Loving Jake

by Madeline Baker

  With an impatient stamp of her foot, she went into the bedroom to change her clothes. She washed her face and applied her make-up, then pulled her hair back into a pony tail, and stepped into her shoes. She wouldn’t think about Carter tonight. It wasn’t like they were engaged or anything, even though they had both stopped seeing other people. Still, they hadn’t agreed not to see other people…so why did she feel so guilty?

  Chapter 3

  “You’ve been awfully quiet this evening,” Jake remarked, leaning back in his chair. “Is something wrong?”

  With a shake of her head, Ginny pushed her plate away.

  “Do you want some dessert?” he asked.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “You’d better see it before you turn it down,” Jake warned with a lopsided smile. “If you like chocolate, you’ll love their cake.”

  She was about to refuse again when the waitress stopped at their table with the dessert cart.

  “I'll have that,” Ginny said, pointing at a piece of seven layer chocolate cake that was smothered in chocolate frosting and chocolate chips.

  “I thought you would,” Jake said, grinning.

  Ginny took a bite, then closed her eyes in ecstasy.

  “I told you it was good,” Jake remarked dryly.

  “You were right.” She speared a piece of cake and held out her fork. “Don’t you want a bite?”

  “No, I just want you to tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Oh.” She put her fork down. “It’s just that I feel so guilty, being here with you, and…and having such a good time.”

  “Why? We’re not doing anything illegal or immoral.”

  “I know, but…”

  “The boyfriend back home, right?”

  She nodded.

  “Do you want to forget the movie? I can just take you home, if that’s what you want.”

  “No,” she said miserably. “That’s the problem.”

  Jake shook his head. “Okay, pretty lady, you’ve lost me.”

  “I like being with you.”

  “And that’s a problem?”

  “Of course it is! If I didn’t, I wouldn’t feel so guilty about being here.”

  “Let me get this straight. If you didn’t like being with me, you wouldn’t feel guilty?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Women,” he muttered. “I'll never understand them.”

  “Me, either,” she said.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  “In a minute. I need to get a box,” she said, gesturing at the cake left on her plate. “I’m not leaving this behind.”

  They made it to the theater in time for the previews.

  “This is my favorite part,” Ginny whispered.

  “The trailers?”

  “Uh huh. The new Gerard Butler flick looks really good.”

  The movie started a few minutes later. Ginny stared at the screen but it was the man beside her who held her attention. She was acutely aware of his every movement, practically his every breath. His hand brushed hers as they both reached for the popcorn. The heat of his touch raced up her arm like a jolt of electricity; her insides fluttered with anticipation when, a few moments later, he slipped his arm around her shoulders. She liked the way his arm felt, the weight of it, almost as if it belonged there.

  Oh, Lordy, she had it bad and she hardly knew the man.

  The tension fairly hummed between them in the truck on the way home. Would he kiss her good night? She shouldn’t want him to, but she did. Oh, yes, she definitely did. Should she let him if he tried?

  Jake pulled up in front of the house and cut the engine. Getting out of the truck, he handed her out of the cab, then followed her to the front door. She hadn’t expected him to have such good manners. She flushed with shame as soon as the thought crossed her mind because she knew she was judging Jake by her parents’ yardstick.

  “Would you like to come in for a soda or a cup of coffee?” Ginny asked.

  “Coffee sounds good. Thanks.”

  She unlocked the door and stepped inside, aware of Jake behind her. She flipped the light switch in the living room, then went into the kitchen and put the coffee on. Jake leaned against the counter, his arms folded across his chest, watching her.

  “So,” she asked, needing to break the taut silence between them, “what did you think of the movie?”

  “Chick flick,” he said with a grin.

  “Not enough fist fights and car crashes, huh?”

  “Right.”

  Ginny shook her head. “What is it with men and car chases?”

  “What is it with women and weepy movies?”

  “Hey, I didn’t cry.”

  “Yeah? That wasn’t rain running down your cheeks.”

  “Well, maybe I cried a little,” she admitted.

  “No problem,” he said, his voice suddenly husky. “I like a woman who cries once in a while.”

  Ginny felt her heart skip a beat. “Do you?”

  He nodded. “Come here.”

  “Why?”

  “Come and see.”

  Feeling as though a million butterflies had just taken wing in the pit of her stomach, Ginny moved toward him until they were only inches apart.

  “Okay, I’m here,” she said, feeling suddenly breathless. “What are you going to show me?”

  Slowly, giving her plenty of time to back away, he reached for her. She didn’t object when he drew her into his embrace.

  “This,” he said, and lowering his head, he kissed her.

  It was like Christmas morning and Fourth of July fireworks all rolled into one. She leaned into him, lost in the heat of his body, in the sheer, unexpected pleasure of his mouth on hers. Who would have thought that something as simple as a kiss could affect her so deeply? She had been kissed before, lots of times. But never, ever like this.

  As from miles away, she heard the phone ring. Jake started to release her, but she cupped the back of his head in her hand, reluctant to let him go. He obliged her by deepening the kiss, a kiss that might have gone on forever if the answering machine hadn’t picked up.

