by Anya Summers
Carter had just discovered he had a son. Tonight was about getting his son under his roof and marveling over his existence. The last thing he would do was get Jenna and Liam to his ranch and then head off for the night. That would sit real well with Jenna—so much so, he could just imagine the headache it would create in his life. The damn club could wait, as far as he was concerned. He wanted tonight. Just one night with his son before the rest of the world butted in.
Christ, he’d been a goner the moment he’d held him. He hadn’t known he could love another with such startling depth and clarity. Liam existed, therefore Carter loved him.
And then there was his mother. Jenna’s return into his life was just as cataclysmic as her first entry. She was still as beautiful as she’d been when they’d met. Her hips were a bit more rounded from childbirth, and her killer cleavage was even more so now that she was breastfeeding. He knew it shouldn’t be erotic and shouldn’t have aroused him, but seeing their son greedily latch his mouth around her nipple had made him hard as a fucking rock.
He pulled his truck up alongside her apartment and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her hefting her suitcases out to the landing at the top of the stairs. A part of him had worried that he would return only to find that she had vanished on him again without a trace, and this time with his son.
He’d trusted her without question on the island. The thought of Liam and the fact that Carter didn’t even know exactly how old his son was put a rather large crimp in her trustworthiness. Only time would tell if he could trust her again.
Exiting his truck, he climbed the stairs. When Jenna went to lift one of the suitcases to carry it down, he stopped her. She looked like a strong wind would topple her over.
“I’ve got these. I don’t want you lifting them when you could hurt yourself,” Carter said, noticing her gait was a bit unsteady, as if she was in pain. He wondered what that was about.
It didn’t take him all that long to secure her suitcases and the bassinet in the back of his truck. Once her stuff was stored and secured, that left Jenna and Liam. She exited the apartment toting her purse and a large diaper bag slung over one shoulder, with their son in the carrier part of the car seat in the other hand.
“Here, let me help you,” he murmured, taking the stairs back up two at a time, reaching for the bags at her shoulder.
“If you could just lock the deadbolt with my keys, I’m fine with the rest,” she said, handing them over. Then she navigated her way down the stairs while he locked up her place.
He was back down the stairs in a blink, opening the door and taking the diaper bag and purse while Jenna fastened the carrier onto the car seat base. Then she surprised Carter by climbing into the back seat and sitting next to Liam.
“Jenna, are you sure you don’t want to ride up front?” he asked as he climbed into the cab on the driver’s side.
“If memory serves, you said your ranch is almost an hour outside of Jackson, right? That’s a long time with an infant. He’s sleeping and behaving now, but give it ten minutes and he could be fussing up a storm, with me needing to climb back here. It’s just easier all around for me to sit back here to begin with. Trust me on this,” she said with a yawn.
“You seem tired. Is everything all right?” Carter asked pulling away from the curb and heading toward the highway.
“Yep, just one of the joys of being a new mom. He’s still not sleeping through the night, which the pediatrician tells me is perfectly normal, but it also means I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since he was born. I tend to try and sleep whenever he does,” Jenna explained and yawned again, although she tried to hide it.
“Then why don’t you get some shut-eye while I drive. It will be about an hour until we make it to the Double J,” Carter said, his chest tight that she was clearly suffering but also a bit piqued that she still didn’t ask for help when she needed it.
She gave him a tremulous smile and replied, “If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, Jenna. I’m not an ogre. You need your sleep to keep your strength up so you can take care of Liam. I’m here to help you but there are certain things you can do that I can’t,” he explained.
She blushed and said, “Thanks.”
Then she leaned back in her seat and her eyes fluttered shut. One of her hands covered their son’s little belly, like she wanted to ensure that Liam was safe even while she napped. It did something to him, seeing how protective she was, how much she clearly adored Liam. He felt it, deep in his chest.
Carter drove the rest of the way to his ranch in silence, glancing in his rearview mirror from time to time at the precious cargo in the back seat. And it wasn’t just his son.
Chapter 4
Jenna. We’re here,” Carter’s voice infiltrated her dream.
A good dream—a memory, really, of when she and Carter had met on the island. The dunking into the ocean she’d given him that had set the wheels in motion and had brought her here, to this time and space. She cracked open an eye and gazed into Carter’s face. He was leaning over the car seat, careful not to disturb Liam.
She’d missed his face. The rugged lines of his square jaw. The way his cowboy hat sat on his head. Her gaze dropped to his lips; his wide, sensual lips shrouded by a shadow beard. She remembered how they tasted, how they moved against her lips and over her body.
“Jenna,” Carter whispered on a groan.
She glanced back into his eyes and heat, the intoxicating lure of him, barreled through her midsection. His mouth descended toward hers. She licked her suddenly dry lips. The potent chemistry she’d thought lost to the annals of time surged to the surface like a Spartan on his way to do battle.
Carter’s lips were an inch from hers, his gaze transfixed on hers, when Liam sputtered a pitiful cry.
Jenna jerked back. Heat flushed her cheeks and embarrassment flooded her system. “Let me get him settled and I can help you get our things,” she said.
