Wanted: One Mommy

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Patrice smiled kindly. “The kitchen, I think. That way Jack can be a part of the discussion while he cooks.”

  Patrice led the way through the two-story foyer down a short hall to the rear of the home. It had clearly been built with comfort in mind. The kitchen—with its earth-toned walls, maple cabinets, granite counters and state-of-the-art stainless steel appliances—was clearly a male domain. As was the breakfast room, with its large round table and comfortable tan leather swivel chairs. The family room was beside it, where a wall of windows let light spill into a room dominated by a white stone fireplace. The opposite wall was taken up with an impressive array of built-in bookcases filled with books, CDs, DVDs and an impressive-looking plasma TV and stereo system. Along with heavy wood furniture and several comfortable plush sofas and club chairs all artfully arranged, were a collection of toys, and a big round dog bed for Bounder—who leaped up on the sofa, next to Maddie, where the two proceeded to cuddle contentedly.

  Jack was dressed in a marine-blue cotton T-shirt and jeans. His dark brown hair was a little rumpled, his rugged jaw sporting a hint of evening beard. His eyes were on high alert and his lower lip curled in polite acknowledgment when he saw her.

  Noting he looked very much at home, moving about the kitchen from counter to sink to stove, Caroline couldn’t help but admire him. It was all she could do to follow the simplest recipe, and even those she screwed up half the time.

  Aware her pulse had jumped up a notch just being in Jack’s presence, Caroline set up her laptop in front of the seat designated for her, while Patrice brought a tray of crudités and ranch dip to the table.

  Patrice settled next to Dutch. The two elders exchanged encouraging smiles while Caroline powered up her computer. “Okay, down to business. The first thing is the date. I’ve checked all the major venues and they are all booked for the last two weeks of April, but there are a few openings for the first weekend in May. The only problem with that Saturday is that it’s May 5. Or Cinco de Mayo, which as you know, is the holiday that celebrates Mexico’s independence from Spain, and is always a big deal here in Texas.”

  “Well, then that knocks out that weekend,” Jack remarked, not all that unhappily, Caroline noted.

  Caroline watched as he split several avocados and used the blade of the knife to pull out the seed. His culinary skill was impressive. His attitude was not. And his mother obviously agreed.

  “And why is that?” Patrice asked Jack drolly.

  He shrugged his broad shoulders, suggesting the answer was obvious, and sent his mother a cursory glance designed to hide his feelings. “You don’t want to get married when everyone is partying.”

  “That’s exactly when we want to get married!” Patrice said.

  Dutch looked at Patrice and just smiled, as if he would go along with whatever the bride wanted.

  Studying them, Caroline thought, maybe the two had a more intimate relationship than she had originally thought. Maybe Dutch and Patrice, being older than the typical bride and groom, were just shy about showing their feelings to others.

  Not, Caroline noted in frustration, that this made a difference where the family spoilsport was concerned.

  Jack exhaled. “Seriously, Mom, when Cinco de Mayo falls on a Saturday, it makes for a wild and wacky weekend.”

  That was true. The entertainment industry went all out to celebrate the festivities. Special deals and parties abounded. The occasion was so joyous that no one wanted to be left out.

  Patrice gave her son a maternal look that would have quelled even the most unruly son. “Excuse me. How long have I lived in Texas?”

  Sensing fireworks about to erupt, Caroline held up a silencing palm and interjected. “You don’t have to hold your wedding in the city.” Where—Jack was right—holiday traffic and congestion could be a nightmare to navigate. “You could have it at a private ranch, for instance. Under a tent.”

  “Sounds lovely!” Patrice brightened. “And I really like using Cinco de Mayo as a theme.”

  “It would make for a lively reception,” Dutch said.

  Patrice clapped her hands together. “Then it’s settled.”

  Jack wrapped several stacks of corn tortillas in foil, and put them in the oven to heat. He shook his head but said nothing more, merely went to work chopping up a stack of fresh green poblano peppers and sweet yellow onions.

