He meant to comfort her. She knew that, but the slow, insidious warmth seeping into her had little to do with comfort, and everything to do with her reasons for leaving. She pulled back. “I really wasn’t badly hurt. I was sore all over and shook up, but that’s all.”
“You were beaten,” he said flatly, “and scared half out of your mind. You’re still scared, or you wouldn’t be running away like this.”
That stung. “I’m not running away. If I had been happy here in Denver, satisfied with my job, I wouldn’t let one unpleasant incident chase me off.”
He looked away. “The thing is, Annie, I’m going to miss you. It’s been nice, knowing you would be around when I was between jobs.”
Nice? She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t.
Jack worked for a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Denver. International Construction Aid built schools and clinics in developing nations all over the world. When Jack was between assignments he was in Denver, too. Though Annie was amazed now at her foolishness, that had actually been one of the reasons she’d chosen to live in the Mile-High City after getting her certification. She had thought it would ease her homesickness to have an old friend around part of the time.
And at first it had helped. Whenever she and Jack had gotten together to eat pizza and argue over what movie to rent, or to drive into the mountains for a day’s hiking, she hadn’t been homesick. But she’d begun to depend on those flying visits too much. Instead of easing her homesickness, the times she’d spent with him had left her feeling more alone than ever after he left.
And, of course, he’d been gone most of the time.
“Listen,” Jack said. “I can see why you want to leave Denver. But why go back to Highpoint, for God’s sake?” He gave her his most beguiling smile.
That smile put her on her guard. “I miss Highpoint.”
“But there are lots of small towns close to Denver where you could feel safe—Shawnee, Longmont, Boulder, Bennett—half a dozen others. I’ll bet some of them are crying out for teachers with your qualifications. If you lived nearby, it would still be easy for us to get together when I’m in the country.”
“Highpoint isn’t that far from Denver. We can get together if you’re willing to drive a little farther.” He wouldn’t do it, of course. Not often, anyway. Jack hated Highpoint as much as Annie loved it.
Abruptly he stood and started to pace. “You could try compromising a little. What about Colorado Springs? If you lived there you’d be able to see your brothers every weekend if you wanted, and it still would be simple for me to drive down for a visit.”
She watched him pace, exasperated. “Are you suggesting I should shape my life and my career around your dislike for our hometown?”
He stopped. That odd look was back in his eyes when they met hers, a strange hardness she wasn’t used to seeing on her old friend’s face. “No, I’m suggesting you shouldn’t shape your life around fear.”
Her heart jerked in her chest. “You think I’m running away. That I’m a silly, scared fool.”
“I don’t blame you for being frightened by what happened. Hell, my hands shook for half an hour after I heard. But running home isn’t the answer.”
“I’m not ‘running home.’ I like it in Highpoint, Jack. I like it better there than anywhere else I’ve been. Why wouldn’t I want to live there?”
“You’ve never really been anywhere, Annie. You’ve never cut the ties. You keep the past knotted up around you like a rope. It’s familiar, it’s comforting, and it’s keeping you from following your dreams.”
She shook her head. “I’m not giving up my dreams. I’ll still teach—”
“Forget about teaching. I’m not talking about that. What about travel? What about all those places you always wanted to see someday?”
“Travel is your dream, not mine.”
“You teach English as a Second Language because you’re fascinated by other places, other peoples.”
“I—you’re wrong. There’s a great demand for ESL teachers—it made sense to go where I’d be needed, that’s all.”
His lips thinned. He paced over to the box she’d just finished filling and started digging around in it.
She came to her feet. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I know they’re here somewhere.” He moved to another box, one she’d already sealed, and pulled the tape off.
“Stop that.” She moved over to him, shoving at his hand.
He ignored her, ripping open the box and grabbing a handful of the contents—her collection of old National Geographic magazines. “How many back issues do you have, Annie? How long have you been dreaming about faraway places?”
“Oh, good grief! Millions of people read National Geographic who don’t have some secret yen to take off for Tunisia!”
“But most of them weren’t abandoned by parents who preferred those faraway places to staying home and raising their kids. Parents who died in one of those faraway places.”
She froze. How could he? How could he throw that in her face? “My mother didn’t abandon us. And my father had to work.”
“You mother was gone almost as much as your father, from what Charlie has told me.”
“She felt that her place was with her husband, whenever possible,” she said stiffly. “She knew we’d be fine with Nana.” Hurt throbbed through her. She turned away. “I had no idea you were building some kind of a fantasy based on my reading material. There’s no deep, dark secret here, Jack. I like to read about distant places. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Doesn’t it?” He shook his head. “Maybe I’ve got some selfish reasons for not wanting you to move back to Highpoint, Annie. But not all of my reasons are selfish. I don’t want to see you bury yourself there.”
She turned around. He was close. Too close. He stood only a hand’s breadth away now, his bitter-chocolate eyes intent on her face, his long, perfect body near enough that she could feel the heat from it. Her heart began to pound out a strange, erratic beat. “You’re seeing me through the lens of your own compulsions, Jack. I’m not the one who feels trapped if I stay in one place for too long.”
“No, unfortunately you don’t feel trapped in Highpoint. You feel safe.”
“What’s wrong with feeling safe? What’s wrong with wanting to be around people who know me, people I’ve known all my life?”
“I hope there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be around people who know you.” His crooked grin was familiar. The look in his eyes wasn’t. “Since that’s one of the things I like best about you. You know me better than just about anyone. Annie, don’t go back to Highpoint. Come away with me, instead.”
“What? What did you say?”
“Come with me when I leave on my next job. You can teach. There will be plenty of people who want to learn, believe me, and I’ll take care of you. I can make you feel safe, Annie.”
“I can’t believe you said that.” Jack had never been overprotective the way her brothers were. He’d been the one who taught her rock climbing—he had insisted on it, in fact, showing her how planning and knowledge minimized the