He had learned something today, though. He knew for sure now, she felt the same way about him, that he did her. And she wanted to marry him. It really was just the fear. There was no way he’d ever back down now.
*******
They had finally gotten through breakfast, and everything was cleaned up. Jake had shown up, just like Jenny had predicted, and Lisa had finally made it out of bed. When Zane showed up, he had brought Jeff Campbell with him. He was the rookie cop that had been working with Zane to catch Tracy Lewis. He had moved down from the north, so he could be close to his ailing grandfather.
The guys were all outside, moving the four wheelers out in the yard when the women and children finally made it outside. Hannah, who hadn’t made it down to breakfast until most of the guys had gotten up to go outside to get started, hadn’t met Jeff yet. She leaned over and bumped Lisa with her elbow. “Who’s that? I’ve never seen him before.”
Lisa looked up to see where Hannah was pointing. “Oh, yeah. Jeff’s here. He works with Zane. This is his first year as a cop. He moved from a bigger city. Saint Louis or Kansas City. Somewhere like that. He’s Harold Campbell’s great grandson. He moved here to take care of him.”
“I thought Old Harry was in the nursing home now,” Hannah said, with a far off look on her face, not really paying much attention to Lisa.
“He is, but only because he needs twenty-four-hour care. Let me tell you, Jeff stays on them. Harry’s doing a lot better now that Jeff’s here. He’s great. I think you would like him.”
“I don’t know anything about his personality, but he’s definitely nice to look at. Man, I don’t think I’ve seen anything that nice in... Oh, I don’t know. Ever.”
Hannah stood staring at the young man talking to her brother Zane. He wasn’t very tall. He was several inches shorter than Zane. At least six or seven inches. But for Hannah he was plenty tall enough. She was five foot nothing in her sock feet, herself.
What he lacked in height he made up for in brawn though. He had wide, well-muscled shoulders. And even from across the yard, she could see where the seams of his jeans were straining against his thigh muscles. He wasn’t overly bulky. Just strong with well-defined muscle. She could tell by looking he was built solid.
He had dark, wavy hair that was curling up at the ends where it brushed his collar. He was far enough away, she couldn’t tell what color his eyes were, but he had full lips and a strong jaw with a perfectly straight nose. She was a complete goner. She had never had anyone capture her attention so fully before.
“Don’t get too excited. He doesn’t date.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know. He won’t tell anybody.”
“I bet I could change his mind.” Hannah was still looking at Jeff, and didn’t notice when her sister had to stifle a laugh. Jeff didn’t know it, but his days had just become numbered. Lisa had never seen Hannah react that way to a guy before. But she did know one thing. When Hannah decided she wanted something, she usually got it. Lisa was feeling pretty certain this would be one of those times.
“Yeah, I bet you could.” Lisa was wondering if someone should warn Jeff.
Hannah finally turned and looked back at Lisa. “Does he hang out with the family a lot?”
Now Lisa was looking at Hannah with concern. “Yeah. He’s pretty much the newest member of the gang.”
Hannah couldn’t seem to help herself. When she spoke again, she turned back to look at Jeff. “He’ll be around then,” she said, that far off look coming back.
“Hannah, you still have to go back to school. You promised.” Lisa grabbed her arm, and pulled her around so she could look her in the eyes. “You told me you would finish this year.”
“There’s not much year left, and then I’ll be back.” Her tone was off hand as she turned back to look at Jeff again.
“Hannah, I don’t like your tone.”
Hannah looked over at Lisa and shrugged her shoulders. “How old is he? And I never promised to finish. I said I would try to finish,” she said, turning back.
“Whatever. Twenty-four.” Lisa snapped her fingers in front of Hannah’s face. She just pushed her hand away. “Hannah, stay focused. I know you’re not going to finish college, but the more you complete, the better.”
“I said I would go back. Please drop it. I’m going to see if Zane will introduce me,” Hannah said, stepping off the porch, causing Lisa to feel even more confused and concerned.
