by Helen Lacey
Family was everything to Jake.
Which was why he’d been happy when Patrice had told him she was pregnant. They were already separated, already in the throes of divorce, but he’d believed her when she’d said the baby was his. Looking back, Jake couldn’t believe he’d been so foolishly naive. He’d offered to raise the child with a shared custody arrangement, or alone if that’s what she preferred. But that wasn’t Patrice’s endgame. Her motive was the same as it had always been—to grab as much of his money as she could. It was only when he said he wasn’t about to pay for the privilege of being a parent that she admitted the child wasn’t his.
The announcement had hurt more than he’d believed possible. And it turned his heart to stone for a while. Or at the very least, made him overcautious of getting involved with anyone.
Until Valene.
Of course, the warning bells were pealing like crazy.
The possibility of marriage and kids was way off into the future, but being around Valene gave him hope that he could open himself up again to feel something for someone. And it wasn’t simply desire. Of course, he wanted her. She was beautiful and sexy and drove him crazy, but there was more to her than a pretty face, seductive brown eyes and incredible curves. Valene had gumption and intelligence and wit. She was the whole package. There didn’t seem to be anything narcissistic or covetous about her. Sure, she was young and inexperienced and a little spoiled, but she carried herself like a woman who knew exactly who and what she was, even if she sometimes didn’t believe it.
Then why can’t I tell her the truth?
Jake knew why.
Fear.
If she knew who he really was, what he’d made of himself, how could he be certain that her feelings for him were real? Were pure? Were what he needed to get the taste of bitterness and betrayal from his mouth? She liked him. She’d said it several times, and he was savvy enough to see the desire and genuine attraction in her eyes. But since both her sisters had recently found partners, how could Jake be sure she wasn’t simply in love with the idea of being in love? He couldn’t. Only time would tell if their budding relationship would go the distance. And with time came the very real chance that she would discover who and what he was before he took the opportunity to tell her himself. She believed he was a simple ranch hand and in a way that was true. Jake still worked the ranch as he had done since before he’d bought the place. But she had him pegged as a ranch hand who lived week to week, who owned a beat-up truck and who could afford jeans, not jewels. Someone she had to ask to wear a suit to a fancy shindig like a gala dinner. Someone who couldn’t get a reservation at one of the busiest restaurants in town. Someone without influence.
When the truth was quite the opposite.
He was a successful ranch owner who had a considerable portfolio of other properties and investments in several developments around town—including one with Karl Messer. They’d been friends since high school and were now connected through business, even though Jake insisted on being a silent partner in any venture he invested in. And Karl was discreet, which was why he’d set him up with Valene. He’d wanted to help her, to let her shimmer the way she was destined to shine. He wasn’t sure she’d be entirely pleased that he’d interfered, however, so staying quiet about his involvement was probably the best option at the moment.
“Would you like to dance, cowboy?”
Valene’s soft and seductive voice whispered close to his ear. He noticed there were several couples on the dance floor. “Love to.”
He took her hand and got to his feet, and within seconds they were on the dance floor.
“You know,” she said as she swayed, resting a hand on his shoulder while the other was enclosed firmly within his, “this isn’t so different from dancing cowboy style.”
Jake urged her a little closer. “Not so different at all.”
Someone he knew was dancing nearby and recognized him, and Jake responded with a brief nod. The last thing he wanted was to be outed on the dance floor. He pressed his face against her hair, inhaling the intoxicating scent. And he was a goner. He was so into Valene he couldn’t think straight. Even the guys who worked for him had mentioned he was distracted. He was thinking about Valene when he should have been doing a dozen other things. He was dreaming about Valene. He was fantasizing about her.
He was, Jake realized foolishly, half in love with a woman he’d known a little over a week.
Chapter Seven
Valene lost sight of Jake in the room and scanned the crowd. They’d parted company for a while when Maddie had insisted she help meet and greet the band and guest artists who had all donated their time for the charity event. It took about ten seconds to find him, though, near the bar area, talking to three other men of various ages. The oldest of the group said something and the rest of them laughed, Jake included, and then one of them slapped him on the back as though they had been acquainted for years. It struck her as odd behavior, as she was sure he didn’t know anyone in the room besides her.
She made a direct line to him through the crowd when he looked her way, as though they were connected by some invisible radar. He quickly excused himself and met her halfway across the room.
“Having a good time?” she asked when he took her hand and raised it to his mouth.
“Of course. You?”
Valene’s brows rose high at his benign reply. “My sister thinks you’re ridiculously good-looking.”
He laughed softly. “And what do you think?”
“I think you were making friends over there,” she remarked. “And I think you are perfectly at ease in a room full of people.”
“People are just people, Valene. There’s no mystery to making conversation.”
