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some man—one far less jaded than him—Lindy was a keeper.

Chapter Four
    Six hours later, Lindy stared out the car window and swallowed hard, trying to work up some saliva. Awesome how, in her drunken slumber, she managed to leave a giant puddle of drool on Owen’s jacket, but now her mouth was dry as a bone.
    “Feel all right?” Owen asked, sparing her a quick glance before training his gaze back on the road.
    “Not so much. A little woozy and super thirsty. Could I seriously have a hangover from one drink?”
    “It was a big one, and straight alcohol. Not much of a drinker, I imagine?”
    “No. I mean, I enjoy a wine cooler as much as the next guy, but the hard stuff? No.” His lips twitched and she stared at him suspiciously. “What’s so funny?”
    “Nothing at all. You’ll be able to quench your thirst soon. That’s the resort in the distance.”
    She followed his finger and sighed. While she was whining, she’d been missing out on the spectacular view. The mountain was glorious. Twin peaks against the purple morning sky. Nestled at the bottom was a sprawling split-log chateau trimmed out in thick, white snow so pristine, it looked like icing on a wedding cake.
    She let out a long, low whistle. “Nice.”
    Owen’s face hardened, and he nodded. “My sister’s money was well spent. That reminds me. In my briefcase in the back seat, there’s a wide, flat box. Grab it, would you?”
    She turned in her seat and did as he asked, then set it on the console between them.
    “Go ahead,” he said, gesturing with a jerk of his chin. “Open it.”
    She laid the large, leather box in her lap and tugged the lid off. A royal blue swatch of velvet covered the contents, and she pushed it aside. Jewels, like something out of a pirate’s chest, twinkled up at her. Glorious emeralds, rich, blue sapphires, fiery opals. And the diamonds…dear God, the diamonds. If anyone had said she was the type of woman to lose her breath over gemstones, she would’ve rolled her eyes. Yet here she was, positively gobsmacked.
    “Holy crap,” she whispered, reaching out a finger before jerking it back with a shake of her head. “I’m scared to touch them. I feel like Daffy Duck in ‘Ali Baba Bunny,’ or Golem from Lord of the Rings . What if they make me crazy and I’m all ‘My preciousss’ afterwards?”
    “Better get over that, quick, because you’re going to be wearing them.” He raised his brows at her squeal of terror. “You’re the wife of an affluent businessman. You’ve got to look the part.”
    Of course he was right. She reached out again with a tentative finger and poked at a diamond tennis bracelet.
    “Good choice. That’s the one I was thinking for everyday wear. Classic, understated elegance.”
    “Everyday wear? Understated? This has got to be, what, fifteen carats of diamonds here, Owen? Tell me these aren’t your family jewels.”
    He shot her lazy smile. “If you had your hands on my family jewels you’d know it, love.”
    She didn’t doubt that for a second but refused to allow herself to think on it for long. “You didn’t buy all this stuff, did you?”
    “It’s on loan from a jeweler friend.”
    Gripping his shoulder, she gave him an urgent shake. “On loan? Good grief, what if I lose something?”
    He shrugged, and she tried to ignore how the muscles bunched beneath her hand. “Then it will be a purchase. It’s truly not an issue, Lindy.”
    She let out a deep sigh and released him. “Okay, that doesn’t make me feel any better. Why didn’t you insure it?”
    “I find the process tedious, so I only insure items I can’t afford to replace. Wait,” he said, taking a hand off the wheel to reach into his breast pocket. “I almost forgot this.” He handed her a small, square box.
    Wedding rings. Had to be.
    She opened it, and her emotions ran riot. The engagement ring was a princess-cut hunk of diamond surrounded by dozens of smaller stones set in platinum, while the wedding band