There was a long moment of silence and Jake wondered if Carter considered taking a hike over offering Maddy an explanation.
“Before our relationship became serious I was involved with another woman.”
“What do you mean ‘involved’?”
“A casual affair. A fling. I told this woman from the start that I wasn’t interested in a serious relationship. Then I met you and stopped seeing her.”
Yeah, right.
“She became jealous and threatened to make trouble for us. I thought if we went to Vegas and got married, she’d get it through her head that I didn’t want anything to do with her anymore.”
“So, why did she phone that day in Vegas?”
“To tell me I’d gotten her pregnant.”
Maddy’s gasp went straight to Jake’s heart. Damn, he wished he could take her in his arms right then and ease her pain.
“My God, Jonathon. Why didn’t you say something? Why did you lead me to believe we were still getting married?”
“Because! This other woman means nothing to me. I refused to let her destroy our plans for the future.”
“What future? Jonathon, another woman is having your baby.”
“ Was having my baby.”
Jake held his breath. What the hell was Carter implying?
“Madeline, I flew back to Seattle and confronted the woman. Turns out she lied. She wasn’t pregnant. She was hoping I’d give you up for her.”
“What if she had been pregnant, Jonathon? What would you have done?”
“I’d have taken care of the problem, Madeline. I wasn’t going to allow that woman to destroy my future. Our future.”
“What do you mean, ‘taken care of it’?”
“I would have given her money for an abortion.”
Jake couldn’t see Maddy’s face, but he was sure Carter’s words had shocked her.
“I was going to tell you everything, Madeline. Then you didn’t return to Seattle, and I didn’t know where to find you.”
Jake waited for Maddy to say something, but she remained silent.
“Madeline, I love you. You’re the only woman for me.”
Don’t believe him, honey. He’s lying.
“How do I know you’re sincere?”
C’mon, Maddy. Don’t be fooled by this guy.
“We make a great couple. I understand better than anyone how important your job is to you, and I’d never hold you back from making the most of your career.”
“Is my father aware of this other woman? This mistake of yours?”
“No. No one knows, Madeline. I give you my promise, not a word of this will ever reach anybody’s ears.”
Silence. Loud enough to burst Jake’s eardrums. Then hundreds of tiny voices in his head started shouting at him to storm around the house and plow his fist into Carter’s face before Maddy got sucked in by more lies.
“I don’t know what to say.”
Jake groaned. Say goodbye, Maddy.
“What’s the deal with this cowboy? Is this the friend you told your father you were visiting?”
“Yes.”
“Is there something going on between you two?”
“Maybe.”
Maybe? Jake’s blood pressure soared.
“I can see where you might find a guy like him interesting in bed, but baby, what do you two have to talk about? The stock market? His portfolio? The latest art exhibit? Opera? Symphony? Get real, baby. You have nothing in common. You deserve someone in your own league, Madeline.”
“That’s not fair, Jonathon.”
“Does your father know that you’re shacking up with a cowboy?”
“Don’t be crude. I’m not shacking up with him. I’m working as his daughter’s nanny.”
“Nanny?” Carter’s laughter rumbled through the night air. “Good God, what would your father think? His daughter employed as a nanny.”
“That’s enough, Jonathon.”
“Listen, I’m no saint. If you’re willing to forgive and forget, then I can do the same with Billy the Kid in there.”
Jake’s face burned at the insult.
“Let’s start over, Madeline. I found an apartment down by the water. Remember the flat we looked at in the Historic District before we set the wedding date? Well, I got it. It’s ours now.”
A flat? Jake turned and stared at the back of the house. As far as houses went, his was nothing special. Put it up against an entire floor of a historic building and it didn’t stand a chance.
“Jonathon—”
“Your father’s worried about you.”
Smooth. Real smooth, bastard. Changing the subject when he knew damn well Maddy was going to set him straight.
“Worried? He shouldn’t be. I spoke to him and explained I needed time to think about the future.”