“I’m not so sure,” she said and allowed him to lead her away from the crowd and back to their now vacant table. “I’ve always been considered something of a party girl, but the truth is, I’ve never been that great in crowds. I think I’m really more of an introvert, despite my reputation.”
He chuckled and kissed her cheek, lingering around the soft skin beneath her lobe. The sensation turned her bones to liquid and she sighed, curling her fingers around his arm. In all her life, Val had never had such an intense physical reaction to anyone.
“I think,” he whispered against her skin, “that you are perfect, Ms. Fortunado.”
Val pulled back a fraction and met his gaze, conscious that to anyone watching, they would appear like lovers who had known one another intimately. There was an intensity about the connection they shared that defied logic, considering the short time they had known one another. She’d heard about it, of course, about instant attraction, the lightning-bolt kind. Even her sister Schuyler had declared that she believed in lust at first sight since she’d met Carlo. But as attracted as she was to Jake, there was also something else going on. Something deeper than pure sexual attraction. She enjoyed his company, experienced pleasure when he spoke or laughed, found herself thinking of him every day.
It’s like at first sight.
Who am I kidding?
Valene wasn’t an expert at deep emotion, but she’d witnessed real love firsthand by watching her parents’ happy and successful marriage. It was something she wanted to emulate, like Maddie and Schuyler had recently done. It was important to her that she spend her life with one man, someone she could have children with, walk alongside through the challenges of life.
Someone like Jake.
He was strong and sincere and clearly valued honesty and integrity. She liked that about him. She knew it was what she was looking for.
“I’ve never met a man like you,” she said softly.
Jake touched her cheek. “Like what?”
“So...together. So...real.”
He chuckled. “I’ve been called a lot of things, but never that.”
“Who were you talking to b
ack there?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Just someone I know from the ranch. So, would you like to dance some more?”
“Sure.”
They spent the next half hour on the dance floor, and she spotted Maddie and Zach swaying to a romantic number, engrossed in each other and clearly in love. And surprisingly, the spike of envy she expected didn’t come, because somehow, she was in the middle of her own romantic fairy tale. Valene pressed herself into Jake’s embrace, inhaling the sexy, woodsy scent of his cologne, feeling his strong chest beneath her cheek. She noticed a few things about him as they danced close together, like the fact that his cuff links were stamped with his initials, and his tie bar was made of solid silver. It seemed at odds, somehow, with his workingman, ranch hand image.
“I like your cuff links,” she said and touched the ornate bar with her finger.
“They were my grandfather’s,” he supplied. “I was named after him.”
Val nodded. “You have a strong sense of family.”
He pressed a hand into the small of her back. “Family is everything.”
“I agree,” she said and swayed against him, loving the feel of his hand on her, even through her gown, and the heat it created on her skin. “I love my family very much. And I really want to have a family of my own one day. You said you wanted kids, right?”
“Yes.”
It was a simple response. Too simple. Because Valene picked up on something hollow about the way he said it, as though he was suddenly filled with memory, and sadness.
“Jake...is everything okay?”
“Fine.”
“If you’ve had enough, we can leave.”
He shook his head. “And miss out on dancing this close with you?” he replied. “Not a chance.”
Val felt light-headed, and for a second she wondered if women still swooned, because being around Jake made her feel all kinds of things she wasn’t sure existed.
They danced for a while longer, and then once they returned to the table, she told him she was ready to go. Val found her sister, congratulated her and Zach on a fabulous event, and said she’d see them both the following week.
“Why don’t you stop by the house tomorrow night and bring Jake?” her sister suggested. “I’ll cook. Or Zach will cook.” Maddie grinned. “Or we’ll order takeout.”
An evening under the microscope with her very opinionated and judgmental sister? Val was about to refuse the invitation when she saw Jake nod slightly and relax. “Ah...okay. I’ll bring dessert.”
“No need,” Maddie said and waved a hand. “I have it covered.”
They were driving back to her apartment about ten minutes later when she spoke about her sister’s offer. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”
Jake glanced her way for a second. “I’m happy to do whatever makes you happy, Valene. You’ve said many times that family is important to you. And your sister and her husband are nice people.”
“She’ll give you the third degree,” Val said and made a face. “Are you up for that?”
Jake chuckled. “I’ll cope. If Cassidy brought home someone I didn’t know, I’d do the same thing.”
“She’s so lucky to have you.”
“Likewise for your siblings,” he said quietly. “Maddie is only watching out for you. Don’t get frustrated because she loves you so much.”
Val sighed and relaxed in the seat. “You make everything seem easier.”
“Family isn’t easy. But they’re who we have, so there’s no point fighting it. I’m sure there are days when Cassidy feels as though she’s smothered and overprotected and that’s why she went away to college. It’s instinct, I guess, to want to protect the people we love.”
