“Dandy,” she said, spinning around and nearly falling over her slippers.
Don’t think, she ordered herself as she went to the coffeemaker. She would not entertain any thoughts, any memories—absolutely none—about what had happened between her and Jack the previous night.
She would not allow her bones to dissolve when Jack MacAllister smiled at her.
She would pay no attention to the flutter of heat that was now swirling and pulsing through her body.
She couldn’t care less if Jack had removed his jacket to reveal a sweater that was the exact shade of his chocolate fudge sauce eyes.
She could handle this. No problem. Jack was just a man, who was sitting at her table stuffing his face with a cinnamon roll. A gorgeous man. A man whose shoulders looked a mile wide in that sweater. A sweater that encased strong arms that had held her so tightly, so safely in his embrace. An embrace that had included kisses that were ecstasy in its purest form and—
That’s enough, she ordered herself. Get a grip.
She plunked a mug of coffee in front of Jack, retrieved her own from the counter, then poured a glass of milk for Joey. She sat down next to her son at the table and put the glass in front of him.
“Every drop, sweetie,” she said.
“’Kay,” Joey said, then looked at Jack again. “How come you had my Pooh blanket? Did you leave yours in New York City?”
“Something like that,” he said, smiling. “I used your blanket like a coat, because I wasn’t wearing mine and it was cold.”
“Oh,” Joey said, nodding. “Do you have a dog?”
“No,” Jack said, then took a bite of roll. “Mmm. Delicious.”
“Do you have a little boy?” Joey asked.
“No,” Jack said.
“Do you have a wife lady?”
“No,” Jack said.
Joey leaned forward. “Do you have a suit and tie?”
“Joey,” Jennifer said quickly, feeling a flush of embarrassment heat her cheeks, “eat your breakfast. It’s getting late.”
“I have a suit and tie,” Jack said. “Why did you ask me that?”
“Well, because you need to have a suit and tie if you’re going to be a—”
“Time to go,” Jennifer said, getting to her feet.
Joey glanced at the clock on the wall. “No, it’s not. The big hand isn’t at the top, Mom.”
“Oh.” Jennifer sighed and sank back into her chair.
“Back up, Joey,” Jack said. “I’m definitely missing something here. I need to have a suit and tie to be a…what?”
“A groom guy,” Joey said.
“Oh, good grief,” Jennifer muttered.
“See, my mom caught Aunt Megan’s wedding flowers and that means my mom is going to be the next bride, but she needs a groom guy if she’s going to be a bride. Then I’d have a daddy I don’t have to give back.” Joey paused. “Just like Sammy has. See?”
“More coffee, Jack?” Jennifer said, looking at a spot about four inches above his head.
“No, I’m fine,” Jack said, his gaze riveted on Joey. “Let me make certain I understand this, Joey.”
“Oh, let’s not,” Jennifer said.
Jack ignored her comment. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I think I get the picture, Joey,” he said, “except for the part where you have to give the daddy back.”
“Oh,” Joey said. “That’s Uncle Ben, Uncle Brandon and Uncle Taylor. We do men stuff together, but…” He shrugged. “When we’re done doing men stuff, I have to give them back.”
“Ah,” Jack said, nodding slowly.
“Sheriff Montana might be a good groom guy ’cause he’s thinking about getting a dog,” Joey went on. “But I don’t know if Sheriff Montana has a suit and tie.” He frowned. “The thing is, though, my mom doesn’t want to be the next bride.”
“Ah,” Jack said again.
“That’s breaking the rules of catching the flowers,” Joey said.
“Indeed,” Jack said.
“I can’t break rules, so I don’t think my mom should get to. Do you?”
“My, my, look at that big hand on the clock, Joey,” Jennifer said. “Run and brush your teeth and get your jacket. Then I’ll walk you to school.”
“’Kay.”
Joey hopped from the room on both feet, announcing that he was Tigger. As he exited, the coffee mugs jiggled and clinked on the table.
“That is one terrific kid,” Jack said, smiling at Jennifer. “Man, he’s neat.”
