An incessant buzzing like a pesky mosquito woke Jared from the first sound sleep he'd had in two days. He shoved the covers aside, grabbed for the lamp and switched it on. It toppled over, hitting the carpet with a thud. He blinked at the harsh light. His sleep-deprived brain finally registered that the phone was ringing. He snatched up the receiver.
“Who the hell is this?” he growled, yawning full force into the phone.
“Who the hell do you want it to be?” the voice asked with a chuckle.
“Carl, is that you?"
“That's right, it's your Fairy Godfather."
Jared sprang up to a sitting position and slammed his head against the headboard. “Ouch!” He rubbed the rising bump on the back of his head and squinted at the digital clock. “Do you know what time it is?” He bent forward, lifting the lamp from the floor and setting it back on the table. “It's Thursday, three o'clock in the morning, Houston time,” Jared croaked.
The voice on the other end cleared its throat. “Okay, now we've gotten the news bulletin out of the way, let alone my little bit of pay-back, do you want a progress report on the case?"
Jared's voice rose. “You found something already?"
“Does a bear mess in the woods? The lowlife who's supposed to have changed and wants Katherine to remarry him is this very minute bopping his beautician girlfriend for the third time."
Jared rammed his hands through his hair. “I'll be damned."
Carl chuckled. “Yeah. At my age, I find that pretty remarkable, too. If you want sound effects, you can have them at no extra charge. The walls are thin here. Her name's Ann Young, by the way. I got some steamy photos of them locking bodies in the halls and kissing at her door. I'll nose around again today and get the pictures to you Friday."
Jared ran his fingers across the stubble on his cheek. “Any idea why he really asked Katherine to remarry him?"
“I've been looking into his background. He has a younger brother named William. The man walks on water as far as the community and his father is concerned. Family man, kids. It's got to be tied up with William and their parents in some way."
“Good job. Keep digging."
Carl grew quiet. “You still seeing this lady?"
Jared felt a lecture coming from the detective who treated him like his son. “Yeah.” He yawned again. “She and her son are coming out to the ranch in Katy with me. We're going horseback riding most of the day. If you need to reach me, that's where I'll be."
Carl coughed. “Those wise-ass remarks I made about you and Katherine were way out of line.” He paused huffing a deep breath into the phone. “But don't take this lady so serious, in case she dumps you, too. My ulcers can't follow you around bars for days to make sure you keep your nose clean."
“I've no intention of going off the deep-end again,” Jared snapped.
Carl snorted in apparent disbelief. “Oh, and you owe me a bonus. About the sneezing."
Jared frowned at the phone. “Sneezing?"
“Yeah, sneezing. Remember? Allergy-boy."
“Paul."
Carl went on. “I borrowed a dog from a friend and found out lover-boy's not allergic. His mistress is. You should have seen her sneeze her fool head off in the elevator."
“That means-"
“Right on. Paul stored Matt at a nursery and brought Ann Young to the home he had with Katherine while they were still married. His mistress couldn't be around animals, so Matt couldn't have any. I've already confirmed with neighbors that his mistress visited the house numerous times."
Jared rubbed his neck. “None of the neighbors said anything to Katherine about Paul having a woman over?"
“Hell no. They thought she was a relative, until Katherine came home early one day because her business flight was cancelled. She walked into the bedroom and found her husband and this bimbo screwing. All hell broke loose and the neighbors almost called the cops. Nice guy, huh?"
Jared felt like someone gut-punched him. He fisted the pillow. “Yeah. A real charmer,” he snarled. “Keep digging,” he said and hung up the phone.
“Trust me.” Jared extended his hand to Katherine as he sat on the black gelding. “I'll pull you up and you can ride behind me or in front of me, whichever you prefer."
Katherine stared at the dust rising around the pawing, snorting, four-legged giant of a beast and hesitated. She shook her head. “I don't think it likes me."
“Flying Leap likes everyone-especially beautiful ladies.” Jared held the reins in one hand and placed his other hand on the gelding's rump.
“Look at me, Mom.” Matt sat on a spotted pony that looked only three and a half feet tall. “I was scared of Sweet Pea to start with, but I like it up here.” He pulled his cowboy hat lower and hugged his coat around him. He shoved his boots further into the stirrups. “Me and Sweet Pea are doing fine."
