His jaw muscle flinched. So what happened between them meant nothing to her? From the way she’d kissed him, he seriously doubted that. But he didn’t challenge her. “I didn’t think you did,” he replied, an edge to his voice.
“So we agree that it was a mistake?”
David wasn’t going to agree to a damn thing. All he knew was that after a taste of her last night, it was going to be harder than ever to keep his hands to himself. “If that’s what you want.”
Swallowing hard, she glanced at her watch, wanting to make her exit before she did something stupid—like tell him she wanted anything he had to offer. “I’d better be going. I have to make a few calls.” She stood, then stopped when her gaze fell to the folded paper beside David. On the cover was a picture of an older man with boyish good looks and dark brown hair. Frowning, Tanya asked, “Who is that? He looks familiar.”
Nodding, David picked up the paper, opened it and held it up to give her a better view. “He should. He’s Abraham Danforth. He’s just been elected to the Senate.”
“Oh, yeah, Abraham Danforth.” Her head tilted to one side as she looked at the picture and read the headline, Danforth Heads to the Senate, above it in large, bold print.
“He won the election. It’s been all over the news and in the papers,” he replied, surprised she didn’t recognize him.
Her brows narrowed into a deep frown. “I knew he won. He’s supposed to be at the meeting I’m attending in D.C. tomorrow.”
At the mention of her travel plans, David dropped the paper to the table and stood. “Tell me more about this trip. What’s this meeting about?”
“The soybean farmers across Georgia have arranged to meet with a committee of congressmen to discuss government controls on exporting and importing and how they’re affecting the farming industry. Mr. Danforth…” she stopped, then continued “…Senator Danforth is supposed to be at the meeting, supposedly to lend support to small farmers. I’m looking forward to meeting him.” She leaned over the table to get a better look at the picture. “He’s quite handsome,” she commented thoughtfully.
David’s lips twisted. “He’s old enough to be your father.”
Tanya’s gaze shifted to his. “I didn’t say I wanted to date him,” she stated with an amused frown. “I just think there’s something charismatic about his eyes. He intrigues me. I wonder what he’s like.”
Not liking the way she was staring at the senator, David turned the paper over. “I’ve never met him, but his whole family has been all over the news lately. Don’t you remember that his niece disappeared years ago?” At her look of confusion, he shook his head. “I’m sorry.” Through their conversations, he’d seen how hard it was for Tanya to have no memory of anything before her accident. He didn’t mean to upset her by bringing up anything that reminded her of her past.
“It’s okay. Did they ever find her?”
“Victoria Danforth?” He shook his head. “From what I understand, the family has never gotten over losing her.”
Tanya picked up the paper, turned it over and stared at the photograph of Abraham Danforth, unable to take her eyes off it. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d seen him before.
You’re being ridiculous. Of course he looks familiar, she told herself. He’s a public figure. “That’s a shame,” she commented.
“Tell me more about the meeting in D.C.” She didn’t answer, and he realized that she was still staring at the paper. “Tanya?”
“What? Oh.” She blinked, then dropped the paper on the table. “Soybean farm owners are invited to speak. I’m hoping to voice my opinions of the current laws regarding importing and exporting. The farmers need the government behind them, not fighting them.”
David had learned a lot about Tanya over the past several days. She was smart, determined and loyal, but he couldn’t help thinking that she might have trouble holding her own against other, more well-read farmers, and government officials. Had she even been off the plantation for any length of time to learn a skill such as public speaking? Did she even know what she was getting into?
Unable to stand the thought of her being humiliated, he offered, “If you want, I could go in your place.”
Already starting for the door, Tanya stopped in her tracks and turned toward him. “What? Why?”
David figured he was more suited to the task, but he wasn’t quite sure how to tell her that. “During the course of my work, I’ve spoken to large groups of professionals many times.” He walked toward her, reaching the door and opening it for her.
“And you don’t think I’m capable of it?”
So much for being subtle. “That’s not what I’m saying.”
Her expression cool, she replied, “Well, good, David, because I think I’m quite up to the challenge. I appreciate your offer, though.” Her tone implied otherwise.
“When are you planning to leave?” he asked.
“Early tomorrow morning. Why?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Because,” he said, his tone resolute, “I’m going with you.”
Five
Tanya’s heart slammed against her rib cage. “I don’t think so.”
David’s hands went to his hips. He was beginning to wonder why everything they discussed seemed to end in a quarrel. “Why not? You’re the one that said I don’t know anything about the soybean industry,” he pointed out.
“Well, yes, I did, but—”
“What better way is there for me to learn about soybean farming than to go to this meeting with you and hear what the farmers have to say?”
His argument made more sense than she wanted to admit. The problem was, she was already vulnerable to David. After their kiss last night, she knew she’d have a hard time keeping her feelings for him under control if they spent much time in each other’s company. She straightened her shoulders, determined to protect her heart. “The best way for you to learn is to be here at the start of the planting season and to follow it through to harvest.”
