“Yeah, that’s the thing. He doesn’t. And I’ve treated him like shit for so long, I don’t know any other way to treat him. I don’t know how to fix this.”

“Maybe you don’t have to fix it. Maybe you just have to accept him for who he is, put it all aside, and move on. Forgive him and forgive yourself at the same time.”

There was that smile again, the one that made her knees melt. “Beautiful and smart. Do you know how sexy that is?”

Her own smile broke free, even though the little voice in her head kept battering at her, telling her over and over that she, too, was lying to him.

“I’m glad your mom’s feeling better.”

“So am I. Now, what did you have planned today?”

* * *

“Where are we off to?” Annabelle asked as Jared slipped into the driver’s seat of his car.

Jared twisted the key and the car hummed to life. “I thought we’d just drive around so I can get the lay of the land. There’re a couple of properties I’d like to look at but mainly I just want to look around.”

“Then you might want to head out Route 568,” she suggested. “There’s some nice country out there.”

As they drove off, Annabelle let her mind drift. She’d planned to spend the day digging through the Internet for Beatrice’s missing ring. She’d start her search by contacting auction houses and antique jewelry dealers in the tri-state area to see if they remembered seeing or selling the ring at any point.

Beatrice had said the police made a thorough investigation at the time of the robbery. She’d also hired someone to search for the pieces every five years after they’d been stolen until about fifteen years ago, when she’d given up on ever seeing them again.

If the ring was out there, it could be hiding in another box of costume jewelry or buried in someone’s jewelry box. Or safe deposit box.

She’d have to go through her grandfather’s records and see if she could come up with a name or a receipt for the pin, though she didn’t hold out much hope there. If her grandfather had bought a box full of what he’d thought was costume jewelry, he’d probably paid cash and hadn’t gotten a receipt.

Beatrice had promised to email a picture of the ring this morning, though she hadn’t had time to check. Jared’s grandmother had asked her not to say anything to Jared about their arrangement and Annabelle had agreed, mostly because it’d seemed an innocuous request. Maybe Beatrice wanted to surprise her grandsons with the pieces. Annabelle was determined to give the pin back to her as well, even if she didn’t find the ring. It really did belong with her family.

She let her gaze land on Jared. Beatrice had said the pieces united soul mates.

Which was pure fairy tale.

Jared was not her soul mate.

Neither of them was looking for happily ever after. Nothing had changed since she’d first met him.

Just because her pulse leaped in anticipation every time he touched her, it didn’t mean it was love. It wasn’t love. Just pure old-fashioned lust. It could never be more. She couldn’t imagine the scrutiny she’d be under if she and Jared…What? Got married?

She huffed. Was she crazy? She wasn’t thinking about marriage. She’d flat out told him she wasn’t in the market for marriage. And she’d told Kate she was going to break off their personal relationship.

Look how well that worked out.

So had she changed her mind?

No, of course not. They could work together but mind-blowing sex did not make for a stable marriage.

No, but great passion did.

“Hey, you’re not falling asleep on me over there, are you?”

Jared laid a hand on her knee, and even through a layer of denim, she could feel his body heat. His touch wasn’t sexual, just a light squeeze. But electricity jolted through her body, sparking her ever-present desire for him.

As casually as she could, she shifted so she was facing him more fully, but he had to remove his hand because her knee was now too far for him to reach. He slid a glance her way and she smiled at him.

“So, what exactly are you looking for?” she asked. “Was there a property you had in mind? Did you see something in the newspaper?”

He shook his head. “Not really. I’ll know it when I see it. I don’t like to do a lot of prep work for something like this. I like to go with my gut. I knew the moment I saw the building in Philadelphia that it’d be perfect for Haven.”

“And you really think you’re going to find what you’re looking for around here?”

His mouth turned up in a sexy grin, and he reached over to run a hand along her cheek, making her skin tingle. “This past month has been full of surprises. I’m sure there’ll be more.”

Okay, the man didn’t even have to touch her and lust threatened to burn her up from the inside out. Her cheeks flamed and she silently cursed her fair skin.