  “We also need to talk florists.”

  “I’ll leave that up to you,” Patrice said. “Although I’ll be in on the selection of flowers. I’m very particular about scent.”

  Caroline could imagine.

  Maddie sashayed up to the table, Bounder by her side. “I want to talk about cake!” she said.

  Caroline couldn’t help but grin.

  Patrice wrapped her arm about her granddaughter’s shoulders. “I’m sure Caroline brought pictures of some.”

  “I certainly did. These bakers I think are particularly excellent.” Caroline brought out the brochures with the color photographs.

  “I like that one.” Maddie pointed to a cake topped with the traditional bride and groom, then looked up at Jack, serious, intent. “Daddy, when are you going to get married? So I can have a mommy, like all my friends.”

  THE SILENCE FELL in the room so suddenly, Caroline could have heard a pin drop.

  Jack looked…uncomfortable, to say the least. He slid the sliced veggies into a sizzling skillet. “Maddie, we talked about this.”

  Curious, Caroline wondered what exactly had been said. Nothing, it appeared, to Maddie’s satisfaction, judging by the pout now on the little girl’s face.

  “Savannah’s daddy married Alexis, and she got a mommy, and she’s going to have a little brother or sister, too! Kayla, Ava and Tommy’s daddy got married, and they got a new baby! Mia and Sophie’s daddy got married, and they got two brothers, Tucker and Tristan. So when is it going to be my turn?” Maddie demanded, upset, propping her little hands on her hips.

  He seemed temporarily at a loss. Which was not, Caroline figured, a usual state of affairs for the sexy CEO.

  Maddie glared at Jack, waiting.

  Patrice lifted an elegant blond brow. “Good question,” Jack’s mother murmured, unsurprised by the outburst. Which meant, Caroline noted, the question had been asked before. Many times. Just not in front of Caroline.

  Jack came around the counter to kneel in front of his daughter. “I told you, honey. I was married once, and it didn’t work out very well.”

  Maddie sighed loudly. Her eyes took on a truculent sheen. “You got a divorce and Mommy left.”

  Jack nodded, confirming this was so, then explained, “Mommy had been married before. And she realized she still loved Cody and wanted to be married to him. So because I wanted her to be happy, I gave her the divorce she wanted and Mommy went to live with Cody again.”

  “In Costa Rica, which is very, very far away,” Maddie repeated, as if this had been told to her many times before. “And she couldn’t take me with her because it was better for me to stay here with you and Gram.”

  Jack nodded. “Right.” He patted his daughter comfortingly on the shoulder.

  Maddie’s lower lip shot out even farther. She stamped her foot. “But how come I can’t go see her just for a visit?”

  Why not? Caroline wondered, too.

  Jack looked at his mother for help on that one. Patrice interjected with maternal sweetness. “You will, darling, one day. When you’re older and can travel that far away. In the meantime, you’re here with us, and we all love you very much.”

  “I know.” Maddie sighed glumly, only partially mollified. “I love you, too.”

  Appearing to think the crisis had been averted, Jack rose and went back to his chef duties.

  Maddie climbed onto a stool at the counter. She rested her elbows on the counter and cradled her chin in her palms. “I know you and Mommy can’t get married again, Daddy—because Mommy is married to Cody now. But I still want a mommy now.”

  “The only
way I can give you an actual mommy is to get married.” Jack lifted a meat platter out of the warming oven and set it on the counter. The familiar, homey scent of mesquite-smoked brisket filled the room.

  “Then get married!” Maddie advised, as though it were just that simple. Her opinion stated, she slid off the stool and took Bounder out in the sunlit backyard to play.

  “MADDIE MIGHT HAVE a point,” Patrice said, a moment later.

  Feeling as if she were in the middle of a family drama she should not be witnessing, Caroline started to rise. “Perhaps I should step outside, too,” she offered cordially.

  “Nonsense!” Patrice patted Caroline’s forearm and wordlessly directed her to resume her seat. “You’re going to be around a lot the next few weeks. And this isn’t going to be a secret.”

