Eagerly the girls followed her into the living room.
“You don’t have to work, Jillian,” Chase insisted immediately, trying to take some of the wind from her sails. “I’ll be glad to pay you a stipend so that—”
“Not work? Get real Chase. I intend to remain selfsufficient. You won’t pay my way. And I will never, never be too busy to take care of Abby and Marianne. You worked after Marianne was born. We’re both single parents.”
“So you intend to work full-time?”
“I know how to manage my time, and I won’t take advantage of your mother. Once we move into the carriage house—”
He interrupted. “We? As in…”
“Me and Abby and Marianne.”
“So I suppose they’ll live with you half the week and with me the other half of the week? Or with you one week and me the next?”
“I don’t want to confuse them.”
“Then maybe you should just live in this house.”
Her gaze broke from his and she glanced down at her coffee cup. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I don’t think separating them from either of us is a good idea. There’s no easy solution here, Jillian. I do think you should be careful about how many jobs you take on right now.”
“I thought you wanted the publicity for the winery.”
“I wanted you in Pennsylvania. I want you at Willow Creek. If that means you have to plan weddings here, fine. But remember why you’re moving here. Remember you’re a mother first.”
“I don’t need you to remind me I’m a mother first. I’ll always take care of Abby and Marianne the best way I know how.”
“You’re a strong woman, Jillian, but even you have your limits.” Frustrated with her and the way the day had developed, he said, “I’m going for a ride. I’ll be back in time to help you put the girls to bed.”
Grabbing his windbreaker from the peg, he shrugged into it and stepped out into the night air.
Breathing deeply, he tried to exhale all the sensations of having Jillian in the same house, trying to exhale all the complications of a terrifically complicated situation.
Chase’s argument with Jillian had unsettled him more than he wanted to admit as he tested wine samples in the lab the next day. As he held one cylinder up to the light, he realized the idea of joint custody tore him apart, even if Jillian was on the same property.
What if she didn’t want to live on the vineyard? What if she wanted an apartment or a house?
The idea that she wouldn’t stay at Willow Creek gave him an empty feeling that he didn’t understand because it had nothing to do with Marianne and Abby.
He was measuring the sugar level of the wine in the cylinder, yet he was remembering Jillian’s kisses. He was remembering holding her in his arms. He was remembering how she made him feel when she walked into a room. His logical mind presented an idea he rejected at first, but then he turned it over. There was only one way they could keep the girls together and both parent without losing contact with either of them. Only one way.
If they were married.
When the door of the lab opened, Chase didn’t have time to pursue the idea further or to analyze whether it was as crazy as it sounded.
Stan stepped inside the small room.
“Do you want to see the readings on the samples of Whispering Willows?” Chase asked. The wine was a combination of Aurora and Concord grapes. “The sugar level is good.”
Crossing to the cylinders, Stan stared down at them, then shook his head. “I don’t need to see them. You’re the biochemist.”
Chase was tired of his uncle’s attitude, but he’d always respected him. “Was there something specific you wanted to talk about?” Chase asked, knowing there had to be some reason for Stan coming into the lab.
Turning away from the counter, Stan crossed his arms over his chest. “Eleanor told me Jillian’s going to stay in Pennsylvania.”
“Yes, she is. It’s the only reasonable solution.”
“And she’s going to live at Willow Creek?”
“We haven’t worked out all the details on that yet, but it makes sense for both of us.”
“If you’re moving her here, that means you intend to stay permanently?”
“Since I’ve returned, I’ve realized how much I’ve missed the vineyard. I think we can win awards again with these wines. Don’t you?”
Now Stan looked away, beyond the glass door into the winery where vats of varying sizes stood. It was as if he was trying to see into the future, or maybe look back into the past. “I’m too old to worry about awards.”
“You’re only sixty-seven. Some men start second careers at that age,” Chase joked.
However, his uncle didn’t smile. “I’m not that type of man. I just want—” He stopped abruptly.
“What do you want?”
Stan shrugged and crossed to the door. “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to go now. I have a few errands I want to run. I need to buy paint because soon I’m going to start painting the trim on my house.”
Stan lived a few miles away near the small community of Columbia. He’d bought an older house and had fixed it up, room by room. It was definitely a bachelor pad and lacked the warmth of a woman’s touch. But Stan had always seemed comfortable and happy there.
“Is your crew going to be here tomorrow to bottle wine?” Stan asked.
“Ralph, Jack and Bud will be. If you’re here to help, we should be fine.”
“I’ll be here. I won’t start painting the house ‘til the weekend.”
“If you’d rather not help, I can call Rosa. She said she’d come in any time I need her when her kids are in school.”
“I’ll be here,” Stan snapped, exiting the lab and crossing the wide expanse of the winery.
The sun was setting when Chase returned to the house and he knew he had to smooth the waters with Jillian. She hadn’t spoken to him at breakfast this morning and hadn’t come to the winery to consult with him on any aspects of the weddings all day. He’d like to spend some time with her, just the two of them and he’d figured out how to do that.
