“So that’s it, isn’t it?” he said. “That’s what’s had you treating me like someone you need to watch around the silverware. You just can’t get past the whole feud.”
She gave up all pretense. “Neither can any of us,” she said stoutly.
“That’s not true. Look at me.”
She didn’t want to look at him. Looking at him was likely to get her into a lot of trouble. But she did it anyway.
And for the first time, she really saw him as the others did—not as an underhanded opponent in a quarrel that had its roots in her ancestral background, but as a man who had a really engaging grin and a dynamic presence crackling with potent masculinity. And her body reacted so intensely that her heart started to race and a quiver snaked its way down her spine. When their eyes met for a beat too long, she had the unsettling feeling he really could see inside her heart and soul.
“So you think you’ve changed everything?” she said, hoping he didn’t notice the breathlessness in her voice.
“No.” He shook his head. “No, I didn’t change everything. When you come right down to it, your father was the one who changed everything.”
“By hiring you, you mean?”
“Sure. I guess you know they weren’t exactly cheering him in the street at the time.”
He said it as though he admired Jesse Allman for crossing the line. Jodie looked up at him in consternation. Did he really think her father had done that out of the goodness of his crusty ole heart? Was he really that clueless?
No, that wasn’t it; he wasn’t stupid. But neither was she. She’d known from the first that Kurt had an agenda of his own. Why else would he be here, working at Allman Industries, charming the heck out of everyone in sight? He could pretend all he wanted that the past was the furthest thing from his mind. She knew better. She knew McLaughlins. It had been a McLaughlin who had almost ruined her life. But that was another story.
Still, knowing what McLaughlin men were like meant she knew she had to get away from Kurt’s influence. Taking a step into the center of the elevator, she put her hands on her hips and looked around her.
“Enough of this. I think we ought to concentrate on how we’re going to get the heck out of here.”
He watched her lazily. “Get out of here, eh? Great idea. What exactly do you suggest?”
“Well…” She scanned the walls and the ceiling, then saw something interesting. “Look up there. Isn’t that a trapdoor to the top of the elevator unit? Maybe we could open it. Shouldn’t you climb up there and see?”
She looked at him expectantly. He gave her a quizzical look, still lounging against the wall, giving every indication of being perfectly content to stay right where he was. “Me?”
“Why not you?” she asked a bit impatiently. “Don’t men always do that in movies?”
He looked up at the supposed opening, which was more than two feet over his head, and nodded. “Sure. In movies.” Looking back down, he favored her with a caustic look. “Just exactly how do you picture me getting up there? Am I supposed to sprout wings, or pull out my suction shoes for wall-walking?” He cocked an eyebrow when she didn’t answer. “Pole-vault, maybe?”
She licked her lips and frowned. “I don’t know. How do those men in the movies usually do it?”
He shrugged. “I could try climbing on your shoulders,” he suggested mildly. “Other than that, I don’t see a way up.”
She didn’t bother to roll her eyes, though she certainly felt like doing so. “There must be some way,” she muttered, frowning as she gazed about for inspiration.
He went back to looking at the small trapdoor. “And once I got up there,” he mused, “who knows what sort of electrical wiring is lurking on the other side of the door, just waiting to fry the unsuspecting adventurer.” He turned to look at her with amusement. “Tell you what. I could probably lift you up to the opening. How about you climbing up there and seeing what can be done?”
“Are you crazy?”
He shrugged as though he were disappointed in her response. “Give the woman a chance to be a hero, and what does she do?” he murmured.
“We don’t need a hero,” she retorted. “What we need is some competence.”
“Ouch. I suppose you consider that a direct hit.”
“No. A glancing blow, maybe.” She sighed, shoulders sagging. Verbal jousting with the man was all very well, but it wasn’t going to get her out of the situation. “Look, I know climbing up out of this thing is probably not doable. But it’s just so frustrating being stuck here. Can’t you think of anything?”
His green eyes flickered with something she couldn’t quite identify, but he spoke calmly. “I believe in trying to make the best of any given predicament,” he said. “So I look at this as worthwhile. It’s a good opportunity for us to get better acquainted.”
“Better acquainted!” She gaped at him. “I don’t need to be better acquainted with you. I’ve known you all my life.”
He shook his head. “Not true.”
She threw out her hands, palms up. “What do you call knowing you from birth?”
“You’ve known of me. You haven’t really known me. And I haven’t known you.” He gave her a slow smile. “We’ve been like ships passing in the night, existing side by side, but hardly paying any attention to one another. We need to get to know each other a little more intimately.”
There was something in the way he said that which caused her to take a quick step backward. From her new position of security in the corner of the elevator car, she gazed at him levelly. Was this all part of his plan? Was he trying to subvert her the way he’d done with the rest of the people around here?
“I don’t think we need to know each other better at all. We’ve got a nice, cool working relationship. Professional and businesslike. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Is that really what you think we have?” he asked innocently. “I thought we had a thing going where I was the boss and you were the recalcitrant, embittered employee who was always second-guessing her management.”
That about nailed it, she had to admit. She lifted her chin defiantly. “Is that a problem for you?”
He laughed. “No, it’s not a problem. A diversion, perhaps, but not a problem.” His expression changed. “And I guess it gives you the illusion of keeping the flame going on our families’ blasted feud, doesn’t it?”
She wasn’t going to answer that, and he knew it. Instead of prodding her, he opened a new topic.
“So tell me, Jodie. Why did you come back?”
She knew what he was asking. It was a question everyone who moved back to Chivaree got at one time or another. Most people were astonished that someone would come back to this dusty town after having made good their getaway. She decided to be frank about it.
“I came back because Matt showed up on my doorstep one day and told me that I had to.”
Matt was her brother, the oldest in her family. He was even a few years older than Kurt.
“Had to?” he echoed back to her in disbelief. “And you did what someone else told you to do without a qualm?” He shook his head in wonder. “I’ll have to ask him what his secret is.”
She lifted her chin. “He made a compelling case.”
He nodded slowly. “I see. And then you showed up in Chivaree, arrived at the