The smell of fresh hay filled the air. She glanced around the stable at the boxed stalls and rubbed the pony's nose. It whinnied. “Two Sweet Peas can fit underneath one Flying Leap,” she said dryly. “Remember what Mr. Randall said. Pull back on the reins to stop and give her a gentle nudge in the sides to make her go."
Matt rolled his eyes. “I got all that. Let's go, Mom. Sweet Pea wants to go, too."
Pulling her jacket tighter around her waist, she moved to the side of Flying Leap and looked up. All the way up. Once she mounted, she'd be sitting in Jared's lap. She swallowed hard.
Jared's eyes lingered on her. “It isn't as far up as the top of the roof or Matt's Christmas tree. Trust me,” he repeated softly. He extended his hand to her again and removed his foot from the stirrup. “You want front or back?"
She closed her eyes tight, took a deep breath and thrust her hand up to him. “I do trust you. Front,” she said shakily, biting her bottom lip.
He grabbed her firmly around the wrist and lifted her off the ground. Her booted foot missed the stirrup twice, finally it slipped into it. Jared reached one hand around her waist, pulled her the rest of the way up, and hoisted her right leg over the saddle horn. Heat flamed her face when his hands touched her thighs and then her jean covered backside. He drew her bottom toward him and settled her in the saddle.
“Well that wasn't so bad,” she bragged.
He chuckled. “Sweetheart, you almost kicked me in the head. Mounting a horse works a lot better if you keep your eyes open."
She stared at the strips of leather wound through the thick, firm fingers positioned within a hair of her breasts. She moved backward in the saddle, flush against him and heard his sudden intake of air.
Jared cleared his throat. “Let's head out,” he said, flicking the reins and nudging Flying Leap with his legs. “Matt, you stay ahead of us a little so your mom can see you all the time.” Jared pointed to the pasture area. “We're going straight out the barn and along the grass covered fence line."
Katherine fought the tingling sensations from Jared's warm breath hitting her ear and neck when he spoke. She tried to focus on Matt, who grinned and rode beside them for awhile, and then moved ahead. That focus became more difficult when every move Jared made brought his hands closer to her breasts.
The cool breeze washed across her face as they left the barn. Jared moved the reins and bundled her to him. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. She leaned back against him. And despite all this, while still fighting her inner demons, who cried ‘Fool!', she closed her eyes and relaxed against his broad chest. She could feel his heart thud in a slow, steady beat against her back.
She jumped when they suddenly drew to a halt. Jared rubbed his hands over her arms. She lifted her head and saw Matt had stopped, too.
Jared pointed again to the horizon. “We're heading for that worn trail over there. We'll follow it through the woods. The trail doubles back to the barn, so you can't get lost. Matt,” Jared went on, lifting his voice, “watch for squirrels, birds and rabbits. You might spot a deer or two off to the sides hiding in the bushes, too."
Matt squealed with excitement. Katherine smiled and felt so warm snuggled against Jared.
He kept his arms around her and bent close. “We'll be riding for an hour on this trail. It takes another half-hour to come back to the barn.” He leaned forward, his cheek resting against hers. “You can take a nap if you'd like, or watch the scenery. There's always something blooming in Texas-even in late December. You may see some Scarlet Sage, Verbena, or Lantana."
She covered her mouth and yawned. “I think I might rest my eyes a little,” she murmured, closing them again. She hadn't been able to sleep much last night. Paul had been angry about her and Matt going horseback riding with Jared and had stormed out of the house after their nasty fight. She had listened thinking he might return to apologize-but hearing nothing, she had eventually dropped into a restless sleep.
Come to think of it, she hadn't had a good night's sleep since Paul dropped into her life.
She yawned again and laid her head back against Jared's shoulder as they moved back and forth in the saddle. It reminded her of the rocking motion of a hammock tied between two large trees. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.
“Mom! Mom! Look, it's Bambi!” Matt hollered.
