Come Fly with Me by Sherryl Woods Page A

into his private world, one that was far away from her and filled with a pain she couldn’t begin to understand.
    She wanted to go to him, to comfort him, as he had her, but she’d learned a few things about Mark Channing in the last twenty-four hours and she suspected that his pride was as strong as his sense of self-confidence. Whatever it was that had affected him so deeply, it was his burden alone. He would share it with her only when he was ready, just as she had her own fears and secrets to protect.

CHAPTER SIX
    S unday morning Lindsay was awake practically at dawn, too emotionally wound up to sleep any longer. She’d tossed and turned all night trying to figure out why she was so reluctant to become even casually involved with a man as attractive, vital and intelligent as Mark Channing. For that matter, she wondered why for so many years now, she’d been running so hard to escape any type of involvement. There was no denying that she had been running. Too many men had tried to get close to her and failed.
    She’d always told herself she wanted a meaningful career and that a relationship would only interfere with that goal. But she was established and successful now. She could afford to take time out for a personal life, and yet she had continued steadfastly to turn aside the overtures of most men. None of the others had been a particularly big loss, but she knew instinctively that Mark Channing was another story and perhaps that was the problem. He would never be easy to walk away from once she’d let him into her heart.
    So why do I feel so strongly that I’d have to leave him behind? she wondered, and suddenly she was right back at the beginning of the same vicious circle. Maybe Mark was right. It could be about time she tried to find the words to explain her fears, first to herself and then perhaps to him. She resolved to try.
    That decision made, she began to wonder again about the pensive state in which she’d left Mark last night. Had it been caused by something she’d said that reminded him of painful memories? She went over and over their conversation, trying to pinpoint anything that might have hit him too close to home. But the truth of the matter was she knew verylittle about Mark’s personal life and only somewhat more about his professional life. Trent had packed her up and sent her on her way with the skimpiest briefing she’d ever had. It was one of the reasons she’d been so furious with her boss. She never liked to go into a situation without knowing everything necessary, and in this instance she knew next to nothing about David Morrow. Hell, she hadn’t even known that he lived quietly in the mountains as Mark Channing.
    Finally, tired of dealing with questions for which she had no answers, she threw off the warm covers and climbed out of bed. Hesitantly, recalling yesterday’s disgustingly pale gray excuse for midmorning in Denver, she peeked through the blinds in her room and discovered shimmering streaks of gold in the sky. The sun here didn’t even pretend to offer the warmth of California sunshine, but it had created a veritable fairyland of diamonds glittering on the snow.
    She glanced at her watch and saw that it was barely seven a.m. By Mark’s standards that was probably the middle of the day, but she didn’t hear a sound anywhere in the rest of the house. He was either still asleep or already outside exploring the day’s offerings. Ironically, she realized she wanted to be out there, too. Even the idea of actually mastering this ridiculous cross-country skiing seemed important in her muddled state of mind. Some of her brain waves must have frozen yesterday while she’d been out there rolling around in the snow.
    She pulled on her ski outfit, which had miraculously dried overnight, and tiptoed down the hall, not wanting to wake Mark if he was still snug in his bed. In the living room she noted that the room was cold,