by Rita Herron
At first, he’d thought her schedule had simply interfered, but as the week had worn on, he’d realized she’d changed the time she dropped in at the hospital so they wouldn’t bump into one another. She didn’t want to see him.
At least she didn’t want to want to see him.
From the hungry look in her eyes though, the attraction simmering between them was still there, maybe growing.
Rather, her attraction to Dex—the very reason he had allowed her to avoid him.
Soon, he and Dex would reveal themselves and return to their respective sides of the country. End of story.
His hands clenched around the hammer as thoughts of his two families interfered. Since his grandfather hadn’t shown up to help with the playground, Ty had decided to use the time to think of a way to convince his grandfather to see the Cooper side of life. They were good, honest, hard-working people. So far he hadn’t had any earthshattering revelations.
His grandfather hadn’t offered any more personal information either. It was almost as if he’d regretted letting his guard slip that day, so he’d back tracked and acted as if the conversation hadn’t happened.
His grandmother had been great, though. More affectionate and chatty than ever. And he was beginning to see why Dex considered George a friend. He did have a sly sense of humor about him.
Ty hammered a nail into the wooden board forming the customized jungle gym and smiled. Although Grandmother Montgomery had questioned the idea of a barbecue at first, George had shocked him by defending the suggestion. Finally convinced the barbecue would be fun, his grandmother had organized the event in two days. She’d even hired a band with a banjo player and had a stage set up for the evening show.
He hammered the last of the boards and checked to make certain the ends were smooth, thinking how much he missed his woodcarving. Shrugging off the thought, he began to pack up supplies while the other volunteers did the same. Jessica approached each one, thanking them all as they left, and he paced himself so the two of them would be alone.
Minutes later, the sun pulled its last orange rays from the sky, dusk settled over the trees, and Jessica hurriedly gathered her things. She was getting ready to run like a jackrabbit with a fox on her tail.
Maybe it was the heat or the yearning he’d seen in her eyes all afternoon, but he couldn’t let her lea without talking to her. Just the sound of her soft, sultry voice stirred his insides. At least he could take that memory back with him to Montana.
In spite of the guilt and warnings clamoring in his head, he found himself beside her, carrying her bag to the car.
“Thanks, Dex. You guys did a wonderful job. The physical therapy department will be impressed.”
“My pleasure,” Ty said, drawling out the word my.
Jessica’s lips curled upward as she stuffed her things inside Nellie.
“How about dinner, Jessica?”
She hesitated, opened her car door, and propped her foot on the ledge. “I…I can’t, Dex. I promised I’d sit with Ashley tonight.”
He reached over and tucked a strand of her soft hair behind her ear. The ponytail had fallen long ago and loose wavy tendrils had escaped, spiraling around her heart-shaped face. “You have to eat sometime. We can grab a quick bite somewhere. Finalize the plans for tomorrow.”
Jessica’s gaze darted to his chest, heat flaring between them. “I…I really can’t, Dex.”
He told himself not to push her, that it was better this way, but another voice inside him urged him to push harder. That Jessica was not a snobby doctor, that she might be able to accept the fact that he was a cowboy and that it wouldn’t matter that he’d lied to her and concealed his identity.
Right. Just like Paula had balked at his way of life. And he hadn’t even lied to her.
She slid into the car and turned the engine, and he realized he’d lost his chance.
The engine chugged but didn’t turn over.
He leaned against the open car door. “That doesn’t sound good.”
She scowled and tried again. But the screeching sound continued.
“I think Nellie needs a new battery.”
“I suppose,” Jessica said warily.
“Why don’t you let me drive you home, we’ll get some dinner, pick up a battery, then I’ll bring you back here to see Ashley.”
She hesitated again, her gaze full of questions.
“Come on, Jessica.” He brushed a gentle hand along her neck, then whispered in her ear, his traitorous tongue belying his good intentions. “Trust me. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.”
A sigh escaped her, but she surprised him by looking into his eyes, holding out her hand and placing it in his.
I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.
Dex’s words rang in Jessica’s head the entire way to her house. The problem was she wanted to do everything with Ty.
Everything.
Maybe Tina was right. She couldn’t shut herself off from men forever. And Dex hadn’t mentioned a s relationship, so she didn’t have to worry about marriage and the fact that he might want babies that she couldn’t give him. He never had to know about her flaw.
He simply wanted to flirt. To have a fling.
Why couldn’t she allow herself to enjoy what he offered?
She could, she told herself. She just had to be more modern in her thinking.
And she would.
No reason she had to go cold turkey from any physical relationship with a man; she was young, vibrant; she had needs. She would just keep her heart uninvolved. As she expected he would do.
No problem.
“Thanks for driving me, Dex,” Jessica said as they parked in her driveway. “But I can call a service for my car.”
Dex’s warm hand covered hers. “No way. What kind of a gentlemen would I be if I let you do that?”
Jessica laughed. “All right. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a quick shower before dinner.”
“Fine.” Dex’s eyes twinkled with mischief as he followed her into the house. “If you need any help with your back, just holler.”
