by Leanne Banks
She glanced downward for a second, then met his gaze again, her dark eyes full of secrets he wanted to learn. “Thank you for the private concert, Geoffrey.”
“My pleasure,” he said, feeling his gut tighten in a dozen knots. “I’m quite inexpensive,” he said. “If you should like another-” He cleared his throat. “Session.”
Her lips tilted in a sensual smile and she stood. “Thank you. I look forward to it.” She lifted her hand and brushed his hair from his forehead. “You should go to bed. Morning will come early.”
“Yes,” he said, but he had a strong feeling that he wouldn’t sleep. Maria had infiltrated his senses, and it would take more than a shower to get his equilibrium back.
The following morning when Geoffrey saw Maria in the kitchen, his heart squeezed tight in his chest. “Good morning, Maria. How are you?”
“Busy,” she said in a dismissive voice. “Everyone else has eaten and left. There are biscuits and eggs in the warming pan.” She nodded her head toward the opposite counter.
“You waited for me,” he said, feeling a rush of delight.
She looked at him as if he were crazy. “No.” She lifted two large bags. “I was preparing lunches for the campers. Don’t forget to clean up,” she said and left the kitchen.
Geoffrey felt like a fool. Why did he care what this woman thought of him? The tender side of her he’d glimpsed last night must have been an aberration. Yes, she was full of fire, but she clearly wanted to use that fire only to keep him away. Yes, she fascinated him, but nothing would come of it.
Being pissed provided Lori with extra energy to clean the bathroom floors. She’d made a huge mistake by telling Jackson they should get married. In the light of day, she knew she’d been impulsive.
That didn’t change how much the ride had meant to her, though. Even surrounded by the scent of ammonia and scrubbing a white porcelain sink, she could easily recall the sensation of wind on her face, the combined scents of horseflesh and Jackson, his taut abdomen beneath her hands.
The exhilaration and sense of freedom had been the most exciting, amazing thing she’d experienced in years. The ride had made her feel alive and she wanted more. With him. She scowled at the thought.
“Hullo,” Geoffrey said from the doorway. “So sorry I’m late this morning. Can I help?”
She glanced up at him and saw a glum expression on his face. “Are you sure you want to? The floors in the main cabin are all that’s left.”
“The activity will do me good,” he said. “Can’t have you thinking I’m a bum.”
“Of course not,” she said. “Anything wrong?”
He shrugged. “My stepmother is stalking me.”
She winced in sympathy. “Oh. Can you put her on ignore?”
“I did that. She filled up my entire voice mail with messages. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but she thinks I’m completely incompetent. She has no confidence in me or my judgment.”
Lori thought of Jackson and felt a bitter twist. “I can identify with that. I got the same thing from my father and-” She broke off. “Others.”
Geoffrey looked up in surprise from the mop he was pushing. “That’s bloody ridiculous,” he said. “Look at you. You’re perfectly capable of doing whatever you want. You have a good head on your shoulders and you can even-” He waved his hand. “You’ve become an excellent cleaner.”
Lori laughed. “Are you trying to flirt with me? Telling me I’m a great bathroom cleaner.”
“No flirting. I’m completely sincere.”
“Thank you.” She rubbed a spot on the mirror above the sink. “I’m not sure Maria would give me her stamp of approval yet.”
“Yes, well, she doesn’t seem to approve of much,” he said in a testy voice. “Looks down her nose at most everyone.”
“Oh, no,” Lori said. “I thought she was getting less hostile toward you.”
“Oh, no,” Geoffrey said, shaking his head. “She looks at me like I’m something off the bottom of her shoe.”
Lori frowned. “I wonder if I should talk to Virginia about it. Maria is entitled to her opinion, but she shouldn’t be permitted to act nasty.”
“No, I think you shouldn’t involve Virginia,” Geoffrey rushed to say. “She appears to have enough on her mind.”