Katherine's body shot forward. Her eyes flew open to find her breasts pressed against the backs of Jared's hands. She heard his sharp intake of breath, but only barely, as her own breath came hard and heavy from the brief touch. She scrambled around to see what Matt had been yelling about.
A wide-eyed fawn stopped nibbling on leaves and froze, staring at them through the thick forest. A large white-tailed doe joined the frightened fawn and they fled back into the woods.
Jared nudged the gelding forward and bent his head beside her ear. Warm breath floated by her neck, under her hair. “Sorry Matt woke you. He was real quiet when he saw the other animals. Did you have a nice nap?” Jared brushed errant tendrils back from her face. His hand lingered on her cheek. Her heart sputtered as his hand moved, placing the strands behind her ear.
She almost sighed at his touch, but fought the surrendering sound back down. He was nothing but trouble, and the fact that she was forgetting it was the proof. And why was she lying docilely in his arms? She straightened, shifting on his lap. Jared loosed his arms. She ignored him and stared at the woods, furious with herself.
The green and white wooden barn returned to view as they rounded the bend. She heard the babbling of a small waterfall and running water from a nearby river. “How long was I asleep?” She looked down and realized he'd opened his coat and had it wrapped around her so they shared its warmth.
He pulled her against him. She resisted, craned her neck around to glare at him. He smiled that dangerous smile. Against her will, she leaned back into the warmth of down and man, curbing the next sigh that threatened to arise. “Almost an hour. I thought I'd make some hot cocoa with marshmallows when we get back to the ranch. Later, I'll fix us a picnic lunch and we can eat on the patio. I'm curious to learn what else Matt likes to eat besides roast beef, cookies, spaghetti and lobster."
She smiled. “Anything that doesn't bite or isn't nailed down. His legs are hollow. That's where the food goes."
Jared chuckled.
Ten minutes later, they reentered Jared's barn. A horse in a nearby stall nickered at the sound of their hoofs on the floor. Jared turned toward the sound.
“Midnight Star's hungry. Matt, I stowed a little lettuce, a few carrots and apples in a bucket hanging on a nail over on the far wall. I thought you might like to feed the animals after we get the saddles off the horses and cool them down.” Jared pointed to a wire cage that held two bushy tailed white rabbits with ruby eyes.
Matt giggled, bent forward and hugged the pony around the neck. “Hear that, Sweet Pea? You get treats, too."
Katherine smiled. “I think the horseback ride was a huge success.” She glanced at Matt. He yawned and had difficulty keeping his eyes open. “I'm going to put Matt down for a nap at noon. He's worn out. Can we talk afterwards?” she whispered.
Jared reined Flying Leap to a halt inside the barn. “Sure,” he said with a quizzical glance.
Matt stopped behind them and climbed off Sweet Pea. He reached in his saddlebag and took out a bouquet of wilted wildflowers. “Mr. Randall asked me to pick ‘em for you since you didn't get to see the colors.” He laid them on a bale of hay.
She felt a lump in her throat as she glanced down at the rainbow of squashed flowers. “I'll dry them and save them in our favorite books. Thanks,” she said with a shaky voice.
Dismounting from the gelding, Jared held his hands up to help Katherine down. Her foot caught on the saddle horn and she tumbled forward, landing in his arms. As he held her close, her body shuddered. It felt wonderful to be in his arms.
He set her on her feet, leaned over and whispered in her ear, “You've got one hell of a dismount."
“What can I say, it's just natural talent, good sir."
As the clock in Jared's den chimed twelve, Katherine sipped her coffee, sinking into chocolate mocha heaven. Alan Jackson's “Don't Close Your Eyes” drifted from the stereo as she put the empty cup on the table. Matt had been so exhausted he'd gone down for his nap without a fuss. Her fingers traced the buttery leather seams as she lounged on the couch with Jared. They stared at the flames curling upward from the wood burning in the large fireplace.
“I know you didn't come in here to talk about how beautiful my ranch is, or to thank me for helping Grace from time to time, or to ask me about the four employees that run the ranch in my absence. You've been in a funny mood ever since we got back from the ride. Something wrong?” Jared reached beside him and threaded his fingers through hers. “I'm your friend. Talk to me. You know I'll help, if I can."