“You’re going to have Zane introduce you? Are you feeling okay? When do you need anyone to introduce you?”
“I don’t want to scare him,” Hannah said, sounding serious as she started across the yard.
Hannah left Lisa standing on the porch with an awed expression on her face. If Lisa’s suspicions were correct, Hannah had just found her other half. Hannah never bothered with the rules of society. She just barreled through at top speed. Lisa decided to follow her. She wanted to see this.
By the time she reached them, Zane was already introducing them. He wore a dazed expression that told her he was as surprised as she was. Jeff’s expression wasn’t much different. Hannah seemed to have dazed him too. Lisa was guessing his dazed state was for an entirely different reason though. Yeah, he was definitely Hannah’s other half. If she was a serious gambler, she’d bet the ranch.
Zane walked off shaking his head. “Hey, everybody. Time to race.”
“How are we racing?” Luke walked up with a grin. He had heard most of the Zane’s introduction of Jeff and Hannah, and was having trouble not laughing. He had guessed once he started getting to know the guy, it was going to take a woman with a really fiery spirit to get his attention. From the way he was looking at Hannah, he had just met his match. He wondered what the guy thought about tornados. “Are we starting out with doubles?”
“Sure, why not?” Zane turned to Lisa. “You up to it?”
“Sure. Where’s James?” She didn’t need to ask. He was two steps behind her.
“No!” James walked over to where Lisa was standing. “You’ll be lucky if I let you on one. You’re not racing.”
“I’ll be on it with you. I’ll be fine.”
James just snarled at Zane and turned toward Jake. “Will she be okay?”
“I’m not that kind of nurse, but I don’t see why she wouldn’t be. The only thing that would be dangerous, is if you wrecked it with her on it. And beyond that, I don’t want in the middle of this.”
“James, I’m not going to do anything that would put our child at risk. He’ll be fine.”
“I don’t like it. You might not be able to hold on to me tight enough for your belly getting in the way.” He was grasping at straws and he knew it, but this was making him really nervous.
“James, you’re thinking too much again. I’ll be able to hang on to you just fine.” She knew he was just worried about her and the baby, but she had to work hard not to let her frustration show.
“I remember Mom racing four wheelers a couple of times when she was pregnant with some of the younger kids. She’ll be fine, James.” Zane was trying to help, but when James turned around and looked at him, he almost took a step back.
“Zane, when it’s your woman and your baby, you can decide. But right now, stay out of it.” Zane wasn’t afraid of James, but he did have a lot of respect for the guy. And this was obviously something he was uncomfortable with, and he was starting to get angry.
“All right. I’ll stay out of it,” Zane said, holding his hands up and stepping back. The only times he could remember seeing James angry in the last few years, always had something to do with Lisa. She was the only thing James truly cared enough about, that he couldn’t control his reaction. She was also the only one who would dare to take him on when he was angry. She had never been afraid of him. Of course, he had never given her reason.
“I’m not going to sit this out all day.” Lisa had walked over to James and was looking him right in the eye. Zane had to walk away before he started lau
ghing. Her quiet demeanor could be misleading. She had almost as much fire in her as Hannah. She just usually used a subtler approach. “What if I’m pregnant next year during the first really good snow fall? Are you going to make me sit that one out too?”
That was all it took. Her talking about having another baby with him like she knew for certain it would happen made him feel so sappy, he would have given her anything she asked for in that moment.
“Fine, I’m the only one you can race with, and you’re not racing by yourself at all. So, don’t even try.”
He was trying really hard to sound angry, but Lisa could tell it was all an act. So, she reached up and pulled his head down to hers. She was just intending to give him a quick kiss, but he had other ideas. When his arms came up around her and he lifted her off the ground, she gasped with surprise. By the time he sat her back down, she was breathless and flushed.
By the time she had caught her breath, Zane was back to trying to organize the first race. “Okay, we need four more teams. Hannah, do you want to race with Jeff?”
