Jesse: Merry Christmas, Cowboy. Lynnette Kent

for himself, then debated over what Janie’s choice might be. He settled on a wine spritzer, which seemed to be what many of the women he dated would order in a place like this.

      But when she returned, he saw her push the stemmed glass off to the side.

      “You don’t like spritzers?”

      She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t drink alcohol. My dad was…you know, a problem drinker. I’m good with water.”

      “I’ll get you something else.” He raised his hand for the waiter. “What would you like?”

      Most women would have protested and settled for what he’d ordered in an attempt to please him.

      Janie tilted her head. “I’d love a ginger ale,” she told him. “In a tall glass.”

      Jesse chuckled. “Coming right up, Ms. Hansen.” He really appreciated a woman who knew exactly what she want ed.

      Which made this particular woman all the more dangerous.

      JANIE SAT MOTIONLESS long after the last note of the concert had faded, even after the rest of the audience, besides Jesse, had left the theater. She hated to move, or even breathe, if it meant breaking the spell of this most miraculous evening.

      Then the lights went out.

      Jesse grabbed her hand. “I think they’re asking us to vamoose,” he said, getting to his feet. “Let’s hope we don’t trip and fall on the way out.”

      The theater doors were still open, however, giving them plenty of light to negotiate from the first row, where they’d been seated, up the aisle and back into the main area of the resort.

      In every direction, opportunities for gambling presented themselves—slot machines, card tables, roulette wheels, dice games.

      “Want to take a chance?” Jesse stood at her elbow, watching as she looked around.

      But Janie wasn’t interested. “I don’t have enough faith in my own luck to risk my money like that. Besides…” she drew a deep breath, letting her eyes close for a second “…I just want to replay the music in my head.”

      The concert had been wonderful, a heartfelt performance by a megastar who also showed himself to be a warm and funny man.

      But then, she’d been prepared to enjoy almost any kind of entertainment after sharing a dinner with Jesse Cody. She still couldn’t quite believe the reality—she and Jesse, alone together, eating and talking about what ever came to mind. She’d filled him in on the restroom decor—fabulous—and he’d quizzed her about her pre-vet studies. Together they’d critiqued the movies scheduled to come out during the holiday season. Not once had they sat in silence, searching for something to say.

      And she’d made him laugh—how about that for an achievement? She’d always thought Jesse never took enough time to laugh.

      Now here they were, in a taxi again, and he was still holding her hand. His big fingers wrapped around hers, warm and secure like her favorite blanket back at home. If she moved her knee about two inches, she could touch his.

      But Janie chose not to move. She’d already thrown her self at him once tonight, and she couldn’t remember the moment without her face turning red. But she couldn’t forget, either, the feel of his arms around her, the wall of his chest against her breasts, the aroma of his aftershave. Through all the excitement about the concert, she’d inhaled that scent as if her body needed it to survive.

      When their cab pulled up at their hotel, Jesse’s hand slipped away from hers, reaching for his wallet. She waited and let him open her car door, then gave him her hand for help getting out. Hopefully, he’d keep it again on the elevator ride up.

      Instead, he released her as soon as they entered the hotel lobby. Janie looked down at the floor to hide the disappointment in her face, so she didn’t immediately notice the man plowing through the crowd in their direction.

      Then her brother stopped directly in front of them. “Where the hell have you been?”

      Even without holding his hand, she sensed Jesse stiffen beside her. She took a step ahead of him, getting between the two men. “We went to dinner and a show. I left a message for you.”

      “Fat lot of good that does, when you don’t say where you’re going. And I couldn’t reach you on your cell phone.”

      “I didn’t know.” She took hold of Mark’s wrist. “What’s wrong? Is it Mom?”

      He ran his free hand through his hair. “She’s been hysterical for hours. When she woke up and you weren’t available, she wouldn’t eat, and the situation went downhill from there.”

      Janie headed toward the elevator at a fast walk. “Serena seemed to have everything under control…” She slammed the button with the heel of her hand. “She could have given Mom a sedative. I left the directions.” Another punch at the up button produced no immediate result.

      Mark pressed the button in his turn. “It’s hard to give a sobbing, unrestrained woman a pill.”

      The doors slid open, finally, to reveal a compartment packed with people, adults overlapping at the shoulders and children fitted into the spaces below waist level. The process of emptying seemed endless.

      A crowd of equal size followed Janie into the elevator. Pressed against the back wall between Jesse and Mark, she couldn’t continue their discussion with so many listeners.

      The last person didn’t get off until the thirty-ninth floor.

      When the panels parted on forty, Janie started running. The closed door to the suite brought her up short. She waited on tiptoe for Serena to answer her knock.

      Just as she heard the lock release, big hands gripped her shoulders and forced her to turn around.

      Behind her in the doorway, Serena said, “Miss Janie?” Inside the room, Abby moaned and sobbed.

      Standing in front of her, Jesse shook his head. “You can’t go in there, Janie. Not right now.”

      Mark came up beside them, pulled back his arm and knocked Jesse sideways with a punch to the shoulder.

      “Mind your own business, Cody,” he growled. “And get your hands off my sister.”