“Right,” he acknowledged. “Then we met at the Bonnie Inn and, bingo, we were having dinner together and walking in the moonlight, and before either of us knew how it happened, we were kissing.”
Janine nodded, listening quietly.
“There are several factors we can take into account, but if we’re going to place blame for that kiss, I’m the one at fault.”
“You?”
“Me,” he confirmed with a grimace. “Actually, I’m prepared to accept full responsibility. I doubt you were aware of what was going on. It didn’t take me long to see how innocent you are, and—”
“Now just a minute,” Janine snapped. Once again he was taking potshots at her dignity. “What do you mean by that?”
“It’s obvious you haven’t had a lot of sexual experience and—”
“In other words I’m so incredibly naive that I couldn’t possibly be held accountable for a few kisses in the moonlight?”
“Something like that.”
“Oh, brother,” she muttered.
“There’s no need to feel offended.”
“I wasn’t exactly raised in a convent, you know. And for your information, I’ve been kissed by more than one man.”
“I’m sure you have. But we’re getting sidetracked here—”
“I’m sorry you found me so inept. A man of your vast worldly experience must’ve been sorely disappointed by someone as unsophisticated as me, and—”
“Janine,” he said firmly, stopping her. “You’re putting words in my mouth. All I was saying is that we—I—let matters get out of hand and we can’t blame your grandfather for what happened.”
“I’m willing to accept my part in this. I can also see where this conversation is leading.”
“Good,” Zach said. It was clear that his composure was slipping. “Then you tell me.”
“You think that because I enjoyed spending time with you and we shared this mildly romantic evening and—”
“Mildly romantic?”
“Yes, you did say egos aside, didn’t you? I’m just being honest.”
“Fine,” he said, tight-lipped.
“You seem to think that because you have so much more experience than I do, there’s a real danger I’ll be swooning at your feet.” She drew out the word, enjoying her silliness, and batted her eyelashes furiously.
“Janine, you’re behaving like a child,” he informed her coldly.
“Of course I am. That’s exactly what you seem to expect of me.”
Zach’s fingers tightened on the armrest. “You’re purposely misconstruing everything I said.”
“Whatever you’re trying to say isn’t necessary. You figure we had a borderline interest in each other and now we’ve crossed that border. Right? Well, I’m telling you that you needn’t worry.” She sucked in a deep breath and glared at him. “I’m right, aren’t I? That’s what you think, isn’t it?”
“Something like that, yes.”
Janine nodded grimly. “And now you think that since you held me in your arms and you lost your control long enough to kiss me, I’m suddenly going to start entertaining thoughts of the M word.”
“The…M word?”
“Marriage.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Zach said, jamming the airline magazine back into the seat pocket in front of him.
“Well?”
“All I mean is that the temptation might be there and we should both beware of it.”
“Oh, honestly, Zach,” she said sarcastically, “you overestimate yourself.”
“Listen, I wasn’t the one mumbling about babies.”
“I was having a dream! That has absolutely nothing to do with what we’re talking about now.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” He reached for the same magazine he’d recently rejected and turned the pages hard enough to rip them in two. “I don’t think this discussion is getting us anywhere.”
Janine sighed. “You were right, though. We did need to clear the air.”
Zach made a gruff indistinguishable reply.
“I’ll try to keep out of your magnetic force field, but if I occasionally succumb to your overwhelming charm and forget myself, I can only beg your forgiveness.”
“Enough, Janine.”
He looked so annoyed with her that she couldn’t help smiling. Zach Thomas was a man of such colossal ego it would serve him right if she pretended to faint every time he glanced in her direction. The image filled her mind with laughter.
Zach leaned his head back and closed his eyes, effectively concluding their conversation. Janine stared out the window at the first signs of sunrise, thinking about all kinds of things—except her chaotic feelings for the man beside her.
Some time later, the pilot announced that the plane was approaching Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Home sounded good to Janine, although she fully intended to have a heart-to-heart talk with her grandfather about his matchmaking efforts.
Once they’d landed, she cleared customs quickly. She struggled with her two large pieces of luggage, pulling one by the handle and looping the long strap of her carry-on bag over her shoulder. Zach was still dealing with the customs agent when she maneuvered her way outside into the bright morning sunlight, joining the line of people waiting for cabs.
“Here,” Zach said, from behind her, “I’ll carry one of those for you.” He’d managed to travel with only his briefcase and a garment bag, which was neatly folded and easily handled.
“Thank you,” she said breathlessly.
“I thought we’d agreed to limit our expressions of gratitude toward each other,” he grumbled, frowning as he lifted the suitcase.
“I apologize. It slipped my mind.”
Zach continued to grumble. “What’d you pack in here, anyway? Bricks?”
“If you’re going to complain, I’ll carry it myself.”
He muttered something she couldn’t hear and shook his head. “Once we get a cab—”
“We?”
“We’re going to confront your grandfather.”
“Together? Now?” She was exhausted, mentally and physically. They both were.
“The sooner the better, don’t you think?”
