Finally, sleep won.

  When I awoke, light seeped through the windows and the bed at my side was cool. Moving, I felt tenderness where I never before had been tender. As memories came back of everything we’d done the night before, a smile came to my lips.

  Sitting up, I saw Van near the fireplace, teasing the embers. He was fully dressed as he’d been before coming to bed.

  “Good morning,” I said sheepishly.

  “I let the fire go out. I should have it going soon.” He turned my way. “Stay under the covers. It’s probably forty degrees or less out here.”

  I wiggled my nose, realizing it was cold. “After you get the fire going, you could join me.”

  Van remained quiet, his concentration on his job as fire master.

  I saw the glow radiate against his skin at the same time the logs began to snap.

  Van stood tall and walked toward me. “Julia, if things were different... If I were different, I would want a woman like you in my life. I’m not different. I told you that you’d regret last night, and I am sure you do.”

  My head shook. “I don’t.” Keeping the blankets up to my shoulders, I sat against the headboard. “Van, I’m not some damsel in distress.” I giggled, thinking that was exactly who I was. “Not usually. I’m not looking for a man to save me. I don’t regret last night. I’ll carry it with me forever. You made me feel desired and...” I searched for the words. “Good.” That simple word was the perfect description. “I felt good and real, the way it feels to not pretend. It felt amazing. I don’t need to know your last name or you mine. I’m on the pill. We don’t owe one another anything. This was two people stranded along the white ribbon.”

  Van took a deep breath. “The snow has stopped. I was going to walk out to the road. If it’s plowed, I think we can get you into town. As for your car—”

  I waved him off. “Town is good. Ashland, right?”

  “Yes, that’s the closest town with resources you’ll need.” He came closer.

  “Good. I have reservations at a hotel there. I’ll deal with my car later. You, Van no-last-name, have done your part in rescuing this damsel.” I reached for his hand. “I regret nothing. I hope you don’t.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I have regrets, but last night isn’t one of them. My regret is that I’m not someone else.”

  My cheeks rose. “I like who you are.”

  “You don’t know who I am.” Walking to the end of the bed, he lifted my clothes from the footboard. “Your clothes are dry.”

  “Then I guess I’m done wearing your shirt.”

  “I’ll never look at that shirt the same way.”

  “You don’t owe me any promises,” I said as I pulled back the covers. Turning to Van, I asked, “Have you seen my panties?”

  Julia

  A FEW DAYS LATER

  “Miss McGrath?” the older gentleman asked, standing to shake my hand.

  I reached forward and shook Mr. Fields’s hand. “Thank you for seeing me today.”

  “I was surprised you were able to get here so soon. We’ve had some difficult weather.”

  Warmth filled my cheeks as I recalled the difficult weather. “Yes, I had a problem with my rental car. Thankfully, Chase at the automotive shop was able to rescue it and all of my belongings.”

  I was currently dressed for success. With a silk blouse, high-waisted black slacks, and high-heeled black boots, I wasn’t left to interview in a shirt owned by a man with only a first name. Yet as I stood in the office of Fields and Smith, I knew that the white ribbon had taken me to a place that not only rescued me from the cold but also showed me that I could survive without Skylar or life’s well-laid plans.

  “You’re wrong, Van. I don’t regret a thing.” That was my thought as I waited for my interview.

  I deleted the numerous text messages from Skylar from my now fully charged phone. I’d spoken to my mother. She was caught somewhere between supporting my decision and not. “There’s more than love involved here,” she told me more than once.

  She was right. There was also fidelity and trust.

  I’d also spoken to my friend Vicki. She was supposed to be my bridesmaid. Vicki, Beth, and I had been close since high school. Vicki was shocked to hear my news. “I swear, if I knew, I’d have told you,” she’d said.

  I wanted to believe her, unwilling to lose both of my best friends to Skylar’s infidelity.

