She couldn’t deny it: she was completely thrilled to be on a date with Jack. He’d insisted on coming to her door, had brought her flowers, had moved quickly ahead to open the passenger door for her. He’d joked and chatted with her on the way down to Esperanza Springs, making her feel comfortable.
But it was more than that. He’d asked about her art therapy work with the veterans and talked about Sammy’s TSS in a way that showed her he respected her work and her opinions. They shared a love for Sammy that made their relationship deeper.
She wanted this. Wanted to explore a relationship with Jack and see where it would go.
She wanted desperately to tell him the truth about Sammy. That secret was the only thing standing between them, but it was huge.
Tell him tonight.
But telling him tonight could, and probably would, ruin tonight.
And how could she tell him the truth, breaking Chloe’s trust, when she was wearing Chloe’s dress?
“Sit tight. I’ll get your door.” Jack jumped out and came around to open her door.
Oh, those gentlemanly manners, so rare in a guy her age. And Jack was so handsome in his dark suit and tie. He could have been a model in an ad for expensive cars or luxury vacations.
You sure couldn’t be a model.
She shoved away the automatic negative thought as she took his hand and let him help her out of the car. She knew she looked fine in the dress, and her hair wasn’t too crazy.
“Did I tell you how great you look?” he asked as they walked across the parking lot toward the stately old hotel.
“Thanks.” She waved a hand at the dress. “Chloe had terrific fashion sense.”
Now what had possessed her to say such an idiotic thing? She shot a sideways glance at him and saw an odd expression cross his face. “Actually,” he said, “I picked out that dress as a gift for her.”
“But it still had the tags on it.”
“She didn’t like it.”
“Oh.” She pondered what that meant. Why wouldn’t Chloe have liked this dress?
But it wasn’t hard to figure out. Chloe had liked more subdued colors and classic styles.
If Jack, conservative, orderly Jack, had picked out this dress...well, that was something else they had in common.
Flustered, she looked off toward the mountains where the sun was sinking into a pink-and-orange streak of clouds. “It’s a gorgeous night.”
“It’ll be cool later. And you didn’t bring a wrap.” Jack sounded chagrined. “You can wear my jacket.”
Sweet Jack. She squeezed his arm tighter. “Is Sammy going to be okay with Mrs. Jennings tonight?”
“Yes, he’s fine. She’s been wanting to mend fences, and I figured tonight would be a good time, since we’re close by.” He greeted the doorman and ushered her inside with a hand on her back.
Arianna tried not to make too much of his touch, but her heart was pounding.
She greeted Penny, resplendent in her new dress, her hair in an updo that made her look incredibly sophisticated. As the owner and manager of the ranch, she was the public face of the fund-raiser, and she was obviously up to the task, greeting everyone, directing the staff, looking over the food and the silent auction.
Branson Howe watched her admiringly.
“I’m going to see if she needs any help,” Arianna said and escaped from Jack before he could answer. She needed space to breathe, because being near him was sweeping her way too far away from anything like clear thinking.
“What can I do to help?” she asked as soon as she reached her friend’s side.
Penny hugged her. “Don’t even think about helping,” she said. “You be a guest.” She held Arianna at arm’s length and studied her. “You look absolutely stunning.”
“You clean up pretty well yourself. Hard to believe we were scrubbing kennels this morning.” Arianna had started volunteering in the kennels a couple of hours a week. She took Buster and let him play with the other puppy who was still living there while she did whatever was needed with the senior dogs. The only problem was that she wanted to take all of them home. She was pretty sure she’d end up with at least one once Buster was a little older.
If she stayed around.
She turned to look for Jack and saw him talking intently with an older man in a suit.
Oh. It was Jack’s father.
Her stomach sank. For whatever reason, the man really disliked her. She’d always felt judged by him, as if he could see right through her.
She turned away in search of someone else to talk to and was happy to see Daniela, looking lovely in a cream-colored dress, her pregnancy now more obvious. “You look gorgeous!” Arianna hugged her.
Daniela touched her scarred face in what looked like an automatic gesture, and Arianna’s heart twisted. Daniela really was gorgeous, and her scars didn’t detract from that.
Her husband, Gabe, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and Daniela’s eyes and smile lit up her face, making her glow.
If only Jack could be so affectionate with Arianna. But even if their relationship were close enough to merit that, he couldn’t show such physical demonstration in front of his father.
He was approaching now, and her heartbeat quickened, because he was looking at her almost the same way Gabe had looked at Daniela. He reached her side and greeted Gabe and Daniela, casually putting an arm around Arianna’s shoulders.
She saw Gabe’s eyebrow lift, just slightly. Daniela tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, looking at Arianna.
Arianna looked over at Jack. “Your dad’s not going to like this.”
He smiled down at her with all the confidence and certainty in the world. “His problems are his own, not mine.”
She swallowed. “Oh.”
His eyes held hers for a long moment, and then he smiled, a dimple showing in his cheek. “Come on, let’s go look at the food. I’m starving.”
Arianna had been hungry, too, until Jack had looked at her in that intense way. Now her stomach felt so fluttery that she didn’t know if she could eat.