“Thanks to my father, I will be,” he retorted, unsmiling. He paused, then after a moment said, “But this is November, and planting season isn’t until after the beginning of the year. I’d like to go to this meeting. Consider me your moral support.”
Still trying to dissuade him, Tanya continued to resist. “I’ll have plenty of moral support. Charlie Pryor, James Dickson and Maggie Bates will be there,” she told him, naming a few of the farmers that she knew would be attending.
“Great. I’ve been away a long time. It’ll give me a chance to get to know the other soybean farm owners in the region, hear what they think.”
If you go with me, I won’t be able to stop thinking about kissing you.
Compressing her lips, she tried to think of another reason, something logical and not insane. “I’m sure you’re busy with your business,” she finally said.
“I’m capable of multitasking.”
“But this meeting has been planned for months.” Desperate, she blurted out another argument in an attempt to discourage him. “You probably won’t even be able to get a flight.”
David was beginning to get the impression that she didn’t want him to go. He wondered why. “I’ll take the company’s plane.”
“Your company has its own plane?” she asked, momentarily sidetracked. Apparently she had no idea of the extent of David’s wealth. She’d known he was the president of his own company. But his own plane? How big was his company, anyway?
Glancing at his watch, David gave her an amused smile. “A jet. With a phone call, I can have it at the Savannah airport in a few hours. You can cancel your flight and go with me.”
Flabbergasted, Tanya blinked. “I can’t do that.” She took a step back, placing some distance between them. This was getting way out of hand.
“Sure you can.” With one step, he closed the distance she’d put between them. “We can drive to Savannah and fly together. You were going to have to drive to Savannah anyway, right?�
�
“Yes.”
“All right then. It makes sense that we should travel together. Believe me, flying on my plane will be a lot more comfortable than being on a commercial airliner.”
Tanya wet her lips. “I’ve never been on an airplane,” she admitted. “At least, I don’t think I have.” Not since she’d come here to live. And considering that the authorities had described her as a street kid, she doubted she’d ever been near an airport before.
“Never?” he asked incredulously. “My father never took you anywhere?”
She looked away, then met his gaze again. “I’ve been to a few places, but only by car. Your father often asked me to go on business trips with him, but I never wanted to.” Taking this trip would be hard for her, but she had to do it for Edward.
“Why not?” he asked, his expression curious.
“I didn’t want anything to happen to me,” she admitted quietly. So she’d stayed at Cottonwood, where she felt safe.
David touched her arm, then ran his palm over her shoulder to her neck, stroking her skin until she looked at him. “I’m going, Tanya.” His tone made it clear that she didn’t have a choice. “And I promise, nothing will happen to you.” He’d never dreamed she was afraid to leave the plantation. But considering what she’d been through, he understood it.
Lifting her chin a notch, she met his gaze, not ready to give him his way. “I can do this by myself.”
“I don’t doubt that, but I’m still going.”
She wanted to be angry with him for insinuating himself into her business, but then understood what he wasn’t saying. The farm was his business, not hers. Another reminder, however subtle, that he didn’t want her here.
And though she knew it would be better to keep him at a distance, the idea of being with him made her heart skip a beat. His palm felt so good against her skin that she felt her resolve weakening. “It’s your decision, of course.” As soon as she’d said the words, her heart began to pound.
“Good. Then it’s settled.” He ran his thumb across her chin, then suggested, “Why don’t we go this afternoon, instead? By the time we pack and make the drive to Savannah, the plane can be waiting for us.”
Caught off-guard by his suggestion, she stared at him. “I don’t know,” she hedged, a tingle of pleasure running down her spine where he’d touched her. She could feel herself beginning to give in.
“C’mon. We’ll spend the night in D.C. Have a nice dinner. You’ll be more refreshed in the morning if we’re already there.”
The idea was tempting. Tanya dreaded the thought of getting up while it was still dark to drive to Savannah to catch her plane. And the opportunity to spend time away from Cottonwood with David, away from everything that stood between them, was hard to resist. “All right,” she finally agreed.
He touched her hair, wrapping a strand of it around his finger for a moment before letting it go. “I’ll make the call.”
“Wait!” David had turned away, but he quickly recovered, his gaze meeting hers, his eyebrows raised. “The hotel will be booked. Where will you stay?”
“Where are you staying?” She told him the name of one of the most elite hotels in the heart of the District of Columbia. Nodding, he said, “Most hotels set aside some rooms in case some dignitary or someone famous comes to town. Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.”
Her heart pounding with anticipation, she watched him walk away.
Hours later, Tanya found out that when David made up his mind to do something, he moved at lightning speed. Sitting beside him as he slowly navigated the streets of the small town of Cotton Creek, on the way to Savannah, she marveled at the holiday decorations already going up on the lampposts and the arches above the streets.
“I love this time of year,” she remarked, her eyes bright with excitement. “Especially the Thanksgiving celebration that kicks off the holidays.”
