“I’m sorry,” she whispered again as she stared at his back. As much as she was sure she’d made the only decision she could, this never should have gone this far. He reached a part of her no one ever had.
“I, I need a second.”
“I feel really, really stupid right now,” Hannah said, drawing her knees up to her chest and wishing the couch would swallow her whole. She wrapped her arms more tightly around herself, wishing she’d found her shirt. Jackson leaned down and picked up his shirt, then gently drew it over her head. She pulled her arms through, inhaling his scent, feeling the soft cotton envelop her like a blanket. The firelight cast a warm hue over his muscular physique, making him appear more powerful, more beautiful than she ever thought a man could be.
“You’re okay?”
Hannah nodded, unable to speak past the cowardly lump in her throat. Explain to him why. Tell him you want nothing more than to let go of the past and spend tonight in his arms…tell him you want him to be the first man to touch you and hold you and love you. Hannah stared at Jackson, her thoughts screaming through her mind, but nothing came out of her mouth. Jackson’s jaw clenched, almost as though he sensed her battle. But still she couldn’t open her mouth.
“Goodnight then,” he said and turned away slowly. He gave her more than enough time to call after him. More than enough time to admit she made a mistake.
…
Jackson stared at the ceiling. It had been an hour since he left Hannah in the living room. Right now he felt more like punching his fist through the window and braving the storm outside than trying figure out the woman across the hall from him. He was mad at himself for even giving in and allowing himself to touch her and kiss her. In just a few hours he’d gone from shaking with rage at her high-handed speech, to the humbling realization that she was correct, to gut-wrenching fear that she was lost in a blizzard, to inexplicable gratitude and relief when he found her, to the height of a desire that he’d never felt with anyone, to being completely left out in the cold. He’d thought there was some kind of connection that they were sharing more than a physical encounter. And then she’d ended it.
Jackson rubbed his eyes with the back of his palm. Sleep would be a futile endeavor tonight. A part of him wanted to ask her what was wrong. When they were in the kitchen she’d whispered that she knew what it was like to be alone, that she had always been alone. Why? Where was her family? He played back all of their conversations in his head and he couldn’t remember one in which Hannah mentioned her family.
And then there was Emily, and the royal putdown he’d received when he told Hannah his plan. He could smile about it now. She was right. How could he willingly let his niece live in foster care when he was more than able to provide her with a home?
His thoughts ran back to their argument before he stormed out of the house. He remembered the exact look in her eyes, the anger in her face as she yelled at him. Jackson sat up in bed as the realization that Hannah had spoken about herself dawned on him. It all made sense. Her fear of him. Her career choice. And tonight’s sudden withdrawal. He didn’t know the details but his gut told him he was right, and for once he wished he wasn’t. The urge to track down everyone who’d ever hurt her gripped him. He wanted to protect her. And he hadn’t felt the need to protect anyone in a long, long time.
He was going to go face his past and future. He was going to try and reclaim a little of the person he had been when his mother was alive. He was going to be the uncle Emily needed him to be.
But he wasn’t going to do it without Hannah.
Chapter Eight
Hannah hadn’t felt this low in a long, long time. It was just like when she was a child, when she thought there was someone to save her, there would be a complication to ruin it, and it broke her heart to see the same happen to Emily.
She zipped up her bag as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake the baby yet. She’d get the car loaded up and then come back in for Emily. The less time either of them had to spend with Jackson this morning, the better. She had failed Em and she had failed Louise. Her instincts had been wrong about Jackson. She’d let her attraction for him cloud her judgment—she had never made so many mistakes at once.
Hannah walked down the hall, patting Charlie when he trotted over to her. She didn’t want to see Jackson. She had no idea how she could look him in the eyes and be able to hide her disappointment. She wouldn’t cry when he said goodbye to his niece today, to her. She’d wait until she was in the car, safely away from the cabin.
She walked into the great room, her heart and feet stopping. Jackson was standing next to the unlit hearth, his eyes on hers, his lips set in a narrow line. Her eyes went from his handsome face to the bag beside his feet. She stared at him, not daring to ask what she hoped more than anything in the world.
“I’m going to adopt her.” His voice broke the silence in the room. His eyes held hers and everything inside her went still. She bit her lip, trying desperately to hold on to her emotions. She didn’t want to believe, couldn’t. His image turned blurry. Those were the words she’d prayed for as a child in foster care. They were the words that would have saved her. She had spared Emily and kept her promise to Louise. Relief and gratitude tore through her. Her bag slipped off her shoulder, falling to the ground with a thud. She tried desperately to find some air, but her breath came in shallow gasps…
Her chin fell to her chest, and she placed her hands over her eyes. Seconds later Jackson was there, with the tenderness he’d shown her last night, and gently moved her hands and folded her into his arms.
“I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing,” he whispered against her hair.
“You don’t have to,” Hannah said, her face against his chest, the warmth she felt from Jackson so addictive.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
She nodded firmly. “I’ll be there every step of the way during the adoption process. I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“I have your word?” he asked, leaning back to look at her, an odd light flickering across his eyes.
