Sitting down, she opened her accounts folder and began to tap away on her keyboard, putting Superman and his itsy-bitsy costume out of her mind.
“That’s what I like to see - a woman who knows her way around an accounting system.”
She glanced up, her mind still racing over payment codes. Jake stood in her doorway, one hip leaning against the side of the frame. Heat washed through her body at the warm invitation coming from his eyes. Logging her computer off, she grabbed her purse. “I don’t know what’s more dangerous. Superman or the real man.”
“You’ll get a chance to find out on Saturday.” He laughed as she sidestepped past him and into the library.
***
The rich aroma of roasted coffee beans wafted out the door of the café. After they’d started eating, Erin discovered that taking Jake out to lunch hadn’t been such a great idea. Word must have circulated that Superman needed a refueling break. Every female in the building just happened to need a muffin or sandwich, right at that very moment. And of course, they just happened to bump into Erin entertaining the man of steel. She’d never been so popular.
Jake grinned as another woman left their table. “How about we finish lunch beside the river?”
Erin looked warily at him, then at the crowd in the café. There was definitely safety in numbers, especially to a woman who’d already seen firsthand how distracting he could be. Even with a constant stream of introductions, the café suited her just fine.
He raised his eyebrows, waiting for her reply.
Glancing at her watch, she tried to figure out how much time they had left before he needed to leave. “You’ll get grass stains on your suit.”
Jake gave her a bland look. He knew what she was up to. Holding out his hand, he smiled. And waited.
Erin hesitated. She didn’t want to look like a scaredy-cat, and she most definitely didn’t want him to know how much he rattled her nerves. With a sigh of defeat, she knew there was only one option. Sucking a mouthful of air into her lungs, she took his hand and headed outside.
They found a quiet spot on the grassy bank and sat down. Cradling a cup of hot chocolate in her hands, Erin looked over at Jake. “You were great with the kids today,” she said, trying to fill the silence between them with something close to an intelligent conversation.
That wasn’t the only group he’d impressed. Every female in the library had looked stunned as Superman made his grand entrance. The man of steel had sent estrogen levels soaring. “The parents will be booking for a repeat performance even if their kids don’t. Any chance you’d come back next month as your alter ego?”
He choked on his coffee. “Nope. Not going to happen.”
“What if we change the costume? How does Batman sound?”
Jake leaned back on his elbow, his blue eyes laughing at her. “I’ll make a deal with you. If you wear a Catwoman suit, then I’ll dress up as Batman.”
Erin tried not to smile at the hopeful expression on his face. “It doesn’t fit with the professional image I’ve developed.”
“You don’t have to wear it to work.” He grinned. “It could be a little after-hours outfit.”
Heat scorched Erin’s face. They’d gotten into enough trouble with a perfectly half-decent satin dress and a pair of red high heels. Lord knew what would happen if she wore tight black leather pants, a whip, and pointy black ears.
“I’ll take your silence as a definite maybe.”
Erin knew he’d take anything she said or did as a definite maybe. Especially if it involved getting naked. She took another sip of chocolate. Thinking about getting naked brought up a whole lot of other issues that she needed to sort out.
She looked down at her drink, swirling the last dregs of her hot chocolate into a mini whirlpool. “How do you feel about kids?” She hoped that didn’t sound as crazy as she thought it did. She should have softened the beginning, made it sound more discreet, more of something that it wasn’t.
Jake smiled at a family of ducks splashing in the water. “Great when they belong to someone else, but not for me.”
“Oh.”
His head turned in her direction. After a few seconds he quietly asked, “What do you think about kids?”
A heavy sinking feeling lodged in the pit of Erin’s stomach. Putting her cup on the grass, she rested her arms on her bent knees. “Last year, I got engaged. A few weeks before the wedding I found out my fiancé didn’t want children. We broke up. That was nearly a year ago.” She glanced at Jake. He kept his eyes on the river.
Another few minutes of silence went by before he asked, “Why do you want kids so much?”
This time around she wasn’t going to careful. She wouldn’t gloss over the one thing that had always been important to her. Jake needed to know the truth and if that made him run a mile, then he wasn’t the man for her.
“I’m an only child. When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a mom and have a house full of kids. I’m all grown up now and I don’t have children. When my parents’ died, it made me realize how short our lives are. The whole circle of life thing kept me awake at night.”
She pulled her knees against her chest. “I need to start trying for a baby pretty soon or the chances of ever getting pregnant will be zilch.”
Jake frowned. “You’re not that old. What’s the rush?”
She could have sworn she heard a loose screw flicking around inside his brain. “I’m twenty-eight-years-old. Unlike the males of the species, I don’t have the luxury of time on my side. If I want to have children, it’s going to have to happen soon.” Staring at his blank expression didn’t do a lot for her confidence. He was either good at hiding his feelings or didn’t care about what she’d told him.
He put his coffee down and held her hand. The heat from his fingers melted the ice running through her veins. His eyes were serious, his mouth set in a grim line.
She took a deep breath, dreading what might come next.
“I don’t want children. Not now and not in the future.”