“I already took care of it all. You and Liam were sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t want to wake you until I had to,” Carter said, helping her out of the truck.
She turned back and lifted Liam’s irate little body from his car seat carrier.
“Could you get the carrier seat for me?” she asked, fixing a tight smile over her face. She couldn’t believe she’d almost kissed him. She hadn’t been in his presence again for more than a few hours. Heaven help her.
“Sure,” Carter murmured.
While he removed the carrier from the truck, Jenna took her first look at his ranch. ‘Wow’ didn’t even begin to cut it. Fields stretched and rolled in green waves. Pine trees and oaks danced in the warm evening breeze. The sun was setting behind a patch of dark slate-colored mountains, illuminating everything in its path a fiery orange and gold. The stables were huge. And as she listened, she heard the whicker of horses, the clomp of hooves against the earth, and could smell manure, loads of it.
There were other, smaller structures—a barn, a small row of cabins—that were aglow in the sun’s golden, dying embers. Hopefully she’d get a closer look at them tomorrow. Jenna gently swayed with Liam, calming his cries until she could change his diaper while she swiveled her head and viewed the house they’d be living in with Carter.
It was the biggest log cabin she’d ever seen; two stories, with possibly even a third. It dwarfed the duplex she and Meghan had been residing in. She knew Carter had money, that he was well to do, but this? She’d never expected this. The main house, while it could have been a monstrosity due to its sheer size, actually looked like a warm beacon against the background of approaching darkness. The interior lights glowed in welcome, and the exterior just took her breath away.
Carter placed his palm against her lower back and ushered her toward the door. Jenna shivered and felt his innocuous touch clear down to her toes. How was she going to survive, living with him so near and not wanting him? She had no answer, only uncertainty about her future. With Liam complacent in her arm
s, she let Carter lead her up the steps of the back porch. She took it all in, her head spinning, wondering just how wealthy Carter must be to own such a place.
He opened the back door and held it for her. She entered, noticing the mudroom before Carter led them through to the kitchen and dining area. Jenna stopped when she spied a woman at the kitchen stove. She was older, perhaps in her early fifties. Her dark black hair was streaked with silver.
She turned and set a dish towel on the nearby counter before clapping her hands and approaching.
“Jenna, this is Dottie Henderson. She cooks, cleans, and takes care of everything inside the house,” Carter said.
“Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Jenna. And you have a baby!” Dottie exclaimed, clasping her hands at her bosom.
“It’s nice to meet you. And yes, this little guy is Liam. Sorry to invade you on such short notice,” Jenna replied.
“Oh, it’s no bother at all. In fact, it’s the best news and most excitement we’ve had on the ranch in ages. And I just love that there’s another woman out here. It can get a little lonely at times. He’s just beautiful. It’s been a long time since we had a baby on the ranch, too,” Dottie said.
“So you live here, in the house?” Jenna asked.
“Oh no, with my husband, Herb, whom I’m sure you will meet in the morning. We have a small house on the grounds.”
“Dottie’s husband is my foreman,” Carter explained and set the carrier next to the kitchen table.
Liam started to fuss and squirm. Then the smell hit Jenna. Yep, it was diaper changing time.
“Where did you put the diaper bag? And is there some place where I can change him?” she asked as Liam began to really make his discomfort known.
“Certainly. Oh, the poor dear. I don’t like long car rides either. Let me show you where you can change the little master,” Dottie said.
“Here,” Carter said, holding the diaper bag out to Jenna. She took it and followed Dottie’s matronly form down a short hall to a guest bathroom.
Dottie followed her in and helped her get the changing pad, wipes and a fresh diaper out.
“He’s just precious, and looks so much like Mister Carter I would know him as his son anywhere,” Dottie murmured.
“I’m sure you find it a bit odd that he didn’t know about him right away,” Jenna said as she cleaned up Liam.
“Not really. When you live long enough, you begin to understand that everything happens in due time, when it’s supposed to. I’m sure you had your reasons. And when we get to know one another more, perhaps you will tell me—or you won’t. But I will be here just the same, and help you adjust to life out here,” Dottie responded, and Jenna was surprised at her kindness. She knew what the situation looked like and wasn’t sure she would be so non-judgmental if she were in Dottie’s shoes.
Jenna fastened a new diaper on Liam and replied, “Thank you, Dottie. I’d like that.”
When Liam was all cleaned up, she followed Dottie out of the bathroom and back into the kitchen.
“Now, I have dinner all ready for you. Have you eaten yet?” Dottie asked, moving about the kitchen like a whirlwind of energy.
“No. I was about to make some dinner and then Carter arrived,” Jenna said. On my doorstep without warning, completely upending my world once again. She tended to forget a lot whenever Carter was near.
