Desert of Desire Read online

  She couldn’t look at him. “I’m a city girl. I could never leave it.”

  “Bullshit.” He rolled slowly away from her and got up, his disappointment clear. “I’m falling for you, Eve. And I think you’re falling for me, too. Why are you denying it?”

  She squeezed her eyes shut. “No, Beau. I’m not. The lie broke her heart, but she knew it was for the best. The bedroom door shut with a decisive click. He was gone when she opened her eyes.

  After quickly gathering her clothes, she peeked into the hallway. No sign of him. She tiptoed to the guestroom and slipped into the bed. But sleep wouldn’t come so she got up, showered and dressed.

  Before sunrise, she phoned for a car. By seven a.m. she’d arrived at the airport. The flight didn’t frighten her nearly as much as the ache in her heart.

  * * * * *

  Sunday morning Eve finished her story and emailed it to the magazine, knowing it was her best work in years. In the three days since she’d arrived home she’d tried to push Beau Calloway from her mind, but every time she thought about him, she pined for him, longed for his touch.

  She opened her window, half expecting the lush view and fresh scents of Beau’s garden. Instead, heavy iron bars greeted her. The sounds of honking horns and city life assaulted her ears. Exhaust fumes drifted inside the apartment. She shut the window and headed to Central Park.

  It helped a little to watch the Frisbee players, the horse-drawn carriages and the vast expanse of green. She hugged her arms around her body, wishing it were she and Beau in that carriage.

  Monday afternoon, Jacoby called her into his office. “Terrific job on the Calloway piece,” he said.

  “Thanks.” She wished she could be more excited to have finally garnered the man’s praise. It no longer mattered much.

  “What’s wrong with you? You look like I told you your dog is dead or something.” He leaned on the edge of his desk, pinching his bushy eyebrows together.

  “It’s nothing. Guess I’m a little jet lagged.”

  He snorted. “Jet lag? From a three-hour time difference? That’s a good one.”

  Ignoring his comment, Eve dragged back to her office. She did her work, went home and stared at the television set as if she were a zombie. The black cloud that settled over her seemed to permeate every facet of her life.

  Friday evening she arrived home and climbed the stairs to her apartment. She looked at her door and her mouth dropped open.

  Beau Calloway stood leaning against

  the wall next to her apartment. “I had to give you one last chance,” he said, flashing that sexy grin she’d missed so terribly.

  “Are you a mirage?” she managed.

  “No, I’m real. And so are we. I miss you, Eve. Come back home with me.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I’ll screw it up. I’m no good at relationships.”

  He tipped her chin up so she had to look into his eyes. “Only because you’ve never found the right one. This could be that one. Those days we had together were amazing. Isn’t that worth giving us a try?”

  His lips took hers and suddenly Eve knew. Her past relationships never worked because she’d never found the right man. But maybe she finally had. How could she not give them a chance?

  A week later, after subletting her apartment and arranging to write her column from her laptop for a while, Eve sat on an airplane beside Beau.

  “Look out the window,” he said as they neared the airport.

  She pressed her face to the glass and saw the Grand Canyon below. And she knew a brand new chapter had just begun.