Jared's Texas Homecoming

by Patricia Thayer

  A single light at the back door greeted them as Jared pulled into the driveway. He got out of the truck, came around and opened the door for Dana.

  “I’ll carry Evan inside.” He helped her out, then reached behind the seat to unfasten the boy from the safety seat. He got a few sleepy groans for his efforts, but Evan didn’t wake up. After they said good night to Bert, Dana led the way to the house.

  She opened the door and allowed Jared to go first. She followed him upstairs, into Evan’s bedroom, and pulled back the covers. Jared lay the child on the cool sheets, and Dana began to strip away Evan’s clothing, leaving him in his underwear. She dropped a kiss on his forehead and then she and Jared started out, but Evan called Jared back. When he leaned over the bed, Evan hugged him.

  Dana turned away from the touching scene, not wanting to think about her quick decision to start a marriage that was only going to end up hurting her and her son. She walked out ahead of Jared, then together they continued down the hall past Dana’s bedroom. At the end of the hall, she opened the door to the master bedroom.

  “I can’t sleep here, Dana. This was your parents’ room.”

  “There isn’t any other room. Besides, this is the only bed that will be big enough for you.”

  “Can’t you move in here, and I’ll sleep in your room?”

  She shook her head. She’d always dreamed of sharing this room with her husband one day. “No, it’s too much work for a short time. Please, Jared, let’s not argue. It’s just a bedroom,” she said. When he nodded, she went on to say, “There are fresh sheets on the bed and towels in the bath.” She pointed to the door across from her room. “I’m sorry, we’ll have to share.”

  “That’s fine.” He turned his dark gaze on her, making her shiver. “I have no problem sharing.”

  Dana tried to stay indifferent, but that was nearly impossible. The space between them was practically electrified. She could smell the musky scent of his aftershave, mixed with a little soap. All she had to do was lean a little closer and she’d be against his hard body. As much as she tried to deny it, she couldn’t stop her own desires. She had to get away from him.

  “Do you need anything else?” she asked, trying to ease her rapid breathing.

  “No, I think I have more than enough.”

  Dana nodded, afraid to say another word. She then turned and walked away. Making it safely inside her bedroom, she sank against the raised paneled door and let the tears fall. She had a right to cry, didn’t she? She blamed it on exhaustion of the day. But the big factor was that this was her wedding night and she was spending it alone. When she thought about the beautiful nightgowns she’d gotten at her bridal shower, gowns she’d be the only one to see, more tears fell.

  Oh, yeah, she had a right to cry.

  The night had been long and sleepless, but in the morning Dana managed to drag herself out of bed. With her head pounding, she pulled on a robe and headed to the bathroom for an aspirin.

  She pushed open the door and gasped as she found the room already occupied by none other than her husband.

  “Oh, I—I didn’t know you were in here,” she stuttered, staring at the nearly naked man shaving at the sink. Well, there was a towel covering the vital parts below his waist, but his glorious chest and arms were exposed.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m just finishing up.” He rinsed off his face and wiped it with another towel. Dana couldn’t move if her life depended on it. With his sculptured muscles along his broad chest and long arms, he was absolutely beautiful. A swirl of dark hair covered his chest, barely hiding the flat male nipples beneath.

  A warm tingling sensation shot through Dana’s body, causing her own nipples to ache and harden into tight buds. She bit back a groan and turned her attention to his face and was met with an intense look.

  “I’ll come back,” she suggested.

  “No need, I’m finished now.” He walked forward and stopped in front of her. “It’s all yours,” he said as his gaze swept over her sleepwear.

  Embarrassed by Jared’s close scrutiny, Dana fought the need to cover herself. She’d been foolish enough to wear one of the new gowns that Joy had given her at the shower. The nearly sheer ivory-colored fabric didn’t hide much.

  “That’s a beautiful gown,” he said, desire showing in his eyes. “Did you get that yesterday?”

  She pulled the robe together. “Yes, Joy bought it for me.” She shrugged. “I thought I might as well wear it.”