“Yes, well, I think he’s pretty special,” she said, tracing the rim of her coffee mug with one fingertip. “He’s all boy, that’s for sure. Full of energy…Of course, as a typical five year old, he has definite opinions about things, and doesn’t hesitate to express them. You have to discount a great deal of what he says because he has a tendency to blither on and on, whether he knows what he’s talking about or not. Therefore—”
“Whoa,” Jack said, raising one hand. “You’ve made your point. You want me to forget everything that Joey said about your being the next bride, and whether I have a suit and tie so I can be the groom guy. Right?”
Jennifer met Jack’s gaze. “Yes,” she said, nodding. “Joey has suddenly become obsessed with the idea that he wants a father. But he also wants a dog, so…” She shrugged. “This, too, shall pass.”
“I don’t know about that,” Jack said seriously. “He seems pretty adamant about having a daddy. Uncles just aren’t enough.”
Jennifer sighed. “Having Brandon, Ben and Taylor spend time with Joey is the best that I can do.”
“Is it?” Jack said quietly, looking directly into her eyes.
“Yes, it definitely is.”
They continued to gaze at each other, and with the ticks of time came memories of the previous night. Memories of kisses shared and hearts racing. Memories of a soft body pressed to a rugged body. Memories of heated desire that licked throughout them like all-consuming flames.
Jennifer tore her gaze from Jack’s and stared into her mug, willing her heart to quiet its wild tempo.
“Why did you come here this morning?” she said, not looking at him.
“To return the blanket. To meet Joey. To see if you were all right after last night.”
“Of course I’m all right,” she said, getting to her feet. “Because what happened last night is forgotten.”
“Oh, come on, Jennifer, give me a break,” Jack said. “You haven’t forgotten it any more than I have.”
“Believe what you wish,” she said, starting across the room. “But you’re not capable of reading my mind.”
“No, I’m not,” he said, “but I can sure as hell read what I just saw in your eyes a minute ago. Desire, Jennifer. Simmering desire.”
Jennifer thudded her mug onto the counter and turned to glare at Jack. “Would you just leave it alone?” she said. “What happened was a mistake, should never have taken place. It’s over. Done. Finished. Just forget it, Jack.”
“No.”
“Oh, you’re exasperating,” she said, throwing up her hands. “Fine. Don’t forget it. I don’t care. But I’ve erased it all from my memory bank.”
“Is that a fact?”
“Yes,” she said, lifting her chin. “It most certainly is.”
“I see. You’ve totally forgotten how perfectly you fit against me when I held you in my arms? How it felt when I kissed you, and you returned those kisses in kind? You’ve forgotten the sensuous spell that comes over us whenever our eyes meet? You’ve forgotten that you wanted me as much as I desired you?”
“Stop it,” Jennifer said, then glanced quickly at the doorway that Joey had disappeared through. “Why are you doing this, Jack?”
He stood, then closed the distance between them. “I told you why. I want answers to the questions of what is happening between us. I’m an architect, Jennifer. I deal in facts, details. I don’t like feeling confused. I don’t rest until all the
pieces to the puzzle are in place.”
“And then you move on to the next challenge.”
“Well—”
“I’m ready, Mom,” Joey said, zooming back into the kitchen.
“Okay, sweetie,” Jennifer said. “Say goodbye to Jack because he’s leaving now.”
“No, I’m not,” Jack said. “I’ll join you two on the walk to school.”
“Cool,” Joey said.
“No,” Jennifer said.
“Why not, Mom?” Joey said, frowning.
“Yeah, Mom,” Jack said, grinning. “Why not?”
Jennifer opened her mouth, hesitated, then snapped it closed again.
“Fine,” she said, shaking her head. “We’ll all walk to the school.”
“Great,” Joey said, jumping up and down. “Just like the three bears. Baby Bear, Mommy Bear and—”
“Joey,” Jennifer said, “did you remember to put the cap back on the tube of toothpaste?”
“It doesn’t have a cap, Mom. You bought me the push-the-button kind.”
“Oh, so I did. I’ll get my jacket.”