The problem was, Janine hadn’t given much thought to what she was going to say. Yes, she intended to challenge Gramps but she’d planned to wait for the most opportune time. And she’d hoped to speak to him privately. “He might not even be home,” she argued, “and if he is, I’m not sure now would really be best.”
“I want this settled once and for all.”
“So do I,” she said vehemently. “But I think we should choose when and how we do this more carefully, don’t you?”
“Perhaps…” His agreement seemed hesitant, even grudging. “All right, we’ll do it your way.”
“It isn’t my way. It just makes sense to organize our thoughts first. Trust me, Zach, I want this cleared up as badly as you do.”
His reply was little more than a grunt, but whether it was a comment on the weight of her suitcase or her tactics in dealing with Anton, she didn’t know.
“And furthermore,” she said, making a sweeping motion with her arm, “we’ve got to stop doubting each other. Nobody’s following anyone and neither of us is in any danger of falling in love just because we were foolish enough to kiss.”
“Fine,” Zach murmured. He set her suitcase down as a cab arrived and the driver jumped out.
“How is it that we always seem to agree and yet we constantly find ourselves at odds?” she asked.
“I wish I knew,” he said, looking weary in body and spirit. The cabdriver opened the trunk, storing her suitcases neatly inside. Zach threw his garment bag on top.
“We might as well still share this taxi,” he said, holding the door for her.
“But isn’t the Mt. Baker district out of your way?”
“I do need to talk to your grandfather. There’re some estimates I need to give him.”
“But can’t it wait un
til tomorrow? Honestly, Zach, you’re exhausted. One day isn’t going to make any difference. And like I said, Gramps might not even be at the house.”
Zach rubbed his eyes, then glanced irritably in her direction. “Honestly, Janine,” he mocked, “you sound like a wife.”
Biting her tongue to keep back her angry retort, Janine crossed her arms and glared out the side window. Indignation seeped through her with every breath she drew. Of its own accord, her foot started an impatient tapping. She could hardly wait to part company with this rude, unreasonable man.
Apparently Zach didn’t know when to quit, because he added, “Now you even act like one.”
She slowly turned to him and in a saccharine voice inquired, “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Look at you, for heaven’s sake. First you start nagging me and then—”
“Nagging you!” she exploded. “Let’s get one thing straight, Zachary Thomas. I do not nag.”
Zach rolled his eyes, then turned his head to gaze out the window on his side.
“Sir, sir,” Janine said, sliding forward in the seat. She politely tapped the driver on the shoulder.
The middle-aged man glanced at her. “What is it, lady?”
“Sir,” she said, offering him her warmest, most sincere smile. “Tell me, do I look like the kind of woman who’d nag?”
“Ah…Look, lady, all I do is drive a cab. You can ask me where a street is and I can tell you. If you want to go uptown, I can take you uptown. But when it comes to answering personal-type questions, I prefer to mind my own business.”
“Are you satisfied?” Zach asked in a low voice.
“No, I’m not.” She crossed her arms again and stared straight ahead.
The cabdriver’s eyes met hers in the rearview mirror, and Janine tried to smile, but when she caught a glimpse of herself, she realized her effort looked more like a grimace.
“Me and the missus been married for near twenty years now,” the driver said suddenly, stopping at a red light just off the James Street exit. “Me and the missus managed to stay married through the good times and the bad ones. Can’t say that about a lot of folks.”
“I don’t suppose your wife is the type who nags, though, is she?” Zach made the question sound more like a statement, sending Janine a look that rankled.
“Betsy does her fair share. If you ask me, nagging’s just part of a woman’s nature.”
“That’s absurd,” Janine countered stiffly. She should’ve known better than to draw a complete stranger into the discussion, especially another male who was sure to take Zach’s side.
“I’ll tell you the real reason me and the missus stayed together all these years,” the cabbie continued in a confiding tone. “We never go to bed mad. I know I look like an easygoing guy, but I’ve got a temper on me. Over the years, me and Betsy have had our share of fights, but we always kiss and make up.”
Janine smiled and nodded, sorry she’d ever gotten involved in this conversation.
“Go on,” the cabbie urged.
Janine’s puzzled gaze briefly met Zach’s.
“Go on and do what?” Zach wanted to know.
“Kiss and make up.” The cabbie turned for a moment to smile at them and wink at Janine. “If my wife was as pretty as yours, mister, I wouldn’t be hesitating.”
Janine nearly swallowed her tongue. “We are not married.”
“And have no intention whatsoever of marrying,” Zach added quickly.
The driver chuckled. “That’s what they all say. The harder they deny it, the more in love they are.”
He turned off Broadway and a few minutes later pulled into the circular driveway that led to Janine’s house. As the talkative cabbie leapt from the car and dashed for the trunk, Janine opened her door and climbed out.
Apparently, Zach had no intention of taking her advice, because he, too, got out of the cab. It was while they were tussling with the luggage that the front door opened and Mrs. McCormick hurried outside.
“Janine,” she cried, her blue eyes lighting up with surprise. “What are you doing back so soon? We weren’t expecting you for another two days.”
