Deal of a Lifetime by Rue Allyn

rings and ceremonies that she’d never break no matter how much she wanted. I refuse to give her up. If remaining unmarried is the way to keep her, that’s what I’ll do.
    Clouds gathered above him, and the breeze chilled. He shivered, huddled into his thin coat, put his head down, and pushed on.
    The path changed from flat packed dirt to a slight hard rock incline. His gaze turned inward, he walked mindless of the terrain. His feet took him from rock to loose shale veneered with ice. When those same feet slipped out from under him Con was caught unaware. He landed on his back, his breath knocked away. He hauled in air and scrabbled to regain his feet, but the incline had sharpened. The more he moved, the more the rocks beneath him shifted, and the further down the incline he slid. His inability to regain his feet annoyed him. Concern replaced annoyance when the entire hillside began to slide.

Chapter Seven
    “Last, while I’m certain some of you won’t be happy with this I’ve decided that all pending distribution contracts for Buddswell’s Snack Foods will be subject to open bidding. Bids will be posted anonymously on monitors throughout the conference rooms. I need to know what I’ll be paying for with the bid I select, so only those bids from companies submitting proposals will be accepted. The winning bids will be announced at our closing banquet on Saturday night. We’ll sign letters of intent right after the announcement, so you must be present. If not, the contract will go to the next best bid. Any questions may be directed to me through my office staff. Thank you and enjoy your lunch.”
    A smattering of applause escorted Mike from the podium. Tam wished she could be happy that he’d taken her suggestion, but she wouldn’t be bidding. She needed to be home with Susa—the only relationship she could count on. She toyed with her food. The venison steak, garlic potatoes, and wild greens were all delicious. She wasn’t hungry, not for food.
    She was hungry for the opportunity to talk to Con. His insults provoked her, no question. But she shouldn’t have slapped him. She wanted to set that right before she left. She could do that much, even if she lacked the courage to tell him what he had every right to know—he had a daughter.
    His failure to appear at lunch bothered her. Con didn’t run from confrontation. He was passionate about his causes, but he’d always been the consummate business professional, treating everyone respectfully, setting aside his personal issues to allow no competitor any advantage.
    Today was Friday, and the bidding would eliminate anyone who failed to participate or was slow out of the gate. So why wasn’t he here? Mike’s announcement was important. Con would hear about it when he returned to the hotel, but the sooner he acted to bid the better. He’d be able to identify his serious competition and shape proposals based on his knowledge of those competitors.
    As the room emptied, Buddswell sat beside her and turned on his megawatt smile. “What did you think of my announcement?”
    She lifted the corners of her mouth and studied him, suspicious of his motives. “I admit, I’m surprised you acted on my suggestion after our recent, er…meeting.”
    He placed his hand next to hers on the table but avoided touching her. “I wanted to show you that I can separate business and pleasure.”
    “I appreciate your efforts. Unfortunately, I’m not convinced.”
    “But…”
    “Don’t get me wrong. I believe you are sincere, but too much is hanging in the balance for us to become involved. Even if I thought you could follow through with the promise to separate business and pleasure, no one else in this business would believe it. If I did get the contract, I would be branded as unethical or worse. If I didn’t get a contract, both of us would question any affection between us.”
    “Are you seriously going to allow the opinions of others to dictate your behavior?” He tossed