Jack shrugged into his own jacket as Jennifer hurried from the room.
At the front door, Jennifer patted her pocket. “Okay, I have my house key,” she said. “We’re ready to go.”
“It’s none of my business,” Jack said. “But…”
“What?” she said a tad sharply.
“Do you usually make this trek in the morning,” Jack said, raising his eyebrows, “wearing your spiffy Big Bird slippers?”
Joey dissolved in a fit of laughter. And an embarrassed-beyond-belief Jennifer went to her bedroom to change into her tennis shoes.
The day was clear and crisp, the sky a bright blue dotted with puffs of white clouds. As the trio made their way along the sidewalk, Joey gripped one of Jennifer’s hands and one of Jack’s. The energy-filled child hopped on his right foot, then his left, then swung both feet in the air, using the adults as part of his human trapeze. Their combined laughter danced through the morning air.
Baby Bear, Jennifer’s mind echoed. Mommy Bear. And…Daddy Bear. This was the type of outing she’d daydreamed about having someday with her husband and child. This was how it should have been, but hadn’t been—would never be.
She glanced quickly at Jack, who was smiling down at Joey. Why had Jack insisted on joining her and Joey on the walk to school? she wondered. What sneaky motive did he have for making such an effort to be buddies with her son? What was Jack MacAllister after?
Good grief, listen to her. She sounded so hard, so bitter, so mistrusting. Well, fine. Better safe than sorry. She’d rather be squinty-eyed suspicious, than wide-eyed innocent and vulnerable.
She was, however, probably overdoing it a bit. Jack was on a vacation of sorts and was just filling idle hours. He was accustomed to the fast pace of New York City and was no doubt becoming bored in dinky Prescott. He had the opportunity to go for a walk with a cute, happy little boy and had decided to tag along with Baby Bear.
And Mommy Bear? her mind nudged. Did Jack see this stroll as a way to spend time with her, too? Yes, he probably did. He was determined, for heaven only knew what reason, to discover what was happening between them.
Why? Why should whatever was happening between them matter to a man like Jack? A man who could obviously have the amorous attention of any stunning, sophisticated woman who crossed his path.
Why? He was bored. That was it. She’d heard him telling Joey that he was on his way to Ventura to join the family architectural firm and had stopped in Prescott to visit Brandon. Jack probably hadn’t realized this town was so small, but was too polite to cut his stay short.
So, he’d zeroed in on her for something to do? Oh, that was rotten. Really crummy.
Jennifer sighed.
There she went again, thinking the worst, drawing dark conclusions about men. She hadn’t realized that was where her mind had settled during the past five years. Hadn’t known, because Jack MacAllister was the first man in all that time to touch the woman within, to awaken the feminine part of her she’d put so firmly to sleep.
Oh, she didn’t like this—not one little bit.
She didn’t want to be awakened from her safe, protective slumber.
Nor did she wish to deal with the bitter, suspicious woman she was discovering she had become. A woman her husband’s lies had made her.
Even more, she had no desire to acknowledge the…well, the desire itself that Jack had evoked within her—that incredible heat, that longing to mesh her body with his and make sweet, slow love for hours.
In short, she wanted to turn back the clock to before she’d seen Jack standing on the sidewalk staring at her house.
“One…two…three—” Joey yelled, then laughed in delight as Jennifer and Jack swung him through the air.
She was indulging in childish thinking, Jennifer’s mind rushed on. She was doing a “Joey,” could remember how he wanted to push the clock forward when he’d run out of patience waiting for his birthday to arrive.
She could not turn back the clock, any more than Joey had been able to move it forward. She had seen Jack, met Jack, been held and kissed by Jack. She had no choice but to deal with him.
And deal with him she would, by golly, by making it crystal clear, once Joey was safely deposited at the school, that she preferred not to spend any more time with one Mr. Jack MacAllister, thank you very much. There. It was settled, once and for all.
“Here we are,” Jennifer said when they reached the school, she leaned down to give Joey a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Mom-m-m-m,” he said. “Don’t kiss me at school.”
