The Wedding Wager: Dakota Daddy. Sara Orwig

buy my suit,” she said, laughing.

      He smiled. “That’s better,” he said, touching the corner of her mouth and running his finger lightly along her lower lip, building a warmth in her. “I promise to get a real laugh out of you before the night is over.”

      “Stick to why we’re here, Jared,” she said quietly. “This is an interlude to work out a plan for our future concerning Ethan. It’s not to get reacquainted all over again. Not at all.”

      “What’s wrong with renewing a friendship?” he asked.

      “It was more than a friendship, and I don’t want a broken heart twice,” she said, hoping she never hurt again as badly as she had the year he left.

      “I promise, I don’t intend to hurt you,” he said.

      “Then keep these few days relatively impersonal. I’m working at this, Jared. Don’t make it complicated and more difficult,” she instructed briskly.

      “I wouldn’t think of it,” he said, once again leaning back in his chair. “So, tell me about a typical day in your life. What do you and Ethan do?”

      “Through the school year, Ethan is in a private school and I spend most of the day in my studio. I have someone who runs the gallery for me, except on Wednesdays and Fridays, when I run it myself. I have three salespeople who work in the gallery for me at different hours, not all at the same time, but there are always two of us present. It’s easier that way.”

      “I haven’t been to Santa Fe in years. Not since you moved there. What’s the name of your gallery?” he asked, locking his fingers behind his head and stretching out his long legs. Looking totally relaxed, he reminded her of a leopard or tiger, some large cat lazing and half asleep, yet able to pounce in a flash. Except Jared would never physically pounce. His methods were emotional and mental. “Wait, let me guess,” he said. “Sorenson Gallery.”

      “Am I that unimaginative?” she asked, smiling at him. He smiled in return. “I toyed with some less ordinary names, but when I opened it, it was all new and exciting, and I was trying to get established and make a name for myself, so it became Sorenson Gallery. That was about the same year you opened your first restaurant in Dallas—Dalton’s, I believe.”

      “I used my name for the same reason you did,” he said quietly. “You kept up, did you?”

      She shrugged. “My aunt and uncle knew people who knew your family, so word got around. In some ways we’re in a small world.”

      “One that got far more interesting when you came back into my life,” he added.

      “Jared, is it possible for you to avoid flirting?”

      “Not with you,” he replied with an enticing smile. He leaned forward. “You look elegant, but there’s one flaw.”

      “Oh, what’s that?” she asked, trying not to care, yet aware how close he was again.

      “You would look much better,” he said and reached up to remove the clip holding her hair, “without this.” Her thick curtain of black hair tumbled on her shoulders and back. “There, that’s perfect,” he said.

      She smiled and shook her head to get her hair away from her face. “You may like it better, but it’s not as convenient.”

      “I definitely like it better. Sacrifice convenience to please me. I’ll appreciate it.”

      “How’s the weather where we’re headed?”

      “It’s beautiful. Perfect, too.”

      “Enough of that!” she retorted, his compliment pleasing her.

      She settled back and listened, chatting with him, laughing at some of his stories. The day passed surprisingly fast, and she realized she was enjoying his company, even though each minute with him brought back memories of being together. Too often, she dreaded when they got to the point of this trip.

      “We must be getting close.” The deep blue of the Gulf caught her eye. “Are you in town?”

      “No. I have a villa on the coast. We’ll have total privacy.”

      “I don’t think we’ll require total privacy, but it’ll be nice.”

      It was a long trip, but eventually they landed and deplaned, and Jared escorted her to a limo where his chauffeur and bodyguard stood waiting.

      Within minutes, Jared and Megan were driven into town to a small, exclusive shop to look for a swimsuit. While Jared stood near the front window and talked on his cell phone, she was shown a variety of suits. Selecting a half dozen, she tried them on without showing them to Jared. She made her selection and dressed again, emerging from the dressing room.

      “I didn’t get to see you model the suits,” Jared said with a twinkle in his eyes.

      “You’ll see me soon enough when you swim with me.”

      “I’m counting the minutes,” he said, and she smiled.

      “Always flirting, Jared. If we aren’t fighting,” she amended.

      “I hope to be done with the latter,” he said, and there was a solemn note in his voice that made her feel he was sincere in wanting to work something out in cooperation. She remembered he was a master at convincing people to do what he wanted, and wondered if his words were shallow or really held meaning.

      For a moment she gazed into his brown eyes and had a pang of longing for what could have been between them. Shaking off the wishful thinking, she started to open her purse.

      Stopping her, Jared took the suit from her hand. “I’ll get this,” he said in a tone that ended her argument.

      As she watched, Jared purchased two more identical ones.

      She laughed. “Jared, I’m not in a swim contest. I only need one suit.”

      “You never know. Always be prepared. Why not?”

      “Because it’s a waste of your money,” she said, wondering about his extravagant lifestyle, and how much Ethan’s life was about to change. And perhaps her own.

      “Then let me worry about it,” he said, smiling at her. She stopped protesting.

      They drove out of town and thick trees and bushes crowded the narrow highway until they turned into iron gates and Jared waved at a man who returned the greeting.

      “How often are you here?” Megan asked.

      “A few weeks out of the year. He’s a gatekeeper, and I let him know we were coming. The staff is here now.”

      Curious about Jared’s life, she wondered if he was showing her this home to prove that he could do more for Ethan than she could. Yet it didn’t feel like a jab. His pride in his home shone through. They drove through more thick vegetation and then through another set of gates that swung open at the limo’s approach. A high plaster wall glowed pale yellow, with patterns of shade from tall trees close by. Past the gates, the surroundings transformed into a garden paradise. Palms, other tropical trees and plants dotted the emerald grass.

      Beautifully landscaped lawns led to a sprawling white villa with the brilliant blue water of the ocean as a backdrop. Blue trumpet-shaped blossoms of tall jacaranda trees were bright in the sunlight.

      “Jared, it’s fantastic!” she said, awed. She was certain now that he wanted to impress her with how much more he could do for Ethan than she.

      “I enjoy it. I hope you do, too. How about a swim first thing?”

      “That sounds wonderful.” She conceded. “A swim after the long flight is exactly what I need.” In the flash of pleasure she released her hold on their problems momentarily.

      “Swim it is,” he said. “Unpack later, or I can have Lupita do it for you.”

      “I’ll