believe I picked enough berries for at least ten pies. They will be my gift to your men. That’s the very least I can do for their willingness to be discreet about me being here.”

Jake fell silent as he studied her. He was astounded that she was again thinking about the men who worked for him. He shook his head. He wasn’t sure if any of them would be able to handle receiving a piece of pie made by Diamond Swain’s very own hands.

He downed the last of his milk, knowing it was time for him to leave. The last thing he wanted to do was to get any ideas that Diamond was different from most sophisticates that he knew.

Jake stood. “Thanks for the cookies and milk.”

“You’re welcome, and if you’re out this way again, Jacob, do stop by. I enjoyed your company.”

Jake looked at her and felt that same sizzle he always felt around her. He was attracted to her, way too attracted. Suddenly he jerked his attraction back like a whiplash, refusing to go there. It had been years since he’d had woman troubles and he intended to keep it that way. His love affair was with Whispering Pines. She was the only lady in his life right now. He felt content in knowing she would always accept him for what he was and not try making him into something he was not.

“I doubt I’ll have time to drop by again. There’s plenty of work to do around here. I can’t very well expect my men to pull their share of the load if I’m not pulling mine,” he said curtly.

Because he had presented his blunt statement like he had expected some sort of response, Diamond said, “Of course you can’t. And I apologize if I’ve kept you from your work, Jacob.”

Jake didn’t like the idea that she thought she had kept him from his work. Then again, he thought maybe it was for the best for her to think that way. He couldn’t afford to share another quaint and cozy meal with her again, even one of cookies and milk. It was best if he went back to his original plan to keep his distance. Especially since each time he saw her he couldn’t help but wonder how her mouth would taste under his.

“The next time I talk to Sterling, I’ll let him know you’re doing okay. I’m sure he’ll want to know.” He then turned and walked out of the house.

Diamond followed him out to the deck and watched as he mounted his horse. Just before he was about to ride away, he glanced over at her. After making what appeared to be a quick but unwilling decision about something, he said, “You didn’t keep me from my work, Diamond. I was where I wanted to be.”

Without saying anything else, he rode off at a gallop and not once looked back.

Chapter 4

Smiling to herself, Diamond backed into the cabin and closed the door. Her eyes sparkled at the thought that Jacob had grudgingly admitted, in so many words, that he had wanted to spend some time with her. She was glad to know that he was fighting his attraction for her as much as she was fighting hers for him.

Diamond sighed as her mind began operating on some sort of adrenaline high. The very thought of Jacob was assaulting her senses and giving her a heated rush. For some reason, her attraction to him seemed instinctive, natural and sensible. He was handsome, rugged and downright appealing. What woman in her right mind would not be captivated by those attributes?

She remembered how at the table while they were eating cookies and drinking milk, Jacob had smiled at something she’d said. For one precious second, she had become mesmerized by that slow, seductive smile. It had taken all the willpower she possessed to maintain her composure.

Diamond shook her head, trying to fight off this unusual state she found herself in. She immediately reached the conclusion that she must be going through some type of hormone crisis. She was in total awe of the emotions Jake aroused in her. She struggled to clear her head, reminding herself that she’d come to the ranch for peace, quiet and relaxation.

She slumped down in a nearby chair, too weary and too confused to start tackling the cleanup of the kitchen just yet. She blew out a breath of frustration. Whispering Pines might be just what the doctor ordered, but Jacob Madaris was not. She wanted to convince herself that he was just another man, and in her line of business, she’d been around plenty. She drew her brows together. What was there about Jacob that wanted to make her forget the fiasco of a marriage she’d had with Samuel? It was a marriage that should have taught her a lesson. But one look at Jacob and she forgot everything, even the hard, cold fact that when it came to the affairs of the heart, she was a complete failure.

Diamond stood on her feet. She would put Jacob Madaris and how she intended to deal with him out of her mind for a while. She had a kitchen to clean and ten pies to bake.

Jake cursed himself for having admitted what he had to Diamond. The last thing he wanted was for her to start getting ideas that he was interested in her. She was used to men falling at their feet over her, both on and off the screen, and he had no intention of being one of them. Women who thought too much of themselves irritated him to no end. Usually they were women who lived in a world where money, looks and social status mattered a lot more than a person’s character. Over the years, he had dated a number of those types. He’d even been married to one nearly twenty years ago.