Zane’s expression had almost been too innocent. He was playing devil’s advocate. “You’ll have to run the first leg of the race. He’s never done this before.” Lisa figured Zane had come to the same conclusion she had, and had decided to help the fates along. As it were.
“Sure, I can handle that,” Hannah said, looking into his deep, blue eyes, grinning. She couldn’t help thinking of the ocean while looking at those blue eyes. It wasn’t just the color. There was something else there too. Something that spoke of very deep emotions.
Lisa was sure she could more than handle that. Judging by the look on her face, she had been hoping Zane would ask her to race with Jeff. She was almost certain, if Zane hadn’t of suggested it, she would have.
Jeff looked like he was in physical pain. Lisa knew as well as Zane did, he was way too polite to say no. The poor guy was trapped by his own manner’s. Lisa almost felt sorry for him. He had no idea what was in store for him. Of course, since this was the only time Hannah had shown this much obvious interest in a guy, Lisa wasn’t sure what Jeff had in store for him. All she could guess, was it was bound to be really intense and a little crazy. Hannah was sort of like a miniature tornado. It was going to be interesting to see how long he could hold her off.
“Okay, that leaves Jake and Teresa, Luke and Mindi and Mark and Jenny.”
Apparently, he was still trying to play matchmaker, because when Zane said the last two names, he had turned around to look at Mark, and missed Jenny’s look of horror.
When Mark grinned, it made Lisa wonder if he had asked Zane to pair him off with Jenny. The guy would use any excuse to warp his arms around her. Jenny was just going to have to face facts. The guy wasn’t going to back off until she married him. Of course, after what she had said this morning, it didn’t sound like it was going to take much longer. He was obviously starting to get to her. Despite her irrational fears of getting into a relationship.
“Everybody knows the rules. Stay far enough apart not to get in each-other’s way. Hannah, you need to fill Jeff in a little better. Okay. James, Luke and Mark, help me get them lined up, please.”
By the time the four wheelers were lined up and ready to go, Hannah had explained the rules to Jeff, but Lisa wasn’t certain, judging by his expression, he had heard a thing she had said. He was staring at her like he was afraid she would break if he breathed on her. He had a lot to learn. Sure, she was tiny, but she was tougher than an old pine knot. She had to be, growing up with as many brothers and sisters as she had. She was nowhere near as fragile as she looked.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Lisa heard Hannah tell him, “Jeff, you’ll have to hang on to me. You’ll fall off otherwise.”
The poor guy looked totally mortified. At first, he just sat there staring at the back of her head. When he did finally lift his hands to wrap his arms around her, he looked like he was in slow motion. He looked like he was afraid he’d snap her in half. Lisa could tell by looking he wasn’t hanging on to her very tight, and Hannah’s expression confirmed it.
After that, Lisa didn’t have time to think about it. It was time for the race to start, and James was already on their four-wheeler and was waiting for her. She crawled on behind him and wrapped her arms tight around his waist. She had clamped her arms down tight enough, he had grunted. He laughed and shook his head. She had made her point. She wouldn’t be falling off the vehicle. A few seconds later she heard Zane holler, “Go.”
It didn’t take long, and Lisa could see that Mindi and Luke were way out ahead. Probably because Luke wasn’t afraid he was going to lose Mindi half way through the race, and he wasn’t taking it easy. Jake wasn’t suffering from fear either. Him and Teresa weren’t far behind Luke and Mindi. The other two four wheelers were somewhere behind James and herself. She knew what was going on with Hannah and Jeff. Mark’s problem was anybody’s guess. Jenny may not have been hanging on to him very well either.
James decided to speed up a little bit, and managed to almost catch up to Jake and Teresa by the time it came time to switch drivers. He had apparently decided she was right, and she was going to be able to hang on to him.
James came to a stop, and jumped off. Once she had scooted forward, he crawled on behind her. He had barely had time to wrap his arms around her and pull her tight against him, before she had taken off. She was determined to at least catch Jake and Teresa. She didn’t figure she had much hope of catching up to Luke and Mindi, but she was going to try.
