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and wh atever else your ‘company benefits’ are and stick them in your ear! I'm really, really good at what I do, and certainly don't need you to hire me out of pity. ” she stated harshly, putting her drink on the side table.
    “ Hush for one damn minute, ” he gritted , “ and listen . "
    She took a deep breath and sat back. She knew she was going to have to have this conversation with him sometime. It might as well be now than later . She was tuned to his anger, his thoughts. She knew what he was going to ask next, and she didn’t want to answer. Suddenly all the fight went out of her, but determination remained. She stared down at her hands like a gypsy looking for her crystal ball.
    “Tell me about your daughter.” He said, returning to the front of her chair to tower over her, blocking any escape she might have made.
    “There’s nothing to tell,” she said slowly, knowing she had to be on guard against this man and the power any information concerning Tabby could give him.
    “What’s her name? How old is she?”
    “Her name is Tabby, short for Tabitha. She’s six years old”
    “Six,” he mused as if to himself. “And who do you claim a s the fat h er?” His eyes locked with hers.
    This questioning was not a whim, but a deliberate searching for the truth—a truth she would not supply. She struggled for the words she needed to disarm him. “Her father was a man I met right after . . . after that week. He died shortly after we were married” Her voice was steady, as was her gaze.
    His brows rose. “And he had the same last name as yours?”
    “Yes.”
    “ How much of this crap do you expect me to believe?”
    Her face blazed red. “ I don't care what you think. Believe what you want . ” She rose to her feet, disregarding the thousands of butterflies beating against the lining of her stomach. Unconsciously she placed one hand on the side of her throbbing head . He watched her movements through narrowed eyes, without speaking. The silence roared In Dianna’s ears.
    “ W hy did you apply for a job at Wescomp? O bviously , it wasn’t my winning personality you wanted to be near.”
    She knew she had to answer as many questions as she could as honestly as she could. It would be less to remember later. “Because the money is better than I've been earning , and the opportunity for advancement is greater.”
    “Any other reasons I should know about?” His body was almost touching, sending heat waves to her . S uffocating . He was not going to let her pass.
    “One other reason, yes.” She tilted her chin. She would be damned to let him see her weaknesses. “You have an excellent medical plan and Tabby has a health problem.”
    “What kind of health problem?” His voice was low, husky, more like a caress than a question. But he still watch ed her like a waiting panther debating if it had a full stomach or room enough to digest one more morse l .
    “She has a small hole in the wall of her heart that will need expensive surgery to correct . ” She turned her head away from his eyes, her senses reeling , b ut she couldn’t move. “Surely none of this has to do with my qualifications, Mr. Weston?”
    “Qualifications? No, it has nothing to do with your new job at Wescomp.”
    S he stared at him, looking more vulnerable than she knew. H e searched her face intently, seeing the tension and pain she tried so hard to hide. “I just don’t like secrets, Mrs. Hammond, and you’re the secretive kind.”
    “Everyone has . . .” She hesitated.
    He broke in, a questioning look on his face . “ ... Skeletons in the closet?”
    She looked toward the large patio overlooking Downtown Dallas. “Something like that yes*”
    “But your skeleton is so interesting,” he mocked
    Her voice was cold as she spoke, belying the fear in her eyes. “But it is my skeleton . ”
    “Are you sure you didn’t return to Wescomp to ask me for help with . . . your daughter?” he asked, Ignoring her statemen