She’d do anything for Emily. “I promise. I’ll do whatever it takes,” Hannah said, smiling up at him.
…
Hannah opened the door to the dingy, stuffy government office that had been her second home for the last five years. She had only been gone five days and yet she felt as though it had been months. She felt more confident, more determined…but more vulnerable. Her facade was cracking. She was letting people in.
But she had done it. She had convinced Jackson. He was in Hope’s Crossing, ready to start the paperwork. Nothing could have prepared her for the moment he told her he was going to adopt Emily. She didn’t know what prompted his change of heart and at that moment she didn’t need to know.
They had dropped Emily off at Mrs. Ford’s, who was ecstatic to hear that Jackson was going to adopt his niece. Hannah had asked Jackson to wait for her in the car while she dealt with work. The last thing she wanted was him witnessing what was sure to be a major reprimanding from Jean. First Hannah needed to get the situation under control and then she could invite Jackson in to get started on the paperwork.
“Welcome back,” Hannah whispered under her breath as she stepped inside. Old metal desks, the kind that must have still been ugly when they were new in the sixties, the stale smell of old office building combined with burned coffee reminded Hannah that she really hadn’t been away all that long. The small blinking Christmas tree in the front window, sadder than Charlie Brown’s, hummed along with the rest of the electrical equipment that hadn’t been updated.
Hannah made eye contact with Allison, who was on the phone. Her friend’s eyes looked like they were ready to pop out of her pretty face as Hannah walked in. Allison pretended to slice her neck with her finger as Hannah approached, clearly warning her that Jean was royally ticked.
“Hannah. Nice of you to show up.” Jean’s thin face was pinched and her narrow eyes even beadier than usual as she mar
ched towards Hannah. Nothing like a little office drama to lighten up the mood at the social services department. Hannah thought she looked more and more like the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz, except dressed for the twenty-first century, kind of.
“Hi, Jean,” Hannah called out in her most chipper voice, smiling. Hannah refused to let her nerves take over. This was a victory, no matter what. No one was going to ruin this for her.
Jean came to an abrupt halt in front of her, steaming coffee in hand. The mug boasted the caption World’s Best Boss in faded letters, and Hannah and Allison always joked that Jean had probably bought the cup for herself.
“Hannah, there’s a box on your desk filled with all of your belongings. Take it, get out.”
Hannah ignored her. “I found Emily’s uncle. He’s here. He’s going to adopt her.” Hannah felt her stomach begin to churn when Jean didn’t react to her news. Jean stared at her like a dead fish.
“I don’t care. You crossed the line. Pack your things. You no longer work for social services.”
She’d known this would be a possibility, but she had thought that if she were able to find Jackson and have him agree to the adoption, Jean would see it as a victory. She had braced herself for probation or a reprimanding, but not firing. Hannah took a steadying breath. She tried to ignore Allison, who made stabbing gestures with her plastic bagel knife towards Jean. “You don’t understand, Jean, he will be her legal guardian.”
“I already have a placement for Emily lined up. You had no right running off to track down this man. This is the third time you’ve been in direct violation of office policy and you received a warning each time—”
“I had every right to track him down. Louise wanted him to be Emily’s guardian. He is next of kin. You knew full well that I was going to do everything to find him. This isn’t about me. It’s about doing what’s right. How are you going to deny next of kin adoption rights?”
“Let’s make sure you’re clear on where we stand,” Jean said, setting her coffee cup down on an Allison’s desk. “You have broken so many rules here I can’t even remember. Even though you seem to a have a bunch of people willing to cover up your dirty work for you, I’m on to you. This is the final straw. You almost got yourself raped, you got beaten, and now you kidnap a baby. You’re too much trouble. I have to file way too much paperwork on your behalf. You are done here.”
Hannah felt her body shake with rage. Damn Jean and her black and white rules. She had always been able to separate the emotional aspect of her job. She never made any decision based on instinct, but then again, Jean hadn’t stepped foot outside the office in years. Hannah took a deep breath as Jean handed her a file. A thick one. Hers.
Hannah ignored it.
“Jean, we are talking about a family member. You know that’s different, you know that he would receive priority. He wouldn’t have to jump through any hoops to adopt her,” she said, trying to sound calm and logical, even though she was very tempted to pour that cup of coffee all over Jean’s wiry body and see if she melted.
“There are steps and procedures that need to be followed.” She shoved the file in her direction again. Hannah shoved it back.
“That you have the power to speed up and make happen. This isn’t a favor. Louise was my case and she left me with her wish that Emily’s uncle adopt her!”
Jean started a cackle that ended with a bad fit of smoker’s cough. “She was probably high as a kite when she wrote that note, Hannah.”
“Don’t go there, Jean.”
“Maybe if you had kept a closer eye on her—”
“Back off, lady.”
Hannah almost jumped at the sound of Jackson’s voice. She had no idea when he’d walked in. She turned around slowly, vaguely aware that everyone else in the office was watching. She also didn’t miss Allison’s surprised smile. Jackson’s face had that hard look that she had seen before, but his eyes were colder than anything she’d witnessed from him. His back was straight and his eyes glittered with unmistakable anger. It felt strange to know that it was on her behalf. The most shocking thing, though, was that she wasn’t annoyed that he spoke up to defend her, that he’d ignored her request and walked in here. She almost didn’t even care that he heard what Jean had said. Was this what it was like to have someone guard your back?