“Why not?” Tears pricked the back of her eyes. She couldn’t believe how disappointed she felt.
He let go of her hand and stared moodily at the slow moving water. “I was ten-years-old when my brother was born. I got over the whole baby thing really fast, watching what my parents went through with Scott. I don’t want to risk the same thing happening to me.”
A glimmer of hope warmed her heart. “But there are tests the doctors can do to see if the baby has Down syndrome.”
Shaking his head, he said softly, “I don’t need to worry about that because I don’t want children.”
She didn’t know what to say.
“I’m sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear. I really enjoyed Saturday night and I want to see you again. I know this could be a deal-breaker for us, but I hope it isn’t.” He looked down at his watch, then glanced at her. “I’ve got to get back to work for a meeting. Can I give you a call tomorrow night?”
The knot in her throat pulled tight. She should have listened to Nicky and not indulged in a night of spontaneous lust. Before she’d slept with Jake, she hadn’t expected anything long-term to happen. For once in her life she’d felt reckless and wanton, and he’d been the man she wanted to be reckless and wanton with.
But somewhere between his garage and the taxi ride home, she’d started to think of him in terms of more than a one night stand. But if he didn’t want children, then he wouldn’t be figuring as anything long-term in her life.
Jake leaned across the grass. The sad look in his eyes matched the heaviness in her chest. He kissed the top of her head. “Goodbye, Erin.”
Watching him walk slowly back to the parking lot was heartbreaking. She wished she could jump up and chase after him, tell him it didn’t matter, that she could live without children. But she couldn’t.
Tears filled her eyes and her nose started to run. Drat the man. She’d gone from the giddy heights of lust to the pit of despair in sixty minutes fl
at, and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.
She blew her nose, flicked grass off her skirt, and braced herself for the afternoon ahead. She’d just have to get on with her life. Jake wouldn’t want anything more to do with her knowing she had babies on her brain. And there was no way she’d give up her dream.
With one last look at the river, she picked up her cup and followed his heavy footsteps back to the library.
Superman had left the city.
***
Jake wasn’t in the mood to negotiate a settlement on a personal grievance case. Especially between two hardheaded building contractors who didn’t want to listen to anything he had to say.
By the time he got back to his office, both men were locked in a battle of wills, trying their hardest to intimidate each other. If they wanted to play it rough and dirty, then he was in the perfect frame of mind to deal with their issues.
After an hour of brutal negotiations, he’d used what little patience he had left. Finally alone in his office, his brain refused to think about anything except the look on Erin’s face when he’d told her he wasn’t in the baby-making market.
She’d looked as if her whole world had come crashing down and he was the one that had started the earthquake. Saturday night had been incredible, and he’d enjoyed spending time with her since then. Even though none of that time had involved getting naked.
Now that was a sobering thought.
Footloose and fancy-free weren’t going to work with Erin. And they hadn’t worked for him for a long time either. He had some serious thinking to do and he wouldn’t be able to do that at work.
He dropped his pen and grabbed his jacket. He needed to get out of the office and find some decent coffee before he tackled the rest of the work in front of him.
One of the best things about working at Osborne and Sons, a law firm in downtown Bozeman, was the café across the road. He closed his door and headed down the corridor, stopping at Adam Jefferies’ office. “I’m off to buy coffee. Do you want one?”
Adam looked up from behind a stack of files. “Double strength latte, with two sugars.”
“Hard day?”
“Hard night,” Adam sighed. “Nathan and Trent wanted a night away from their wives, so we hit Joe’s Bar. A late night isn’t a great idea when you’ve got two messy divorce cases to finalize, a prenup that’s going nowhere, and old man McGarvey’s estate to untangle.”
“Sounds like we both need help. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Tess was serving behind the counter of Angel Wings Café. Her wide smile left him feeling even more miserable.
“Bad day at the office?”
He nodded his head. “You’ve got no idea.”
***
The coffee didn’t do much good. In fact, the rest of the afternoon turned into a total write-off. All he could think about was Erin. At four o’clock, the phone rang for the umpteenth time. In a gruff voice he said, “Jake Williams.”
“Oh my, big brother. Don’t you sound like the big bad wolf today? Having a rough time at the office?”
His sister’s voice echoed down the phone, all sugar and smiles, making him feel even more grumpier. “What do you want, Lucy? I’m up to my eyeballs in work and the damn phone hasn’t stopped ringing.”
“Where’s your secretary?”
“She left early. She’s doing girly things at the day spa.”
“Sounds like you could do with a massage as well. Anyway, I have a better idea. How about you come over tonight for dinner? I’m cooking Ethan’s favorite, mac and cheese.”
A night of family fun and games didn’t leave him jumping for joy. But what the hell. Lucy’s mac and cheese tasted better than whatever meal he had in his freezer. He didn’t have anything else planned and if he stayed at home, he’d probably do something crazy. Like call Erin. He’d be better off keeping himself busy.
With a voice only marginally more enthusiastic than five minutes ago, he asked, “What time do you want me?”
“Come straight after work.”
“I’ll be there at about five-thirty with dessert.” Disconnecting the phone, he sat back, stretching his arms above his head.