  He edged past her. He was so close, they touched momentarily. “I’d say there isn’t much to wear,” he said. “But if you want to keep things calm around here, I suggest you not wear this pretty thing again.” He tugged on the thin strap on her shoulder. “I’m only human, Dana.” He stepped past her and walked down the hall, then disappeared into his bedroom.

  Dana wanted to slam the bathroom door. Angry with Jared, and with herself. He was right, she shouldn’t have put on the gown last night. Yet she hadn’t expected to see Jared this morning. Next time she would cover herself better. Of course, he didn’t need to walk around in a towel, either. But she wasn’t going to tell him how that affected her.

  No, the man didn’t need to know how much she was beginning to care about him. Somehow, some way she had to keep her feelings hidden from him.

  But how could she fool her own heart?

  Chapter Seven

  Dana was running late because she’d decided to take a little more care with her appearance on the first full day of her marriage. She applied some makeup, even dressed in a nicer pair of jeans and a bright pink blouse. She hurried downstairs to start breakfast, but came to a halt in the kitchen doorway when she found Jared standing at the stove frying bacon.

  Never had she expected to see him cooking in her kitchen. Married! Dana still had trouble believing it. She eyed the man she’d taken as her husband only yesterday. Faded jeans covered his slim waist and long legs. Her gaze traveled upward to the burgundy colored T-shirt that highlighted his perfectly sculptured back and shoulders. Her body temperature suddenly shot up.

  “Mom, what are you doing?”

  Dana glanced down to see her son beside her. “Oh, nothing, sweetheart. Good morning.” She smiled as Jared turned toward them both.

  “Morning, sport,” Jared said. Then those gorgeous blue eyes settled on her. “Morning, Dana…again.”

  Another shiver slithered along her spine. “Morning.” She walked into the room. “You don’t need to cook breakfast. That’s my job.”

  Jared flipped and caught the spatula midair. “Says who? You work as hard as the rest of us, plus cook all the meals. I think the men in the house can manage breakfast. Isn’t that right, Evan?”

  “Yeah, Mom, I want to help Jared cook.” He marched up to the stove. “What do I do?”

  Jared took in the boy’s wide questioning eyes and realized he was looking to him for guidance. Jared could remember so many times when GH had ignored him. He had no intention of letting Evan down. “How about you set the table while I finish cooking the bacon. Then we’ll make some of my special pancakes.”

  “Oh, boy,” Evan said, and hurried to the drawer, pulled out flatware and carried it to the table.

  “How can I help?” Dana asked.

  When Jared looked at her, hour-old memories flooded his head. A woman with hair wild from sleep, and nearly naked, walking into the bathroom. The nightgown she’d worn was so sheer he could see her rosy nipples trying to poke through the fabric. He had fought the urge to kiss away her shocked expression. He grabbed the towel from the kitchen counter and tucked it in the waistband of his jeans, hoping to hide the effect she had on him.

  “Why don’t you just sit down and let us men wait on you for a change?”

  “Yeah, Mom, let us handle breakfast,” Evan repeated as he walked around the table, setting out the utensils at each place. Once finished, he returned to the stove. “Are we ready to make pancakes yet?”

  Jared took out the griddle. “We need a f
ew things….” He went to the refrigerator and opened the door. The cool air felt wonderful in the warm kitchen. He took out eggs and milk, then went back to the stove. “Pull up a chair, son.”

  Evan did as he was told and together they mixed up batter. With the boy’s help the pancakes took longer and they weren’t anywhere close to perfect. But Evan was so proud of his accomplishment that it warmed Jared’s heart.

  “Look, Mom. Look what I made.” Evan climbed down, took the first stack from Jared, then carefully carried the plate to his mother.

  “Oh, they look wonderful. I bet they taste good, too.” Jared watched as Dana poured syrup on the stack, then took a bite. “Mmm, delicious.”

  The boy grinned. “She likes them.”

  “Well, get back over here so we can eat, too.”

