Have Gown, Need Groom

by Rita Herron

  Sliding one arm around his waist, she hugged his front with her other and tried to right him. He groaned and grunted and Hannah gasped as his cold hand came up to grab her wrists. They both slipped and almost fell together, but clung to each other, staggering and shrieking as they regained their footing. Lord, the man weighed a ton. Every cell in his body was packed with muscle, too, strong sinewy male muscle that rippled across his chest and back and arms, tightening beneath her fingers. Her body reacted instantly, growing warm at his touch.

  Several minutes later, after they’d almost fallen twice, she managed to help him out of the water. They collapsed onto the blanket in a fit of giggles and a tangle of wet arms and legs. “You are a dangerous man, Jake Tippins. I warned you not to wade in the water.”

  “Playing it safe is boring, doc.” He stretched out his legs and rolled to his side so he wouldn’t have to lie on his injured backside. Or so she thought. The sharp stab of hunger that flashed into his eyes sent heat bolting through her, replacing the chill of the water with the fire of desire.

  Hannah rubbed at goose bumps cascading up her arms, and he grabbed a sweater he’d thrown on the blanket and handed it to her. “Here, put this on.”

  She gave him an odd look for a moment, as if he’d handed her a rattlesnake, then seemed to relax and accepted the garment. As she slipped it over her head, he couldn’t help but notice the way the silky fabric of her blouse molded over lush curves. His sweater swallowed her petite frame, the sleeves dangling over her fine-boned hands. She rolled the cuffs up three times, then flattened the bottom of the sweater over her thighs. He remembered how her bare breasts had looked in the dim light of her den, how soft and sensuous they’d felt in his hands, and he ached to reach out and touch her again.

  “This was a great idea, Jake. The fresh air feels wonderful. I’m suddenly starved.”

  The outdoors reminded him of camping out when he was young, of freedom from his confining house. “Me, too.”

  Ignoring the innuendo, she opened up the containers of food he’d packed. “Wow, fried chicken, just like old times,” Hannah said with a smile. She removed a wine bottle from the basket. Jake grinned and opened the Chardonnay.

  Laughter sparkled in her luminous eyes. “I do like wine, Jake, but we have to drive home.”

  “We’ll just have a glass,” he promised.

  Hannah’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

  “Don’t act so shocked, doc. I may not run in your circles, but I’m not a total slough when it comes to responsibility.”

  Embarrassment heated her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to imply you were. For heaven’s sakes, you tackled that guy and got shot trying to be responsible.”

  “Like I told your dad, I simply reacted. No big deal.” He poured them both a plastic cup of wine and took a sip, frowning. “I wish everyone would just let things die down.”

  Her gaze flashed toward him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  She was referring to his comment about not running in her circles. Why the hell had he made that stupid comment? “Forget it. Besides,” he said, teasing again, “You sounded more like a mother than a doctor.”

  Her lips tightened momentarily, then she seemed to realize he was teasing and laughter spilled from her lips. Glorious beautiful laughter. “The doctor ingrained in me, I suppose. And I am the oldest of three siblings.”

  “You are a caretaker, aren’t you, doc?”

  “I guess so.”

  Maybe she ought to let someone take care of her, he thought.

  But you won’t be the one, Tippins.

  “Thanks for suggesting this picnic, Jake. I guess I needed an outing and some fresh air more than I realized.”

  As if deciding she’d revealed something about herself she shouldn’t have exposed, she began filling their plates with chicken, potato salad, baked beans and bread. Jake accepted the plate and dug in, suddenly starved.

  “You said you had a bad day at the hospital. Working in the ER must be stressful.”

  She leaned her back against a tall poplar tree and nibbled at her food. “It is. But the work is rewarding most of the time.”

  “It has to be hard when you’re constantly dealing with life-and-death situations.”

  Her earlier smile faded. “Yes, but I enjoy helping people.”

  “It must take a lot of strength to deal with crisis situations the way you do….” He let the sentence trail off, hoping she would pick up the conversation.

  “Some days are fine, but others are difficult.” She went on to tell him about a teenage boy who’d died in the ER. Sadness crept into her voice, and she picked a blade of grass, playing with the ends while she talked. Jake’s heart clenched at the story, visions of all the horrible things he’d seen on the streets bombarding him. He’d thought he and Hannah Hartwell had nothing in common. Maybe he was wrong.

  No, he couldn’t start thinking like that. Couldn’t start liking this woman. Couldn’t start imagining the two of them building a life together.

  “My heart went out to his parents, you know,” she said, as if she should be able to save the world. Her watery gaze lifted to meet his. “There’s nothing more important than family.”

  And he might destroy hers if he didn’t clear Wiley and Mimi.

  Whoa—when had his job become to clear them instead of to find evidence against them?

  “I suppose not,” he said, hardening himself to her pain as reality crashed around him.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get so melancholy or be insensitive.” She reached out to cover his hand with hers. Her touch was so soft, so gentle and sincere it nearly took his breath away.

  Jake shrugged, wanting to steer the conversation back on safe territory. “No big deal.”

  The anguish in her eyes startled him, because the anguish she felt was for him.