By the time they got back to the starting point, they had passed Jake and Teresa and almost caught Luke and Mindi. Mark and Jenny came in behind Jake and Teresa. And as soon as Jenny had pulled to a stop and turned the vehicle off, she jumped off it and started for the house. Mark looked like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to laugh or cry.
Jeff and Hannah had finally made it back, and Jeff looked a little dazed. From the look he wore, it was a wonder they had made it back to the house at all. Hannah jumped off with her usual bounce in her step.
“What took so long, Sis? Did you get lost?” Zane asked, trying hard not to laugh.
“He wouldn’t hang on to me tight enough. I was afraid to go very fast. I was concerned I might lose him.” When she turned around and looked at Jeff, she found him trying to look anywhere but at her. But with her next words she managed to get his attention despite himself. “He’s too cute to let him get that pretty face messed up.” His head snapped up and his mouth dropped open. He just stood there staring at her, like he wasn’t sure he believed his own ears.
“Jeff, you look stunned. Did our little tornado scare you?” Lisa asked, unable to help teasing the guy just a little bit.
Jeff turned and looked at Lisa with a really far off expression. “It’s not fear. It’s about the farthest you can get from fear.” He felt like he was about to pass out. He had never met anyone like her before. Tornado was right.
Jeff knew he was being rude, but he couldn’t stop staring at Hannah. She was absolutely perfect. She was an unbelievable mix of adorable and sexy. She was like a little pixie playboy bunny with short, curly brown hair that framed her face. And what a face. She had a perky little nose with bright green eyes that sparkled with mischief and full red pouty lips that he wanted to taste so bad, he was sure his mouth was probably hanging open.
She couldn’t be more than five-foot tall, but you would never mistake her for a child with those curves. Her breasts were definitely more than a handful, and if he didn’t get his mind off her rounded bottom, he was going to give into the urge to carry her off. It wouldn’t be hard. She didn’t look like she weighed much more than a hundred pounds. If that.
She was outrageously out spoken. She just seemed to say whatever came into her head. He really liked the honesty. He found it intriguing rather than rude. It probably came from dating too many girls with devious natures.
Zane had said she was just home for the holidays and that she would be going back to
college in January. All he could think was, Thank God. If he was around her too much, he was sure he’d end up giving into the urge to carry her off. He had fallen in love the second she had stepped up and asked her brother to introduce them. For a guy who normally had extremely good control over his emotions, he was feeling like he was on an out of control train with no brakes.
He was going to have to stay away from her, or he’d be in trouble real fast. These Neanderthal feelings he was having were really strong. His luck was not to be believed. The first time he was actually interested in a woman since Samantha, and there was just no way he could take the chance.
“The only fear I have, is that I might give into the thoughts in my head.” Lisa didn’t think he even realized what he had said. He still had the same dazed look on his face. He was staring at Hannah like he was trying to decide if he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and take off with her, or if he just wanted to have her for lunch. At any rate, the guy was completely lost.
Just then Zane walked back up, and Lisa got a wild notion, and she had a pretty good idea he would go along with her. “Well, Jeff, you’ll get a chance to redeem yourself. The team to come in last on a doubles race, always races in the next doubles race. Maybe you’ll do better next time.”
“You’re telling me, I’m going to get on one of those with the tiny tornado, again?” Now he just sounded frustrated.
Sure enough, Zane went along with her. “Yeah. We’ll run a few single races before we do another doubles, but you’re going to have to race the next race. That’s the tradition. If you lose again, you’ll be in the third one, and so on, and so on. You might want to try and win this time.”
Just then, there was a loud ruckus. There was only one four-wheeler left, and Michael and Hunter were about to come to blows over it. Hannah ran over and jumped right between them, putting a hand on both of their chests. They didn’t seem to really be paying any attention to her. That was, until she started talking to them.
Oh, Baby! (The Townsends Book 2) Page 16