He still had his arm around her. He was being public about the fact that this was a date.
She had to tell him the truth, and soon. She’d promised Chloe she wouldn’t, but everything had changed. Now that she’d forged a relationship with Jack and Sammy, keeping the secret had the potential to devastate both of them.
Her new friend Lily came up behind them. “You’ve got to try those little tarts,” she said, indicating one of the many trays of food. “They’re some kind of seafood and cheese, and they taste amazing.”
“And high calorie,” Arianna said. “You can afford it. I can’t.”
“You look fantastic. And don’t you know that when you’re at an event for a good cause, the calories don’t count?”
“Second the motion that you look fantastic,” Jack growled into her ear.
Her stomach fluttered again, but she gathered a small plate of appetizers and sat with Jack at one of the high tables that dotted the room. Along one wall, silent auction items were meeting with a lot of attention, mostly baskets of luxury goods, some pet items and a couple of handmade blankets.
After the crowd had mingled and eaten for a while, Penny took the podium and got everyone’s attention.
“Thank you all so much for coming out to support Redemption Ranch,” she said. “We’re mostly going to let you enjoy the evening in a lighthearted way, but I’ve asked a couple of folks who have benefited from our services to tell you a little bit about what the ranch has meant to them.”
There was polite applause, and then when Gabe, who’d grown up around here and earned a number of medals for his wartime bravery, approached the stage, the applause grew warmer.
“I was a wreck when I came to Redemption Ranch,” he said, and the applause and murmurs died down. “Even my family was re
ady to give up on me. It was my last chance.”
He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. “It meant so much to me, it helped me so much, that I agreed to speak despite being terrified of public speaking.” A sympathetic laugh went through the crowd.
He told about how he’d come to the ranch with severe PTSD and little desire to live, and how the ranch’s counselors—here he looked at Daniela, who smiled back at him—had given him hope that life would get better.
“But in addition to the counselors,” he said, “there was other help available at the ranch, help that really cemented my healing.” He turned and spoke to someone just out of sight in the wings and whistled, and two dogs ran to him on the stage. One was a giant black dog, the other a tiny Chihuahua, and when they reached Gabe, he knelt to greet them with obvious affection.
He took the dogs through a few tricks and then sent them to the handler at the edge of the stage and explained how the animals helped the veterans, and vice versa.
Arianna was thoroughly charmed, and she could tell from the smiles around her that many other guests felt the same.
Penny was glowing, which made Arianna happy. Penny deserved to have success at the ranch after everything she’d gone through. She didn’t express rancor toward her ex-husband, who’d absconded with the ranch’s funds and its executive assistant, but Arianna could tell the whole situation still tasted bitter to the older woman.
Tonight illustrated the admonition that living well was the best revenge, and Arianna was fiercely glad Penny was living well.
Penny came to the stage again as the applause for Gabe finally died down. “Now, even though they don’t want us to, we want to thank our key donors,” she said. “We’d like to ask each of them to come briefly to the stage. First, we have Branson Howe, president of our local branch of Western States Bank!” He ducked to the stage smiling awkwardly. “Next we have Marge Springer, owner of Mountain Malamutes!” The woman who’d helped with painting Arianna’s apartment joined them. “And finally, our major donor, Esperanza Springs’ favorite veterinarian, Jack DeMoise!”
Jack growled beside her. “I told her not to do this,” he muttered, then made his way to the front of the room and trotted up the steps to the stage.
“Speech,” someone called.
The three onstage looked at each other, and Branson and Marge gestured toward Jack.
Good-naturedly, he took the microphone. “I don’t like public speaking any better than Gabe does,” Jack said. “And I didn’t get the chance to practice, so I’ll just say...it’s a good cause. And everyone should come up to the ranch and find a senior dog to adopt.” To general applause and laughter, he added, “And that’s as long as I’m going to keep you away from your food and drinks and dancing.”
Arianna was proud of him as he came down from the stage and wove his way through the crowd toward her, exchanging friendly greetings with dozens of people along the way. “I didn’t know,” she said when he returned.
“You’re not supposed to.” He held out his hands to her as the music started up again. “Would you like to dance?”
She sighed. Would she?
She wanted nothing more than to dance with Jack. And she’d resigned herself to the fact that this night wasn’t the time she was going to be able to tell him the truth about Sammy. So she let him lead her to the dance floor and guide her gently through a semislow dance.
Whatever else happened, she’d have this night to remember.
“Are you having fun?” he murmured in her ear.
“Yes.”
“I am, too,” he said. “Arianna, I—”
A hand on her arm that wasn’t Jack’s made her open her eyes. She blinked at Mr. DeMoise. “For Chloe’s sake,” he said in a too-loud whisper, “could the two of you stop making a spectacle of yourselves?”
* * *
When Jack saw the hurt expression on Arianna’s face, fury flashed through him, quick and hot. He gripped his father by the shoulders, hard, and physically moved him away from Arianna as he stepped in between them.
An expression something like fear came into his father’s eyes.
