“Good idea,” Brett agreed, “but it won’t happen around town very soon. Everyone was talking about it.”
Janie groaned. She’d never want to venture into town again.
“I think it’s sweet that he’s so jealous just because another man wanted to talk to you,” Megan said.
“I’d be just as jealous, Meggie,” Chad assured her with a growl.
“Good.” Megan patted his cheek, and he leaned over to kiss her temple.
Janie turned away with a stack of dishes. Megan was right. She should appreciate Pete’s…interest. But she would’ve traded that possessiveness in a minute for just one caress given with love.
Pete arrived at the sink beside her. “Sure you’re up to this? I can handle the dishes if you’re too tired.”
“No, thank you. I had a long nap today.”
Polite. They were being exceptionally polite around each other tonight, as if they were strangers.
“Okay. I’ll wash and you dry.”
He handed her a dish towel, and Janie took a step back. When she got too close to him, she had to fight a ridiculous urge to throw herself at him.
Distracted, she began running water in the sink.
“I’ll wash,” Pete repeated. “There’s no point in you getting dishpan hands.” Without warning, he put his hands on her waist and shifted her over.
The warmth of his touch was wonderful but all too brief. She really was going to have to get her hormones under control.
They completed the dishes with only occasional words exchanged, all surface, all polite.
Pete invited her to come watch a special on television afterward, but she refused. She couldn’t take more close contact with him without losing control completely.
Going upstairs, she ran some hot water in the tub and added bath bubbles. After the difficult day she’d had, she needed some soothing.
She would’ve preferred Pete’s hands to do that job, but she couldn’t ask him. He was treating her like a stranger, someone he didn’t know. Not like his lover.
Of course, she wasn’t.
But she wanted to be again.
By the time the water had cooled, she was sleepy. Changing into her pajamas, she slipped under the covers, ready to go to sleep.
A knock on the bathroom door did away with all that relaxation. “Yes?”
“It’s Pete. May I come in?”
“Of course.” She pulled the covers to her chin.
“You’re really going to sleep?”
“Why, yes.”
“Oh. I bought you something today while I was in town.”
“I know. Megan told me. The cellular phone. I appreciate it, Pete, but I don’t think I need it tonight.”
“No. I mean, yes, I bought you the phone, but I bought you something else, too.”
Curiosity filled her. “What?”
“I noticed you were reading Dick Francis. When we were in the bookstore today, I saw his latest in hardback and I bought it for you.” He pulled his hand from behind his back and held out the book to her.
Janie’s eyes filled. Drat the tears! She never cried, but right now she was so moved by his kindness. “Thank you, Pete. I’ll enjoy reading it. That was very thoughtful of you.”
He brought the book over to her. “I’ll leave it here by your bed. I didn’t realize I’d need it, but I guess it’s kind of an apology for, you know, hitting Bryan.”
“It’s all right. He probably deserved it.”
Pete seemed surprised by her words, but she’d long forgiven his actions this afternoon.
“Thanks. Then—then I guess I’ll say good-night.”
He bent down and kissed her brow. Janie, expecting a real kiss, like this morning’s, found herself empty and unfulfilled as he left her room, closing the door behind him.
Now he was really being too polite.
But she couldn’t blame him. The fault was her own. He was only complying with her request. His promise to renegotiate their agreement after the babies were born had made her believe he still wanted her. Now she wasn’t so sure.
Had her refusal to let their marriage be a real one killed even his desire for her?
He was such a special man. His thoughtfulness proved that. And no matter how staunchly she tried to deny it, she loved him. In fact, she always had.
What was she going to do now? Seduce him? Tell him she’d changed her mind? Send out an invitation to her bed? Move back into his bed?
She fell asleep debating her alternatives.
THE REST OF THE FAMILY sat in the television room, watching a special. During advertisements, Megan told Chad about the baby cribs she and Janie had found that morning.
“They’re the only matched pair in town, so it was nice that Janie liked them. I hope she and Pete buy them before one is sold.”
Jake, sitting nearby, leaned forward. “Did you see them?”
“Oh, yes, we studied them for half an hour. Janie fell in love with them, and I did, too. She said when—I mean, if—Chad and I have a baby, we’d be able to use them, too.”
Jake grinned. “That’s right. Start a family tradition with special baby cribs. Where are they?”
“McAnally’s. We looked at sheets and bumper pads, but the ones Janie liked have to be ordered.”
“Did she place an order?” Jake asked.
“Well, no, she wanted to wait until Pete had a chance to look at them,” Megan explained.
“Would you have time to go into town tomorrow afternoon with me? I’d like to buy that stuff as a surprise for them,” Jake said. Looking at his two younger brothers and Red, he added, “A surprise. Got that, guys?”
With big grins, the others nodded their compliance.
THE NEXT MORNING, after breakfast, Janie called her mother. During their conversation, Janie realized what she needed to do. She would return to her parents’ each morning and do half a day’s work on her father’s computer, keeping his paperwork up-to-date.
At least until the babies were born. Or until she got too big to get behind the steering wheel of her car.