“He’s worried you’ve gone off the deep end. Wouldn’t you be if your daughter suddenly ran off to be a nanny when she’d been making over two hundred thousand dollars a year as an advertising executive?”
Jake shot off the porch step and set a hand against his thumping chest. Maddy made over two hundred thousand a year? Good God. She was rich! He hadn’t made that much in five years training horses.
“It isn’t as if I’ve run off to the ends of the earth.”
“You might as well have. This place is out in the middle of nowhere and it sure as hell isn’t the Ritz-Carlton. C’mon, baby, you’re used to fine dining, executive parties, Nordstrom’s department store.”
Jake hadn’t pegged Maddy as the type to while away a day shopping. She’d looked so fine in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that it never occurred to him she might prefer satins and silks to denim.
“Oh, please. I know there’s more to your showing up here at Jake’s ranch than just wanting a second chance. Lay it on the line, Jonathon. What’s the real reason you’re here?”
The wind stopped blowing. The crickets stopped chirping. Even the owl in the tree by the barn ceased hooting. Jake waited, his body tense, as if Carter’s answer had the power to determine his and Maddy’s future.
“Your father offered me a partnership.”
“Did he say you had to marry me to get the partnership?”
“It was implied. But that’s not why I want to marry. I love you, baby.”
What a bunch of bull.
“My father never mentioned any of this the last time I talked to him.”
“He expected you’d come to your senses before now and return to Seattle on your own. Besides, I think he misses you.”
“Hard to believe my father misses me that much. We’ve lived in the same city all our lives and sometimes we go a month without seeing each other.”
“He isn’t getting any younger, Madeline.”
“He’s not ill, is he?”
Jake held his breath, praying for Maddy’s sake that the old man was as healthy as a thirty-year-old triathlete. Okay. He prayed for his sake, too.
“Not that I know of.”
“I realize my father’s concerned. But he doesn’t always know what’s best for me.”
“And you believe this is best for you? Living in a run-down house in the desert, taking care of a kid who’s not even yours and being a housekeeper for some country hick?”
The hairs on the back of Jake’s neck stood on end and vibrated. He could picture the smug expression on Carter’s face and his fists itched to pummel the guy’s gut.
“I’m needed here.”
Jake’s heart stalled. Oh, darlin’. You have no idea.
“Madeline, I give you my word. If we marry, I swear I’ll be totally committed to you and our marriage.”
Jake rubbed his face, shocked by the sting biting the back of his eyes. He thought of a lifetime commitment to Maddy and couldn’t imagine a better way to spend the rest of his years than being her man.
“I’m not the same girl you dated in Seattle, Jonathon. I’ve changed.” Her soft chuckle filled the air. “I seriously doubt you’d approve o
f the new me.”
“We meant something to each other once. Don’t we deserve a second chance before you throw away our future?”
She didn’t answer. What are you thinking, Maddy?
“Go pack your things. Let me take you home, so your father can see for himself that you’re fine.”
“Jonathon, this is all too sudden.”
“Don’t give up on us, baby.”
Damn, but the guy sounded like a whining kid.
“At least say you’ll think about it. We were together almost a year. That’s something you shouldn’t walk away from without giving it serious consideration.”
Don’t listen to him, Maddy. He didn’t consider anything when he left you high and dry in Vegas.
“I don’t know, Jonathon.”
“You’re being unreasonable, Madeline. You’re not the type of person who would be happy living like this for very long.”
“I can decide for myself what will make me happy.”
“I’m not leaving until you promise me you’ll consider what I’ve said.”
If Maddy couldn’t get Carter to leave, Jake would step in and tell the guy he’d worn out his welcome. And have a hell of a good time doing it.
“All right. Fine. I’ll take into account everything you said. But I’m warning you right now—I made a commitment to watch over Annie until Jake finishes training the horses. I won’t be returning to Seattle until the end of August.”