“That’s true,” Lori said and turned to him. “So you and I have something in common. People think we’re incompetent.” She felt a trickle of irritation run down her back. “What gave these people the right to be so judgmental? For that matter, why should we care?”
Geoffrey met her gaze and nodded. “You’re right. Bloody hell with them.”
Chapter Fourteen
“There will always be more than one man. The trick is choosing the best one.”
– SUNNY COLLINS
Bloody hell with him.Or them, Lori mentally corrected herself. Geoffrey’s phrase became her mantra. The more she thought about Jackson ’s response to her quasi-proposal, the more pissed off she became.
Sure, she’d surprised him, but he hadn’t said one positive word in response. Unless she counted his grudgingly muttered I’ll think about it.
She hadn’t met Jackson ’s gaze once during dinner. She would have felt more satisfied if she hadn’t sensed that he was ignoring her out of complete disinterest.
She heaped a helping of mashed potatoes onto her plate, feeling another rush of pique. “ Virginia, the meal is delicious.”
“Thank you.” Virginia beamed. “But Maria helped.”
Lori felt resistant to offering any compliments to Virginia ’s capable assistant. Was there anything the young woman couldn’t do? “Thank you both,” she said and turned her attention to Geoffrey sitting beside her. “You’re enjoying it, too, aren’t you?”
Geoffrey patted his stomach. “Yes, I am. Thank you, both of you. With a meal this good, I should sing for my supper, but I don’t want to hurt your ears.”
Lori laughed. “Perhaps you could play something on that old piano upstairs. Didn’t you say you could play?”
“I suppose I could,” he said, and Lori thought she saw him shoot a quick glance toward Maria. She suspected he feared her unceasing criticism.
“That sounds grand,” Virginia said. “Since the campers have left and we won’t have any for another couple of days, we can all take the time to enjoy it.”
“I need to do some evening chores with the horses,” Maria quickly said.
“I already mucked out the stalls,” Lori said cheerfully.
“Thank you, Lori.” Virginia nodded in approval. “Then it’s decided. We’ll take our desserts upstairs for an after-dinner concert.”
“That room is very dusty,” Maria said.
Everyone glanced at her, and she gave a forced shrug. “I would think it would be dusty,” she amended. “Since no one has used it in a while.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Lori said, rising. “I’ve become a dusting rock star in the past week. So if you’ll excuse me.”
“I’ll help,” Jackson said, also standing.
She glanced at him in surprise. “It’s not necessary. I can-”
“Two are better than one,” he said, his focused gaze on her making her stomach dip. “We can get the job done more quickly.”
“Okay,” she said and took her plate to the sink.
“I can get that,” Virginia said.
“It’ll be one less for you to do,” Lori said, sliding her arm around the older woman’s slim shoulders and dropping a quick kiss on her forehead. “This way I get my dessert faster.”
Virginia laughed and shook her head. “I’m so glad you came, Lori. You’ve brought a lot of joy with you.”
“Thank you,” she said, Virginia ’s words filling up a hollow place inside her. She took her dish to the kitchen, rinsed it and her flatware, and automatically reached for Jackson ’s when she sensed him behind her.
“Do my eyes deceive me? Are you turning into Suzy Homemaker?”
“Just t
rying to be helpful. Useful. I realize you may believe that’s a huge stretch for me, but-”
“I didn’t say that,” he said.
“No, but you thought it,” she said in her best couldn’t-care-less voice. She rinsed his plate, and his hand caught her wrist like a handcuff, stopping her midmovement.
He pulled her toward him, searching her face. “What is going on in that head of yours now?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” she said and forced a smile. “Just the regular stuff. Trying to be a better person. Exploring my options.” She tried to pull her hand loose, but he wouldn’t allow it.
“Options,” he prompted.
She nodded. “I have you to thank for that. You’ve told me there’s more than one way to solve problems, so I’m exploring all my options.”
He narrowed his eyes. “If you’re talking about the duke-”
“Lori, sweetheart,” Virginia said as she entered the room, “you don’t have to load the dishwasher.”