Jessica laughed. “Make yourself at home, Dex. There’s probably a beer in the refrigerator if you want a drink.” Her pulse clamored as she headed to her bedroom, seriously considering his offer of help in the shower.
TY ITCHED to follow Jessica into the bedroom and the shower, but he didn’t move. He wasn’t invited.
Damn, sometimes it was a pain to be a gentleman.
He liked Jessica, and that compounded even more guilt for lying to her. What would Gran tell him to do?
She’d tell him to leave Jessica alone.
In spite of that realization, he couldn’t help but imagine stripping off his jeans and T-shirt and stepping beneath the spray of warm water with her. His body hardened. He could see the water droplets sluicing over her naked body, beading on her soft skin, cascading down her back, touching her in all the places he ached to touch.
He opened and closed his hands in frustration.
Exhaling and gathering his control, he went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer, hoping the cold liquid would douse the heat ripping through him. He was a gentleman, and gentlemen didn’t lie or start relationships under false pretenses. She liked Dex.
Maybe when he returned, she’d want to be with him.
A sick feeling stole over him, but he pushed it away. His brother and she were more suited. Still…
He fought his feelings, wondering why he had so intense a reaction to her. He probably just didn’t do enough socializing back in Rolling Bend. He knew most of the girls in town, so Jessica was just a change. That had to be it.
Trying to keep his mind off the bathroom, he studied Jessica’s house. It was small, almost a cottage really, especially compared to the Montgomery estate. But it reminded him of the farm house at home, resurrecting the homesickness that attacked him daily. The den held a basket of sewing supplies, which surprised him, a needlepoint pillow she’d been wor
king on lying on top. He thumbed through her stack of CDs, expecting to find jazz or rock, but found several country ones.
So, Jessica wasn’t quite the person he’d pegged her to be at first. But the fact that she sewed and liked country music did not mean she’d like Ty Cooper or country life.
The kitchen had been painted a pale blue and she’d hung yellow plates on the wall; the canisters were designed like Victorian cottages. Recipe books were stuffed haphazardly on the shelf above the stove, the stained pages a testament to the fact that she used them. He could picture her cooking in the small kitchen, making pasta or homemade bread or cookies, decorating cupcakes with a little girl or boy.
Trying to forget that image, he passed her white pine table and headed back to the den, but he noticed a second bedroom to the side. The walls had been freshly painted and a box sat by the door, drawing his eye. Curious, he peeked inside and noticed an assortment of baby paraphernalia. Baby blankets, stuffed toys, a Mother Goose book…
Had Jessica and her husband had children?
If so, why had she never mentioned a baby?
“What are you doing?”
Ty jerked his head up and saw her standing in the door wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a soft, pale-green shirt that accentuated those gorgeous eyes. Her hair was still damp and she’d left the ends loose so they lay in soft curls around her shoulders. Her face void of any makeup, he noticed a few freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose. She looked young and vulnerable and sexy as hell, and he wanted to kiss her and forget all the lies that lay between them.
But her gaze was riveted to the baby blanket peeking from the corner of the box. And when she lifted her face, a deep haunting sadness filled her eyes.
What in the world had happened to put it there?
Chapter Thirteen
Jessica clutched the edge of the door, hating the fact that she couldn’t hide her emotions. She should have gotten rid of the box of baby things long ago.
She would take them to the hospital soon and donate them to the children’s wing.
“I’m sorry, Jessica, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“That’s…I’m taking those things to the hospital,” she said, her voice wavering only slightly even though the pain was choking her. Why was it so hard for her to talk about her loss? She knew she had to grieve and move on.
But she hadn’t shared her feelings with anyone. No one could understand the devastation. The lonely, empty feeling she carried inside. The humiliation of having a man look at you as if you weren’t a whole woman.
Dex reached for her, but she pulled away and headed to the safety of her living room. Seconds later, the scent of his cologne and then his pful masculinity invaded her senses, and she felt him behind her.
A heartbeat later, his husky voice broke the quiet. “I wasn’t snooping—I just…I don’t know why I went in to the room.”
She cleared her throat and faced him, blinking away tears. He obviously hadn’t heard about her miscarriage. “Those are things I’ve collected to donate to the hospital.”
“Then why are you upset?” He tipped her chin up with his thumb. “Jessica, sweetheart, tell me what’s wrong.”
The sound of the endearment stirred something inside her, breaking through the deep wall of pain. “Don’t you know?”
He shook his head, his gaze dark. “No, but I’d like you to tell me.”
The tenderness in his expression almost undid her. “I…I don’t want to talk about it, Dex.”
“All right.” Dex’s gaze flickered with disappointment. “Maybe one day you’ll trust me enough to talk to me.” He gestured toward the door. “Are you ready to go to dinner?”
Jessica nodded and led the way, his words echoing in her mind as they drove to the restaurant.
TRUST ME, he’d said. But how could Jessica trust him when he was nothing but a liar? And if she did, wouldn’t she be hurt worse when she discovered his deception?
