A Home for Adam

by Gina Ferris Wilkins

  She didn’t answer. Truth was, she did expect just that.

  With a sigh of resignation, she followed after him, reminding herself that Adam had, after all, arranged this examination for her.

  She supposed she should be grateful.

  Chapter Nine

  By the end of the day, Jenny had to admit that Adam’s brisk efficiency amazed even her. She’d never seen anything like it. He seemed to accomplish tasks almost by simply wishing them done.

  It was no wonder he’d gotten just a little arrogant about his own competence.

  His pediatrician friend—whom Jenny liked immediately—pronounced Melissa healthy, if a bit small, and utterly beautiful. He took his time with the examination, answered all Jenny’s questions to her satisfaction, conferred politely with Adam without leaving Jenny out of the conversation, and saw her off with some helpful advice and reassurances that Melissa would be just fine.

  Jenny felt as though an enormous load had just been lifted from her shoulders.

  Adam bought her lunch at a small, excellent restaurant in Hot Springs. Melissa slept in her infant seat on a spare chair, receiving plenty of admiring attention from the wait staff and the other diners.

  Adam proved that he could be a charming lunch companion. Still glowing from the pediatrician’s encouraging words, Jenny thoroughly enjoyed the meal. They’d been fortunate to have had a gas stove and a pantry full of supplies at the cabin, she told Adam, but it was nice to eat food that hadn’t come out of cans.

  He agreed heartily. “Would you like dessert?”

  She shook her head. “I couldn’t eat another bite. Besides,” she added ruefully, “I still have several extra pounds to lose.”

  “You don’t look it,” he said, glancing down at the oversize sweater she wore over knit slacks. “But there’s probably not time for dessert, anyway. You have a one-thirty appointment with Dr. Cooper.”

  “Dr. Cooper?” This was the first time Jenny had heard the name. “Who is that?”

  “Dolores Cooper. One of the best gynecologists in the mid-South. You’ll like her, I’m sure.”

  “You made me an appointment with a gynecologist?” Jenny asked in disbelief.

  “Yes. I’m reasonably certain that you’re in good health, but I’ll feel better after you’ve had a checkup. I’ll sit with the baby while you’re in the exam room.”

  “Adam, shouldn’t you at least have consulted me about this?” Jenny asked in exasperation.

  He looked surprised that she’d even mention it. “Surely you expected this. You have to take care of yourself as well as your child, Jenny. How can you care for her if you neglect your own health?”

  She bit her lip. She knew he was right—as always—but she still wished he’d given her the courtesy of discussing his plans with her. “I just think you should have talked to me about it first,” she said.

  He looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. “You’re right. I should have. I’m sorry, I was trying to help.”

  Jenny swallowed a slight gasp of surprise. Adam was admitting he made a mistake—no matter how minor? And he was apologizing.

  Something told her he didn’t do either very often.

  Dr. Cooper—who, as Adam had promised, seemed to be an excellent gynecologist—gave Jenny a thorough examination, suggested a diet and exercise program to follow for the next few months and told her what to expect by way of her recovery. All in all, she assured Jenny—and Adam, who seemed determined to find out for himself—that Jenny appeared to be in good health for a woman who’d just given birth under very primitive conditions.

  “Now what?” Jenny asked when she, Melissa and Adam were back in Cody’s Jeep. “Have you made me an appointment at a beauty parlor?”

  “Very funny,” Adam said, but she could tell she didn’t have his full attention.

  He must be preoccupied planning the rest of my day, Jenny thought with a sigh, lapsing into silence.

  * * *

  By late afternoon, the roads had cleared considerably. The skies were blue, the temperatures almost balmy, compared to the past week. The locals were emerging from their homes, relieved that the atypical winter weather seemed to have passed.

  Jenny was startled to see Adam’s Jaguar parked in the driveway of his grandmother’s house when she and Adam returned in Cody’s Jeep. “Isn’t that your car? How did it get here?”