  Evan scurried up on his chair and with Jared’s help they scooped off another four as Bert walked in the door.

  “Bert! We’re making flapjacks for breakfast.”

  The foreman hung his hat on the hook by the door.

  “Well, leapin’ lizards, that’s my favorite kind of food.”

  Evan gave him a plate, then with another satisfied customer, came back to the stove. Finally they all were sitting around the table eating breakfast.

  “Who taught you to cook, Jared?” Evan asked as he stuffed a forkful of pancakes into his mouth.

  “After I left home, I had to learn to feed myself, and pancakes were cheap and filling.”

  The boy looked concerned. “Did you ever get lonely? Bein’ by yourself.”

  Too many times to count, Jared thought. “Yeah, sometimes.” He smiled. “But never hungry. Not since I learned to cook.” Jared took a big bite of his food. “A man needs to know how to take care of himself.”

  “I can make my bed and clean my room. I can feed Sammy and brush him. Oh, and I can hammer a nail real good.” He smiled with pride. “Now I can make pancakes.”

  “I say for a four—almost five-year-old—that’s pretty good.”

  “I’m going to be five next month. Five more weeks. Bert and me been countin’.” Evan got up from the table and went to the calendar hanging on the wall. On his tiptoes, he lifted the June sheet and pointed to the twenty-fifth of July. “That’s my birthday.”

  “I can see that. What is it you want?” Jared asked.

  Evan glanced at his mom, then lowered his head. “I want a horse, but mom says we can’t afford one. We need other things.”

  Jared didn’t know what to say. As much as he wanted to make his nephew’s dream come true, he knew enough to stay out of it. “That’s true. The Lazy S does need a lot of things.”

  “It’s okay.” Evan’s head bobbed. “I got what I really wanted already.”

  “What’s that?”

  The child smiled. “For you to be my daddy.”

  Her son wanted Jared to be his father. Evan’s words played over and over in Dana’s head. What a great way to start off a marriage. If it were a real marriage.

  Thankfully everyone finished breakfast quickly, and Bert took Evan with him to finish up the morning chores. With the dishes still on the table, Dana waited to clear the table, knowing she and Jared needed to talk.

  She took a long breath and released it. “Evan seems to expect you to be his father. I don’t know where he got that idea, Jared. I’ll talk with him.”

  “Technically I am his stepfather,” Jared said. “And at the least his uncle.”

  Dana shook her head in disbelief. She had been so careful to explain to her son that Jared would only be staying a little while. That this marriage was only temporary. “But you’re not staying here, nor are we staying married. I don’t want Evan to expect you to be around and end up disappointed.”

  “I’m not disappearing from Evan’s life.”

  “It’s not the same thing. He’s only four years old. He has this notion in his head that he can make you stay.”

  “Okay, I’ll talk with the boy.”

  She nodded, but knew that no matter what, someone was going to get hurt. She could handle rejection, but not Evan.

  Jared didn’t say anything for a long time, then finally spoke. “We need to talk about what happened this morning in the bathroom. I know it was a little awkward for you. If my being here makes you uncomfortable, I can move back to the bunkhouse.”

  “No,” Dana said. “It’s fine. I was caught off guard this morning. I haven’t had another person around in a long time. If we work up a schedule that won’t have us running into each other, we should be okay,” she offered, feeling a little breathless whenever he looked at her.

  “I have no problem with showering in the evenings.”

  “I have a bigger concern than our bathroom schedule.”

  “What?”

  “The Lazy S. I just don’t know where to start. I mean I know what I need and what I want to do, but…how much money is available?”

  “As much as you’re going to need. I contacted the estate lawyer, Russell Janny, this morning. We only need to overnight a copy of our marriage license so the trust money can be transferred into an account in San Angelo. Janny said if there’s any problem at the bank to have them call him and he’ll guarantee the loan payment. So how would you and Evan like to go into town this morning?”