Jessie Wellington, of the Boston Wellingtons, had had this farfetched opinion of what a real man should be. Besides being good-looking, of course, he needed a wealthy family background, a big home and plenty of money. Although he hadn’t had any of those things at the time he’d met her, in him she had seen potential, and therefore she’d had no doubts about marrying him. After all, he had graduated at the top of his class from Harvard with a master’s degree in finance, and he was good friends with the newly elected senator from Texas, Nedwyn Lansing. And everyone knew Senator Lansing was going places.

Jake shook his head. Jessie had gotten angry, frustrated and put-out with him because she could not bend him the way she wanted. She hadn’t appreciated a man who valued honesty and hard work. She had wanted a man who would spoil her and give in to her childish tantrums like her father had always done. It had taken a little less than a year for her to discover that he was not that man. Her leaving had hurt because he had truly loved her. But she had shown him that there was no such thing as true love.

Looking back, he knew he and Jessie had been a bad match from the start. They had been as different as night and day, and she had thought she could mould him into something he was not. She had also thought that she could destroy his love for this land.

He had been born on this land in a small house that still stood on the other side of the north pastures. The Madaris family had settled on the land six generations ago, back in the eighteen hundreds after acquiring a ten-thousand acre Mexican land grant. At a time when most newly freed Blacks were still waiting for their forty acres and a mule from the United States government, Carlos Antonio Madaris, half Mexican and half African-American, along with his wife, Christina Marie, were shaping their heritage on the land they used to raise cattle. A parcel of land they named Whispering Pines.

Jake thought about his six brothers. All of them were alive and well except one. Robert had gotten killed in the Vietnam War. Jake was the youngest of the Madaris brothers. His mother had been in her late thirties when she gave birth to him and his father pretty close to fifty. All of his brothers, except for him and Robert, had chosen the profession of educator instead of rancher. There had never been any doubt in Jake’s mind that he would run Whispering Pines one day. It was as much a part of him now as it had been then. He had spent six long years away from the land he loved while attending Harvard. The day he returned, he had vowed never to leave it again. He had also vowed to build it into everything his ancestors would be proud of, and where future Madarises could take pride in their heritage. Believing that he would fulfill his dream, his brothers had signed their shares of the ranch over to him, keeping only an investment interest. That act of faith and show of confidence from his brothers had made him that much more determined to succeed.

And he had.

With the things he had learned from working closely by his father’s side while growing up, and by putting to use the vast education he had received from Harvard in the financial sector, the Whispering Pines ranch had tripled in size and now employed thirty men on a full-time basis. All of them had been hand-picked by him, and all of them were men he knew he could trust.

“There you go again, staring into space. At least this time you have your eyes open.”

Jake muttered something about not being able to go anywhere to find peace, before turning around to Blaylock. Blaylock Jennings, who was in his late sixties, had once been a rodeo star during a time when very few African-Americans competed on the national circuit. He had been doing pretty good for himself until a mean and nasty bull decided to plow into him one night. In the end, Blaylock’s battered body had been rushed to the emergency room with internal bleeding, a bruised kidney and a deep, long slash on the side of his face when the horn of the bull had tried ripping him apart. That slash was now a horrendous-looking scar that got a lot of attention when people saw him for the first time. Jake didn’t know of any one person who had a heart of gold like Blaylock nor a man who could be trusted more. His job around the ranch was to keep him and the ranch hands fed and to keep the ranch house clean. Blaylock did both effortlessly. His only fault, as far as Jake was concerned, was thinking that anything that went on around Whispering Pines was his business. He thought of Jake as a son, and Jake had to admit that he looked up to Blaylock as a father figure, as did most of the younger men who worked on the ranch.

“Don’t you have the dinner dishes to wash or something?” Jake asked. His question was gruff but he knew the teasing in it came through.

“They’re all done. You barely touched your meal tonight. You’re not coming down with something, are you, boy?”

Jake wanted to laugh. He was a long way from being a boy. “No, I’m not coming down with anything.” He saw no need to tell Blaylock he had ruined his appetite for dinner when he’d eaten about two dozen cookies and drank nearly a gallon of milk earlier that afternoon.

“So, Jake, how’s your little actress doing?”

Jake frowned. “I guess she’s doing fine, and she’s not my little actress.”

Blaylock shook his head. “Now that’s where you’re wrong. Anything that sets foot on Whispering Pines is yours, and that includes Miss Hollywood.”

Jake laughed unexpectedly. “I’m sure Diamond will be glad to know that.”

“You and Miss Hollywood are on a first-name basis, are you?”