  He shrugged. “I made some arrangements. By the way, your car should be in a shop by now. I had it towed. We should have an estimate on repairs by tomorrow or the next day.”

  Her jaw dropped. “How did you manage that so quickly? With the condition the roads are in, and the horrible weather we’ve had lately, there must have been long waiting lists for wrecker service and repair shops!”

  “I have a few connections,” he said, turning off the Jeep’s engine. “Be careful getting out, in case there are any more slippery spots. Grab the diaper bag—I’ll take Melissa in.”

  “But I—”

  But Adam had already gotten out of the vehicle.

  Jenny buried her face in her hands in exasperation.

  When they entered the house, they found Cody’s feet sticking out from beneath the kitchen sink, while ominous clanging sounds filled the kitchen. Cody, it seemed, was fixing a small leak in one of the pipes, to Adam’s apparent consternation.

  Adam immediately knelt to offer his cousin plumbing advice, which set off a good-natured squabble when Cody pointed out that Adam probably hadn’t held a wrench in his entire adult life.

  Ignoring her grandsons’ banter, Granny Fran welcomed Jenny with a warm smile and a barrage of anxious questions. “Did everyone check out all right? How’s Melissa? What did Dr. Cooper say about you, Jenny?”

  “You knew about Dr. Cooper?” Jenny asked.

  “Of course. Adam mentioned last night that he’d called her. She’s a lovely woman, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, she’s very nice,” Jenny replied absently, giving Adam a reproving frown. He’d remembered to tell his grandmother about the appointment he’d made Jenny, but he hadn’t thought to tell her?

  “And everything checked out all right?” Granny Fran repeated.

  “Melissa and I are both fine,” Jenny assured the older woman. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Oh, that’s good news. I was sure everything was fine, of course. After all, Adam was taking care of you. But it’s nice to have official confirmation.”

  Jenny managed a smile. “Thank you for being concerned. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Melissa’s getting hungry again. I’ll take her to the guest room.”

  Adam glanced over his shoulder. “Need any help?”

  “I think I can manage this on my own,” she answered dryly, cradling the fussing baby in her arms.

  He nodded and turned back to Cody. “You’re turning that the wrong way,” he said.

  “I can handle it, Adam. Back off,” Cody replied cheerfully.

  Jenny took advantage of the opportunity to make her escape.

  She really needed to be alone for a while, she thought wearily. Adam was an exhausting man to spend a day with.

  “She looks tired,” she heard Granny Fran say behind her. And then she added in a stern voice, “Adam, have you been steamrolling her again?”

  “Of course not,” Adam protested. “I just—”

  Jenny didn’t linger to hear the rest of his logical explanation.

  * * *

  Half an hour later, Jenny sat on the bed in the guest room, rocking her upper body and softly singing a lullaby. Melissa lay drowsily in her arms, replete from nursing, her tiny dark eyes focused on her mother’s face.

  Jenny had never been more utterly content.

  A quiet tap on the bedroom door interrupted the idyllic interlude. She lifted her head. “Come in.”

  She wasn’t surprised when Adam opened the door and looked in. “Have you finished nursing her?”

  “Yes. Come on in.”

  Adam studied the baby as he a
pproached the bed. “She looks content,” he said with a smile. “She seems to have recovered nicely from her first outing.”

  “I think she enjoyed it,” Jenny agreed. “She loves attention, doesn’t she?”

  Adam’s smile deepened. “We’ve spoiled her already.” He didn’t seem to notice how naturally he said “we.”

  Jenny noticed.

  Without asking permission, Adam sat beside her on the edge of the bed, his thigh only inches from Jenny’s. He stroked Melissa’s curls and spoke a few nonsense words to the baby, and Jenny watched him surreptitiously, wondering how he could talk gibberish and look so dignified at the same time.

  He looked up suddenly and their eyes met. Jenny resisted an impulse to quickly look away.

  “We need to talk,” Adam said.

  She knew what he wanted to talk about. He’d been remarkably patient about giving her time to consider his job offer, but it was obviously time for her to make a decision.

