Forgiving Patience

by Jennifer Simpkins

  He had every right to be concerned for any woman who was in his friend’s line of vision.

  “Today. She claims I tried to run her off the road.”

  “Let me guess? You didn’t, though?”

  “No, I didn’t try to run her off the road,” Jake answered, giving the other man a hard look, as though to question who do you think I am?

  “Come on, Lawrence, we all know you have become obsessed with speed.”

  Jake couldn’t say much. It was true. He loved to feel free and get that adrenaline rush while going almost ninety down a country road. But, he wasn’t out to hurt anyone. The loss of his dad in a car wreck caused by a drunk driver taught him to always be aware when driving. It was pure coincidence that he had driven up on Anna. Why did she buy a sports car if it was only to poke around like she was in the middle of a school zone? A car like that was meant to be driven hard and fast.

  “Why, look at that. I lost my darn chance. It looks like the guitar player is making a move on Ms. Kelly,” Tex said, not looking too upset. The guy would have another woman to dance with in a matter of seconds. Poor woman.

  Jake snapped his head over to stare at the man standing by the table where Anna and Jesse were seated. He was bending down, brushing back some strands of hair that had fallen into her face, and whispering something into her ear. Whatever the man said made Anna blush and glance toward her new friend. Stupid Jesse—of course she would be the one to sway her toward a man who was twice Anna’s age. He had to be almost fifty. How dare that old man prey on a pretty woman he didn’t stand a chance with—besides this one dance.

  The geezer took Anna by the hand and led her to the dance floor. Jake could tell by her stiff posture she was a tad uncomfortable, but probably because she was nervous. Then a smile broke out on her face, followed by loud, carrying laughter. She looked happy with the guitar geezer.

  Well, this is just damn perfect.

  Jake set his beer bottle on an empty nearby table, fearful he might break it with only his grip, and clenched his fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white. He knew what anger felt like. It was a feeling that could carry a man away and swallow him up. Jake didn’t like the emotion, but he couldn’t exactly wish it away. If he could, he wouldn’t have spent years of his life swallowed up.

  What to do now? Only thing to do was wait and see how far this dance lasted. The guy has to go back and play with his bandmates sometime. He knew the party wouldn’t end for another several hours. Good plan—just wait.

  What’s wrong with me? I should care less who Anna decides to dance with. Right now he just had to be content with watching her. If he were honest, he would have to admit he’d watched her most of the night. In the beginning she looked almost scared at being around all the people she hadn’t seen or probably talked to in over a decade.

  Her entire face lit up at the sight of her—well, technically—his elderly neighbor. Jake knew Anna had an unspoken bond with Edna, which was hard to form. He had tried visiting the grouchy woman, but all she’d had to say was “Lawrence,” which amused him and forced him to reply, “Edna.” When she didn’t say anything further, he gave her a friendly wave and headed back across the field. The woman actually scared him a little.

  Anna looked more relaxed after sitting with Jesse. Probably because of the glasses of wine Jesse kept handing over to her. Anna didn’t look like a woman who drank much or who could hold much alcohol. Jesse should’ve known Anna wasn’t like her. Jesse was one of the guys—sort of—though she didn’t look like one of the guys. She was tall, slim, could drink any guy under the table, and beat ‘em at a game of pool at the same time.

  “You’re still staring at her, I see.”

  “What?” Jake had forgotten Tex was still around. Damn.

  “Anna. You’re still watching her. If you want it that bad, why don’t you go over and interrupt the dance?” Tex gave him a wink and small push. “If you don’t, I just might.”

  Yeah—that wasn’t happening, but while Jake would love to walk over there and send the geezer back to the stage to do what he was hired for, he wasn’t sure how Anna would take it. She wouldn’t want to cause a scene at Em and Tommy’s party. Maybe that gave him an advantage. She knew all eyes would be on them—the two high school lovers dancing. She wouldn’t want to embarrass herself, or Em.

  Maybe Tex’s idea wasn’t so bad. “You know, Tex, that might be the best thing to come out of your mouth tonight.” Jake picked up his beer up from the table next to him and took a long gulp before sitting it back down again.

  He left Tex, his beer, and the wall he had propped himself up on for the night, behind. He walked around a couple of older folks slow dancing before he crept up on Anna and her dance partner.

  “Can I cut in?” He didn’t give Anna much of a choice because he put one arm around her back and his other one cut in between the couple, letting them know he was indeed interrupting their dance.