  Still feeling like this was far too intimate a situation for her to be witnessing, Caroline reluctantly sat down.

  Jack began to carve the hearty slab of beef into long thin strips. “What isn’t going to be a secret?”

  Patrice glanced through the bay window to make sure Maddie was out of earshot. “The fact that although Dutch and I will still make our home here with you and Maddie, the two of us will also be doing a fair amount of traveling. It’s possible we may even be gone weeks or months at a time.”

  The plan sounded reasonable to Caroline, given the fact the couple was well-off, in their early sixties and Dutch was newly retired.

  “Does Maddie know this?” Jack asked calmly.

  Caroline began to see the problem.

  For the first time, regret showed on Patrice’s elegant face. “I thought we would talk to her together.”

  Worry clouded Jack’s eyes.

  He wasn’t only protective of his mother, Caroline noted, but all the “women” in his family.

  “I’d rather not talk to Maddie at all.” Jack piled shredded cheese, vegetables and mounds of tender sliced brisket onto serving platters. He paused to give his mother a long, guilt-inducing glance. “I’d rather you stay here and keep your traveling to a minimum, at least in the beginning.”

  Caroline could see why Jack was concerned, given how much of a change this would be for his daughter.

  “I know, dear.” Patrice rounded the counter. She poured big glasses of iced tea for the grown-ups and a glass of milk for her granddaughter. She turned to her son, and told Jack kindly but sternly, “I appreciate the way you let me become part of your household after your divorce, but it’s time we moved on from that. It’s time I went back to living a full life. Time you did, too.”

  “Meaning?” Jack said, not bothering to disguise his derision.

  “I agree with your daughter, Jack. Maddie needs a mother and you need a wife.” Patrice paused, making sure she had his full attention. “You need to start dating again—with a view toward marriage.”

  “SORRY YOU HAD TO hear all that this evening,” Jack told Caroline several hours later, when Dutch had gone into the study to return a few business calls and Patrice had gone upstairs with Maddie to supervise the bath and bedtime routine.

  Caroline wasn’t. It had given her a clear view into what was going on with Jack’s family. “It’s not a problem.” She packed up both her business bags, slung one over her shoulder and carried the other in her hands. “I understand weddings can be stressful. For everyone.”

  Jack accompanied her to the foyer, held the door for her, then followed her out to her car.

  “I’ll do what I can to limit the stress for all of you.” Caroline dropped both bags into the trunk of her BMW, then shut the lid.

  “The only way to do that,” Jack muttered unhappily, “is by talking my mom out of this emotionally overwrought, ill-thought-out mistake.”

  Caroline had just spent the evening with Dutch and Patrice. And while they didn’t seem to be wildly romantically in love, there was a deep bond between the two, forged by what exactly Caroline didn’t know and didn’t care. All she knew for certain was that these two sixty-somethings were determined to be together and build a life together as soon as possible. Caroline applauded that kind of determination. And she was in the business of making dreams come true.

  There was only one thing standing in their way.

  And that big lug of a Texas powerhouse was standing right beside her.

  “You know what the problem with you is?” Caroline said before she could stop herself.

  One corner of impossibly sensual lower lip curved upward. “No,” Jack responded drily, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He leaned closer, aligning their faces so they were nose to nose. “But I have the feeling you’re about to tell me.”

  The comedic undertone in his low voice only furthered the flame of her temper. Caroline aimed a finger at the center of his chest, in the place where his heart was supposed to be. “You don’t have a romantic bone in your body.”

  He scoffed, rolled his eyes and prodded teasingly, “And you have deduced that because…?”

  “For starters?” Caroline stepped closer. This situation had gotten far too personal. And thanks to the unhappy memories Jack’s actions were bringing up, her emotions were out of control. So out of control, she found herself blurting out, “You are the kind of all-thought, no-heart guy who can no more appreciate a night like tonight than he can the validity of someone else’s dreams!”

