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fingers around her throat. Could she blame him?
    "I’m not here to have an affair with anyone," she muttered, setting down the remains of her sandwich as her appetite vanished. She couldn’t meet his eyes at all now.
    "But you’re meeting a man tomorrow night?" he prodded tightly.
    Kalinda said nothing, letting her own silence tell the tale.
    "Want to tell me about it?"
    That brought her head back around with a snap to stare in astonishment. The wholly new tone in his dark voice took her completely by surprise. She had been prepared for belligerence; male outrage at her callous treatment of him, perhaps. But she certainly hadn’t been expecting this sudden, soothing, calming offer! Where was the anger he’d been holding in check?
    "You can, you know," he went on, mouth twisted beguilingly. "You can tell me the whole story."
    "How do you know there’s a story to tell?" she challenged carefully, uncertain of her own weakening reaction.
    "Instinct. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really do have fairly sound instincts about people and what makes them tick."
    "I know," she whispered. "You’re also good at using that knowledge to manipulate people!"
    The edge of his mouth hardened. "You don’t seem to lack much in the way of perception, yourself!"
    "I’ve learned to recognize a few things," she half-smiled dismissingly. "But I’ve had on-the-job training in the business world. With you I think it must be instinctive, just as you said. Something you were born with!"
    "Are you going to tell me about tomorrow night?"
    "I’m not sure. The fact that I’ve let you push me this close to the subject makes me think I might," she said quite honestly. "But if I do, I shall probably be killing my chance at another trout dinner tonight!"
    She managed the last with an almost sad flippancy.
    "It’s steak this evening, not trout," he quipped. "And I promise I won’t rescind the offer."
    "Even if I admit I’m here to meet a man?" she dared softly.
    "I already know that much."
    She waited before saying very coolly, very remotely, "You’re not going to talk me out of it, you know.
    I’ve come this far, I’m going to go through with it."
    "That remains to be seen."
    Kalinda rested her arms on her drawn-up knees and shook her head with grave determination. "No one could talk me out of it at this stage. A woman seldom gets this kind of opportunity. I’d be a fool to throw it away."
    "Exactly what sort of opportunity are we talking about, Kalinda?" he demanded in a low voice that betrayed nothing of his feelings.
    "Revenge," she said simply.
    "Revenge!"
    He sat up, reaching out to catch her chin and force her around to face him. "My God! You really mean it, don’t you?" he breathed, searching her intent, determined features. "Who is this man you’re going to have your revenge on, Kalinda Brady?"
    "My ex-fiancé." The words sounded stark, even to her own ears. "He dropped me two years ago when my father was killed and it was discovered the firm was in bad shape. David Hutton, it turned out, was marrying me because he wanted my father’s company."
    "And now he wants you back?"
    Kalinda smiled grimly. "I’ve let him think I’m interested. I’ve agreed to meet him up here for the sake of what we once had, as they say."
    "Why did you agree to rendezvous here? Why not Denver?"
    "Oh, we couldn’t do that," she explained acidly. "David’s married now, you see."
    "You little fool," he breathed. "You crazy little fool. Exactly what are you going to do tomorrow night when he shows up expecting you to throw yourself into his arms?"
    "I’m going to throw his offer in his face, naturally. I’m going to let David Hutton beg me for another chance, listen to him offer to divorce his wife, and then I’m going to laugh and tell him exactly what I think of him! The one thing David can’t stand is to be laughed at."
    3
    Rand stared at her for a long, taut moment, his expression hard and unreadable.
    "You can’t go through with it," he