When he entered the kitchen, Jillian was stirring something in a pot on the stove.
“Where are the girls?” he asked.
“Eleanor took them to the attic to search for dressup clothes. She said she has an old trunk. I think she’s just keeping them occupied because she doesn’t like them around the stove while I’m cooking.”
“What are you making?”
“Chicken à la king. It’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes.”
Her tone was mildly friendly but more polite than anything else.
“How would you like to go with me into Lancaster tonight? There’s a bookstore there I particularly like, and Marianne and Abby could use a few new books.”
“I don’t know…”
“The store has a bistro with cappuccino. They also have puppets that go with a lot of the books and a music section, too.”
“You want input on what you buy the girls?” she asked warily.
“I wouldn’t want to go overboard. I figured you’d keep me from doing that.”
She almost smiled…almost…and he knew he couldn’t snow her and he didn’t want to. “I’d like a truce,” he added. “Yesterday we both stated our positions strongly and they seemed opposite, but I’m not sure they are.”
“You want to talk over cappuccino?”
“Whatever works.”
After she studied him for a few moments, she nodded. “All right. I haven’t seen much of the area since I’ve been here. I should start learning my way around.”
That evening as they walked into the large bookstore, some of the tension in Jillian from being in close proximity to Chase dissipated. “This looks wonderful.”
“I told you it was a good store. It’s crowded tonight, though, for a Tuesday.”
Most of the patrons seemed to be gathered in the bistro area. As they walked toward the children�
��s bookshelves, Jillian asked, “Did you read much as a child?”
“I was into nonfiction more than fiction, but I did get interested in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.”
“I read a lot. After my parents were divorced I guess I was lonely and turned to books to escape.”
“You didn’t see both parents afterward?”
“My father was elusive. He’d make dates with me and break them. Then he moved away and didn’t keep in contact. I’d send him letters and they’d come back unopened.” Afraid she was telling him too much, she abruptly stopped.
Chase glanced at her as if waiting for more. When it didn’t come, he said, “Most of the nonfiction I read had to do with wine-making. I wanted to be an expert at it like my father.”
“What happened to change all that?”
He didn’t answer as they suddenly confronted a huge sign in the middle of the store aisle:
Tuesday: Five-Minute Date Night
All Singles Meet in the Bistro.
Chase whistled low. “So that’s why there’s so many people here. What in the heck is a five-minute date night?”
With another look at the sign, Jillian explained, “I’ve seen this advertised in Florida. Not in a bookstore, though. Usually at some reception center or at a hotel.”
“You’ve been to them?”
“No, but I know women who have. All the men line up and then all the women spend five minutes with each one to see if they want to date them.”
The expression on Chase’s face made Jillian laugh out loud. “What’s the matter?”
“That’s a hell of a way to meet people.”
She slipped her hands into the pockets of her flannel jacket. “It’s hard to meet the right person, and this is one way to attempt it.”
Chase glanced over at the bistro and then asked, “Have you dated since your husband died?”
“No, I haven’t. How about you?”
His voice was deep and low. “No, I haven’t.”
She suspected that they hadn’t dated for very different reasons. She’d just wanted to concentrate on Abby. Eric had hurt her badly and she’d had no desire to step into that arena again, the arena of men and women’s relationships. On Chase’s part, however, she guessed the memory of his wife was so strong that he hadn’t even wanted to consider being with another woman.
“I hear dating can be fun,” she said lightly. “Maybe we’re missing something.”
“Dating gets complicated,” he said with a shake of his head. “Men and women have different expectations.”
“Such as?”
“Women want forever, men want a diversion—one night.”
“Was that true when you first started dating your wife?”
“We didn’t date, not in the way you mean. There wasn’t any fanfare or anxiety or the nervousness of getting to know someone new. We worked together so it happened naturally. We started to spend time together, and we just knew we were meant to be together. How did you and your husband meet?”
She didn’t want to go back to that night, the hopes she’d had, the butterflies jumping in her stomach because Eric had been so suave and charming to her. “We met at a party, and I did have the butterflies and the nervousness. When we started dating, it was like a dream—flowers, limousine rides, the best restaurants.”
An emotion flickered in Chase’s eyes but she couldn’t read it. It seemed to be akin to sympathy but how could it be when he didn’t know anything about her marriage? She wasn’t going to tell him, either. Kara had reminded her over and over again she should have left Eric. She shouldn’t have let him take advantage of her heart. But Jillian had felt it had been the right thing for her to do—to care for him and to make his last days comfortable. She didn’t want Chase judging that or her.
The noise in the bistro section stepped up a few notches.
“I think everyone has a cappuccino buzz already.” He pointed to the section of children’s books. “At least the kids’ corner is quiet. Come on, let’s see what we can find.”
The children’s book section not only had books, there were puppets that accompanied books, additional toys, books that talked, books that lit up.