“I missed your cooking so much, I couldn’t bear to stay away any longer,” Janine said, throwing her arms around the older woman in a warm hug. “Has Gramps been giving you any trouble?”
“Not a bit.”
Zach paid the driver, who got back in his cab, but not before he’d winked at Janine again. “Remember what I told you,” he yelled, speeding off.
“How much was the fare?” Janine asked, automatically opening her purse.
“I took care of it,” Zach said, reaching for his garment bag and the heavier of Janine’s two suitcases. He said it as though he expected an argument from her, but if that was the case, Janine didn’t plan to give him one.
“Is Gramps home?” Janine curved her arm affectionately around the housekeeper’s waist as she spoke.
“He went out early this morning, but he should be back soon.”
“Good,” Zach mumbled, following them into the house.
“I imagine you’re both starved,” Mrs. McCormick said, heading toward the kitchen. “Let me whip up something for you that’ll make you both glad you’re home.”
Left alone with Zach, Janine wasn’t sure what to say to him. They’d spent almost twenty-four hours in each other’s company. They’d argued. They’d talked. They’d laughed. They’d kissed.
“Janine—”
“Zach—”
They spoke simultaneously, then exchanged nervous smiles.
“You first,” Zach said, gesturing toward her.
“I…I just wanted to say thanks for everything. I’ll be in touch,” she said. “By phone,” she assured him. “So you don’t need to worry about me dropping the office unannounced.”
He grinned sheepishly. “Remember, communication is the key.”
“I agree one hundred percent.”
They stood facing each other in the foyer. “You wanted to say something?” she prompted after a moment.
“Yes.” Zach exhaled sharply, then drew a hand along the side of his jaw. “What that cabbie said is true—even for us. I don’t want us to part with any bad feelings. I shouldn’t have said what I did back there, about nagging. You don’t nag, and I had no right to say you did.”
“I overreacted.” The last thing she’d expected from Zach was an apology. His eyes, dark and tender, held hers, and without even realizing what she was doing, Janine took a step forward. Zach met her and she was about to slip into his arms when the sound of the front door opening drove them apart.
“Janine,” Anton cried, delighted. “Zach. My, my, this is a pleasant surprise.” He chuckled softly as he removed his coat. “Tell me, was your tryst on the moors as romantic as I hoped?”
Six
“Our best bet is to present a united front,” Janine said to Zach four days later. They’d met at her house early in the afternoon to outline their strategy. Gramps was gone for the day, but by the time he returned, Zach and Janine planned to be ready to talk him out of this marriage idea. The sooner Anton understood that his ploy wasn’t working, the better. Then they could both get on with their lives and forget this unfortunate episode.
“It’s important that we stand up to him together,” Janine said when Zach didn’t comment. From the moment he’d arrived, he’d given her the impression that he’d rather not be doing this. Well, she wasn’t overjoyed about plotting against her grandfather, either, but in this instance it was necessary. “If we don’t, I’m afraid Gramps will continue to play us against each other.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Zach grumbled. He certainly wasn’t in one of his more charming moods.
“Listen, if you’re going to act like this—”
“Like what?” he demanded, standing up. He walked over to the polished oak sideboard and poured himself a cup of coffee. When he’d finished, he ambled toward the fireplace and leaned against the mantel.
“Like you’re doing me a big favor,” Janine elaborated.
“You’re the one who’s left me dangling for three days. Do you realize what I’ve been forced to endure? Anton kept giving me these smug smiles, looking so pleased with himself and the way things worked out in Scotland. Yesterday he went so far as to mention the name of a good jeweler.”
Before Janine could stop herself, she was on her feet, arms akimbo, glaring at Zach. “I thought you were going to call me! Weren’t you the one who said communication is the key? Then it’s as if you’d dropped off the face of the earth! And for your information, it hasn’t exactly been a Sunday school picnic around here, either.”
“It may surprise you to learn that I have other things on my mind besides dealing with you and your grandfather.”
“Implying I don’t have anything to do with my time?”
“No,” he said slowly. “Damn it, Janine, we’re arguing again.”
She sighed regretfully. “I know. We’ve got to stop this squabbling. It’s counterproductive.”
Zach’s nod was curt and she saw that he was frowning. “What bothers me most is the way your grandfather found us the other day. We were standing so close and you were staring up at me, practically begging me to kiss you.”
“I most certainly was not,” she denied, knowing Zach was right. Her cheeks grew pink. She had wanted him to kiss her, but she hated having to admit that she would’ve walked into his arms without a second’s hesitation. She decided to blame that unexpected longing on the exhausting flight home.
Zach shook his head and set his coffee cup carefully on the mantel. He thrust both hands into his pockets, still slouching against the fireplace wall. “The problem is, I was ready to do it. If your grandfather hadn’t walked in when he did, I would’ve kissed you.”
“You would?” she asked softly, feeling almost light-headed at his words.
Zach straightened, and a nerve in his jaw pulsed, calling her attention to the strong chiseled lines of his face. “I’m only human,” he said drly. “I’m as susceptible to a beautiful woman as the next man, especially when she all but asks me to take her in my arms.”
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