Jake frowned. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

Blaylock laughed. “Yeah, why wouldn’t you be indeed?”

Without answering the man’s question, Jake walked off the porch toward the barn where he knew a lot of the men were finishing up their chores and getting ready to retire for the night.

The night was dark, and Jake thought it was lonely. A shaft of moonlight spilled across the yard and the branches of a few trees stirred with the night’s gentle breeze. Jake stopped walking and inhaled the scent of magnolias and bluebonnets. Another scent was also entrenched in his mind. It was the scent of the perfume Diamond had been wearing when he’d seen her that day. It was a lush scent, an appealing fragrance.

Silently Jake stood in the shadows and tried to recall the moments he had spent in her company that day. Their conversations over cookies and milk had been light and impersonal, until he had begun talking about his ex-wife. He had told her more about himself than he had intended.

Jake stared long and hard into the night sky as Blaylock’s words came back to him: “Anything that sets foot on Whispering Pines land is yours….” The thought of Diamond being his made his heart pound and caused a tightening in his gut.

Jake sighed as he moved out of the shadows and began walking back toward the house. He doubted he would get much sleep tonight.

Diamond’s foot tapped to the sound of the Temptations as they bellowed out a song about their girl. Whoever had used the cabin before her had graciously left behind the CD The Temptations Greatest Hits. She had found herself dancing around the kitchen all afternoon while tidying it up and then later while baking her pies.

Now, five hours later, she had ten blueberry pies baked to her credit and was feeling pretty pleased with herself. The music had stimulated her and the baking had given her immense pride and fulfillment. She hoped Jacob’s men would be pleased with the finished product.

She looked around the kitchen, knowing she would have to clean it up again before retiring for the night. But that thought didn’t bother her. When she was through she would take a long, relaxing bath.

As she tapped her foot to another Temptations’ tune about somebody’s father being a rolling stone, she couldn’t help but wonder what Jake was doing. Was he still up? Had he gone to bed for the night? Had he been thinking about the time he had spent with her that day, the way she had been thinking about it?

Darned if she had been able to think about much else the rest of that day. And the funny thing was she kept telling herself that the thought of getting mixed up with him during her three-week stay on the ranch would serve no purpose. Although the media claimed otherwise, she was not one to engage in casual affairs. Her father had done that enough over the years for both of them. Being discreet had never been one of Jack Swain’s strong points.

Diamond shook her head and let out a deep breath as she tried convincing herself that an involvement with Jacob Madaris was the last thing she wanted.

Chapter 5

Jake stopped his horse at the end of the path and looked down at the cabin below. He raised his eyes toward the heavens and saw that the dark clouds he’d awakened to that morning were now moving away. He was grateful for that since his steers would need to graze in the pastures the majority of the day.

He fixed his gaze again on the cabin. He was tempted to go down and pay Diamond a surprise visit like he had done yesterday but talked himself out of it. He was too old to go sniffing behind a woman like a stallion in heat. Besides, it was too early. Chances were she was still asleep.

Jake frowned. He hadn’t been able to get a good night’s sleep. Visions of black hair, dark eyes and kissable lips had kept him awake. He turned slightly, about to lead his horse away, back up the path, when a movement caught his eyes. The door to the cabin opened and Diamond stepped out on the porch. Even from a distance, he could see that she was holding a mug of steaming hot coffee in her hands. She was dressed in a denim work shirt and faded jeans. Her feet were braced apart with her free hand tucked into the front pocket of her jeans. Her stand emphasized the soft curves of her body.

Jake sat in the saddle, transfixed. Even dressed like a cowgirl, everything about Diamond spelled feminine. “Oh, for heaven’s sake!” he muttered in annoyance to himself. “You have more things to do, Jake Madaris, than to sit here and spy on a woman.”

He released a deep, heavy sigh. He had always prided himself on being able to handle any female relationships. Caught in the thought that he was deviating from the norm bothered him. His dreams had always centered around Whispering Pines and not some woman’s warm arms and soft body—like they had last night.

Jake spared one last glance at Diamond before turning his horse back toward the pastures. There was work to do.

When Diamond heard the sound of the vehicle’s engine, she took a deep breath. Jacob had arrived. She had called for him earlier and had spoken on the phone to Blaylock. He was such a nice man. He had told her that Jacob had ridden out early that morning and wasn’t expected back until midmorning. He said he would give him the message when he returned that she wanted to see him, and to come via way of his Jeep and not horseback.