Jillian selected a Dr. Seuss book that Abby didn’t have in her collection. Then she found a Berenstain Bears book that she didn’t think Marianne had in hers.
As Chase looked over her shoulder, she paged through the last one she’d picked up. His jaw almost brushed her temple, and the scent of his cologne tantalized her nose. He was wearing a green cable-knit sweater tonight and she knew she’d like nothing better than to be held in his arms. But that was a fantasy moment that could get her in trouble. She realized more than butterflies were jumping in her stomach whenever he was this close. She realized her attraction to him grew stronger each day. She also realized that she was beginning to trust him, at least where the girls were concerned, in a way she never would have trusted Eric.
“You know Marianne already.” His deep baritone vibrated through her with an intensity that scared her.
“You’re getting to know Abby, too. She was thrilled yesterday when you took her out to ride Prancer. That’s one of her favorite things to do now. Soon Marianne will let you put her in the saddle, too.”
“Because of Abby.”
Their gazes locked and then as if the heat they were generating between them was too steamy for the bookstore, Chase eased back and took a few steps away to look at another shelf.
Although she was aware Chase wasn’t far away, Jillian got lost in children’s books as she had done when she was a child. She realized she was the one who might go overboard tonight.
She was looking at a red stuffed Clifford who accompanied one of his stories when someone cleared his throat.
She looked up.
There was a good-looking blond man standing there. He appeared to be in his early thirties and was handsome with a square jaw and cleft in his chin. He was wearing a casual blazer and jeans and smiled at her now.
“Yes?” she asked, wondering if he was an employee of the store and she had been doing something wrong.
“I couldn’t help but notice you over here looking at children’s books. Do you have children?”
Cautious now, Jillian was at a loss for words.
He laughed easily. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually ask such personal questions, but I’m here for the date night and I have a son who’s five. Are you coming over to the bistro to join in? I’d certainly like to spend my five minutes with you.”
A movement behind the man’s shoulder caught her attention, then Chase was standing there and she would have given a million dollars to know what was running through his head.
Chapter Ten
Chase found himself standing beside Jillian and taking over. “She’s with me,” he stated, intimating that meant a hell of a lot more than it did.
His conversation with Jillian about dating had brought home to Chase how hurt she’d been in her marriage. He wished she’d tell him about it. He wished she’d confide in him. But then he hadn’t really confided in her either, had he? He’d given her bits and pieces about his background but not the whole story.
When the good-looking preppy had come into the aisle and had eyes only for Jillian, he’d been on alert immediately. Chase had been trying to fight his fascination for her for weeks so he understood how this guy’s gaze had locked on her and stayed there. Sensing the man wasn’t in the aisle to buy children’s books, Chase had paid attention.
Jillian’s eyes grew wide but the preppy stood his ground. “Aren’t you here for date night?” he asked her, ignoring Chase.
With a look that told Chase she didn’t like the way he’d stepped in, she shook her head and gave the man a gentle smile. “No. I just came in…We just came in to buy children’s books.”
The blond man’s gaze dropped to her hand where there was no evidence of rings. “You’re engaged?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, but I’m not interested in
date night.”
At her response, Jillian’s would-be-suitor took a business card from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. “In case you decide you’d like a date, give me a call.” Then he winked and headed for the bistro.
Once he’d left, Jillian said to Chase, “I can speak up for myself, you know.”
Now feeling disgruntled by the whole episode, not understanding the bite of jealousy he’d never felt before, Chase didn’t rise to the argumentative tone in her voice. “I thought I was helping you out. Unless you want to go over there to that coffee shop and stand in line. You said you hadn’t dated—”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not going to date ever.” There was still defiance in her voice.
“Do you want to date him?” He motioned to the card in her hand.
Tucking it sedately into her purse, she gave him a small smile. “That’s always a possibility.”
Chase’s jaw clenched. The camaraderie they’d shared for a little while had disappeared. How much did he care if she dated another man?
At the barn the next morning, Ralph Marlowe, who tended to the horses and kept the gardens beautifully landscaped, said to Jillian, “It’s early for a ride. The sun’s barely come up.”
“I saw Chase ride off and I thought it would be a good idea.”
They’d left the bookstore last night with a taut atmosphere between them. The drive home had been silent and after they’d put the girls to bed, they hadn’t shared conversation or even a “good night.” When she’d seen Chase ride off this morning, she’d decided to follow him and clear the air.
“Mr. Chase rides anytime, day or night, winter, summer, rain, shine or snow.”
She laughed. “He’s a much better rider than I am. Is the trail he takes difficult?”
“No, but he doesn’t always stay on the trail, either. I can tell you where he’s likely headed, though.”
“Sounds good.”
Abby and Marianne were still sleeping, and Eleanor had been making sticky buns in the kitchen. This would be a good time to find Chase and clear things up. Though she wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to say.
Their Child? Page 31