She leaned her head back and looked up at the high wooden beams. Her eyes burned. Today had been so perfect. The way a family should be. The way hers never could be. She felt like bawling, but knew it wouldn't solve anything. “When we had lunch on the patio, you told a dumb knock-knock joke and Matt doubled over with laughter-"
Jared's voice sounded angry as he interrupted her. “If you expect me to stop telling them, I won't. Matt enjoys my dumb jokes. Let him be a giggling, silly five-year-old, Katherine. I never had much of a childhood, but I know it's important for Matt to have a happy one. By the way, he still wants a puppy."
Katherine cleared her throat and glanced at Jared. “I wanted to thank you,” she whispered. A single tear slipped from the corner of her eyes, remembering Paul kept telling Matt to stop being a baby and grow up.
His jaw dropped. “Oh.” He released her hand, pulled one knee up on the couch and angled himself to face her. With his finger, he caught the tear that fell onto her cheek. “I hope this isn't because of my big mouth."
She shook her head, extended her hand and held onto his arm. “Why didn't you have much of a childhood?"
The muscles in his jaw tightened. He took a deep breath and the pattern on his shirt seemed to expand in width. “It was a long time ago. It doesn't matter now."
It mattered and she knew it. “I'd like to know,” she coaxed.
He released a quick sigh. “My father dumped me and my mother for another woman when I was eight.” His gaze searched her face. “I suppose Matt's going through the same feelings of rejection. I thought if my father had come back things would be better for us, but seeing Paul with Matt reminds me that was a lie.
She took a shaky breath. “I know."
He looked tenderly at her. “You don't plan on returning to Paul?"
“No,” she said, gnawing her lower lip. “Once Christmas is over, I don't plan on ever seeing him again."
“How do I know you won't change your mind?"
Smiling faintly, she squeezed his arm and released it. “Trust me.” She studied his face and saw doubt cloud his eyes. “Is that what happened to your fiancée? She went back to her ex?"
He nodded.
She slumped deeper into the couch. “I kept thinking if I pushed Matt and Paul together, let him really get to know his son, he'd change the way he felt about Matt.” She swallowed hard. “Paul never wanted children.” Her face heated. “I always wanted at least four, but I didn't purposely get pregnant. It just happened. Matt's my life and Paul wants to ship Matt off to a boarding school when he turns six in January."
The muscles in Jared's arm tightened.
She averted her eyes. “I've been thinking about how I treated you at the party. I do owe you an apology. You had a right to get mad and feel I'd used you."
He placed his finger under her chin and brought her attention back to him. He shook his head. “I don't feel that way anymore."
“You don't?"
He stroked her lips with his thumb. “No. Want to know why?"
She nodded as he slid closer. His blue eyes flickered with desire. A slow smile spread across his face as he reached up and smoothed her hair around her shoulders. “We can't help ourselves. Remember?” he whispered, his fragrant breath warming her cheek and causing chills to lick along her spine.
'We can't help ourselves,’ her body coaxed, overriding any logical objection as the tip of his tongue fired a trail down her neck. When he reached the hollow at the base of her throat, his teeth nipped. His tongue licked at her skin. She shivered and moaned softly.
His mouth skimmed her arched neck to her lips and sipped hers until she wanted more of him. “Open for me,” he said huskily, tugging her chin gently with his thumb. He moved back, staring into her eyes. Her heart pounded when his mouth captured hers. His tongue slid past her teeth, sank into the warmth of her mouth, and stroked the roof.
He pressed her back against the couch. “You taste so good,” he whispered, his mouth and tongue exploring hers again and again, delving deeper each time. He tasted like heaven.
“What ya doing?” Matt asked.
Her heart pumped double-time as her eyes popped open and she stared into Matt's curious gaze.
“Jeez!” Jared shot away from her, breathing heavily, and he started laughing. He held his hand over his heart. “I was trying to convince your mom to go to a formal office party with me this Saturday night."
Matt plopped down on the couch, turned and grinned at her. “You going on a date with Mr. Randall?"
Her face flamed and she wanted to hide behind her hands. Two pairs of eyes awaited her reply.