She felt the knot in her stomach clench. Never before had she allowed any man to get next to her like Jacob Madaris was doing. She frowned. He was just a regular man. But that thought didn’t stop her from taking another deep breath when she heard the sound of his knock on the door. She walked over to the door and opened it.

Diamond’s breath caught in her throat. There was nothing regular about Jacob Madaris, she thought as she studied his features. They were the same features that had invaded her dreams every night since she’d come to Whispering Pines. But for some reason, today those features appeared more manly and prominent. Today he looked like the quintessential cowboy/rancher. If anyone could combine the two successfully, it would be the handsome man standing before her.

“Hello, Jacob.”

“Diamond.” Jake breathed in her scent. It was warm, sweet, seductive. She was still wearing the cowgirl outfit he had seen her in that morning when he’d watched her from high on the mountain while she’d stood on the porch drinking a cup of coffee.

He cleared his throat when it suddenly became apparent that neither had said anything else to each other for a full minute after their initial greeting. “Blaylock said you wanted me.”

Diamond blinked. She wanted him all right, she thought, willing her pulse to stop beating so rapidly. “Pardon me?”

“Blaylock said you wanted to see me and to bring the Jeep.”

“Yeah, right,” she said, getting her mind back on track. Relax, she commanded herself, or Jacob will think you’re one ditzy woman. “Please come in. I need help with the pies.”

“Pies?”

“Yes. Remember I told you that I would bake them for your men; ten of them from the blueberries I picked.”

Jake frowned as he walked into the cabin. “You actually did bake them?”

Diamond chuckled. “I told you I would.”

Jake glanced around. A huge vase of roses sat on a nearby coffee table. He frowned when seeing the roses brought back memories.

Diamond saw his frown and didn’t understand the reason for it. “I picked them yesterday,” she said, explaining. “I would have gotten your permission first had I known that picking them would upset you. There were so many of them, and they were so beautiful. It was strange seeing them growing all around. I first noticed them when I went out picking berries a few days ago.”

Jake nodded. “I don’t have a problem with you picking them. Sorry if I gave you that impression. My ex-wife took a notion to plant over a thousand rosebushes on this land right after we got married. She was used to seeing roses where she came from and said Whispering Pines looked dreary without them.”

Now it was Diamond’s time to frown. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing dreary about Whispering Pines. “I happen to disagree with her. This land of yours of beautiful, Jacob,” she said, leading him to the kitchen. She then motioned to the clean and spotless kitchen. “No mess this time. No fight with flour.”

Jake smiled. “I’m impressed.” In all actuality, he was. It seemed everything about Diamond was beginning to impress him, especially when she had defended the beauty of his land. All Jessie had ever done was to put Whispering Pines down. She had hated it here. And she sure as heck would never have given thought to doing anything nice for his men. She had told him on more than one occasion how she detested them. She saw them as a group of men who barely had a high school education. She thought they were irresponsible men without any goals in life other than to play cowboys without the benefit of Indians. Jessie never had a word, kind or otherwise, to say to any of them. She had placed herself on a higher level than they were. But Diamond was a well-known movie star, who was known worldwide, and whose film credits were remarkably impressive. Yet she had taken the time not to bake just one pie, but ten of them for his men.

“I talked to Blaylock to be sure it would be okay since I didn’t know what type of menu he had planned for them today. I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries since he’s their cook.”

Jake nodded. That was another thoughtful gesture on her part. He was beginning to realize that Diamond Swain was a very unique woman.

“He’s really a nice man.”

Jake frowned. “Who?”

“Blaylock. I talked to him on the phone for over an hour. He gave me a recipe for vegetable soup. I’m going to make some tonight.”

Diamond felt a fluttering in her heart when Jake smiled. “Well, once you get the pies in your Jeep, we’ll be ready to go,” she said, as she began placing the pies inside a huge cardboard box.

“You’re coming?” Jake asked her in surprise.

She glanced up at him. “Sure. Remember I told you that I wanted to meet them.” She studied his features closely. “That won’t be a problem, will it?”

Jake saw the worried look on her face. Her expression indicated she wasn’t sure if she would be doing something wrong or against his wishes.

“No, that won’t be a problem, and I’m sure they’ll get a kick out of it.” And I won’t be able to get a lick of work out of them for the rest of the day after they meet you, he thought further to himself.

He watched her features soften into a relaxed smile. “Good.”

“Do you know anything about cows?”

