idea that you would agree to help my father? I should have realized what kind of man you are when you admitted you knew he would be financially ruined if you turned him down this afternoon." Glenna had realized, but she had been too filled with her foolishly noble purpose to notice it at the time. "You weren't interested in helping him—only yourself."
"I can't help him!" Jett angrily stressed the verb, slamming the glass down on the Credenza.
"Ha!" It was a scornful sound. "You won't help him because it doesn't suit you to do so. You can't get any bigger than Coulson Mining. I'm not an expert, but even I know that!"
"Do you think your father is the only one in the industry who suffered financial problems during that long strike a year ago?" he challenged. "Multiply his problems a hundredfold and that's what I had. My company lost money then, too, because the overhead and management went on. My stock of coal supplies was exhausted because I had contracts to deliver coal. When that ran out I had to buy coal to make the shipments, which meant paying a higher price. My firm is recovering just as your father's would have if he hadn't ran afoul of the safety regulations. I can't absorb his losses without risking my company. I can't do that. It's his life versus hundreds. Can you understand that?"
His harshness, his roughness made Glenna see how impossible it had been from the outset—how hopeless. She burned over the way he had dangled them on a string, letting them think he might save them when he knew all along he couldn't.
"It was cruel to let us think you were considering dad's proposal," she accused.
"I did consider it…very seriously." Jett was gritting his teeth as if suppressing the urge to retaliate with matching anger.
"Do you expect me to believe that?" she taunted. "Why would you? You've already made it clear that it was impossible from the beginning."
"Why?" He repeated her question while he began taking ominous steps in her direction, his dark eyes blazing. "I can answer that in one word—you. It has to be obvious that I'm attracted to you, that I was from the moment I met you. When I found out how much trouble your father was in, I wanted to believe there was a way I could help because I cared about you. Why the hell do you think I stayed up all night, walking and thinking and scheming?"
"You knew this morning what the answer would be, didn't you? But you made us wait all day!" Glenna was near tears again, her eyes luminous with the gray green color of storm-tossed seas. "Why didn't you put us out of our misery? Why did you drag it out?"
"If I told you this morning, what would you have done?" he challenged coldly, coming to a stop in front of her. The intimidating breadth of his naked shoulders and chest towered before her eyes. "You'd be hating me—the way you are now. The name Coulson Mining means dollar signs to you. Even now after I've explained to you, you still believe I could have helped your father. I would end up getting blamed for your father's failure. So I stole this morning. And I would have taken tonight with you. I should have. You were more than willing."
He raked her with a look that reminded Glenna just how willing she had been. She was sickened by the way she had bartered herself, and subsequently embittered that he tread on her unsuspecting nature.
"You don't have to remind me of that," she protested huskily.
"You aren't going to give me credit for telling you the truth, are you?" he declared with disgust. "I didn't carry out the deception. I could have."
"I'm amazed that you didn't." Sarcasm crept into her voice as she blindly turned away. "I can't believe how incredibly naive I was. For my father's sake I was going to give myself to you, so certain that you would appreciate my gallant gesture. But I forgot I was dealing with a ruthless magnate instead of a gentleman."
"I can't prevent your father from losing what he has, but if you need anything, Glenna—" Jett began,
"I can't help him!" Jett angrily stressed the verb, slamming the glass down on the Credenza.
"Ha!" It was a scornful sound. "You won't help him because it doesn't suit you to do so. You can't get any bigger than Coulson Mining. I'm not an expert, but even I know that!"
"Do you think your father is the only one in the industry who suffered financial problems during that long strike a year ago?" he challenged. "Multiply his problems a hundredfold and that's what I had. My company lost money then, too, because the overhead and management went on. My stock of coal supplies was exhausted because I had contracts to deliver coal. When that ran out I had to buy coal to make the shipments, which meant paying a higher price. My firm is recovering just as your father's would have if he hadn't ran afoul of the safety regulations. I can't absorb his losses without risking my company. I can't do that. It's his life versus hundreds. Can you understand that?"
His harshness, his roughness made Glenna see how impossible it had been from the outset—how hopeless. She burned over the way he had dangled them on a string, letting them think he might save them when he knew all along he couldn't.
"It was cruel to let us think you were considering dad's proposal," she accused.
"I did consider it…very seriously." Jett was gritting his teeth as if suppressing the urge to retaliate with matching anger.
"Do you expect me to believe that?" she taunted. "Why would you? You've already made it clear that it was impossible from the beginning."
"Why?" He repeated her question while he began taking ominous steps in her direction, his dark eyes blazing. "I can answer that in one word—you. It has to be obvious that I'm attracted to you, that I was from the moment I met you. When I found out how much trouble your father was in, I wanted to believe there was a way I could help because I cared about you. Why the hell do you think I stayed up all night, walking and thinking and scheming?"
"You knew this morning what the answer would be, didn't you? But you made us wait all day!" Glenna was near tears again, her eyes luminous with the gray green color of storm-tossed seas. "Why didn't you put us out of our misery? Why did you drag it out?"
"If I told you this morning, what would you have done?" he challenged coldly, coming to a stop in front of her. The intimidating breadth of his naked shoulders and chest towered before her eyes. "You'd be hating me—the way you are now. The name Coulson Mining means dollar signs to you. Even now after I've explained to you, you still believe I could have helped your father. I would end up getting blamed for your father's failure. So I stole this morning. And I would have taken tonight with you. I should have. You were more than willing."
He raked her with a look that reminded Glenna just how willing she had been. She was sickened by the way she had bartered herself, and subsequently embittered that he tread on her unsuspecting nature.
"You don't have to remind me of that," she protested huskily.
"You aren't going to give me credit for telling you the truth, are you?" he declared with disgust. "I didn't carry out the deception. I could have."
"I'm amazed that you didn't." Sarcasm crept into her voice as she blindly turned away. "I can't believe how incredibly naive I was. For my father's sake I was going to give myself to you, so certain that you would appreciate my gallant gesture. But I forgot I was dealing with a ruthless magnate instead of a gentleman."
"I can't prevent your father from losing what he has, but if you need anything, Glenna—" Jett began,
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