  “How do you like living in Sugar Hill?”

  “It’s all right,” Jake said, biting into another biscuit with gusto. “Your dad certainly has a booming outfit.”

  “Yeah, he’s excited about the new branches opening up.”

  Jake shrugged and continued eating, trying to appear nonchalant. “Business must be good for him to expand.”

  “I suppose.” Hannah shifted and tapped her nails along her arms again as if the topic made her uncomfortable. “Although, I don’t get involved in the business myself.”

  Jake frowned; he had seen her take the files home. Why was she lying?

  “He certainly gets into those commercials,” Jake commented, watching her for a reaction.

  “Yeah, he always has.” Her eyes flickered shut briefly as if she didn’t quite approve of how her father made his money, then she simply shrugged. With a loud sigh, she announced that she was full, emptied her half-eaten plate of food into a plastic bag and stood, brushing at her slacks.

  He set his plate aside and studied her as she walked over to the stream. The gurgling brook reminded him of childhood, of a time he’d run away and lived in the woods. Not a happy time, but not one of his more unpleasant memories either.

  With her shoulders slumped, her head angled, Hannah looked impossibly small as she leaned against a massive oak. The whisper of her breath in the cool night air radiated sadness, making him ache for her. Was she thinking about the patient she’d lost or about her father and how he made his money? Had he hit on a sore spot with his questions?

  HANNAH STARED into the crystal-clear water rippling over the jagged rocks and fought off the guilt over her reaction to Jake’s questions about her father. She should be proud of Wiley. He had worked hard to take care of the girls after their mother had left. Even though some of his crazy stunts had brought ridicule to her and her sisters in their teen years, she knew he loved them. But a small part of her, that little nine-year-old girl inside who’d overheard her parents’ argument the day her mother had left, still felt a twinge of resentment at Wiley’s choice of careers. If he’d left the dealership, taken a more subtle approach to bus
iness, maybe her mother would have stayed.

  And if her mother hadn’t been pregnant with her…

  She shouldn’t have lied to Jake about helping her father either. It wasn’t like she’d done anything wrong, only Wiley was embarrassed about his dyslexia, and she simply checked his numbers before he turned them over to his bookkeeper to save him from admitting his learning disability. Why, he’d even hidden the secret from Mimi and Alison as if the learning problem was something to be ashamed of; Hannah had stumbled on the truth by mistake and had tried to reassure him that his problem was more common than he realized. But the big proud man still insisted on secrecy and she’d agreed to honor his wishes.

  Speaking of big proud men…the scent of Jake’s cologne clung to his sweater, an earthy masculine scent that filled her with heat and reminded her of the man who’d brought her here. At least she had one parent and two terrific sisters. Jake Tippins had no one.

  “Doc, are you all right?”

  Hannah started as she realized Jake had moved up beside her. She’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t heard him approach, hadn’t even heard a twig snapping. He moved closer, so near she could feel his breath on her neck, could almost feel the heat from his body searing into hers. Then he reached out and rubbed his hands up and down her arms as if to comfort her. Her knees trembled involuntarily, but she tried to ignore the passion simmering between them, aware the other picnickers had left and they were alone.

  “Hannah?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” She stepped sideways to avoid touching him and looked up into his dark, serious eyes. “Sorry, I guess the day took more of a toll on me than I realized.”

  “You don’t have to apologize.” He reached out and thumbed her hair from her eyes, and Hannah’s stomach tightened at the fluttery sensations spiraling through her. His dark eyes roamed greedily over her face. He obviously felt the electricity sizzling between them as strongly as she did. Panicking at the strength of her attraction to him, Hannah tried to pull away. She looked at the trees, then at the clear sky, which had faded into a smoky gray, anywhere she could to avoid Jake’s mesmerizing, sanity-stealing eyes.

  Jake studied her face, his penetrating gaze unraveling emotions she’d thought long dormant. And awakening hunger unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

  His husky voice pulled her into a web of desire as he spoke, “I used to hang out in the woods all the time when I was a kid. Sleep under the stars and make up stories about kids from other planets who lived in another solar system.”

  The same way she’d made up stories with her dolls.

  The dark soulful look he gave her radiated heat and hunger and hidden secrets. Hannah remembered the crazy silly dream she’d had about this man—that he was her soulmate. Her destiny.

  But dreams didn’t come true and neither did silly legends. The two of them together—

  No, they were far too different…yet were they really? Even in the midst of her busy family, sometimes she felt as if she stood alone.

  Her senses begged her to invite him into her heart, but caution warned her to run the other way. He slowly reached out and traced a tender line down her cheek, rubbing his finger in a slow circle across her mouth, and all her reservations died. A groan of protest mixed with surrender rumbled from his chest right before he pulled her into his arms, gently teased her mouth open with his tongue and kissed her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  With Hannah’s soft warm body cradled in his arms, her female scent filling him with desire, Jake completely lost himself in the kiss. Heat flared inside him, searing him with a need so strong he deepened the kiss, tasting the warm vibrant essence of Hannah as she surrendered to his touch. A low moan rose in his throat at the sweet moment, and he dragged her body up against his, plunging one hand into her silky hair while the other stroked her back, the curve of her spine, then traced a path down to her waist. He felt her heart pounding against his chest, his need growing as her breasts flattened against him.