“I don’t answer to you, sir,” Jean said stiffly.
“Well, you can be damn sure I’ll find out who you do answer to. That baby is going home with me.”
Hannah felt her anger dissipate. Jackson knew how to get what he wanted. The brown eyes that could be so warm now glittered with a hostility that was palpable and his hard jaw was set. Oh yeah, Jackson was royally pissed. He looked very out of place in the poorly furnished grey and metal office. Somehow, even dressed in jeans, the man exuded power and wealth.
“You go ahead, but when her permanent placement gets approved you’ll be in for a rude awakening. Your sister’s letter won’t hold up in court and a single male is not exactly the best candidate for a family,” Jean said smugly.
“You mean you haven’t told her, Hannah?” Jackson asked smoothly, glancing down at her, a smile on his face that wasn’t quite reflected in his eyes.
Hannah could have sworn she saw everyone lean forward in their chairs. The excitement radiating from her best friend as they made eye contact could have powered the entire office.
“I, uh.” What was Jackson talking about? Hannah felt his hands wrap around her shoulders, pulling him to her side. What was he doing?
“Why don’t you tell her about our marriage?” Jackson said, kissing the side of her neck. Hannah felt her knees jiggle and Jackson’s grip on her tightened, as though he knew she was about to fall on her face.
“Marriage?” Jean said.
Jackson nodded.
Allison squealed, jumping up, her chair crashing into the wall.
Hannah surreptitiously dug her heel into Jackson’s foot.
Chapter Nine
“So much for gratitude,” Jackson grumbled, and limped outside.
“I knew you were mentally unbalanced!” Hannah hissed. The cold winter air felt good on her flaming cheeks as they stood facing each other on the sidewalk. Shoppers passed by them, the sound of Santa’s ringing bell could be heard, but the only thing Hannah could focus on was the memory of Jackson telling Jean they were getting married tomorrow. He was totally nuts.
“Earth to Jackson Pierce!” She focused on him, trying to figure out his expression. He looked like he was ready to kill someone. Maybe the reality of what he proposed had sunk in, or maybe he really was upset about her letting Louise down.
“What the hell was that woman talking about?” The trademark jaw clenching was back so Hannah knew he was royally peeved about something.
“What? How about explaining what you were talking about?” Hannah glanced over each shoulder. In small towns there was always someone ready to eavesdrop on a conversation. He must have sensed her trepidation since he grabbed her hand and started walking towards his car. He walked so quickly that she had to run to keep up. Hannah jerked to a stop, yanking him to a halt with her. Jackson turned to glare at her.
He closed his eyes briefly before speaking. “Come on. Get in the car and let’s go.”
Hannah crossed her arms in front of her. “I’m not going anywhere until you answer my question.” She raised her eyebrows expectantly while he took a few deep breaths.
“Hannah.”
“Yes,” she answered serenely, linking her hands together in front of her.
He sighed. “Get in the car because everyone from that stupid office is not-so-subtly staring at us through the window, and my foot feels like it needs to be amputated. So either plant a massive kiss on my lips right now or get in the car, okay?”
Hannah debated the kiss for a half a second. “Fine, let’s go to your car,” she said haughtily.
“I thought you’d see it my way,” he said, grabbing her hand again and starting for his car. �
��Well, I didn’t really have a choice, now did I?” Hannah huffed as they reached his Range Rover. Jackson braced his arm on the SUV, sheltering her from the view of the office. She could see from his eyes that he was still irate. He stood close enough that the wind was laced with his cologne, and she felt the heat of his breath on her as he spoke. She ignored the twinge of excitement that teased her at his nearness. Her body was a traitor to her mind.
“Oh, I gave you a choice, but you took the chicken’s way out,” Jackson whispered.
Hannah was about to open her mouth to make a smart reply when Santa jingled his way over to them. Santa, Hannah noticed with a frown, had a slight limp, a very disheveled appearance, and a tummy that looked like it had one too many beers in it. Jackson shoved a twenty-dollar bill at the man without taking his eyes off her. Santa rewarded him by jingling the bell in his ear. Hannah burst out laughing. Jackson cursed under his breath and opened the door for her. He grumbled something about small towns as he closed her door.
Five minutes later they were pulling up outside her home. It was the only place they could have complete privacy, but it was also a little unsettling to know that Jackson was now entering her territory. Her house was her own private sanctuary, the only home that had ever truly been hers.
Neither of them said anything on the way. Hannah knew that if she spoke she was only going to end up yelling at him, and considering that his hands were white as he gripped the steering wheel she figured he’d had about all he could handle at the moment. Which was fine, because now she was out of a job and she had Jean launching an all-out war against her and the adoption. She truly hoped Jackson was still as confident as he said he was about adopting Emily.
…
“This is your house?” Jackson asked, shutting the ignition and leaning forward to get a better look.
“This is it,” she said, her voice still standoffish.
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