Excitement filled her at the promise of having some direction to her days. She put in a load of laundry, as she had yesterday, and returned to their rooms to tidy up.
And, as she’d decided last night, there was one other chore she had to do.
When she left the house an hour later, she warned Red she wouldn’t be there for lunch.
“Again? Does that mean Pete will lose another afternoon of work?” Red asked.
“No. I’ll be eating at home with my mom and dad. Pete knows I’ll be okay there. Then I’ll come back here after lunch and take my nap. I’m a lady of leisure, you know,” she added, grinning.
“Yeah. Right,” Red snorted in derision. “That’s why you’ve already started the laundry, isn’t it?”
“Just trying to be helpful,” Janie said with a smile, and kissed his cheek. “See you later.”
PETE MISSED JANIE at lunch. But, as she had foreseen, he couldn’t complain about her visiting her family. At least Red assured him she’d taken the cellular phone with her.
After eating, he paused to call the Dawsons. Lavinia answered the phone.
“Lavinia, it’s Pete. Is Janie there?”
“Yes, she is, Pete. Just a moment.”
“I’m not checking on you,” he said immediately when Janie came to the phone. “I just wanted to be sure you were feeling all right.”
“I’m fine, Pete.”
“Well, I didn’t see you this morning,” he said, lowering his voice, hoping his family wouldn’t hear. “So I thought…”
“Everything’s fine except that I’m expanding at a rapid rate. I had a hard time fastening my jeans this morning. You’ll think I’m fat.”
Pete didn’t need any advice on how to respond to her complaint. From his heart, he said, “No, I’ll think you’re beautiful, just like I do now.”
When only silence was her answer, he thought he’d upset her again.
> Then very quietly she said, “Thank you, Pete.”
“Janie? You’re not crying, are you?”
“No. But we need to t-talk.”
His heart contracted with fear. Had she changed her mind about being married to him? Was she going to stay at her parents’ house? “Do you want me to come over now?” he asked gruffly, trying to hide the panic he was feeling.
“No! No, I’ll be home in a little while. We can talk this evening. It’s nothing urgent.”
Nothing urgent. What did that mean? After telling her goodbye, he hung up the phone and stood there, staring into space.
“Pete?” Jake called to him.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going into town for a while. Take charge, okay?”
“Sure. Is there anything I can do for you? Why do you need to go into town today?”
He was surprised when Jake avoided his gaze.
“Just something I need to take care of.”
The last time Jake had acted so suspicious, he’d been trying to find wives for them all. “You going into town to find a wife for Brett?” Pete teased, hoping to lighten his own spirits.
“Hey!” Brett protested. “I’m happy being single. At least I don’t have to go around punching anybody’s lights out.”
“Your time will come, little brother,” Jake warned him with a grin, but he didn’t give Pete any further explanation for his trip to town.
When Pete got back to the house about dark, he was tired, but he was pretty sure his lack of energy stemmed from the mental exercises he wrestled with all afternoon. What did Janie want to talk about?
When he opened the back door, he was relieved to see her in the kitchen. If nothing else, she’d come back this time.
With a sigh, he crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her. He couldn’t risk a kiss that might destroy what little control he had, so he gave her a peck on the cheek.
“Hi. How was your visit with your parents?”
“Fine,” she returned, but Pete noticed she didn’t look at him as she stepped from his embrace. “I’m going to go over every morning and do some paperwork for my dad. He’s going to continue to pay me a salary, too.”
“You don’t need a salary!” Pete protested. “I’m getting you a checkbook for my account.”
“I like to feel that I’m contributing, and no one will let me do anything around here.”
“You’re doing laundry,” Red called out from the pantry, “and helping out in the kitchen.”
“And I appreciate your letting me help, Red. It makes me feel a part of—of the family,” Janie said, smiling at Pete.
Like a flash of lightning in a summer storm, Janie’s words suddenly illuminated a problem, and Pete realized he’d made a big mistake. In his attempts to care for her, Pete had shut her out. Or at least it seemed that’s how it appeared to her. Frowning, he scrambled for ways to involve Janie in his life.
“Are you good at the computer?”
Over her shoulder as she carried silverware to the table, she said coolly, “Very good. Why?”
“Reckon you could teach me?”
That question stopped her in her tracks. She spun around to stare at him. “Are you serious?”
He licked his dry lips, anxious for her response. “Yeah. Brett says I’m helpless, but I thought maybe you’d be a better teacher.”
She smiled at him with real warmth, and he felt it all the way to his toes. Janie had to be the only woman who could turn him on talking about computers. But then, she could turn him on anywhere, anytime.
“I’d love to teach you. Do you have your own computer?”
“Nope. Just the one in the office Brett uses. But if you know what to buy, we can go get whatever we need.”
Jake, having entered the kitchen in time to hear part of Pete’s response, said, “What are we buying now? This family is turning into shopaholics.”
Pete remembered that Jake had gone into town. “Was that what you were doing today?”
Jake smiled but didn’t answer as the rest of the family trooped in. “What were you talking about buying?”
“A new computer,” Pete said.