Lori seized the opportunity to remove her wrist from Jackson ’s clutch and immediately put his plate into the dishwasher. “I’m done. I’m sure Jackson will help with the rest. I’ll scoot upstairs and get the room ready for our little concert.”
She dashed out of the room without looking back, but she could feel Jackson ’s eyes boring a hole into her as she left.
Five minutes later, she’d dusted the room and pulled out a vacuum cleaner to use on the scarred wooden floor partially covered with an area rug. Maria hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d called the room dusty. Lori quickly took care of the floor, then used the vacuum attachments on the chairs.
A hand on her back startled her, and she whirled around to find Jackson looming over her. She put her hand to her chest, her heart racing. “A little warning would be nice. You scared me to death.”
“Do you need some help?” he asked, surprising her with the offer.
She blinked, then glanced around the room. “I don’t think so. It looks okay to me.”
He looked up at the light fixtures and ran his finger over a sideboard. “I’ll take care of the tall stuff.”
“Thanks,” she said, feeling something strange unfurl within her stomach. Maybe it was the mashed potatoes, she told herself and turned back to the chairs.
Stealing a glance at him and watching his broad shoulders stretch as he dusted the top of the sideboard, she felt an odd sense of expectancy, anticipation, as if something big was about to take place. It wasn’t rational, which meant she should probably dismiss it. It wasn’t as if Jackson had decided he was in love with her and couldn’t live without her.
She rolled her eyes at herself. That couldn’t be what she truly wanted. If it was, she was just pathetic. The truth was he probably expected to take her to bed. Lori’s emotions veered again, this time to indignation. “Bloody hell with him,” she murmured under her breath, determined to get her mind back on track.
“Excuse me?” he said, turning toward her, his eyebrows lifted in inquiry. “What did you say?”
Shrugging, she felt her cheeks heat. “Nothing,” she said and turned again to her task.
Two minutes later, Virginia and Maria stood in the doorway carrying trays of slices of pie and cups of coffee. Geoffrey stood behind them. “I offered to help, but they wouldn’t let me.”
“You’re providing the entertainment. That’s good enough,” Virginia said.
Geoffrey raked his hand through his hair. “Entertainment may be stretching it,” he muttered.
His nerves were obvious as he sat down on the piano bench and cracked his fingers. Feeling sorry for him, Lori squeezed his shoulder and tried to reassure him. “Relax, this isn’t an audition.”
Lori heard the clash of a spoon against fine china and glanced over her shoulder at Maria, who may as well have been shooting lasers through her. Lori lifted her shoulders. What was that woman’s problem?
Lori sat down in the only seat left, next to Jackson. All too aware of his closeness, she noticed the strength of his legs stretched out within sight of her, one of his large hands resting on his leg. During the ride they’d shared, she’d become intimately aware of Jackson ’s strength and the easy way he’d kept Rowdy under control.
She didn’t want to think about that now. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on the romantic show tune Geoffrey played. She was surprised at how well he played. He stroked the keys, producing and evoking heart-wrenching emotion. When he stopped, everyone in the room was silent.
“That was beautiful,” Lori said. “You really do have a gift,” she said to Geoffrey.
He ducked his hand in modesty. “Thank you. Another?”
“Yes, yes,” Virginia said, clapping her hands. “More. More. You’ve already earned back every bite we’ve fed you.”
“In that case,” Geoffrey said and began another song. He played for thirty minutes, and although Lori knew the listeners could continue, she didn’t want to take advantage of Geoffrey.
“We’d probably better stop now if we ever expect to talk Geoffrey into playing for us again,” Lori said, rising. “I should get some pie for him.”
“I already got his pie,” Maria said, following Lori to her feet.
“Good,” Lori said. “Do you want some tea with it?”
“I can get his tea,” Maria retorted.