  Carter’s voice spilled into the room. “Hey, Gin, you there? Pick up the phone.”

  Feeling as though someone had just doused her with a bucket of ice water, she jerked out of Jake’s arms.

  “Gin? Hey, Gin, you there?”

  “I guess you’d better get that,” Jake said.

  Ginny nodded. Cheeks burning with guilt, she grabbed the receiver. “Hi, Carter. She glanced over her shoulder at Jake. “What? No, I wasn’t asleep.”

  She started to ask Carter to hold on a minute, but it was too late. Jake was already walking out the front door. Of all the lousy timing, Ginny thought irritably, why did Carter have to call now? And why wasn’t she happy to hear from him?

  “What did you say?” she asked. “What do you mean, guess where you are? How should I know?”

  “I’m in Los Angeles,” Carter said. “Freeman sent me out here to close the Winston deal. Can you believe that?”

  “That’s wonderful,” Ginny said absently. She stared at the front door, listening to the sound of Jake’s truck pulling out of the driveway.

  “I would have called you earlier,” Carter said cheerfully, “but I didn’t have your sister’s number with me, and I didn’t have time to call your Mom. Man, I’m beat. I just got back to my hotel. I’ve been tied up in meetings since I got here this morning, and I’ve got meetings all day tomorrow and Saturday, too.”

  “That’s too bad.” Ginny ran her fingertips over her lips. She could still feel the heat of Jake’s kisses. Still taste him on her tongue.

  “Yeah. Can you believe it? Seems old man Winston doesn’t believe in taking weekends off.”

  “How long are you going to be in L.A.?”

  “I’ve got to fly out first thing Sunday morning. When Freeman told me about this trip, I thought I’d get to spend more time with you.”

  “That’s all right, I understand.”


  “That’s my girl,” Carter said cheerfully. “But, hey, I’ll pick you up tomorrow night for dinner. With any luck, I should be through here around five, five-thirty.”

  Ginny frowned, irritated by his assumption that she had nothing else to do, that she was there at his beck and call. Of course, as far as he knew, she didn’t have anything better to do. Still, his proprietary attitude had never bothered her before.

  “Ginny?”

  “What? Oh, yes, I’m here.”

  “How’s life in the country?”

  “Nice, actually.”

  “Really?” She could hear the frown in his voice. “Listen, I’m really beat. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  “All right.”

  “Oh, wait, I need directions.”

  She gave him directions to the house, telling him that once he got on Archibald, he should go over the river and through the woods.

  Laughing, he said, “Just like going to grandma’s house. See you tomorrow.”

  Hanging up the phone, Ginny stepped out on the porch, hoping against hope that Jake had changed his mind and come back.

  He hadn’t, of course. She told herself it was just as well.

  With a sigh, she went back inside and closed the door, wondering if she would ever see him again.

  * * * *

  Jake called himself six kinds of a fool as he parked the truck in the driveway and killed the engine. Why had he pursued Ginny Whelan so persistently? Had he forgotten he had sworn off women forever? Apparently so, he thought, disgusted with himself. He had known going in that she had a steady boyfriend but he had charged ahead like some randy teenager, telling himself that none of that mattered. He wasn’t in it for the long haul. It was just dinner and a movie with a pretty girl, for crying out loud. What was the harm?

  Truth be told, he had been tempted to yank the phone right out of the wall when he heard her boyfriend’s voice on the answering machine. Talk about bad timing! Well, maybe it was just as well. She was spoken for and he had no intention of getting married in this lifetime or any other, but Lordy, that girl could kiss!

  * * * *

  Jake was still thinking about that incredible kiss at work the next morning, silently cussing himself all the while. He was behaving like a kid with his first crush. Thing was, that was pretty much how he felt, too. He had dreamed about Ginny last night -- a wild, erotic dream the likes of which he hadn’t had since he was fourteen.

  He had his head under the hood of a car when he heard footsteps. Feminine footsteps. Jake’s heartbeat accelerated even as he told himself it probably wasn’t Ginny.

  Slowly, he backed away from the car and turned toward the entrance of the garage.

  Even though he had been certain it wasn’t Ginny, he felt a rush of disappointment. “Lori Beth.”

  She looked at him through wide green eyes. “Hello, Jake.”

  His gaze moved over her, coming to rest on the rounded swell of her belly.

  She was pregnant. He stared at her, feeling as though he had just swallowed a chunk of ice.

  “What do you want?” he asked, his voice harsher than he had intended.

  “I need your help.”

  It can’t be mine, he thought frantically, but some quick mental arithmetic told him it very well could be. “What kind of help?”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  He nodded. He could see that for himself. He glanced at her belly again, wondering if his whole life was about to turn upside down. Taking a deep breath, he asked the inevitable question. “Is it mine?”

  She stared at him, one hand pressed over her belly. “Y…no.”

  “It’s Dutton’s, isn’t it?” Jake muttered. “It’s his and he dumped you when he found out.”

  She nodded. “I was going to tell you it was yours,” she confessed, “but I just couldn’t. You were always so sweet to me, Jake. What I did was wrong…”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” he said brusquely. “It’s over.”