Diamond glanced over at Jake, wondering about the question he had asked out of the clear blue sky. They had been riding in his Jeep for the last few minutes or so without much conversation. She tried not to concentrate on the large work-hardened hands that gripped the steering wheel and wondered how those same hands would feel on her.

Her brows furrowed. The middle part of her body reacted to that particular thought. “I guess I know the same thing about them as everyone else,” she replied, deliberately turning to look straight ahead.

“Which is?”

“They give milk,” she said, looking back at him, meeting his gaze.

Jake smiled warmly. Another thing he liked about Diamond was the fact that she had a sense of humor. “Yes, they do give milk but I’m not running a dairy, although all the milk served on the ranch is fresh.”

“Even the milk we drank the other day with the cookies?”

“Yes.”

Diamond nodded, smiling. “No wonder it tasted so good. I thought it was delicious.”

Her compliment pleased Jake. “Thanks. My father used to run a small dairy and make door-to-door deliveries to the neighbors.”

“Have you ever considered going back into the dairy business?”

“Nope. We have enough to do just to make sure we get the steers to the market on time. That alone keeps us pretty busy.”

“I’m fascinated by all the things that you do around here. I’d like to learn more about it.”

“Why?”

Diamond shrugged. “I don’t know, I just do.” She didn’t want to tell him that for some reason, she wanted to know all she could about Jacob Madaris. She had a feeling that to know and understand Jacob Madaris, the man, she would first need to know and understand Jacob Madaris, the rancher. From the little bit Sterling had told her about him and what she had observed since arriving, Whispering Pines was his life.

“Just what are you interested in?”

She wanted to say you, but didn’t. “I’m interested in everything about this place. From fixing fences, driving the herd, doing the roundup to this very chic system I understand you use to guarantee you’re delivering the very best beef to the consumer that money can buy.”

“I thought you came here to rest.”

“I will be resting, Jacob. I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in years. There’s something about Whispering Pines that’s so exciting and refreshing. Everything here is so clean, pure and unique. I love it here.”

Jake didn’t say anything as he kept driving. Jessie had also been excited when he had first brought her here. So excited that she had been adamant about planting those rosebushes everywhere, even in the least likely places where they would survive. But soon, like it usually happens with city slickers and sophisticates, the novelty wore off and instead of finding the ranch exciting, she had found it dreary and boring. One day Diamond would feel the same way. She was too well-traveled not to. Whispering Pines was just a hole in the wall compared to the other exotic places she had visited. The only saving grace for the ranch was that it didn’t come with reporters and provided her a lot more privacy than she was used to.

When Jake turned the Jeep onto the road that would take them to the ranch house, he glanced over at Diamond and said, “We’re almost there.”

Chapter 6

Diamond fell in love with the sprawling hacienda-style ranch house the moment she saw it. The sight of it simply took her breath away. It was truly magnificent, and the closer she got to it, another word immediately came into her mind.

Gorgeous.

It was as gorgeous as the land and the man. The scenic setting gave a breathtaking view of the ranch, the pine tree–filled valley and the big blue Texas sky. When Jake brought the Jeep to a stop, she just sat there mesmerized. A deep breath filled her lungs. It seemed as if the structure was beckoning her. She closed her eyes momentarily, not understanding this strange feeling that surrounded her, absorbing her. To her surprise, she began wondering what it would feel like to wake up each and every morning here in this house. What would it be like to wake up to the fragrance of pine, mountain laurels and bluebonnets, and be surrounded by such natural beauty?

“Diamond, are you okay?”

Diamond opened her eyes and turned her gaze in Jake’s direction, then tipped her head back and smiled. “I was just thinking of how beautiful your home is. I don’t think there are enough words in the English dictionary to describe it.”

Jake didn’t want to place much stock in her opinion of his home. It was a home he had designed and built after his divorce from Jessie.

“I had no idea,” Diamond went on as she continued to explain, “that a home could be made to look so inviting and welcoming.”

Jake couldn’t help but smile. No one had ever said such things about his ranch house before. The cabin had been a surprise gift for Jessie, one he had painstakingly worked day and night to complete. But she had refused to live in it, even for one night. Then when she had left him a week or so later, he had been determined to one day build another house, one that did not have memories of her. The only lingering memento of her short presence at Whispering Pines was the roses. Unfortunately she had planted several bushes on the site he had later chosen for his home to be built. As beautiful as they were, the roses served as a constant reminder of what could happen if you gave your heart completely to someone else.