He had a point. For most of her life, Val had been overprotected by her parents and siblings. She hadn’t balked against it, hadn’t overreacted, but sometimes her resentment had simmered along the surface, looking for an escape route. She’d never acted out, never done anything wild or outrageous, but she’d also never complained about the attention, either.
“If I told my parents they smothered me, they’d be so hurt.”
“Then don’t,” Jake replied as they drove through the city. “You can be independent without being alone.”
She sighed. “I live in a condo my father bought. I work in a place run by my sister. That doesn’t sound like the life of an independent person, does it?”
“We can all look for ways to devalue the meaning of our life,” he remarked quietly. “I guess it’s how we manage our good fortune that matters the most.”
“Like my mom does,” she remarked. “Working with the Fortunado Foundation. Or you do at the shelter.” She let out a long breath. “Do you know, the last pair of jeans I bought cost nearly four hundred dollars? Imagine how many rescue animals that money could feed at the shelter. Or how many people it could help through the Fortunado Foundation. Gah... I’m a spoiled child.”
Jake chuckled softly and grabbed her hand, holding it firmly within his. “You’re incredible, Valene. You’re passionate and funny, and the world needs that kind of passion.”
She looked down at their linked hands. “Do you?”
“That’s a loaded question.”
She laughed. “I really like being with you. And flirting with you,” she added.
“I’ve noticed.”
A few minutes later he parked outside her condo and quickly came around to the passenger side, where he held her door for her.
“Do you want to come inside?” she asked.
“Yes,” he replied and gathered her into his strong arms. “Which is why I’m going to kiss you good-night and then leave.”
Val experienced a mix of disappointment and appreciation. He was right. It was still too soon for her to have sex with him. Even though she wanted it more and more every time they were together. But she appreciated the fact that he knew it.
He kissed her, slowly and deeply, and by the time he raised his head she was clinging to him, desperate for more of his mouth on hers. She touched his face, felt how his skin was cool from the night air and was instantly caught up in his glittering gaze.
“Good night, Jake.”
He made arrangements to pick her up the following evening, kissed her again before wishing her sweet dreams and then waited until she was safely inside before leaving.
She sent him a text about an hour later, when she knew he would be home and not driving.
I had a lovely time tonight. Thank you. Part of me wishes you’d stayed. V.
A message came back within seconds.
Ditto. Stop text torturing me. Good night, sweetheart. J.
Val was still smiling, still ridiculously happy when she awoke the next morning. She went in to work for a couple of hours to facilitate the Messer listing and took a call from Schuyler around eleven. They chatted for a while, mostly about Jake, and Schuyler squealed in delight that Val was so happy. Later, she made plans to meet with a couple of clients in Austin the following week and locked in several appointments.
She dropped by the supermarket after work to load up the rear of her Lexus with dog and cat food and then headed for the animal shelter, specifically to see Florence and drop off the donation, but also to spend a few minutes petting Digby, who’d become something of a favorite of hers. When she returned home she took Bruce for a walk, did some laundry, spent an idle half hour on Instagram and then went to the gym at the complex. By six she was showered and dressed and waiting for Jake.
He picked her up on time as always, in his old truck, and kissed her softly, and they headed for her sister’s place. Maddie, of course, was her usual reserved and cautious self, but Zach was entertaining and a great host. Jake had stopped off to buy imported beer and wine, and soon after arriving they were all settled in the huge dining room. Maddie had gone all out ordering ta
keout, offering appetizers first and then a main meal that was delicious and loaded with carbs.
“Toscano’s,” Maddie announced when Jake complimented the porcini pasta dish. “It really is the best Italian place in the city, in my opinion. They do the most amazing beef ravioli.”
Val glanced toward Jake and smiled. He hadn’t flinched, hadn’t moved a muscle, and Val was certain she had never met a more self-assured, quietly confident man in her life.
“You should take the Messer Group people there,” Maddie told her. “A good meal is always a great way to break the ice with a new client. Probably best to try for lunch, though. It’s impossible to get a dinner reservation. The place is always booked weeks ahead.”
Val’s mouth curled at the edges and when her gaze met Jake’s again, she saw the humor in his expression. She wasn’t about to brag and say that her new boyfriend had only had to make a phone call to score them the best table in the place at a day’s notice.
New boyfriend?
Is that what he is?
Val had been desperate not to label what they had, but they were into the second week of their acquaintance and it certainly felt like more than something casual. It felt real. Perhaps the most real relationship she had ever had.
Equally surprisingly, the evening at her sister’s was pleasant. Maddie and Zach were perfect hosts, the food was wonderful and the conversation easy. Till Maddie brought up Jake’s lack of a college education.