David grinned at her enthusiasm and her wide smile. “Don’t tell me they still have the annual Thanksgiving Day celebration?” Until he’d left, he’d attended the town’s street celebration for as long as he could remember. A vision from his past flashed through his mind, and he saw himself as a child, standing with his mother, waiting with enthusiasm as she bought him a funnel cake. His chest tightened. Funny, he hadn’t thought about that in years.
Tanya nodded. “It’s this coming Thursday night.”
“You’re kidding.” He could hardly believe it was coming up so soon. Still, his heart stirred at the idea of going with Tanya. “You know, I went every year until I left to go to college.”
She turned in her seat to face him. “To meet girls?” she asked with a grin.
His gaze shifted to her, then back to the road. “Cotton Creek isn’t all that big. With only one high school at the time, I already knew most of the girls.”
“Ah.” She couldn’t help but wonder how many of those girls he’d known intimately. Enjoying their conversation, she didn’t want it to end. For the first time since he’d arrived, they were getting along. “Do you miss Atlanta?”
“It’s easier now that I have things set up and I’m able to communicate with my office. Justin West, who’s vice president of Taylor Corp. is more than capable of running things in Atlanta without me watching over him. But it’s been an adjustment,” he admitted. He’d gotten used to a faster-paced life. He stretched his shoulders and noticed that the tension usually there was gone.
There were some advantages to being here, he thought. And now that he was back, he noticed little things. Like how dark it was at night. And the quiet. No horns honking or cars racing by, no pollution in the air. That hadn’t been hard to adjust to.
Tanya bit her lip as she thought over his reply, sure that he still wasn’t happy about being forced to live at Cottonwood.
His life was in Atlanta. He was a handsome man, successful and confident, and sometimes, she admitted grudgingly in her mind, he was also quite charming. Certainly there had been someone special in his life during the years he’d lived there. She couldn’t help asking, “Have you ever married?”
David looked at her for a long moment, then replied in a flat tone, “No.”
Silence fell between them as Tanya digested that information. But she’d noticed the tightening of his jaw when he’d answered. “But there was someone special?” she prompted a few moments later.
His cheek flinched again. “I thought so at one time.” He thought about ending their conversation right then and there, but despite his reservations, he found himself talking about his broken relationship. “Melanie and I were engaged, but it didn’t work out.”
“Do you still think about her?”
He gave a harsh sigh. “Not if I can help it.”
“What happened?”
He shrugged. “It seemed that she was more impressed by the money I made than by me.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened. “What made you think that?”
“Justin. Melanie had been mouthing off to Justin’s date when we went out one evening. Apparently she’d bragged about how easy it was to get what she wanted from me. When Justin heard about it, he brought it up when we were having drinks after work one night. I told him he was crazy. I guess I didn’t want to believe it. But I trusted Justin, so I started paying more attention to Melanie’s spending habits. I’d given her a credit card with no limit, so it was easy enough to check the bills.”
He blew out a breath. “That’s when I discovered she’d quit her job months before. Her working wasn’t a big deal to me, but I was disappointed she hadn’t discussed it with me. I asked her why she’d quit, and she pretty much said because I could buy her anything she wanted and she never intended to work again. I thought again about what Justin had said, wondered how much truth there was to it. So I suggested she get a job and cut back on the spending. She became furious and we argued. Eventually she told me she could find another man to take care of her, one with a lot more than I had to give emotionally.”
&nbs
p; His stomach muscles tightened. He’d learned a bitter lesson with Melanie that he hadn’t forgotten. He wasn’t good at relationships. He still believed that was true. After all, he hadn’t even been able to repair his relationship with his own father.
Later, he’d rationalized that Melanie’s leaving had merely bruised his ego. His gaze shifted to the woman beside him. With Tanya, it would be another ball game. She had the ability to wound his heart. He didn’t plan on that happening.
“She must have been crazy,” Tanya murmured, then gulped when she realized she’d spoken aloud.
He gave her a surprised look. “I believe you just gave me a compliment.” On impulse, he reached over and took her hand. Though he wasn’t sure he wanted to know, he asked, “What about you?” He braced himself for her answer.
Tanya’s nerve endings came alive at his touch. “I’ve dated a few men, but no one special.”
“Not too many men to choose from around here?”
Because it was true, she nodded. “Cotton Creek has such charm, though. I just can’t imagine living anywhere else. I love it here.”
As he turned onto I-95, David’s gaze narrowed on her profile. He sensed that she’d revealed something about herself without meaning to. She didn’t know her past, nothing about her family or where she was from. So out of emotional desperation, she’d made Cotton Creek her home. Tanya had clung to it as if every breath she took depended on it. She’d said as much when she’d admitted that she rarely left. That’s why she’d been so angry when he’d suggested that she leave Cottonwood.
It was the only home she knew. He gritted his teeth. He’d almost taken it from her.
He swore beneath his breath. What had he been thinking when he’d suggested sending her away? He’d been so caught up in his own grief and pain that he hadn’t thought about how Tanya would be hurt in the end.
Less than an hour later, they took the exit for the airport, and he asked, “Have you been to Savannah before?”
Terms 0f Surrender (Dynasties: The Danforths Book 11) Page 6
