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  “I’m going to him.”

  Her mother’s eyes searched Jill’s face before she nodded. “I knew that, too.”

  As they embraced briefly, Jill whispered, “There’s a box in my room, Mom. Shelly brought it over for you—and for Andrew Howard.”

  The drive into downtown Seattle seemed to take forever. It was rush hour and the only parking space she could find was in a loading zone. Without a qualm, she took it, then hurried toward Jordan’s office. Luck was with her because the building hadn’t been locked yet, but she was waylaid by a security guard. Fortunately, he was the same man she’d met earlier, and he let her stay.

  “Has Mr. Wilcox left yet?” she asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “Thank you,” she said, sighing with relief.

  She hurried to the elevator. Jordan’s office was on the top floor. When the elevator doors opened, she ran down the wide corridor to the outer office where his assistants worked. No one was there, but the double doors leading into Jordan’s massive office were open. He was packing the things from his desk into a cardboard box.

  Jill stared at Jordan, unable to move or speak. He looked haggard, as though he hadn’t slept at all during the week she’d been gone. Dark stubble shadowed his face, and his hair, ordinarily neat and trim, was rumpled.

  He must have sensed her presence because he paused in his task, his eyes slowly meeting hers. His hands went still. The whole world seemed to come to a sudden halt. In that unguarded moment she read his pain and it became hers.

  “You can’t do it!” she cried, choking on a sob. “You just can’t.”

  Jordan’s face hardened and he seemed to clamp down on his emotions. He ignored her and continued packing up the objects from his desk. A smile, one that spoke more of sadness than joy, came into his eyes. “Your husband is unemployed as of five o’clock this afternoon.”

  “Oh, Jordan, why would you do such a thing? For me? Because I left you? But you never told me…Not once did you explain, even when I pleaded with you. Didn’t you trust me enough to tell me what was happening?” That was what hurt most of all, that Jordan had kept everything to himself. Not sharing his burden, carrying it alone.

  “It was a mistake not to tell you,” he admitted, the regret written clearly across his face. “I realized that the night you left. By nature, I tend to keep my troubles to myself.”

  “But I’m your wife.”

  He grinned at that, but again his smile was marked with sadness. “I’m new to this marriage business. Obviously I’m not much good at it. The one thing I was hoping to do was keep my business life separate from my personal life. I didn’t want to bring my company problems home to you.”

  “But, Jordan, if I’d known, if you’d explained, I might have been able to help.”

  “You did, in more ways than you know.”

  Tears blurred Jill’s eyes. She would have given everything she owned for Jordan to take her in his arms, but he stood so far away, so alone.

  Jordan picked up a small photograph, one of their wedding day. He stared at it for a moment, then tucked it into the box. “I loved you almost from the day we met. Don’t ask me to explain it, because I can’t. After that first night, when we kissed on the beach, I knew my life would never be the same.”

  “Oh, Jordan.”

  “Being with you was like standing in the sun. I never knew how lonely I was, how my heart ached for love, how much I longed to share my life with someone….”

  Tears ran unashamedly down Jill’s face.

  “The day we were married,” he went on, “I swear I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride. I couldn’t believe you’d actually agreed to be my wife. I vowed then and there that I’d never do anything to risk what I’d found.”

  “But to resign…” Trembling a little, nervous and unsure, Jill moved across the room to Jordan’s side. He tensed at her approach, his expression a blend of undisguised longing and hope.

  “I can’t lose you,” he said.

  “But to walk away from your life’s work?” What he’d done remained incomprehensible to Jill.

  “I have a new life,” he said, gently pulling her into his arms. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. “None of this means anything without you. Not anymore.”

  “But what are you going to do?”

  “I thought we’d take a year off and travel. Would you like that?”

  Jill nodded through her tears.

  “And after that, I’d like to start our family.”

  Once again Jill nodded, her heart pounding with love and excitement.

  “Then, when the time’s right, I’ll find something that interests me and start over, but I’ll never allow work to control my life again. I can’t,” he said quietly. “You’re my life now.”

  “You’re sure this is what you want?” He’d given up so much.

  She felt him smile against her hair. “Without a doubt. I don’t need a business to fill up the emptiness in my life. Not when I have you.”

  “Oh, Jordan,” she whispered, her throat tight. “I love you so much.” She squeezed her eyes shut and murmured a prayer of thanksgiving for the wonderful man she’d married.

  “Shall we go home, my love?” he asked her.

  Jill nodded and slipped her hand into his. “Home,” she repeated. With her husband. The man she loved. The man she’d married.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-4590-1

  THE MAN YOU’LL MARRY

  Copyright © 2010 by MIRA Books.

  The publisher acknowledges the copyright holder of the individual works as follows:

  THE FIRST MAN YOU MEET

  Copyright © 1992 by Debbie Macomber.

  THE MAN YOU’LL MARRY

  Copyright © 1992 by Debbie Macomber.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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