  They couldn’t continue in this limbo much longer.

  “You want an answer,” she said.

  “We really should get this settled,” he agreed.

  Jenny took a deep breath. She’d spent so many hours worrying about this, trying to decide whether she’d be making a terrible mistake accepting his offer. On the one hand, it seemed ideal. A place to live, a safe environment for Melissa, a job that provided benefits and allowed her to be with her child.

  Jenny didn’t worry about the responsibilities of the job; she was certainly capable of cooking and cleaning and marketing. She did worry about moving in with Adam Stone, even if only as his employee.

  Even if she ignored the tug of unwanted attraction she’d felt for him from the beginning—and that was hard enough to manage—there were still so many other potential problems. His annoying tendencies to take over her life, for example.

  She didn’t need anyone making decisions for her, especially when it came to her child. And she didn’t like to think that he was offering this position because he felt responsible for her—or worse, because he pitied her.

  “If I accept,” she said, steadily holding his gaze, “there are certain conditions I want to make clear.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “What conditions?”

  “First—are you absolutely sure you need a housekeeper? I refuse to accept charity—from you, or from anyone.”

  “We’ve talked about this before,” he reminded her. “I need a housekeeper. Granny Fran can verify that Mrs. Handy was with me for several years before she retired.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I just wanted to hear it again.”

  “Fine. You’ve heard it. Now what?”

  “I don’t want you taking over my life,” she said bravely. “I don’t want you making any more doctor appointments for me, or for the baby. When my car needs repairs, I’ll call a mechanic. I’m an adult, Adam, not a child, and I don’t need a caretaker. If I accept your offer, the only instructions I will accept are those that you give as my employer. My personal life is strictly that. Clear?”

  He was frowning, but he nodded curtly. “Clear. What else?”

  “It won’t be a permanent arrangement. It’s only until I get back on my feet and you find another housekeeper. As you asked, I’ll give notice when I’m ready to move on, but I don’t want you trying to stop me when I decide the time is right.”

  “What else?” he asked.

  She noted that he hadn’t exactly agreed. She supposed she could assume that he accepted her terms.

  “While I’m under your employ, I want you to treat me exactly the same way you treated Mrs. Handy,” she continued. “I don’t expect to take meals with you or socialize with your friends and family. No special favors. I’ll be your housekeeper, nothing more.”

  “As it happens, Mrs. Handy and I often shared meals—when I was home to eat them,” Adam said silkily. “We enjoyed conversing over dinner. Does that surprise you?”

  “No, of course not,” she replied. Though, of course, it did.

  She wouldn’t have thought Adam was the type of man who would enjoy a quiet dinner with the household help.

  “What else?” Adam prodded.

  She bit her lip and tried to remember any other concerns. “That’s all—I guess. Unless something else occurs to me later, of course.”

  “Why do I get the feeling that I’m the one being interviewed for this position?” Adam grumbled, as though to himself. And then he shook his head and lifted an eyebrow. “Well? Are you accepting or not?”

  Jenny took a deep breath. “I’m accepting.”

  He looked pleased. “Fine. We’ll leave first thing in the morning. Granny Fran wants us to spend one more night with her before we move on.”

  “When are you expected back at work?” she asked curiously.

  “I’d planned to spend the rest of this week at the cabin,” he admitted.

  “I’m sorry I ruined your vacation for you,” Jenny said, with genuine regret.

  He made a face. “I wouldn’t have lasted the week, anyway. I was already getting bored when you showed up. As far as I’m concerned, you and Melissa were the high point of my leave.”

  Touched, Jenny smiled at him. “That’s a nice thing to say.”

  “I can be nice on occasion,” he reminded her.

  “I know. When you remember to be.”

  He chuckled, patted Melissa’s head again and stood. “It’s all settled, then. You won’t regret this, Jenny.”

  Jenny remained silent. She truly hoped he was right.

  “Granny Fran said to tell you to feel free to take a nap, if you want. She’ll have dinner ready at around six.”

  “Shouldn’t I offer to help her?”