  He looked around, unimpressed. “What’s so special about tonight?”

  “Aside from the fact that your mother was planning her ideal nuptials?”

  “Aside from that.”

  Deciding to help him see the romantic side of life, even if it annoyed the heck out of him, Caroline drawled, “Well, for starters, there’s a black-velvet sky overhead, sprinkled with stars and a gorgeous half-moon.” That alone was enough to bring to mind couples in clinches and hot, passionate kisses.

  Ignoring his bemused expression, Caroline pressed on. “Not to mention a warm, humid breeze…” that felt so good, gently caressing their bodies “…and the scent of flowers and fresh-cut grass in the air….” That all added to the wildly reckless feeling of spring.

  Caroline turned away from Jack and continued her romantic survey with a wistfulness borne deep inside her. “This neighborhood that you call home is so beautiful, with all the well-kept residences and the peaceful, almost pastoral street.” It was everything she had ever wanted and never had.

  She whirled back to face him, almost angry now. She stomped closer, waving her arms for emphasis. “But do you see any of that?” Nearer still. “Do you realize how lucky you are to live here and have family who have always been there for you and clearly love you so much? No. You don’t. You probably look at them, at an incredibly beautiful night like tonight and—”

  Caroline never had a chance to finish.

  Before the breath left her lungs, Jack swept her into his arms and delivered the kiss to end all kisses. She was so shocked initially she didn’t know what to do. And that millisecond of total stillness on her part was all the advantage he needed. The pressure of his mouth parted her lips. His tongue swept inside, and all coherent thought fled. Longing welled up within her, unlike anything she had ever dreamed she could feel. A shiver of need swept through her, followed by an even more magnificent ripple of pure pleasure. Even while her mind protested, the rest of her—heart, body and soul—surrendered to the sweet surprise of his kiss. And the knowledge that maybe, just maybe, she had really misread this man, in thinking that he had no heart…. Because surely it was impossible to kiss with this much ardor, unless you felt…

  She leaned closer, emboldened by the ferocity of her own response, wanting, needing, to know and experience more….

  And just that suddenly, he released her.

  Looking down at her with a distinctly male satisfaction, he surveyed her lazily from head to toe, and taunted softly, “Still think I haven’t got a romantic bone in my body?”

  Chapter Three

  Jack had the satisfaction of seeing Caroline’s jaw open in surpr
ise, a telling moment before it snapped shut. “Sex and romance are not the same thing,” Caroline snapped. “And that kiss was pure sex.”

  And then some, Jack thought, feeling the hardness at the front of his jeans. He was pretty sure from the bright flush of color in her face that she was still tingling from head to toe, too. He edged closer. He might not be much good at love, but there were a few things in which he excelled. “Sex can be good.”

  “Not between us,” Caroline reminded him sternly. “I am now working for your mother and Dutch Ambrose.”

  He refused to bow to her polite but aloof regard. “I’m the one paying the bill.”

  “Which makes it even worse,” she complained, even as red-hot sparks arced between them. “Technically, you’re the client.” She angled her thumb at her chest. “And I never mix business and pleasure.”

  Jack grinned. The way she had kissed him back just now said otherwise. “What do you mix with pleasure?” he countered, already thinking of hot kisses and soft skin.

  “Nothing.” Caroline folded her arms beneath her breasts. She glared at him. “I’m celibate.”

  “Could have fooled me with that kiss.”

  She leaned closer, curious. “I take that to mean you do fool around?”

  The challenging glitter in her eyes prompted his defense. “Not indiscriminately,” Jack replied, inhaling the soft, womanly scent of her. “Although, for the record, I have dated since my divorce. Mainly because I knew at some point Maddie was going to want and need a mommy, the way she is now.”

  “So you took one for the team,” Caroline said drily.

  That had been about it. He hadn’t been doing it for himself. Jack shrugged, admitting, “There were plenty of women who were interested in my success and wealth. But no one who could deal with how complicated my life has become in recent years.” So that had been that.