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strikingly beautiful woman, like Glenna."
    "Don't mind him. He's prejudiced." For the first time she was embarrassed by her father's compliments. Usually when he made such remarks about her looks in front of friends or strangers, she just smiled and let them pass by without comment. This time they made her uncomfortable. Or was it the dark and knowing regard of the man sitting beside her?
    Jett's Scotch was served. The interruption allowed conversation to drift to another topic, much to Glenna's relief.
    "Tell me, Orin, what brings you here?" Jett questioned with mild interest. "Your daughter mentioned that she was here on a combination of business and pleasure. Is that true for you, too?"
    Glenna hastened to explain. "I told Mr. Coulson of my intention to write a travel article about Greenbrier."
    "Glenna has quite a talent with words. I believe she said you had read some of her work;" her father attempted to dodge the initial question.
    "Yes, I have," Jett admitted but didn't repeat the comment he'd made to Glenna when they'd met before. "Do you help with the research?"
    "No," Orin denied with a throaty laugh. "She does everything herself. I don't know which of us is chaperoning the other. I can't say that this is strictly a pleasure trip for me since a businessman never escapes his responsibilities, not even for a weekend. I'm sure you know what I mean."
    Jett nodded. "I understand."
    "What brings you here?"
    Glenna marveled at the bland innocence of her father's expression as if he didn't have the vaguest idea why Jett was at the inn. His face held just the right touch of curiosity and interest. She sipped her wine, wondering if Jett Coulson realized he was being bluffed.
    "I'm entertaining some lobbyists from Washington." He took a swallow of straight Scotch without flinching.
    "I thought I recognized some familiar faces in the lobby. That explains it," her father stated with just the right note of discovery, but Glenna was suspicious of the look Jett gave him. "I wish there were some strings they could pull for me," he sighed heavily. "The government's threatening to shut down my mine at the end of the month."
    "That's too bad."The remark did not invite a further disclosure of Orin's troubles.
    "Sorry, dear." Her father reached over and patted her hand. It was all Glenna could do to keep from jumping in surprise. "I promised not to bring up that subject this weekend, didn't I?"
    It took her a full second to recover, during which she was careful not to look at Jett Coulson. She doubted that she was as adept as these two men were at concealing their thoughts.
    "You did promise," she lied in agreement. "But I don't think I ever expected you to be able to keep it," she added the last so her father could reintroduce the subject.
    "Glenna suggested this weekend excursion to distract me from the problems at the mine," her father explained. "But you're here…and the coal lobbyists. Which proves, I suppose, that a person can never run away from their problems."
    "Not for long, at any rate." Jett rested his arms on the table, his silk-clad elbow brushing her forearm.
    The contact swerved his gaze to her. Glenna realized why his regard was so deliciously unnerving. He looked at her as if she were the only woman in the entire room. The enigmatic glow in his dark eyes seemed to say that he knew a lot about her already, and wanted to know a lot more. His appeal was a devastating combination of virile charm and ruthless determination. Glenna could feel it slowly crumbling her resistance.
    "How has your company been affected by the new government regulations?" Her father's inquiry released her from Jett's gaze. "I know you strip-mine the majority of your coal and have the Reclamation Act to contend with, but I'm referring specifically to the underground coal that can't be strip-mined."
    The two men talked about mining in general for a while—its politics, new technology, and its future potential. Glenna became aware that her father