“But—”
“No, Jonathon. I committed to this and I’m going to see it through.”
“What should I tell your father?”
“I’ll call him tomorrow and explain.”
Jake couldn’t listen anymore. On the verge of being physically ill, he vaulted to the top of the porch and rushed into the house. He headed straight to his office, where he was sure he’d stashed an old bottle of Jack Daniel’s somewhere in one of the desk drawers.
Looked as though he’d be having his talk with the bottle tonight, not Maddy. No need to make a fool of himself and confess his feelings for her, when she planned to run back to that fool Carter at the end of the summer.
Whoa there, buddy. Why the hell are you so miffed that she’s willing to consider getting back together with her ex-fiancé? Shoot, you’d planned to make her leave at the end of the summer, anyway.
Because!
Because he’d lied to himself when he thought he could just get by with telling Maddy he loved her. Because he’d tried to convince himself that letting Maddy go at the end of the summer was best for everyone. Maddy. Him. Annie.
But it wasn’t. For one crazy moment, he’d actually thought happiness might be within his reach.
For one crazy moment, Jake had actually thought of asking Maddy to stay.
Forever.
AS SOON AS the red taillights of Jonathon’s Lexus disappeared over a swell in the dirt-packed road, Madeline marched over to Jake’s truck and shut off the headlights. She stood cloaked in darkness, surrounded by a symphony of cricket chirps, feeling only relief at her exfiancé’s departure.
She’d lied to Jonathon. She had no intention of contemplating a future with him. Any man who would even consider ridding his life of his own child because it interfered with his career plans was someone she wanted nothing to do with.
He must have assumed she was as dense as a pine forest if he believed she would marry him now. He deserved a kick in the pants. Preferably the front of his pants. Jonathon was and always would be a schmuck.
Part of her resented his untimely intrusion, yet part of her felt grateful. Seeing her ex-fiancé again, listening to his voice, feeling his fingers on her skin when he’d clutched her hand, put to rest any lingering feelings she may have unknowingly harbored for him.
Jonathon Carter wasn’t half the man Jake Montgomery was. What she felt for the cowboy was deeper, richer, more enduring than anything she could have hoped to feel for her ex-fiancé. Madeline lifted her face, stared at the stars glittering in the sky and breathed in a lungful of damp, earthy country.
This was where she belonged. In her heart, this was home now. Tonight, she’d do her best to convince Jake that she could be happy here with him.
She headed for the house, smiling at the memory of Jake’s tight jaw and flashing eyes before he’d taken Annie into the house earlier. He’d reminded her of a rottweiler straining at the leash.
Good. She could use all the help she could get when it came to persuading the stubborn man she was everything he needed. Even if that help came in the form of jealousy.
She stepped through the front door, a little disappointed to find the foyer empty. She could have sworn she’d seen his figure in the window earlier. A sudden picture of him upstairs, lying in wait on the bed wearing only his boots, came to her mind. She cupped a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle that bubbled in her throat. Maybe she’d share the fantasy with him later tonight.
She flipped off the foyer light, went upstairs, peeked in on Annie, then padded to Jake’s bedroom. Here, she stood outside the closed door, one hand pressing against the fluttering excitement in her belly, the other raised in the air. She tapped. “Jake?”
No answer. She turned the knob and poked her head around the door. The hall light illuminated the dark room enough for her to see the bed hadn’t been disturbed. If he wasn’t in the house there was only one place he could be—the barn. He was probably grumbling to the horses that his plans for the evening had been rudely interrupted by her ex-fiancé.
She could sympathize with Jake, but the night was still young. And she couldn’t forget that he’d wanted to tell her something. Something she hoped had to do with their future.
She headed out the door and across the yard. She knew just how to tease Jake back into an ardent mood. She’d kiss him. All out. And she would do that little wiggle with her tongue, which always made him groan.