Did she really want to go on a date with Jared? Or should she throw cold water on the forest fire he had ignited on this couch and decline? Logic argued with her emotions. A tenderness and excitement filled her as she stared into his warm blue eyes. She felt a longing for his touch that pierced all her resistance and reached to the very depth of her womb.
“Yes,” she croaked. Inside, she couldn't help but admire the way he asked her for a date.
Jared's heart soared.
He wasn't sure if Katherine had agreed to go to the dance with him tonight because he'd asked her in Matt's presence, or not, but he wasn't about to say no to the gift he'd received. And Katherine was a precious gift.
Glancing down at the wrist corsage, he rang Grace's doorbell and stared at the closed door. He felt like a kid on his first prom. He smiled as the handle moved and the door cracked ever so slightly.
“Wipe that smile off,” Paul snarled. He gulped down the drink he held in his hand. “Katherine's not ready."
He started to shut the door in Jared's face, but Jared's hand shot out and shoved it open. He strode into the entryway. “I'll wait inside."
Slamming his glass on the table, Paul walked toward him. “I'm warning you to stay away from my wife."
Jared stared down at him. “There's an ‘ex’ in front of that word. It's been there for two years, but you have a habit of forgetting that."
Paul's face retracted into a sneer. “You'd do anything to get her in your bed, wouldn't you? I'm offering her marriage.” He laughed. “What are you offering?"
Jared could smell liquor on Paul's breath. Sighing, he glanced up the stairs. “Where's Matt?"
“You can't see him. He's upstairs with Grace waiting for me to play computer games. Stay away from my family.” Paul fisted his hands.
Jared walked away, nonchalantly, ignoring Paul's fury. He suggested Paul follow him into the adjacent library. Jared laid the florist's box on the desk, shut the French doors and turned toward Paul. “You tell Katherine about Ann Young, or I'll do it for you."
Paul's skin paled. “I don't know any Ann Young. You're making this up to come between Katherine and me."
“There is no Katherine and you. For someone you don't know, you took Ann Young three times last night. You really shouldn't be so noisy with those thin hotel walls."
He stared at Jared and finally comprehension dawned. “You had me followed.” He raked his hands through his hair.
Jared took two steps closer to Paul and glared down at him. “You're a low-life, disgusting, two-timing bastard who brought your mistress into Katherine's home while you were still married to her."
Paul slumped into a chair, his skin paled again. Hatred poured out at Jared from Paul's bloodshot eyes, but his face wore a beaten down expression. “I'll tell her tomorrow,” he whispered between clenched teeth.
Jared stared at the shadow of a man. He would have a copy of the photographs Carl had taken ready in case Paul needed more persuasion. “You do it, or I will."
Jared caressed Katherine's back, kneading her muscles gently as they slow danced to the last song of the party, “Help Me Make It Through The Night". Other than the brief time when they had stopped dancing to eat, he'd held Katherine like this all night. He closed his eyes and felt her body shiver. His fingers moved across her velvet metallic lace dress. It played havoc with his imagination as he pictured the sweet body beneath the fabric.
No one else existed for him as they moved across the dance floor. Several of his employees gave Katherine an appreciative eye during the long night, but they could eat their hearts out. Tonight, he wasn't sharing her with anyone.
“I think the music stopped,” she whispered, slowing and moving out of his arms.
He turned to find people putting on their coats and smiling at them. “Oh.” “Help Me Make It Through The Night", still ghosted through his mind.
He and Katherine retrieved their coats. They weaved through his staff members and business associates with ease, dropping farewells and Christmas wishes to everyone along the way. They walked arm-in-arm to the underground parking. He settled Katherine in his Lexus and got behind the wheel. Once he started the car, he popped in a romantic CD before exiting the garage.
With a deafening sound, a torrential downpour pounded the roof. He turned his windshield wipers on and they beat full-force against the Texas size raindrops that hammered them from every direction. Rivulets of water streamed across the glass, preventing a clear view of the road and traffic lights.
After traveling two miles through the haze, Jared pulled off the main road and parked under a grove of tall oak trees. He cut the motor.
“We'll stay here till it slacks up some. If you're cold, I can turn the ignition on and run the heater awhile.” He moved closer and folded her into his arms.