Jake took his time watching Diamond, not knowing what was truly real and not just an overwhelming impression that would eventually wear off. “Are you ready to go inside?” he asked, deciding not to dwell on what she thought of his ranch house any longer.

“Yes.”

Jake tried to appear casual as he got out of the Jeep and walked around the vehicle to open Diamond’s door. He even pretended indifference when extending his hand to help her out of the Jeep. But he couldn’t mask the look in his eyes when they met hers, their gazes holding a bit longer than necessary.

“Thanks.” Diamond finally said in a soft, shaky voice. She would have backed up, but couldn’t. She was already pressed close to the Jeep’s door.

“Don’t mention it.” Jake took a step back to give her space. It was space he hadn’t wanted to give her. He took a long, deep breath and glanced around. Luckily for him, the yard was empty, which meant the men were inside the huge bunkhouse eating lunch. He was glad no one had witnessed his moment of standing spellbound before Diamond.

“This way,” he called over his shoulder as he turned and began walking away. There was no way he could walk next to Diamond. It took some excellent skill of mind over body control to make it not so obvious just how much she had aroused him. That was the last thing his men needed to notice.

As he knew it would be, the eating room of the bunkhouse was noisy. The clatter of dishes and the clamor of voices going at the same time met Jake and Diamond the moment they entered the building, unnoticed.

“Maybe this isn’t a good time to interrupt them,” Diamond whispered to Jake, trying to keep her voice low. “They seem rather hungry.”

Jake shrugged. “Cowboys are always hungry. It won’t take but a second to get their attention.”

Jake walked a little ways into the room. “Afternoon, guys. We have company.”

All the men looked up at Jake. Then they followed his gaze to Diamond, who was still standing in the doorway. Suddenly all movement at the table froze and total silence filled the room. Diamond took a deep breath as thirty-plus pairs of eyes stared at her without blinking. She hoped they weren’t upset that their lunch had been interrupted. She was sure to these men that after putting in so much time in the saddle, lunch was probably a very important part of their day. Ready to brave the storm that could erupt from the hungry men seated at the long table, she took a deep breath and walked into the room and stood next to Jake.

“Hi,” she said to the men, who had gone speechless. “I didn’t want to interrupt anything, but I wanted to meet all of you. I know this might not be a good time but I brought you something.”

When none of the men said anything but just continued to stare at her, she glanced quickly at Jake. His lean features that lighted into a smile gave her encouragement, so she continued. “I baked pies for all of you. Blueberry pies. Ten of them. I checked with Blaylock, and he said it would be all right for me to serve you a piece as lunch dessert.”

The men still didn’t respond.

Diamond gave another quick glance in Jake’s direction. He was smiling. In fact, if she didn’t know better she would think he was downright amused. She shrugged and decided to add, “I think I did a pretty good job on the pies, but I’ll let you be the final judge. Would anyone like to help me get them out of the Jeep?”

Jake saw, before Diamond did, all thirty-plus men jump out of their seats at the same time, nearly knocking over their chairs in the process. “Hold it right there,” he commanded in a loud voice before any one of the men could get within five feet of Diamond. “Sit back down. I’ll get the pies. Blaylock, maintain order until I get back.”

It was only after he had made the request of Blaylock did Jake remember most people’s reaction to the man upon first seeing him. Jake took in a deep breath as he watched Blaylock hesitate a second before coming forward. He knew that as usual, Blaylock was bracing himself for another person’s cruel response to seeing the scar on his face.

Jake saw Diamond glance around to take note of the man he’d spoken to. He then watched in astonishment as she flashed the older man a pure, radiant smile. Jake’s eyes then widened when she left his side and walked over to Blaylock and gave him a huge hug like they were old friends.

“Blaylock, I’m so glad to meet you. Thanks for walking me through the dough part of that recipe. You were right, kneading the dough that way made the cookies taste lighter. You’re going to have to share more of your cooking secrets with me while I’m here.”

Jake knew that Blaylock was just as taken aback as he was. He looked at Jake with questioning eyes. Jake simply shrugged. Diamond hadn’t even blinked at the sight of Blaylock’s scar. It was as if she hadn’t noticed it, which Jake knew was not the case because it ran the full length of the man’s face.

Jake shook his head. The woman was something else. That simple act of human kindness she had bestowed upon the elderly man touched him in a way he couldn’t describe. He also knew it had earned her a special place in Blaylock’s heart for life.

“I’m glad it worked for you, Miss Diamond,” Blaylock finally found his voice to say.