The barn was dim, only one light turned on. She’d expected him to be cleaning stalls or building a new stall. Something that involved a lot of pounding and cussing. “Jake?” she called softly. No answer. Had he taken one of the horses and ridden off in the dark? She didn’t know much about horses, but riding them in the dark couldn’t be safe.
Her gaze slid by every stall, and noted that all the horses were accounted for. Not until her eyes landed on the last stall in the back did she see the stream of light spilling out from under the door of the tack room.
The memory of making love with Jake in that room came back with stunning clarity. Her skin prickled. Her heart raced. Her head hummed. Visions of his body pressing into hers, his breath in her ear, his hand between her thighs, coaxing, seducing, making her beg.
She walked quietly through the barn, careful not to disturb the horses. She wished she looked more presentable, wished she’d taken the time to clean up before coming to him, then she remembered the hose in the tack room and smiled. Maybe they could help wash each other.
She stopped in front of the closed door and took a deep breath. Without announcing her presence, she entered the room. Jake sat on a hay bale, his back to her, shoulders slumped, hands dangling between his thighs.
“Jake?”
His head snapped up, but he didn’t turn and look at her. A good ten seconds passed before he spoke. “Go to bed, Maddy.”
Hmm. Not exactly the loving reception she’d hoped for. Lord, the man was stubborn. She obviously had her work cut out for her if she planned on salvaging the night. One way or another she’d break down his defenses. Right now, she wanted to forget about Jonathon, forget about her father, her job, everything. Everything but Jake.
She crossed the room and set her hands on his shoulders. He stiffened but didn’t pull away. Gently, she massaged the knots in his back. After several minutes, his muscles relaxed, and she leaned forward, rubbing her breasts against his shirt, touching her lips to his temple. She sucked in a quiet breath at the sight of the bottle of liquor dangling from his fingertips. The half-empty bottle of booze.
&n
bsp; “Are you drunk, Jake?”
“I’m trying, Maddy. Damn, but I’m trying.”
She tamped down the urge to yell in frustration. Instead, she moved in front of him and knelt at his feet. “What do you mean you’re trying, cowboy? I thought we had plans to…to—”
“Screw?”
She swallowed a gasp at his crude remark. If he were any other man he’d have blown off Jonathon’s unexpected visit. But Jake wasn’t just any man. He was a cowboy. A breed of men who lived their lives by a set of values and a code of honor as old as the West. She had a feeling it would take some doing to prove to Jake she was really over Jonathon.
He swayed as he tipped the bottle to his lips.
Her eyes narrowed. “You are drunk.”
He wiped his hand across his chin, where a drop of amber liquid clung. “I wish.”
She snatched the bottle from his grasp.
“Hey, give that back.”
She dumped the remaining whiskey down the drain of the tack-room sink, then tossed the bottle into the garbage bucket.
He popped off the hay bale like a jack-in-the-box and moved toward her. Rather, swayed toward her. “You got a lot of nerve, woman. Coming in here and disturbing a man when he’s feeling sorry for himself.”
She retreated a step, but the sink got in her way.
He glowered over her, his eyes hot with anger.
If he thought he could intimidate her, he had another thing coming. She poked a finger in his chest. “Don’t you dare take that tone with me, Jake Montgomery. We had a date to make love tonight, and you’re standing me up. I want to know why.”
His eyes slammed shut, then a moment later he shook his head and crushed her to him.
Madeline could feel the desperation pouring off his body as he rocked her in his arms. There was something final about the way he held her. Fear made her lungs burn. She wiggled against his hold, but his arms were like steel bands around her rib cage. “You’re scaring me, Jake.”
He bent his head, nuzzling her neck with his nose, nibbling the underside of her chin, dipping the tip of his tongue into her ear. Her knees collapsed, and she clutched his upper arms to steady herself. Her head lolled back as his hands cupped her face and he sprinkled tender kisses across her forehead, the bridge of her nose, her cheeks, chin and eyelids.
The Cowboy and the Bride Page 18