“I think it's romantic,” she said, her voice echoing in the car.
“Did you come with me tonight because of Matt?” he asked, lightly fingering the curls at the nape of her neck.
“No,” she said. “How about you?"
He found her erratic pulse with his finger. Her tongue darted out and he bent to claim her moist lips. She sighed softly. He slanted his mouth, deepened the kiss and moaned when her tongue thrust forward, skimming his teeth and stroking the roof of his mouth.
All thoughts of slowing the pace died when her lush body leaned into his. He crushed her against him. His tongue delved into her ear. He whispered, “I've wanted you for so long, Katherine. An eternity.” Her body arched. He teased her earlobe with his teeth.
Their breathing became heavy as they kissed again. The air inside the car warmed and the windows fogged, forming a private cocoon.
Her lips trembled. He drew back and watched her face as his hands moved to cover her breasts. They swelled even fuller.
“I don't know if I can please you,” she said around gasps. “I want you, but I've never had an affair.” Her hand began to shake. “Paul's the only man I've been with. I'm sorry I'm not more experienced."
He closed his eyes as guilt washed through him. Paul's words stabbed him, ‘What are you offering Katherine?’ Making love to her would be perfect, but it would still be an affair. One he knew she would regret in the morning. Although she wasn't married to Paul anymore, she was married to her values, and to her son, and to her idea of the ‘right’ kind of relationship, which would never be what Jared could offer. And she wasn't the affair type. She was the forever type, and he wasn't ready for anything permanent.
His body ached. He took a deep, calming breath.
“If we went all the way, you'd regret it. I don't want to hurt you, Katherine.” Damn. “I think the rain's slacked up,” he said, straightening and moving back to the steering wheel. Her face turned to the side and she stared out the window as he started the car and slipped it into gear.
He heard her sniffle and knew she was crying.
They drove in silence.
By the time they reached Grace's, the rain had stopped completely. He pulled into the driveway.
“Thank you for going to the dance. I'd like to try and explain better the reasons I stopped back there.” Before he could apologize or get her to see his side, she darted from the car and rushed with dignity away from him, her back straight, her chin up and quivering.
“Look at you,” Paul said, snatching a barrette that dangled from her hair. “Your lips are swollen, your hair's a fright and your dress looks like you slept in it.” He shook his head. “I tried to warn you about Jared. He's not respectable. His mother never married his father. Maybe his fiancée found out he's a bastard."
She felt lightheaded. “Even if that were true, it wouldn't make any difference. He doesn't deserve a label like that."
“No. But women who walk out on their husband's do."
“What?"
Paul's face was flooded red, but he drew a deep breath, as if restraining himself. “Matt needs a father, Katherine,” he said softly. But the softness was like a down pillow, weighing on her heart, smothering her. “We have to get married again, or he'll never be okay."
“Don't bet on it,” she said between clinched teeth.
“Give us a chance to be a family again.” When he moved closer, she smelled liquor on his breath. Pushing against his chest, she shoved him toward an ottoman. He lost his balance and fell back onto the carpet.
Her hands fisted at her hips. “After Christmas, you can still see Matt, but I never want to lay eyes on you again.” She turned and ran up the stairs.
Twenty minutes later, she was still crying. She realized her tears weren't because of Paul's disgusting accusations that made her feel like a slut. They were for the humiliation of offering herself to Jared and being rejected because of her inexperience. She remembered her timid, maidenly responses, which must have seemed awkward and laughable to Jared, and felt ashamed that she'd reached out to a sophisticated man like him.
She dressed for bed, padded barefoot to the curtains and stared through the fogged window. A shape moved underneath the oak tree. She froze, thinking of a few nights ago, when Jared had come to visit her. Was it Jared?
Straining to see, she rubbed the condensation off the windowpane with her fingers. She hoped to pick out a tall, broad-shouldered man in flannel and denim and was shocked to find an elderly couple, dressed in silk and cotton, in a passionate embrace beneath an oak tree. She blinked, trying to clear her vision.
Her mother and Thomas Hughes stood under the lamplight. He kissed her and tried to hold her, but her mother struggled and sobbed. She broke away and ran toward the house.
Why was her mother crying?