“Just Diamond. After helping me out with that new batch of cookies, I feel like we’ve moved to the rank of buddies.”

She glanced over at the men, who were still staring openmouthed at her before letting her gaze come to rest on Jake. “The pies, Jacob. You forgot to go get the pies.”

Silence broke among the men when one of them coughed to cover a chuckle and whispered to another. “She called the boss Jacob. Nobody calls him Jacob around here and gets away with it.”

Jake’s gaze fell on Simon Bellamy, giving the man a hard stare. “She does,” he said before he spun around and walked out of the bunkhouse to fetch the pies.

“Today was a very interesting day,” Diamond said as she got out of the Jeep when Jake opened the door for her.

That’s an understatement, Jake thought. It was pretty close to midnight, and he was just returning Diamond back to the cabin. It should not have surprised him when she had served each man a piece of pie herself, even ordering him and Blaylock to sit down and be served.

No joke, the pie had been delicious, but he doubted many of the men remembered much about the taste of it. They had sat in awe, totally dazed, that movie actress Diamond Swain was there in the same room with them, and of all things she had cooked pies for them. After making sure all the men had been served, she had sat down and eaten a piece with all of them, joking with them about the cookies she had baked and her fight with the flour.

Jake had forced all the men back to work. But not before Diamond had thanked each and every one of them for keeping her secret about being at Whispering Pines. Jake had shaken his head at the look of adoration in their eyes, and knew that no matter what, her secret was safe. He doubted that after today, any of them would betray her trust.

Jake couldn’t help but remember how Blaylock had invited her to stay for dinner and how quickly she had accepted, pleasing the older man immensely. Knowing that like his men he had work to do, he had left her with Blaylock. When he had returned hours later for dinner, he had found that she had made herself comfortable in his study and had curled up in a chair asleep with a book in her hand. Her sleeping form curled in the overstuffed chair next to his desk had taken his breath away. He couldn’t help but stand there in the doorway and look at her. He had heard the sound of a dog barking in the background and the whining sound of the engine from the milking machine out back in the storage house. But Diamond had slept through it all.

“Don’t wake her, boy. Let her sleep,” Blaylock had said to him over his shoulder. He had nodded, then turned and left the room to go upstairs to take a shower. By the time he had come back downstairs an hour or so later, he knew she had awakened when he had heard voices coming from the kitchen. He had stopped short when he walked into the kitchen and had seen twelve extra faces crowded at his dinner table. He had frowned. They were men who usually ate elsewhere in the afternoons. Other than the few who had permanent residences on Whispering Pines, he couldn’t recall any of the others ever joining him for dinner before. He wasn’t stupid. He knew why they were there.

“Is there any reason the masses of you aren’t giving your business to Pearl’s Diner tonight?” he had asked them.

The men, he had noted, had the decency to blush. However, it was his foreman, Percy Davis, who had laughed before audaciously saying, “Jake, didn’t you know that we enjoy being around you so much, it’s just natural for us to be eager for your company.”

“Yeah, right,” he had snorted before taking a place at the head of the table. Blaylock had seated Diamond at the other end, facing him. It was a spot that should have been reserved for the lady of the house. Since there was not one, that seat had normally remained vacant during meals. It had seemed strange to see someone sitting there, especially since that someone had been Diamond.

“Do you really think the men enjoyed the pies?”

Diamond’s question intruded on Jake’s thoughts, and brought him back to the present, reminding him they were now back at the cabin. “Sure they did, couldn’t you tell?”

Diamond smiled. “Yeah, I guess so. What about you, Jacob. Did you enjoy it?”

They had reached the door and stood facing each other. Diamond looked up at him for an instant, and a part of her wished she hadn’t. His eyes held hers, and she couldn’t do anything but stare back at him. She took in a quick perusal of his features under the moonlight. His handsomeness dazed her.

Blinking, she forced herself to turn her gaze away from his. Her cheeks flushed with sudden heat when she felt the pit of her stomach go hot. “Did you enjoy your pie?” she asked him again to get conversation going. She needed something—anything—to break the deep attraction she was feeling for him. She licked her lips.

That single gesture pushed Jake over the edge. It had been an edge he had been dangerously close to falling off of all day. “Yeah, I liked the pie,” he said. “And I think I’m going to like this here even better.”

His mouth was halfway to hers when the meaning of what he said hit Diamond. She was more than ready for his kiss and tilted her mouth up to meet him as he leaned toward her.