  Over the past few days, I’d also gotten a feel for the beautiful Great Lake shore town. Ashland was a city with a small-town feel. Despite the snowfall, the streets and sidewalks were cleared, allowing residents and visitors to walk about. From my hotel, I found the cafes, restaurants, and stores inviting and the people welcoming. Many of the downtown buildings had some of the prettiest murals I’d ever seen.

  Mr. Fields appeared. “Miss McGrath, Mr. Sherman will see you now.”

  “Is he your client?” I asked.

  “Yes, ma’am, Donovan Sherman is a private man. He’ll have the only voice in your hiring. Please don’t take it personally if he decides against it. As I said, he’s private and particular.”

  “He wanted to see me?”

  “Yes. I can’t promise you more than that.”

  As I walked down the hallway toward the conference room a step behind Mr. Fields, I decided private would be nice. If I got the job offer, I liked the idea of having time to myself.

  Mr. Fields opened the door.

  The man within, younger than the old man I anticipated, was turned toward the window. His attire was what I’d expected, an expensive suit all the way to the cuff links and Italian loafers. His shoulders were broad and the suit was custom, accentuating his toned torso and trim waist. It was as he turned that I sucked in a breath, the blood drained from my face, and my knees felt weak.

  “Mr. Fields,” Van said, his green gaze fixed on me, “thank you. I’ll let you know if we need you.”

  “Mr. Sherman, I’m willing to stay and—”

  Van interrupted, “That won’t be necessary.”

  As Van spoke, the fire from the cabin ignited in his eyes.

  Once Mr. Fields was gone, Van came closer. “Am I to think this was all coincidental?”

  “You said your name was Van.”

  “Donovan. Van is shortened.”

  Honestly, Mr. Fields had never told me his client’s name. Shaking my head, I turned to leave. “I’m sorry, Mr. Sherman, this isn’t what I was...”

  He reached for my hand. “When I saw the name Julia on the schedule and read your résumé, I had to know if it was you.”

  My hand tingled in his with the electricity of our first touch.

  “I-I...I’m not looking for anything except a job to take me away from my life.”

  “Write my story, Julia. Once you learn about the real me, you’ll be able to see me for the wolf I warned you I am.”

  “You want me to stay?”

  “You realize the job description includes living on my estate.”

  A smile crept across my lips. “Estate? It’s one room.”

  “No. That was a cabin on the outskirts of my property. You’ll have your own suite.”

  “Isn’t that generous?”

  His green eyes shimmered. “At first.”

  Van opened a briefcase on the table and removed something small, holding it in his hand. “I got this object on the far-fetched chance that Julia McGrath was Julia no-last-name.”

  “What is it?”

  “Will you take the job?”

  “I don’t need the money,” I said. “I want you to know that.”

  Van’s head tilted. “Before you answer, I have an even more enticing proposition.”

  My pulse increased. “I’m only looking for a job.”

  “I told you that I’m a wolf in business. I take opportunities when they present themselves.”

  I shook my head. “I just walked away from a relationship that involved business.”

  “And Skylar Butler fucked your best friend.”

  I sucked in a breath. “How do you know that?”

  “You told me.”

  “I never told you his name.”

  Van’s jaw clenched. “Do you want to fuck him back?”

  I took a step away and walked toward the window, looking out on snow-blanketed Ashland and a frozen Chequamegon Bay. The snow globe had settled over a quaint community. “I told you, we never—”

  Van was behind me, his warmth on my back and his breath at my collarbone sending chills over my skin. “Figuratively, Julia. I have the answer. Marry me.”

  I spun around until my breasts were against his strong, solid chest. Tilting my chin upward, I asked, “What?”

  “It can be in name only. You’ll live with me. Sex will be...discussed. I made some inquiries and called in a few favors. As of this morning, I own twenty-one percent of the shares of Wade. Marry me and send Skylar and Marlin Butler into bankruptcy or at least out of Wade Pharmaceutical.”

  “I don’t know how you know this. Did you save me for this reason?”