Taken aback by the woman’s response, Lori shrugged. “Fine, thank you.” She glanced at Geoffrey. “You want to go for a walk after you have your dessert?”
His gaze slid toward Maria, then back to Lori. He paused an extra beat, and she wondered what was going on.
Jackson cleared his throat. “Lori, let’s check on the horses.”
She sighed. “Okay, but I’ll be back soon,” she said to Geoffrey, who still looked like a deer caught in headlights.
“I’ll take the dishes downstairs,” Virginia insisted, shooing Lori away. “And Geoffrey, thank you for the beautiful concert.”
Lori followed Jackson downstairs and out the front door into the dark night. The way his wide shoulders narrowed to his hips in a perfect V shape drew her gaze. Nothing feminine about this man. Nothing even metrosexual. She wished he didn’t capture her attention so easily. She wished she didn’t care what he thought of her or how he felt about her.
Thoroughly distracted, she caught her foot on a tree root and went sprawling forward against his back. She automatically flung her arms around him.
“What the-” He covered her arms with his hands and whipped around, drawing her against him.
“Sorry,” she said, breathless from the fall, not from her proximity to him, not from the intensity of his gaze on her, and not from the sensation of being in his arms. “I tripped.”
His gaze wrapped around hers for a long moment, and her heart beat ten times before she remembered to pull away. Pushing against him, she stumbled backward.
“Okay,” he said, glancing behind her. “I guess we’re far enough away. What’s your game with the duke?”
She blinked. “Game? There’s no game. It’s all out in the open. His family needs money. I need a husband. He has asked me to marry him.” She paused and added, “Again.”
He narrowed his eyes. “When did that happen?”
“This morning,” she said.
He gave a whistle and shook his head. “I knew you were fickle, but this takes the cake. You propose to me one night, and less than two days later-”
“I didn’t propose,” she interjected. “I said we should get married. It wasn’t as if I got down on one knee and begged you.” Every muscle in her body stiffened. “If you thought I would beg you, then you’re wrong.”
“But you couldn’t give me fifteen minutes to consider it.”
“You took more than fifteen minutes, and you haven’t exactly been banging down my door to get to me since we had the discussion.”
“Was I supposed to bang down your door? Was that what you wanted?”
She bit her lip at the raw sexuality in his
gaze. “I didn’t say that. What I’m saying is that you haven’t overwhelmed me with your eagerness.”
“I didn’t know that was part of the job description,” he said, moving toward her.
“It wasn’t,” she said, her nerves jumping. She shook her head, flustered. “I just got the impression you weren’t interested.”
“So you moved on to the next guy,” he said. “Is this what our marriage will be like? If I don’t give you the answer you like whenever you want it, however you want it, then you’ll move on to the next man?”
Lori’s heart stopped. Is this what our marriage will be like? That sounded as if Jackson was actually considering marrying her. She stared at him, terrified, thrilled.
“Well?”
Lori opened her mouth and moved it, but no sound came out. She closed it for a moment to gather her thoughts. “No,” she said and cleared her throat. “If you and I get married, I won’t be moving on to the next man if I don’t like what you say.” She paused a half beat. “If that were the case, I wouldn’t have mentioned the idea in the first place, because it’s not as if I’ve liked every word that has come out of your mouth.”
He stepped closer. “Then why me, Lori? Your duke would probably go along with everything you want. He would never argue with you. You know we will.”
“Well, you wouldn’t prevent my access to the money.”
“No, but I would do my damnedest to persuade you not to donate your entire inheritance to Designer Duds for Dogs charity.”
“I have to agree that there are more worthy causes.”
“Why me?”
Lori’s heart squeezed tight in her chest. Why him? Because she felt things for him. Things she’d never felt before. But she didn’t want to tell him that. “I told you. I trust you.”
He stood silently, towering over her for what felt like an eternity. “Okay. I’m in.”
Lori felt light-headed. The bones in her knees seemed to melt. Her pulse pounded in her head. Oh. My. God. He’d said yes.