Luckily, his attention was focused on the road at the moment. They drove the next few miles in silence as Annabelle tried to stuff her desire back into the little box she’d nailed shut Saturday night.

She wasn’t having much luck with that.

Instead, she focused on the scenery, on the rolling farmland abruptly interrupted by sprawling, cookie-cutter housing developments and the occasional thick stands of trees. The closer they got to Reading, the more developments and less open land. So they ended up back on Annabelle’s side of the highway, heading into the hills.

The homes were farther apart up here, the trees more dense, hiding buildings at the end of the unmarked lanes shooting off from the two-lane road.

Jared had punched a couple of buttons on the dashboard and music filtered through the speakers. Etta James, early Elvis Presley, and several blues musicians she couldn’t place enveloped them in a warm cocoon that soon had Annabelle fighting to keep her eyes open.

She must have lost the battle because when the car came to a halt, she woke with a start.

“Hey, Belle, what do you think?”

The intensity in Jared’s voice caught her attention right away. His eyes were narrowed as he stared out the driver’s-side window. She had to lean toward him to see what he was looking at. With him this close, she caught the clean, dark scent of him, which made her stomach clench.

She really had to get a grip.

Following Jared’s gaze, she found herself staring at a castle.

She blinked. No, that couldn’t be right. She shook her head, trying to make things come into focus, but that castle wouldn’t budge.

She looked around, trying to get her bearings. She wasn’t exactly sure where they were but she knew they couldn’t be too far from home.

“What is this place? How did you find it?” she asked.

“I have no idea. We’re about fifteen miles or so north of Adamstown. I just happened to see a ‘For Sale’ sign on the road and followed an unmarked lane up here. It doesn’t even show up on the GPS.”

Annabelle felt Jared’s excitement like a physical force. It infected her, made her heart beat a little faster. She swore she could actually see his brain working.

Jared slid out of the car and she did the same. He walked forward to lean on a short stone wall encircling what looked to be a garden laid out in front of the building.

The stone in the wall matched the stone of the building, which had all the characteristics of a castle. Twin towers jutted from either end and a multitude of windows and balconies dotted the façade. A huge arched wooden door beckoned.

It nestled into the forest like it had been there for centuries. All the building needed was a princess in the tower to look as if it had been transplanted from Germany or England. Though it was not as huge, it was still pretty impressive.

“I never knew this place existed. I’ve lived here for years and no one’s ever said anything about it.”

“Jesus, this is perfect.”

Striding to the garden gate, Jared flung it open and walked through like he already owned the place, his gaze taking everything in.

She approached cautiously, not wanting to get in his way. He looked intense. He wore that same expression when he made love to her.

Unreasonable jealousy curled through her. Which was just too ridiculous.

“Look at the lines,” he said, though she wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or himself. “Three floors and maybe ten or twelve rooms on the second and third floors if the number of windows is any indication. It’s gonna need a hell of a lot of work but still…I’m gonna take a walk around the back. I’ll be right back.”

He strode off around the side of the building and disappeared. Annabelle decided to get comfortable and found a marble bench in the overgrown garden. As she settled onto it, the cold seeped into her thighs and she welcomed the clarity it brought.

What would she do if he actually found a site for his spa retreat so close to her home? Would they continue their relationship? Meet every couple of weeks for sex? Would it be enough?

She’d known from the beginning that this relationship wasn’t going to last. But if Jared actually bought this place, she’d already committed to furnishing it. Could she continue their sexual relationship as long as they did business together? Without falling in love with him?

Did she want to continue the relationship?

It was a stupid question. Of course she did. Because no matter how many times she told herself she wasn’t looking for the man of her dreams, she had to admit Jared would fill the bill.

She was afraid and…Well, she should just leave it at that. She was afraid.

She’d spent so many years hiding her identity, terrified of igniting a media frenzy that would make her life a living hell again. Could she trust him with her secret? And what if they actually took their relationship further? Jared occasionally made the gossip rags. Would they dig into her background? Would some reporter get lucky and figure out who she was?