  He laughed. “I had no idea who you were, just as you didn’t know who I was.” He lifted my left hand. “I’m well aware that you don’t need money, but you do need controlling interest in your family’s company. Without that controlling interest, you’ll need money. Your father’s paranoia is justified, the threat just not coming from the direction he believes. Marlin Butler has been in negotiations with two large pharmaceutical companies. He has plans for Wade. He’s been biding his time, waiting for his son to marry you to make himself very wealthy at the expense of your family’s company.”

  I couldn’t believe what Van was saying and at the same time, I did. I imagined a grand scheme orchestrated by Marlin Butler. I knew deep down that the man who claimed to be my father’s best friend was capable of what Van suggested.

  Does Skylar know? Is he part of the plan or an unknowing pawn like myself?

  “Marry me, Julia. You don’t need the money, but together we’ll secure controlling interest in Wade Pharmaceutical, and as a bonus, I’ll enjoy watching the Butlers squirm.”

  “Van, I...I don’t know you.”

  “You know what it’s like to have me inside you.” His voice dropped an octave, twisting my core. “You yourself said you and Butler never went that far. You were going to marry a man you didn’t really know, one who fucked your best friend. Marry one who you know can satisfy you.”

  Still holding my left hand, Van turned mine palm up and laid something light in my grasp. When his hand moved, I saw it. A white ribbon.

  “Say yes. Say the white ribbon brought us together.”

  My heart beat against my breastbone as I stared down at the coiled ribbon in my hand. When I looked up, his emerald stare was on me.

  “Come, Miss McGrath, I require an answer.”

  “If I say yes, is that my invitation to you?”

  “Are you asking if the rest is up to me, if from now on I’m in control?”

  I nodded, remembering what he’d said as he joined me in the bed.

  “Do you regret following that rule in the cabin?”

  “No, but even you said that rules have exceptions.”

  “Not that one. My rule hasn’t changed.” He grinned. “That doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy your plays for power. Let’s see where this ribbon leads. Marry me.”

  “Will I regret it?” I asked, recalling Van’s warning from before.

  “Maybe.” When I didn’t respond, he added, “Less than you’d regret marrying Butler.” His eyebrows rose. “Your answer?”

  It was the most insane thing I’d ever contemplated doing, and I’d contemplated more than a few less-than-sane things over my twenty-four years.

  Seeing Van with my smaller hand in his, for the first time, I felt the flutter that was supposed to accompany this question. With his intense gaze shining down on me, it was only the two of us as it had been in that cabin. There was no large hall filled with people and no big presentation. My answer wouldn’t incite cheers and applause. No one would hear it except the man who proposed.

  There wasn’t even a ring, only a white ribbon.

  I closed my fingers around the ribbon. “Yes, Van, I’ll marry you.”

  Julia

  Van’s intense green gaze penetrated my thoughts, his spicy cologne tingled my senses, and his proximity sent energy through my circulation. I was on sensory overload as I stared down at the white ribbon, closed it within my fist, and closed my eyes. I turned toward the coolness of the window as the magnitude of the answer I’d given to Van settled within me much as a weight dragging me beneath the ice and into the depths of Lake Superior.

  I’d only days earlier freed myself from a marriage commitment.

  Despite Van’s presence, thoughts of Skylar and all that we’d planned ran circles in my mind, clouding my ability to think rationally. Beginning with our childhood, the memories of Skylar and me fast-forwarded to a few days ago. Never had our future been in question. Until it was.

  Do I love him?

  I thought I had, but never ever was I in love with Skylar. That revelation gave me strength to move forward.

  Have I ever been in love?

  Maybe Beth was. Maybe she was in love with Skylar and he with her. That thought brought on an epiphany—I didn’t care. I didn’t care if Skylar loved Beth or vice versa. Maybe I was simply numb. The anger and hurt that I felt reading Beth’s text message had faded into the blinding snowstorm. The greatest emotion I felt to thoughts related to the end of my engagement was relief.