  Hand in hand, they slowly moved back to their picnic spot. With a growl of pure male hunger, he lowered her to the blanket, angling himself over her as she looped her arms around his neck. Fire blazed a path down his body as he wedged one knee between her legs, finally breaking the kiss enough to nibble at her chin, then at the sensitive skin beneath her ear. Her breath whispered against his cheek, her hands dropped to grip his shoulders, her sigh of passion overrode all his good sense with an all-consuming urge to take her right there, beneath the stars and the moon and the wide dark sky.

  But he suddenly felt her tense—subtle, but oh, so real. Her hands stilled, then swept around to press against his chest. His senses floated back slowly, desire still surging through him, but rational thought finally interceded. He slowed his urgent explorations, not quite releasing her as he pulled himself gently off her. Framing her face with his hands, he dropped a soft kiss on her face, then rolled to his side and simply hugged her against him.

  She lay snuggled against him for several long seconds, one hand draped over his chest, while she brought the other one up to touch her mouth. The simple movement, the fact that her fingers were now tracing the tender skin where he’d just kissed her, sent desire burning through him again, a slow, steady ache that threatened to torment him long into the night.

  A different kind of desire this time—sweeter, more gentle, but just as strong and potent. And much more disturbing.

  “I…” What could he say? That he regretted kissing her.

  Hell, he didn’t.

  Kissing Hannah was the most erotic few moments he’d experienced in years. Maybe ever.

  But the fact that she was Wiley’s daughter, and he was lying to her slammed into him.

  “I—I’ve never felt this way before,” she murmured breathlessly. Her words lingered with a hint of disbelief, as if the kiss had been more than she’d bargained for, maybe more than the ones she’d shared with her fiancé.

  Yeah, right.

  His imagination was alive and kicking—just like his sexual drive.

  He struggled for something to say. The only thing that came to mind was “I want you,” but she didn’t look as if she wanted to hear that sentiment at the moment. In fact, she looked confused as if she didn’t know how to handle the chemistry between them.

  “It was incredible,” she whispered.

  He was moved by her words, so moved he wanted to give her pleasure, even if he received nothing in return.

  He gently traced a finger down her blouse, pulling her to him so their bodies touched from head to toe. He felt her subtle relinquishment of control and his sex hardened, pressing against her. But this moment was for Hannah.

  He lowered his mouth and kissed her tenderly with the pure urge to satisfy a woman’s needs. His hands caressed her back, stroking and massaging the tender muscles of her shoulders and lower, until he cradled her hips in his hands, pulling her into his male hardness. She sank her fingers into his shoulders, holding him as he lowered his mouth and gently kissed his way down her neck, then slid her shirt up and suckled her breasts through her bra. He unclasped her bra and traced his tongue over a taut nipple, his other hand shifting to slip inside her slacks until he felt her moist heat.

  “Oh, Jake, you feel so wonderful,” Hannah whispered.

  Her passion-laced voice, so full of wonder and joy, sent his whole body into a tailspin of emotions.

  “I want you to enjoy,” he whispered, moving his mouth to love her other breast, suckling deep and hard as his fingers probed, teased, stroked her femininity.

  “Jake?” The soft uncertainty in her voice tore at him.

  “Just relax, baby, let it go. Let me love you.”

  She dragged his head up to kiss him deeply, and he felt her moan in his throat as her body convulsed around him. Seconds later, she lay spent in his arms, her expression of rapture one he would never forget. But she turned her face to his, a mixture of embarrassment and concern flooding her eyes. Concern that he wasn’t satisfied. />
  “Jake?”

  “It’s okay,” he whispered, against her neck, finally saying the words from his heart. “I just wanted to love you.”

  Her stunned gaze darted to him. He saw a tiny bite mark at the corner of her ear and silently applauded and cursed himself at the same time. He’d marked her as his, yet he didn’t really have the right….

  “I’m sorry if I let things get out of hand.” He gently reached up and curled a strand of her soft hair around his finger. “But you’re pretty irresistible, doc.”

  “I—I shouldn’t have…have let you….” She stood and righted her clothes, moved away to the stream and stared into the gurgling water as if the stony brook held the answers to her confusion.

  He studied her rigid back, her slender legs, the slight tilt of her hips outlined beneath his mammoth sweater. If she was using him, she was one hell of an actress. He would almost swear that her innocent act was real. That she was as moved by their lovemaking as he had been. If he told her the truth about his reasons for being here, would she hate him?

  But he couldn’t tell her, not yet, not until the case was solved.

  Struggling to get up on his injured hip, he grunted and groaned until he was standing. Then he slowly walked over to her, his mind whirring with half truths and questions, his body still aching for her.

  “Hannah?”

  She lowered her head at the sound of her name on his lips. “I—I was engaged only a few days ago.”

  “But you’re not engaged now,” he reminded her.

  A long silence followed, giving him time to wonder if she regretted calling off her wedding.

  “Still, it doesn’t seem right.” She cradled her arms around herself, shivering. “I—I don’t usually go from one man…to another.”