  “I know.” She looked up at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. “I gave up my apartment when I moved in with Mike. I don’t have any place to go.”

  “What do you want from me?”

  “I need a place to stay for a few days, until I can find another apartment.”

  “I don’t believe this! You dumped me for that jerk and now you expect me to take you in like nothing happened?”

  She didn’t say anything, just stared up at him.

  Muttering an oath, Jake threw the wrench he was holding across the garage. It made a resounding, satisfying thunk when it hit the opposite wall.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, “I shouldn’t have come here.”

  Watching Lori turn and walk away, Jake realized he had never been in love with her. Oh, he had loved her as a friend; deep down he still loved her, but he hadn’t been in love with her. Only now did he realized there was a big difference. Lori Beth was bright and pretty and fun to be with and he had known her for years. They had been friends in high school and stayed friends after graduation. It had been Lori Beth he had come to visit when he left New York. She had left Wyoming about the same time he had. She had settled in Corona where she got a job at a beauty shop. He should have known better than to mess up a good friendship with sex. No, he hadn’t been in love with her. If he had been, he would have gone after her when she took off with Mike Dutton. He would have fought for her instead of just letting her go. It hadn’t been his heart that had been wounded when she left him for another man, he thought. It had been his pride.

  “Lori Beth, wait.”

  Slowly, she turned to face him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. He felt like a heel for putting them there.

  “You can stay at my place until you get settled.”

  “Thank you, Jake.”

  “The key’s in the same place. Make yourself at home. There’s cold cuts and soda in the fridge.”

  “Jake, I…”

  “Forget it. I’ll be home around six. Get some rest. I’ll take you to Wahoo’s for dinner.”

  Smiling through her tears, Lori Beth gave him a hug. “You always were my best friend.”

  “Yeah. I guess I still am.”

  Jake watched her leave the garage; then, with a rueful shake of his head, he went back to work.

  Chapter 4

  Ginny glanced at the clock. Five-thirty. Carter would be here any minute. At the moment, she couldn’t think of anything she wanted to do less than go out to dinner with him. She just wasn’t in the mood to pretend that everything was all right. She didn’t feel like smiling, or listening politely while Carter ran on and on about his job and his upcoming promotion or anything else.

  That morning, she had driven over to Jake’s garage, hoping she could arrange to meet him by accident and somehow mend the rift that Carter’s phone call had caused. She had been about to get out of the car when she saw a pretty young blonde woman enter the garage. Thinking it was a customer, Ginny had stayed in the VW, waiting for the woman to finish her business and be on her way.

  Just when Ginny thought the woman was never going to leave, the woman flew into Jake’s arms and hugged him.

  When the woman walked out of the garage, Ginny saw that she was pregnant.

  Feeling numb, Ginny had stared after her.

  Why was a pregnant woman hugging Jake?

  Choking on the answer that had quickly come to mind, she had pulled away from the curb and driven home as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels.

  She told herself it could have been perfectly innocent. The woman could be a long lost friend or a family member or a really good customer.

  Or a wife that he had conveniently forgot to mention.

  With a sigh, she reminded herself that none of it mattered. She was practically engaged, and Jake was just a passing acquaintance. A couple of dinners and a movie, that was all they had shared.

  That, and one mind-blowing, earth-moving, soul-shattering kiss.

  At the sound of the doorb
ell, she told herself it was over that that it was for the best. She would be going home soon and she would never see Jake again. Nothing could possibly have come from deepening her relationship with him but tears and heartache, and who needed that?

  Determined to put Jake Running Horse out of her mind once and for all, she opened the door and smiled at Carter. “Hi.”

  “Hi, yourself. You look gorgeous, babe.”

  “Thank you.” Dressed in a pair of dark gray slacks and a white Armani shirt open at the throat, Carter looked as handsome and prosperous as always.

  He dropped a kiss on her cheek. “You weren’t kidding about over the river and through the woods, were you?”

  “No. Would you like to see the house?”

  “Maybe later. I’m starving. That freeway traffic is murder.”

  She nodded, glad that she didn’t have to make the long drive into Los Angeles or Orange County every day.

  “I can’t believe all the building they’re doing out here,” Carter remarked as she grabbed her handbag and a sweater. “The construction business is really booming.”

  “Yes, it’s amazing, isn’t it?” she replied, remembering that Jake had said he would rather have the cows. So much for putting him out of her mind once and for all.

  She locked the door, then followed Carter outside. He helped her into a rented, late model Cadillac convertible.

  “Where would you like to go for dinner?” he asked.

  “I don’t care. Anywhere is fine with me. What are you in the mood for?”

  He shrugged. “How about Mexican?”

  “All right.” She gave him the direction to Wahoo’s. Just because Jake had taken her there didn’t mean she couldn’t dine there again, or that she had to think of him while she did.

  “Are you sure this is where you want to eat?” Carter asked, pulling up in front of the restaurant. It was obvious, from his tone, that he wasn’t impressed with what he saw. Not that she could blame him. It was just a small place, nothing at all like the fancy restaurants where Carter usually took her.