See Jane Fall by Katy Regnery Page A

foreshadowed the demanding, difficult woman
she’d become. Had, in fact, foreshadowed the international super
model, Samara Amaya.
    Jane, who barely bothered looking in the
mirror by high school, wasn’t exactly jealous of Sara,
although she had many wistful moments wishing she was prettier.
Alas, she was assured by her uncle’s sympathetic glances that her
own looks would always fall short beside Sara. It was the way of
things. It was Jane’s world.
    And she knew without a shred of doubt that
her cousin would choose Lars to be her “local flavor” of the week,
just as she had with Ben Abaz on the Egypt shoot. So, here was the
million dollar question: Could Jane just enjoy today and tomorrow
with Lars, and be okay if he turned his back on her once Samara
arrived? Could she risk the hurt to her heart? Could she bear
watching Samara take what had been hers for a few short, sweet
days?
    Wait now, Jane , she counseled
herself . There was a big difference between Ben and Lars.
She hadn’t seen it coming with Ben. It had shocked her to see him
switch gears to be with Samara; it had hurt her to watch him lose
interest so quickly.
    She’d felt ashamed of herself—foolish—for
sleeping with him so impetuously, without a commitment, without the
safety of true regard. She had, more or less, recklessly given herself to Ben physically and emotionally. She
certainly would never be that stupid again.
    But, benefitting from experience, the
situation with Lars could be different, couldn’t it? She
could engineer it differently in her head. Jane could take a more
modern, less emotional, approach with Lars. She didn’t have to fall for him, did she? She certainly didn’t have to sleep
with him. She could just enjoy his company and a light flirtation
before Samara arrived, with the full knowledge that he would turn
his back and walk away the moment her cousin blew into town. As
long as she knew that would happen, it wouldn’t hurt, right? If she
could anticipate it, she could brace for it. Be ready.
    You might be modern, Jane, but you’re not
that modern. If you let him get close, you’ll take a fall when he
chooses Samara. That’s all there is to it. Better just stick to
business and not risk that long, hard fall. Business.
    She looked over at him again, at the way his
tan, muscular hands gripped the steering wheel. Her fingers tingled
with the memory of holding that hand, the rough, calloused skin
under her soft fingers as he pulled her closer to the bison. Her
face softened.
    It’s not his fault that you like and can’t
have him. You could be a little warmer, Jane. Player or not, he’s
been nothing but nice to you.
    “Been a stressful morning,” she sighed,
taking her phone from her lap and putting it back in her backpack.
“Sort of nice not to have a cell signal.”
    “I told you.”
    “You did. I’ll have to believe you when you
school me on these things, Professor.”
    He grinned at her, easy, amenable,
uncomplicated. It was part of why she liked him so much. “When it
comes to Yeller, I am pretty knowledgeable, missy.”
    “Hmmm. That sounds almost like a dare.”
    “Ask me anything.”
    “Okay…how many acres in the park?”
    “Two million, two hundred and twenty
thousand.”
    “How many…waterfalls?”
    “Five percent of the park is covered in
water but that includes an unknown number of waterfalls. Probably
hundreds.”
    He knows his stuff. She rewarded him
with a surprised smile. “How many different animals live in the
park?”
    “Sixty-seven species of mammals…did you want
bird and fish life too?”
    “You’re a cocky so-and-so! Um,
visitors!”
    “That’s not a question, Jane. Are you asking
how many people visit annually?”
    Jane rolled her eyes at him and he
chuckled.
    “Three million, give or take.”
    “Give or take what?”
    “One cute, wise-ass chick from New
York.”
    “When’s she getting here? She sounds
like a blast.”
    “She can be.” He said this slowly,
without taking