Immediately, Jack dropped his hands from his father. He turned and scanned the crowd, noticing in a distant way that a number of people seemed to be watching. He caught Daniela’s eye and beckoned her over. “Could you keep Arianna company for a few minutes?” he asked. “I need to speak with my father outside.”
“Of course.” She put an arm around Arianna, who looked ready to cry.
Jack took his father’s arm and steered him toward the exit. Dad had regained his composure and was blustering and resisting with every step.
“I’d like to speak to you privately.” Jack continued urging his father forward. “What I have to say isn’t pretty, and I would rather not say it in front of other people, for your sake. But I also am not going to physically force you outside. It’s your choice.” Again, he dropped his hand from his father. Dad looked at him, pressed his lips tight together, nodded once and led the way outside.
They managed to reach the parking lot before boiling over.
“I’ve put up with a lot from you over the years,” Jack said. “But I will not accept you speaking disrespectfully to my friends.”
“Friends? Is that what Arianna is to you? Somehow I doubt it.”
Dad’s snide, angry tone fanned the flames of Jack’s anger. “What possible business is it of yours what my relationship with Arianna might be?”
“I don’t like to see you making a fool of yourself in front of the whole community,” Dad said. “And I don’t like to see you disrespecting your late wife’s memory.”
“Dancing with a kind, good woman isn’t making a fool of myself,” Jack said. He drew in a couple of deep breaths and reminded himself that this was his father and he needed to show respect. “Look, I understand that it may feel uncomfortable because Arianna is Chloe’s sister. Believe me, I wouldn’t have chosen to be drawn to someone related to Chloe, but it happened. I have to believe God has a reason for it.”
“Oh, don’t bring God into this,” Dad said. “Chloe knew what was going on between you two, and she hated it. There’s nothing godly about adultery.”
Jack stared. “You think I was committing adultery? You really think I’m the type of person who would do that?”
“I understand the temptations, son.” His father looked away. “I’m trying to keep you from making the same mistakes I made.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Jack drew in a slow breath and let it out, staring at his father, who was still not meeting his eyes. “Really, Dad?”
His father didn’t nod, but he didn’t deny it. Jack’s parents’ strained relationship appeared in his mind’s eye, a picture in a whole new frame. “That’s something separate that you need to deal with,” he said. “If there’s something you need forgiven for, Carson can talk to you or recommend a counselor.” Even as he was talking reasonably, Jack’s heart ached for his mother. He’d known his parents hadn’t had a good marriage, but he had never known why.
His father crossed his arms and looked out across the parking lot. Everything in his posture said he didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want to be here with Jack.
Fine. “For now,” Jack said, “I insist that you keep your negativity to yourself and don’t spew it out over Arianna or me or anyone else I know. It sounds like you’ve got some thinking to do.”
“You mean to tell me this thing between you and Arianna just started up?”
“There’s not a thing between me and Arianna,” Jack said. “She was my sister-in-law, and she’s Sammy’s aunt and nanny. I care about her a great deal, and I would like to pursue a relationship with her, but that hasn’t happened yet. I don’t know how she feels about it.”
“I can tell you how she feels about it,” Dad said. There was some kind of bitterness in his ton
e. “She looks at you like you’re the king of the universe.”
Really? That notion spread warmth through Jack’s heart.
“Nobody ever looked at me like that,” his father added.
Jack spread his hands. “I’m just a man, struggling to raise my son and do my work and follow God’s laws,” he said. “I’m not going to deny that I’ve made mistakes. I’m not going to claim that Chloe and I had the perfect marriage. We didn’t.” He looked upward at the stars. “If I’m fortunate enough to be in a relationship again, I hope I can do better. And I would appreciate it if you didn’t interfere with that.”
His father didn’t answer, but he gave the tiniest of nods.
Jack’s emotions spun from hope about Arianna to hurt about what he’d just learned about his father. “Thanks,” he said, then turned on his heel and walked back inside.
Then, because his father was aging and upset, he approached Carson. “Calling in a favor, man,” he said. “My dad is out in the parking lot, and he’s...troubled. Any chance that you could talk to him a little and make sure he gets home okay?”
“You’ve got it. I’ll take him home myself. Lily isn’t here, and I don’t like to stay out too late when she’s home alone.”
Jack met his friend’s eyes. “I hope you know how good you’ve got it.”
“I do.” Carson clapped him on the back and then headed outside.
Jack found Arianna sitting with Daniela on a bench at the side of the room, partially hidden behind some potted palms. He gripped her hands and pulled her to her feet, and she ended up closer than he’d expected. He had the strongest urge to pull her in and kiss her.
From the way she sucked in her breath and stared at him, she might have let him.
But Daniela was here, and so were a lot of other people. He didn’t want to embarrass her that way. “Can we talk?” he asked.
“And that would be my cue to leave the premises,” Daniela said. “I’ve left poor Gabe alone too long. He doesn’t like this kind of event.”
After she walked away, he looked down at Arianna.
She was studying him. “Are you okay?”
The Nanny's Secret Baby--A Fresh-Start Family Romance Page 13