First he softly kissed the corner of her mouth before closing his full mouth over hers, gently inserting his tongue for the sweet taste he knew awaited him. His desire for her suddenly became overwhelming. He intensified the kiss when he heard a soft moan escape her throat, then wondered if the sound had really come from her and not him.

Their lips continued to fuse together hotly for a long, delicious moment. Neither was in a hurry for this time to end as rampant, hot and heavy emotions tore into them. Jake deepened the kiss even more, and his fingertip lightly traced patterns on the back of Diamond’s shirt.

Her hands were busy, too, as they encircled his neck. Her fingers caressed the side of his face underneath his ear. Both of them were drowning in the smoldering depths of the devouring kiss, their need spinning, raging.

With a deep tormented moan, Jake broke off the kiss to breathe. Heavily. Forcefully. Getting air past his lungs was a struggle not only for him, he noticed, but for Diamond as well.

When the impact of what had transpired between them hit him, he took a step back. He’d always been able to hold back and control his desire. But not this time. In the instant that he had touched his tongue to hers, his masculine urges had become dominant.

And he didn’t like it.

Diamond Swain, he thought further, was not the type of woman he wanted to get involved with on any level. Now or ever. She was more than just a sophisticate, she was totally dangerous to his peace of mind. Jessie had literally destroyed his belief that ranching and city women mixed. For a brief time, he had forgotten how he had learned the hard way not to become involved with a woman who could never accept him for what he was—a man born of the land. There was no way there could ever be a future for him and Diamond. She was who she was and he was who he was. Nothing would ever change that, so why go through the hassle. He knew that having a no-strings affair with her was out of the question when there was a chance he could lose his heart completely.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” he said apologetically, knowing it sounded lame and out of place when deep down he wasn’t sorry at all.

Diamond reached up and touched his lips with her fingertips. “Well, I’m glad you did it. Good night, Jacob.”

Speechless, Jake watched her go into the cabin and close the door.

Later that night while in bed, Diamond thought about her afternoon at Jake’s house. At first he hadn’t seemed pleased when Blaylock had invited her to stay for dinner, but had been a gracious host nonetheless. To avoid getting in anyone’s way, she had found solitude in his huge study.

In addition to being a place where he managed the business side of the ranch, the room had also been filled with a large collection of various books, several antiques and photographs of his family. From studying the numerous framed pictures that decorated one huge wall in his study, it was evident that he was a man who truly treasured his family. And if the photographs were any indication, the Madaris family was a rather large one. It was one he was truly proud of.

Diamond thought about her own family. Up until her fourth birthday, her mother had tried using her as a pawn to milk money out of her father. He had ended her cruel game by fighting for custody of her and winning. Her young mother, who had lived a wild and reckless life filled with parties and shifting from one man to another, had died less than a year later when her lover, a depressed stuntman, had shot and killed her in a jealous rage and then had turned the gun on himself, ending his own life.

Diamond had spent a lot of her early years with her paternal grandmother in North Carolina since Jack Swain traveled most of the time. Jennie Swain had been everything a grandmother should be. She was a warm, loving person, sensitive and considerate of others’ needs; a lady who was adored by anyone who knew her. One of the things her grandmother enjoyed doing was giving plenty of hugs. She always said that a hug a day would keep whatever ails you away.

Diamond smiled. Sterling claimed she had inherited her grandmother’s trait of being a huggy person, and she knew he was right. She would instinctively hug most people she met. It was something that sometimes got misread as a come-on to some men in Hollywood who saw a hug as an invitation to something else. Over the years, she’d had to limit her hugs to those she felt comfortable in hugging.

Diamond released a huge sigh. With the passing of her grandmother four years ago, that left only her and her father, and they were a long way from being a family. Deep down she believed he loved her, he just had a strange way of showing it at times. Over the years, she had gotten used to his ways. However, that didn’t stop her from wishing things were different between them. She couldn’t help but envy the relationship Jacob had with his family. It must be a wonderful feeling to be a part of such a close group of people.

Diamond touched her lips with her fingertip when she thought about his kiss. She had tried hard not to think about it and to forget it ever happened, but she couldn’t.

And she doubted that she ever would.

Unlike him, she had not regretted the kiss and had been honest with him and herself when she had told him so. She could tell he hadn’t been pleased with that bit of information from her, either.

When Diamond finally dozed off to sleep a short while later, her mind was still filled with thoughts of Jacob and his kiss.

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