Brett, sitting down at the table, groaned. “Come on, Pete, you don’t need a computer. You don’t even know how to turn one on.”
“Janie’s going to teach me.”
Brett turned to Janie. “You have no idea what a gargantuan task that’s going to be.”
“Pete will do just fine,” Janie assured her brotherin-law and then smiled at Pete.
Pete vowed to stay up nights studying if it pleased Janie. If learning computers made her feel more a part of their family, then he’d learn computers. If computers kept her there, a part of his life, then he’d build one from scratch. Whatever it took.
“So where will you put the computer?” Jake asked, frowning. “Not in the babies’ room.”
“No, of course not,” Janie said calmly. “If necessary, we can put it in our bedroom.”
Pete liked the sound of that, our bedroom. He only wished it were true.
“There’s a small room, not much bigger than a bathroom, just down the hall from your bedroom. We’ve been using it for storage, haven’t we, Red?” Jake asked.
“Yep. Lots of stuff that needs to be thrown out.”
“We’ll convert it into an office for the two of you,” Jake offered. “After all, with Pete’s venture with the rodeos, I imagine you’ll have a lot of records and files.”
“Yeah. More than I can deal with,” Pete agreed, thinking about the fat files of papers he had stacked in a corner in Jake’s office.
“We’ll take care of that, thanks, Jake,” Janie said. Then she launched into a discussion of computers and computer programs with Brett with more animation than Pete had seen since their marriage.
He relaxed a little. Maybe they were going to make it after all. If he made Janie happy, she might agree to stay with him. Him and the babies.
After dinner, before anyone could leave the table, Jake cleared his throat. “Pete and Janie, I want to explain why I went to town today.”
Janie looked puzzled, but Pete felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. What was going on?
“Megan said you found the cribs you wanted yesterday, Janie, and we bought them today for you. I was afraid if we waited, they might sell one of them.”
Janie’s face lit up. “Oh, thank you, Jake. That’s so thoughtful of you. Pete, you don’t mind, do you?”
“No, of course not. I should’ve—I didn’t realize we’d need to buy that stuff so early.”
“We don’t, but it will be fun to begin putting together our nursery,” she assured him, beaming.
Whatever made her happy.
“Great. So, let’s all go to the Randall nursery and put these suckers together,” Jake ordered, and rose from the table, followed by the rest of the family.
They were going to the nursery! His family was going to the nursery that was Janie’s bedroom. They were about to discover the truth about his marriage.
Pete stared at Janie, panic filling him.
She smiled back serenely.
Chapter Fourteen
“No!” Pete said, jumping to his feet.
“Why not?” Jake asked, pausing on his way to the door, the rest of the family following.
“Uh, you must have lots to do. There’s no rush. I can put them together some other time.”
“But I’d love to see them put together tonight, Pete, if you don’t mind,” Janie said, moving over to touch his arm.
Damn. He’d promised himself he’d do whatever made her happy. He shrugged his shoulders and muttered, “Okay.” He was about to be humiliated before his brothers. He only hoped Janie appreciated the sacrifice.
He received a small reward. Janie leaned against him and lightly brushed her lips against his, then took his hand and led him up the stairs behind the others.
The sweetness of her gestures almost made him forget what was about to happen. Almos
t. But he’d have difficulty facing his brothers once they discovered that his wife wouldn’t even share the same room with him. He thought about heading out to the barn instead of their rooms, but he couldn’t do that to Janie.
“Uh, the rooms may be a little messy. Janie—”
“I straightened everything this afternoon,” she promised, interrupting him. “Our bedroom isn’t too messy.”
Our bedroom. There was that phrase again. And she squeezed his hand.
“We don’t even need to go in there,” Jake assured him. “Just the babies’ room. And since they haven’t arrived yet, it shouldn’t be too big a mess.”
Pete weakly returned his brother’s grin.
“I hope you like the cribs, Pete,” Janie said beside him. “They’re all white, but I thought we’d put sheets and bumper pads with a circus theme. And we could get that lady who lives near Rawhide to come out and do a mural on the wall.”
“That would be so cute, wouldn’t it, Pete?” Megan said.
“Yeah, cute.” If Janie wanted a mural, he’d agree to every wall in the house being painted. But right now his insides were quivering as Jake opened the door to the nursery.
Several big boxes rested against one wall.
“We brought these up earlier while Janie was taking a nap,” Jake explained, crossing the room.
Pete was several steps into the room, his eyes searching for anything that would betray their secret, when he realized what Jake had said. While Janie was taking her nap. Why hadn’t Jake seen her on the daybed? He turned to look at Janie.
“You must’ve been quiet as can be…or I was sleeping like a log, because I never heard a thing.”
Feeling befuddled, it took Pete a minute to realize that Janie must’ve been sleeping in the bedroom. Our bedroom. He stared at her. Why? Did she always take her naps in there while he was at work? He’d gotten the impression she was never going to darken the door to that room again.
She smiled at him as if nothing of significance had happened and crossed the room to watch his brothers start taking the cribs from the boxes.
“I figure if we divide up into two teams, we’ll have these put together in no time,” Jake said.
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