“Sorry,” she said, smiling. “I lost control. I’ll be right here by the gate to walk you home when the bell rings, sweetie. ’Bye for now.”
“’Bye,” Joey said. “’Bye, Jack.”
“See ya, sport,” Jack said.
“When?” Joey said.
“Off you go,” Jennifer said. “You don’t want to be late getting into your classroom.”
“When will I see you again, Jack?” Joey said.
“Joey, the gerbil is hungry,” Jennifer said. “It’s your turn to feed him. Remember?”
“Oh, yeah. Cool. ’Bye.”
Joey took off at a run across the schoolyard and disappeared into the building.
That little guy, Jack thought, was a heart stealer. Joey was so incredibly open and honest, he just stepped up and said whatever was on his mind. Kids were amazing, that was for sure, and Joey Mackane was extra special, no doubt about it.
What an awesome role it would be to be father to a child like Joey, a boy who would see his daddy as a hero and want to be just like him. Whew. Heavy stuff.
He’d never given much thought to being a father. Of course, it flickered through his mind now and again when he was with friends and family who had kids. But he’d always dismissed the idea out of hand, because with the child came the wife. The woman. The marriage. The commitment. The waiting to discover the real agenda of that feminine half of the partnership.
He’d been burned too many times by women who finally showed their true colors. The materialistic demands began. She wanted this, she wanted that…it never ended.
Oh, yeah—love me, love my paycheck, Jack thought dryly. Hell.
“Well,” Jennifer said, bringing Jack from his thoughts, “Joey is all squared away for a few hours.”
“Yep,” Jack said, nodding. “He really is a neat kid, Jennifer. You should be very proud of the job you’ve done raising him alone.”
“Thank you,” she said, nodding her head slightly.
“So,” Jack said, “what do you do after you’ve walked Joey to school?”
“Go to bed.”
“Oh?” he said with a burst of laughter. “That sounds like it might be very enjoyable.”
“Mmm,” Jennifer said, glaring at him. “What I meant was, I go home and sleep for a couple of hours so I’m rested enough to enjoy the a
fternoon with Joey, then work the evening shift at the hotel.”
Jack nodded. “Do you have other shifts at different times?”
“Yes, I rotate, and I have a schedule in place with Grandma Clark. Joey and I are so lucky to have her. My parents live in Phoenix because of my mother’s arthritis. I grew up in the house where Joey and I are living.” She paused. “So, I’m off. Have a nice day, Jack.”
“I’ll walk you home.”
“Are we back to my getting mugged on the wild streets of Prescott?”
Jack chuckled. “No, we’re back to I enjoy your company and I’d like to walk you home. I may even snag another one of those cinnamon rolls before I tuck you into bed.”
“I beg your pardon?” she said, her eyes widening.
“Just kidding,” he said, laughing. “At least I know you’re listening to what I’m saying. Some women smile and nod in all the right places, but they’re actually thinking about the sale at Neiman Marcus, or whatever.”
“I’ve never even been inside a Neiman Marcus store,” Jennifer said, starting down the sidewalk.
“But you’d like to be able to shop at a classy place like that,” Jack said.
“That should have been a question, not a statement,” she said, glancing at him as he fell in step beside her. “The answer to the question would have been, I’ve never given it a thought. It’s beyond my budget, so why dwell on shopping in stores like that?”
“Yeah, well, if someone handed you a credit card for Neiman Marcus, you’d manage to spend your share of the green stuff.”
“Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t use credit cards. If I can’t afford to pay cash for something, then I can’t have it now.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No, I’m not, Jack.”
“Amazing,” he said, shaking his head.
“I don’t know why,” Jennifer said. “It makes very simple sense to me.”
“But…Never mind.”
“I get the feeling that you don’t quite believe me, Jack.”
“I didn’t say that,” he said. “I’m digesting what you said.”
Jennifer shrugged, and they walked without speaking further.
Strange, she thought. She and Jack didn’t know each other well enough for a sudden silence like this to be so comfortable. Yet it was. It was as though she’d known Jack for a long time, which was ridiculous.
To a Macallister Born Page 5