  He shook his head. “She loves this. Besides, Cody and I can give her a hand if she needs help. Get some rest. I’m sure you’re tired.”

  As a matter of fact, she was, though she was reluctant to admit that he was right—again. She settled for a nod.

  Standing by the bed, Adam hesitated, then startled her by gently touching her cheek, reminding her of the way he’d touched Melissa. “I’m glad you accepted my offer,” he said. “I think this is going to work out very well. For both of us.”

  He left her then, closing the bedroom door behind him.

  Jenny looked dazedly down at her now-sleeping baby. Several long minutes passed before she realized that she was holding one hand against her own cheek.

  Funny. Her skin still felt warm where Adam had touched her.

  * * *

  They left Granny Fran’s right after breakfast the following morning. Since Adam’s Jaguar wouldn’t hold all the luggage and baby things, Cody piled the excess in his Jeep, intending to follow them to Adam’s house in Little Rock. Both Cody and Granny Fran had seemed pleased, but not particularly surprised, that Jenny had accepted Adam’s job offer.

  “I’m glad we’ll be seeing each other again,” Granny Fran told her as they prepared to leave.

  Jenny smiled. “So am I.” She had grown amazingly fond of Adam’s grandmother during the past two days.

  “Now, remember, don’t let Adam push you around. If he gets out of hand, you just give me a call. I’ll take him down a peg or two for you.”

  Cody chuckled in response to his grandmother’s advice to Jenny. “She’s probably the only one who can take Adam down a peg or two,” he added. “Unfortunately it’s always been only temporary.”

  “I’m surrounded by critics,” Adam grumbled. “You ready to go, Jenny?”

  She nodded and cradled the bundled-up baby closer to her heart.

  It was surprisingly hard to leave this cozy little house where she’d been welcomed so sweetly. She wasn’t afraid of what awaited her, she assured herself bravely.

  She was only a bit nervous.

  Granny Fran brushed a soft kiss against Melissa’s cheek. “Goodbye, my angel,” she said in a crooning manner. “I’ll see you again soon.”

  And then she rose to kiss Jenny’s cheek, almost as
tenderly as she had the baby’s. “Take good care of yourself, dear. Please don’t hesitate to call me if there’s anything I can do for you.”

  Jenny felt her eyes sting. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been embraced with more honest affection. “Thank you, Granny Fran,” she said shyly, using the nickname for the first time. “For everything.”

  Adam kissed his grandmother, spent five minutes or so admonishing her about her health and her safety and finally allowed her to shoo him away. He and Jenny walked out while Cody was still bidding his grandmother a devoted farewell.

  * * *

  “You’ve been very quiet,” Adam observed half an hour later, just a little over halfway to his house. “Are you tired?”

  Jenny had been looking over the back of the seat to make sure Melissa was sleeping peacefully in her snug, rear-facing safety seat. In response to Adam’s question, she turned back around. “No, I’m not tired. I’ve had plenty of rest the past few days.”

  “Is something bothering you? Would you like to talk about it?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing’s bothering me,” she assured him. “I just haven’t had anything to say.”

  Adam searched her face briefly, then looked back at the road ahead. He knew she hadn’t been entirely truthful with him. It was obvious that something was bothering Jenny. He suspected she was nervous about arriving at his house. Moving in with him, actually.

  He certainly couldn’t blame her for that.

  Despite the perfectly respectable circumstances, it was hard for him to remember that Jenny would be staying with him strictly as domestic help. It still stung a bit to remember how brutally clear she’d made it that she didn’t want anything more from him.

  Yet something told him it wasn’t going to be easy for him to view her the same way he had the stern, portly Mrs. Handy.

  Not that she wouldn’t be perfectly safe with him, of course. Adam had no intention of allowing his feelings to grow into more than the mild affection he’d developed for her during the past few days.

  Okay, so he was crazy about her kid. That was only normal. Nearly everyone liked babies.

  And, sure, he found Jenny attractive. He wasn’t blind. Any fool could see that she was gorgeous.