“Then give me therapy. Here I am.”

I sighed. “Look, I have this hour available. Let’s talk if you want to talk. But it will be like two friends talking. This won’t be therapy. I won’t charge you for it.”

“That doesn’t seem very fair.”

I shook my head. “I feel very strongly about this. I won’t charge you. Just two friends talking.”

He smiled. “What if I want to be more than friends?”

“Oh my God, you’re not making this easy.”

“Good things never come easy, Melanie.”

“Just sit down,” I said. “Since you’re determined to be here, let’s at least talk about something.”

“Okay. Last time you asked me to think about what I was truly responsible for.”

Had I? Normally I reviewed the patient’s file prior to a session, but because I didn’t have any intention of having a session with Jonah, I hadn’t. “That’s right. So let’s start there.”

“I am responsible for the beef ranch.”

“And?”

“That’s it.”

“All right. So you’re responsible for the beef ranch. Technically, that’s all you’re responsible for.”

“Yes.”

“Now, what do you feel responsible for?”

He sighed. “Everything. I feel responsible for everything, Melanie.”

Chapter Seven

Jonah

Her beautiful emerald eyes focused intently on me. Melanie Carmichael was an old soul. Until now, I had never believed in any of that crap. But those eyes… They had seen things. Things I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

“You know what I mean, don’t you, Melanie?”

She chewed on her bottom lip.

She knew.

“Yes, I do know what you mean. For people in your situation, it’s very common.”

I shook my head. “No, that’s not what I mean. I mean you know. You, personally, know.”

She said nothing, just looked down at her hands folded in her lap.

“You gnaw on that lower lip of yours any more, and you’re liable to draw blood.”

“We’re not here to talk about me.”

“Why not? This is just a friend talking to a friend, remember? This isn’t therapy. Those are your rules. Not mine.”

She looked at me, her green eyes glaring. “What makes you think I’m your friend?”

“Isn’t that what you said? It would be like a friend talking to a friend? I think you’re the one who said we were friends, Mel.”

“No one calls me Mel.”

“It’s a spunky name.” I smiled. “I feel like you need a little spunk in your life.”

“You don’t know me well enough to know what I need.”

“Melanie it is, then. I’d like to get to know you. Melanie.”

She gnawed on that lower lip again. Damn, she was sexy. Her lips were already red as currants, but when she nibbled on them like that, they turned a deeper burgundy. Melanie Carmichael had great lips.

“So why do you think you’re responsible for everything?” she asked.

Back to that, were we? Well, I could play this game. “I don’t really know. Why do you think you’re responsible for everything?”

There went the teeth on the lip again. “I don’t.”

Maybe she didn’t. Maybe I was misreading her. But I was pretty sure little miss therapist had her own baggage. And I was going to find out what it was.

“Let me answer your question. I don’t really know why I feel responsible. I am the oldest, and my father told me to protect my younger brothers. Marjorie too, when she came along. Although at that point, I had already failed miserably protecting my brother.”

“And you never got over that.”

“No, I didn’t. And there’s something you never got over as well, isn’t there?”

“I don’t want to talk about me.”

“All right. That’s fair. Tell me how I can help myself, then. Tell me how I can leave all this fucking guilt at the door and have a good life. Because that’s what I want, Melanie. I want a good life, a life of happiness and wonder. A life filled with love. How do I find that?”

Her green eyes misted over. Hell, I hadn’t meant to make her cry. It looked like the waterworks were coming. I wanted to go to her, force her out of the chair, and hold her, tell her everything was all right.

But I didn’t know if everything was all right.

I sure as hell didn’t know how to get away from my own guilt. How could I help her with hers? She was the therapist, not me. I stayed seated, willing my body to relax. This was her office. She hadn’t come to me like she had the last time. When she’d rushed toward me and launched herself at my heart, I hadn’t known what to do. So I’d done nothing, just held her, and then she pulled me down for that kiss—that amazing kiss.

I had never experienced a kiss like that. Never. Not even in my younger days.

“Melanie? Are you going to answer me?”

“I…”

“What?”

“I just can’t. I can’t tell you how to get over the guilt, Jonah, because I just don’t know how to do it for myself.”

“I don’t believe that for a minute. You’re the best of the best.”

“I specialize in childhood trauma. Not adult guilt.”

“Then why did you agree to see me?”

She shrugged, looking away. “Talon asked me to. He was worried about you after you were found nearly beaten to death. And I also didn’t realize…”

“What?”

“That we would…” She sighed.

“That we would be so attracted to each other?”

She nodded.

“Well, I’m about as attracted to you as I’ve ever been to anyone. You’re beautiful. I can see everything in those gorgeous green eyes of yours. You’ve felt things, experienced things. And physically, your damn near perfect. Your blond hair is like silk flowing over your shoulders, and your body—”

She looked away. “There’s nothing special about my body. Nothing special at all.”

“While I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing it—unclothed, that is—I think you’re probably wrong about that.”