“Let me have him while Dottie gets you situated,” Carter said, waltzing back into the kitchen. He held his hands out. Jenna wouldn’t fight him, not on this. They were here. He wanted to make up for lost time and be with his son. She couldn’t deny him that. The first week after Liam was born, she’d barely slept worrying something might happen to him and had just stared at him, amazed that he belonged to her. She relinquished Liam into Carter’s care without a thought. He wanted this, he could help, and she had to admit, she was starving. Breastfeeding burned megawatt calories and Jenna was always hungry.
“Well, let me get the brisket heated and I can give you a tour,” Dottie said, loading up a ceramic oven dish with the brisket and putting it in the oven to heat up. The woman had put so much more on the dish than Jenna could eat, but perhaps Carter would eat with her as well.
While they waited for the food, Dottie gave Jenna a tour of the kitchen. It was larger than the living room and kitchen in her apartment combined. It contained amber-hued wood cabinets and glossy granite countertops in a golden tan with veins of muted gray running through it. She’d never seen such a large refrigerator in her life—well, not outside a restaurant. And this one was double-doored stainless steel, and stockpiled with goodies.
Dottie showed her where everything was housed, from plates to bowls to pots and baking sheets, and told Jenna to make herself at home in the kitchen, and that if there were any dishes she wanted Dottie to add or any food allergies she needed to know about, to just inform her and she would make note of it for grocery day.
Jenna took it all in. She wasn’t going to have to worry here about whether there would be enough food to make it to the end of a paycheck. Not that Jenna had ever starved but there had been plenty of times over the last few years where she’d had to make things stretch and ration her portion sizes to make it over the finish line until payday. In all her years, Jenna had never seen such a well-stocked kitchen or lived in a place with such bounty. It made her feel a bit like orphan Annie. Sure, she’d lived on Pleasure Island for a few months, with all its luxury amenities, but this was different.
As overwhelming and daunting as it may be for her, this meant her son would never go without, would never know lack. That had to count for something.
Liam began to fuss once more and her breasts actually ached with their fullness. He was hungry—again.
“I’m sorry, Dottie, this is all wonderful, but I need to feed Liam. He tends to eat quite a bit,” Jenna explained.
“I’m sure that he does, and you don’t need to apologize. Just make sure you are eating enough yourself. In fact, while you’re feeding him I’ll make sure there are a few premade snacks for you in the fridge, so you don’t have to worry about a thing,” Dottie commented, jotting a few notes on her list.
The woman was quite simply wonderful. Jenna hadn’t known what to expect at Carter’s home, but here certainly was a housekeeper and cook whose temperament reminded her of Glinda, the good witch.
“Thank you so much. I’ll just be a minute,” she said and walked over to Carter to rescue Liam.
“Is there someplace I can go to feed him?” Jenna asked, lifting him from Carter’s arms.
“Here, why don’t you use the living room back beyond here. It will be more comfortable for you,” Carter said and escorted her down yet another hallway into a living room of sorts. To Jenna it appeared much more like a great room with its soaring ceiling, massive fireplace, and plethora of leather couches that were made with large men in mind.
But over by a large bay window was a leather chair piled with sapphire blue pillows that faced the window. That was where he led her. The view from the seat was breathtaking. It looked out over the ranch and surrounding area. The sun had dipped behind the mountains, casting the land into twilight. She got to live here. Her son would grow up with this stunning scenery right outside the front door.
“Will this work for you?” Carter asked and shot her an unreadable glance.
“It’s perfect. Thank you,” she said and accepted the seat, where she discovered it wasn’t just a chair but a glider; a bit like a rocker that she could use to put Liam to sleep.
“Good. I will leave you to it and see you both in the kitchen when he’s done. After dinner, I’ll show you where I’ve put you and Liam tonight,” Carter said.
“Okay. That sounds great. Thank you, Carter, truly,” Jenna said and held his gaze for a minute. He returned her stare, his expression reserved, like maybe he was wondering if he’d made a mistake. God, she prayed it was just her overactive mind, and that he wouldn’t toss them both out.
Chapter 5
All he’d wanted to do then was protect her. Even if he never touched her again, he would ensure she had no cause for uncertainty in her new home. He had meant what he’d said; they were in each other’s lives now for good. Liam connected them. Carter would never allow her to be homeless or forced to struggle. He knew Jenna didn’t come from money and that she worked incredibly hard. It was one of the qualities in her that had attracted him. But her response to his home made him wonder just how badly off she had been.
And oh, what the sight of her in that chair in the living room had done to him. That had been his mother’s favorite place to relax in the evening. She had whiled away countless hours in that chair, reading, cross-stitching, and sewing. His mom would have loved to know her grandson would be nursed there.
He rubbed his chest. Liam had him wrapped around his tiny little fist and didn’t even know it. Already he was making plans for the nursery. He’d make sure Liam had everything he needed.
Spencer had left him a final text message that read: Sunday, you will be explaining yourself. Can’t believe you ditched. Fucker.
Instead of replying, Carter ignored the text message. One problem at a time. Spencer and the rest of the boys would get their panties out of a twist when they discovered why he’d avoided the club tonight. As it was, he didn’t have the energy to text Spencer back to explain. He wouldn’t even know where to begin.