  Dana was happy and nervous at the same time. It wasn’t easy for her to trust people. As soon as Jared paid off the loan she’d feel beholden to him. He would be her partner, whether he liked it or not. She bit her lips. “That would make Evan happy.”

  “What would make you happy, Dana?”

  His eyes sparkled mischievously. He’d had that same look when she’d walked into the bathroom. She shook away the picture of the near-naked man, knowing she had to stop thinking this marriage was nothing close to a traditional one. “I’d be happy if I could get rid of the bills and get this place to pay.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I’ve been talking with Bert. He tells me that the Western Livestock Auction is in Midland this coming Tuesday. He thinks we should go and look at some stock, especially the bulls.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Maybe we could look at some horses, too.”

  She felt her excitement build, but fought it. “It’s a little soon to start thinking about raising horses, or buying Evan a large pet.”

  “It’s your dream, Dana,” he said, his voice husky. “And I’m sure Evan wouldn’t mind having a mare that you could breed, too. I mean we have six stalls available. So if you find a nice brood mare—I mean…I don’t see what it would hurt to look.”

  She shrugged as if not caring, but her heart pounded with excitement. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt—just to look.”

  “Good.” He stood. “I’m going to talk with Bert. He says he has a lead on a couple of guys looking for work. Might as well hire them and have them finish repairing the fences before we bring in more cattle.” He hesitated, then said. “I’ll be back around noon, unless you need me for something.”

  A dozen wild thoughts ran through her head. “No, I’m fine.”

  He smiled. “Then let’s plan on having lunch in town.”

  She nodded and he walked out the door.

  Dana hugged herself as a warm shiver went through her. She hated herself for her weakness…her weakness for her husband. How long could she fight these feelings? More importantly, how long before he walked away? No doubt sooner or later he would, and she’d be alone again.

  The following Monday, with Chance and Cade keeping an eye on the Lazy S, Dana, Evan, Bert and Jared all climbed into Jared’s truck and headed to Midland for the livestock auction. Over the next two hours, Evan peppered question after question at anyone who might have answers. Jared hadn’t minded; in fact he’d enjoyed spending time with the boy.

  Every afternoon since he’d started the repairs, Evan had been his shadow. And Jared had put in a lot of hours in the barn. Six stalls had been practically rebuilt, and all had sturdy new gates, ready for the new residents that might take up occupancy real soon. He’d finished
the corral as of yesterday so that it could be used for riding lessons.

  Jared wouldn’t mind if Dana found a couple of mares today. He figured she deserved to have something that she wanted, too. Maybe if she achieved her dream of raising horses, she would begin to smile again. And Dana was so pretty when she smiled.

  Jared had talked to Chance about a horse for Evan. His half brother gave him some tips about what to look for in buying a good saddle horse for the boy. Jared just hoped that he could convince Dana that her son was ready.

  Arriving in town, Jared stopped at one of the chain motels and got their last two rooms for the night. When they entered one of the connecting rooms, Evan scurried toward the first double bed.

  Bert tossed his bag on the other bed. “The boy and I will bunk in here,” he said.

  Jared glanced into the other room to find a king-size bed. “Sounds good.” He set his bag on the floor. He glanced at his wife and said with a quiet voice, “I asked for all doubles, but this was all they had. You want to go somewhere else?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s fine. We should be able to manage for one night.”

  Jared nodded in agreement, but questioned his sanity. Who was he trying to convince? He watched as Dana moved around the room, putting her things away. He wondered if she’d brought the gown she’d worn the other morning in the bathroom. His body stirred to life. Oh, boy, the problems were starting already. How did he ever think he could stay totally detached from this woman? And how the hell was he supposed to spend the night with her in the same bed and keep his hands to himself?

  He needed a miracle.

  They ate supper at a steak house next to the motel. Since he wasn’t driving, Jared had a few more beers than his usual one glass, hoping that it would help diminish his sexual appetite. But when they returned to the motel, Dana put Evan to bed, then to give Bert some privacy, the door to the connecting room was closed, and Jared knew he was in trouble.