Ty’s hands gripped the wineglass, his chest constricting. The dinner had been nice; they’d eaten shrimp pasta at a small Italian restaurant and enjoyed the best wine he’d ever tasted.
But Jessica had been quiet the entire time.
“You must be tired from the day’s work,” Ty said, grimacing at his feeble attempt at conversation.
Jessica nodded. “I’ll be over early to help with the picnic, though, and the games for the kids.”
“They’ll have fun.” Ty tensed. Good grief, she worked herself to death, always taking care of the kids. He’d even heard she relieved some of the volunteers and came at night to sit with the children.
He hated to see her hurting, and wished he could do something, anything to ease whatever was tormenting her.
Not that he should expect Jessica to bare her soul. His secrets were enough to keep them apart. “You’re not staying all night at the hospital, are you?”
Jessica shook her head. “No, but I promised Ashley I’d stop by.”
He nodded and paid the bill. God, he wanted to kiss her and wipe away that sadness in her eyes. But he’d promised her he’d be a gentlemen and that he wouldn’t do anything she didn’t want.
That meant not pushing her to talk until she was ready.
And not dragging her into his arms and kissing her unless he knew she wanted it. He thought he detected a hint of hunger in her eyes, but he wasn’t sure.
They stopped at a small automotive shop and he picked up a battery for Nellie, then he drove Jessica back to the hospital, the silence between them stretching taut with tension. As soon as they arrived, she jumped out of the car.
“Thanks, Dex. I appreciate dinner.”
“I’ll change the battery while you check on Ashley.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I intend to, so go on and see Ashley.”
She hesitated, then finally nodded, and he watched her go inside.
Dammit, he wanted to get her to open up to him. And he wanted to tell her the truth about himself so they could see if they could make a relationship work.
A real one—without any lies.
No, it wouldn’t matter, he remembered foolishly. Her life was here. Not in Montana as a rancher’s wife.
A HALF HOUR LATER, Jessica exited the hospital, her heart in her throat. She’d planned to stay longer, but Ashley’s aunt had finally come to visit. Jessica had instantly felt like an outsider, and had wanted to give them some time alone.
She should be happy for Ashley. And she was happy; Ashley would be with her real family, she would have brothers and sisters and a mother and father, a real family like Jessica had always wanted when she was a child. Yet when she’d seen Ashley’s aunt there, for a moment, it had felt like losing her baby all over again.
Exhausted and dreading going home to an empty house, that nursery staring at her with such strained quiet, she didn’t notice that Dex was sitting on top of Nellie until she almost ran into the front bumper.
“What are you still doing here?”
Dex raised a brow. “I wanted to make sure you got home okay.”
Jessica sighed, hating the fact that she’d been curt with him when he’d been nothing but nice to her. The gentleman he’d promised to be. He’d even repaired her car.
He was really a much nicer man than Jack had ever been. She realized that now. Jack had been selfish from the beginning. Too controlling. Unemotional. And he’d never looked at her the way Dex did. Not with admiration and such potent desire that it rocked her common sense.
“I’m sorry. I guess I’m just tired.”
“Ashley okay?”
She nodded. “Her aunt came to visit, so I didn’t want to stay too long.” She pasted on a smile. “And she needs her rest. Tomorrow will be a big day.”
“The kids are excited, huh?”
Jessica squeezed his hand. “Yes, Dex, the nurses could hardly settle them down to sleep.”
Dex chuckled. “I remember being that way before…on Christmas Eve.”<
br />
Jessica frowned, rememberlean holidays at her house.
“You don’t have such good memories?”
His tender understanding was almost more than she could bear. She’d never been with anyone who could read into her soul the way Dex seemed to do. “Not many.”
“Then you’ll have to make some happy memories.” He hesitated. “You can do things the way you want when you have your own family.”
Tears welled in Jessica’s eyes, tears she couldn’t hold at bay. Especially after losing Ashley. Not that she’d ever had her.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I…I lost a baby,” she said brokenly. “I…last year. He would have been a year old now.”
Dex’s mouth tightened, but he didn’t comment. Instead, he held out his arms. Jessica slid inside his embrace, and let the tears fall. She’d finally found it in her heart to trust Dex, but she still couldn’t tell him all her secrets.
And she wasn’t sure she ever could.
TY HATED the pain in Jessica’s voice, but at least she’d finally trusted him enough to confide in him, Not that trust did any good when she thought he was Dex.
He wished he could tell her everything about himself and this whole charade. Not that that would do any good either. He would still go back to Montana and she would be here. But at least then he’d have a clean conscience.
But he couldn’t reveal himself, not until he figured out a way to convince his grandfather that the Coopers weren’t bad people. That his mother hadn’t connived to steal his father from them.
Anger suddenly hit him. Jessica had mentioned that she’d divorced. Had her husband left her because she’d lost their baby?
JESSICA TRIED to collect herself while she drove home. She hadn’t meant to fall apart, but the day had been too much. And now Dex was following her home as if he was afraid she shouldn’t be alone.
She didn’t want to be alone tonight, she admitted silently. She had been alone for a very long time. But she knew better than to depend on anyone else.