  Van was near. I felt the warmth of him on my back. Without touching me, he sent energy from him to me. I spun in place, my sight coming to his wide chest. Looking up, I swallowed and spoke, “I’ve spent my life following other people’s plans.”

  “Are you rescinding your answer?”

  I nodded. “I am. This is too fast. I don’t know what I was thinking. Perhaps I wasn’t. I need time to be me.”

  His large hands came to my shoulders. Though I felt his power, his touch was gentle and reassuring. His tone and tenor ricocheted through my body. “You can be you, Julia. From the small glimpse you gave me the other night, I can’t imagine wanting you to be anyone else.”

  I smiled a sad smile as I tried to explain. “What you saw the other night” —I shrugged in his grasp— “I don’t know if that was me or who that was. Being with you in the privacy of our snow globe let me be...someone I’ve never been. That’s the thing, Van. I don’t know for sure who I am. That’s why I came up here to Ashland. I envisioned the person who listed the job to be an old man with war stories he wanted compiled.”

  Van smiled. “I’m not that old.”

  That made me smile too. “Considering that I envisioned gray hair, wrinkles, and a frail stature, you, Mr. Sherman, are about as far from what I imagined as I could get.”

  “Are you disappointed?”

  I shook my head. “Not in the least. The thing is, I thought that by coming here I would get time to evaluate my life and my decisions as I listened to the old war stories and wrote.”

  I turned back to the window, captivated by the sun’s sparkles on the blanket of white snow.

  Somehow this man, who I barely knew, understood more about my recent feelings and actions than anyone. I spoke without looking at Van. “I know that some people will think that my walking away from my commitment to Skylar is impulsive—it wasn’t. Problems within my relationship with him had been building since the moment I’d accepted his proposal or even before.”

  Van stayed near, not speaking as my thoughts ran around my mind.

  My discontent with Skylar grew similar to unattended brush fires, burning until they combined and created a massive blaze. Perhaps the grand-production proposal created the first spark. I didn’t complain about Skylar’s lack of sincerity, accepting the show for what it was.

  More sparks added to the flames.

  When Skylar and I tried to get close, the lack of attraction in his touch ate at me, making me wonder if our intimate life would change once I said I do and had the wedding ring upon my finger. I never mentioned it.

  More flames ignited.

  With each question that I asked myself, the fire of destruction threatened our forever. Beth’s pregnancy didn’t create the whole of the dissolution of Skylar and me. Her announcement was simply the final injection of fuel.

  I met Van’s stare. “Walking away from Skylar wasn’t impulsive. Accepting your proposal was. It was wrong and impulsive.”

  “It was impulsive. Asking was impulsive,” Van admitted, his deep voice filling me with warmth much like our time in the cabin. “It wasn’t wrong. I’ve never proposed before. I’ve never had a grand plan of marrying to gain power.”

  “Is that what you’d gain by marrying me?”

  “Yes. And so would you. However, just as you said, you don’t need the money that comes with my job listing. I also don’t need additional power. I have power. I have a lot of it. That doesn’t stop me from wanting more.”

  “And again, what would you gain by marrying me?”

  “There would be the obvious controlling majority stock share in Wade. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. Since you and I spent the night together and I saw your name on the résumé, I’ve felt more alive than I have in years. That’s you, Julia. I don’t know how to define it, but whatever it is, I don’t want to let it go. Concocting this plan to marry, acquiring the shares of Wade, the whole process has invigorated me in a way I haven’t felt in longer than I can remember. It’s made me see what could be, what I’ve missed in life by closing myself off. Now that I’ve seen it” —his smile grew— “now that I’ve had it in my hands, I don’t want to let it go.”

  “What do you want?”

  “You.”

  Me.

  “Why do you want me?”

  “Let’s forget for a moment that you’re brave and adventurous, taking on a snowstorm by yourself, or that you’re intelligent and determined, or that you’re beautiful” —his gaze shimmered— “dressed as you are now and even more so wearing my shirt or how spectacular you are when you’re wearing nothing at all. For those reasons alone, I’d want you.”