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hear me straight, I said if. I’m still not convinced this foolhardy idea will work. But, if we are going to move into the house together—” He saw her raised brow. “—separate wings of course.” His voice sounded harsher than intended. He tamped down the need to lash out. “We will have to respect each other’s privacy. A strictly business arrangement. One year and we go our separate ways. Agreed?”
    He saw uncertainty looming in her eyes, he wanted to reassure her everything would work out—together they could make it so. But he wasn’t convinced himself. The combination of his renewed attraction to Billy Jo and her apparent indifference had a war going on inside him—a fight to stay his distance and a fight to win her back. The only thing, if he allowed her into his heart once more and she left again, he knew he wouldn’t survive this time around.
     

                                                                                                 Chapter 8  
     
     
     
     
    A greed.” BJ felt like she’d just wagered her soul. But there was no going back. People depended upon her, and Jason was one of them.
    He stuck out his hand. “Deal then.”
    Reluctantly, she slipped her fingers into his. The warm touch of his callused but gentle grip melted away the years … Jace, her friend, companion, her. … This won’t work . “Okay.” She nodded, feeling like a small rabbit with a hungry lion between her and freedom.
    Jason dropped her hand as if he’d picked up a hot branding iron. His action broke the spell surrounding her that had pulled her into a place she didn’t want to go. Second thoughts roamed freely whether she could actually go through with the move, regardless how enticing the sum of money and how needy the dependents. With her attraction to him unbelievably strong, how would she survive a year? She couldn’t afford for her emotions to get involved. Love and marriage had nothing to do with her future.
    Jason rubbed his right temple.
    “Headache?”
    He nodded.
      Humph rolled across her lips before she could stop the sound from happening. “It’ll be nothing like we’ll both have if we share a house together.” She released a small humorless laugh. “I’m curious as to the why—as you so succinctly put it— this idiotic idea . Do you think there might have been insanity in Madelyne’s bloodline?”
    Jason emitted a chuckle with a sparkle in his eyes, causing a quiver all the way to her pink polished toenails. She did her best to calm the excitement of her heart and then wondered if she could survive Jason, even with distance.
    “Jason, I … we both need time to give thought to our situations. Moving back to Serenity for me, well—” She glanced down at her woven fingers, her thumbs nail to nail. This would be difficult, if not impossible. All the old hurts would rise up to make her life miserable. Even now her old insecurities were surfacing.
    “Oh, sure, the money isn’t something to sneeze at, and it would certainly make my life easier. And I don’t want to see Heritage House shut down and the children dealt out like a deck of cards all over the country. But, same as you, I also have responsibilities, people who depend on me.” When she saw his stormy brow she hastened to add, “Why don’t we take a week to decide? I’ll let Mr. Hampton know my decision. And you do the same. How does that sound?”
     
     

                                                                                                   Chapter 9  
     
     
     
     
    B J didn’t wait around for idle chit-chat. When Horace T. handed her the thick manila envelope, she grabbed the package, told him he’d have his answer in a week. Without a backward glance, she walked out the door and as soon as it closed,