He looked across his office, staring out the window at the pale blue sky. For the first time in ages, he wondered where the emotionally detached, love ’em and leave ’em male had gone. He knew where.
He’d been shot down in flames by a raven haired library witch with a quick mind and a sexy body, that’s where.
CHAPTER FOUR
Jake avoided Lucy’s stare as she put dinner on the table. She’d corner him sooner or later to find out what had turned him into the biggest grump in the northern hemisphere. He just preferred it to be later.
Between huge mouthfuls of mac and cheese, Ethan chattered happily about his day at school and his friend Oliver’s pet spider. Jake made all the right noises, ignoring the questioning looks his sister shot his way.
After Ethan had run out of steam, Lucy asked, “How are the plans for the camp going?”
For the last few months, he’d been helping to organize the first summer camp of the season. In two weeks, Lucy would give him a hand to supervise the kids and Ethan would come along as Jake’s shadow.
“Pretty good. We’ve got everything booked and supervisors organized for all of the activities.”
Lucy nodded. “What time do you want to pick us up?”
“I’ll meet you here at half past three. Does that give you enough time to get Ethan home from school?”
“As long as I get him off the playground fast, we’ll make it.”
“Uncle Jake,” Ethan looked expectantly between his mother and Uncle. “Mom said I can go kayaking and horse riding with you. That’ll be cool.”
Jake gave him a smile, “And there’s an enormous zip line at Camp Discovery too.”
“Wow.” Ethan was practically jumping up and down on his seat. “How many more sleeps?”
Jake gazed at his excited face, wondering when he’d started making life so complicated for himself. He felt like an old cynic. “Fifteen more sleeps, little man.”
Ethan’s face fell. “That’s a big number.”
“It is. But it’ll be here soon enough.” Ethan didn’t seem entirely convinced that the time would go quickly. But as soon as Mad Max moved under the table looking for scraps, the two-week time frame disappeared from his mind.
The rest of the evening passed in a happy buzz of conversation and a marathon card session of Go Fish. After putting Ethan to bed, Lucy came out of the kitchen dangling a dishtowel under his nose. “Guess what we’re going to do now, big brother?”
He snatched the cloth out of her hand. “When are you going to let me buy you a dishwasher? You must have the only home in Bozeman without one.”
“Jake Williams, we’ve had some of our most important discussions over soap suds and soggy dish-towels. Why would you want to give that up?”
He looked dubiously at his little sister. “Does this mean I’m in for one of those ‘important little discussion’ times?”
Lucy smiled, heading toward the kitchen. “Come on, handsome. Tell your little sister your troubles. Just spit it out and you’ll feel better.”
“Yeah right.” He followed her into the kitchen. Lucy’s advice had always been about as subtle as a jackhammer on concrete.
Stopping in the doorway, he nearly ran in the opposite direction. Dirty dishes covered every square inch of counter space. “What have you been doing in here? Cooking for an army?” He remembered another kitchen that hadn’t looked much better.
Lucy laughed at his shocked expression. “We’ll need extra food for the camp, so I cooked a few batches of cookies before dinner. I’ll put them in the freezer when they’ve cooled down. Come on, the sooner we start the sooner we’ll be finished.”
“Now I know why you invited me over. The mac and cheese was just a cover. What you really wanted was a slave to help you clean up this mess.”
�
��No,” she smiled, “The apple pie I knew you’d bring for dessert was the deciding factor.”
Over soap suds and hot water, he told her about meeting Erin and the bombshell she’d dropped that afternoon. Lucy listened to what he had to say, and unlike most times, didn’t add her opinion every two seconds.
“So, how do you feel about her?”
“Feel?” He had to think about that. He’d never had more than passing feelings for any of the women he’d dated. And those feelings were generally hormone based rather than heart based. But with Erin it was different, way different. His hormones skyrocketed every time he saw her and his heart gave more than a nervous tweak, too.
“Well, apart from some, umm, physical attractions,” and he thought about those physical attractions all the time, “I miss her when she’s not around.” That was all she’d pry from him tonight.
“I can understand her wanting to have children,” Lucy said. “Ethan’s such a great kid. I don’t know how I would have gotten through the last few years without him. Have another talk with her. It might help sort things out.”
He slid a clean baking tray back into the oven. Friendship was a lot easier said than done, especially given Erin’s baby plans. But Lucy could be right. Maybe if he sat down with her and talked things through, they might be able to find some common ground.
Lucy handed him a wet saucepan. “Talking about sorting things out, I called mom the other day. She’s still totally oblivious to the havoc she’s causing Scott. I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. What do you think we should do?”
“Keep trying to reach Scott and we’ll see how he’s going.” He opened a cupboard and stacked the clean saucepan on top of another one. “Last week I asked him if he wanted to come and live with me, but he wants a place of his own.”
“I asked him the same thing,” Lucy sighed.
Jake dried the last cookie tray and looked around the kitchen. “You were right. Cleaning up does have its benefits. Just try not to bake so much next time you invite me over.”
Forever Wishes (Montana Brides, Book 4) Page 6