  “What are you doing, Jake?” Anna asked from the corner of her mouth, giving him a pointed stare.

  “We’ve got some unfinished business to talk about. I’m sure gee—I mean the guitar player wouldn’t mind cutting the dance a little short.”

  “I mind, so move your arm,” she protested through gritted teeth.

  “Sorry, but I can’t do that.” Ignoring the guitar player, Jake narrowed his gaze on Anna. “We need to talk. Now.”

  Geezer interjected, “I’ve got to get back to work anyway. Ms. Kelly, it was nice to meet you.” He leaned across Jake’s arm and was barely able to lay a kiss on Anna’s cheek.

  Jake tensed at the kiss, but he was satisfied to be sending the guy packing. What a wimp. He would never let some guy cut in while he was dancing with a woman—a hot woman, at that. The guy didn’t deserve to be dancing with Anna if he couldn’t even defend his right to be with her.

  “Uughhh…” Anna stomped one of her crimson heels. “What is your deal, Jake?”

  “Did you really just stomp your foot at me?”

  Chapter Four

  Anna couldn’t believe what Jake had just done. She was having a perfectly normal time with Kevin Costner—normal being the key word. He was very sweet and interesting. It had been a long time since she’d enjoyed another man’s company and didn’t mind sharing a dance or two with him. And good grief, he looked just like the man she watched in the movies. She wondered if he knew of his strong resemblance to Kevin Costner. He had to. No man could go through life and not know he strongly looked like the man who played in Bull Durham and her personal favorite, For the Love of the Game. Which brought her full circle to the man now standing in front of her.

  “Yes, I just stomped my foot at you. Why did you run Kev—I mean Cam off like that?”

  “Cam? You’re already on a short name basis?” he asked. “You never gave me any nickname.”

  “His name is Cameron, and we were talking about his music, at least we were until you rudely interrupted. And I have plenty of names for you, but for the sake of Em and Jill, I will refrain from using them.”

  A smile split his face. She couldn’t stop her heart from skipping a beat or two. Her stomach fluttered, and she hoped he couldn’t see her uneasiness with him. After all, she was furious with him for so many things. He was constantly making her life difficult. Between him just being him, the whole house situation, and him invading her privacy just now—she had no reason to find him sinfully sexy. Cam was uncomplicated. Jake was difficult, cocky, reckless, and unnaturally good-looking.

  Add all that up, and you got a very complicated, sexy-as-hell man. Not what she needed.

  Between the dim lighting and absence of a ball cap shielding his eyes this time, she had full access to his devastating stare. She could feel the intensity clear to the juncture of her thighs. He cleaned up damned good. Instead of the stained and sweat-drenched jeans and T-shirt he’d had on earlier—he now sported a black dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled halfway up his arm, topped with a black tie tucked behind a gray
-and-black vest. A narrow black belt circled his trim hips, anchoring his tailored black pants—which fit him just as well as the grimy work pants he’d worn earlier. Did he always have to look so good? What would it feel like to run her fingers through his sun-streaked hair curving just under his shirt collar?

  Don’t you dare move those fingers. Control yourself! She needed to get it together. Jake was off limits in so many ways. Better yet, she was off limits to him. What purpose did he have for running Cam off? Did he actually enjoy throwing her for a loop? What a jerk.

  “I have to say you look stunning tonight, Ms. Kelly. He ran his gaze up and down her body, stopping at her eyes, as if to say I don’t apologize for pushing my way into your dance.

  “Quit trying to change the subject.”

  “Which subject might that be, Ms. Kelly?”

  She stared at him, momentarily speechless. But he actually looked like he expected an answer. Finally she said, “That you just invaded my privacy again.”

  The band started a new song with the addition of Cam rejoining them. She knew it was a song she should have recognized, but her mind was too busy rummaging through other things—especially the man running his hands up and down the snug fabric on her back.

  At least she felt somewhat attractive in her simple black dress and favorite red heels. While the dress was snug because of some extra pounds she’d gained, she had to admit it made her feel sexy. She wished she would’ve had more time to reapply her makeup and do something with her hair, but the dress and heels made up for what she was lacking in the hair department. She might have had to wear a high neckline, but instead of overbearing amounts of cleavage, she showed off curvy hips—something Jake had complimented her on while he had her backside pressed up hard against him, having her fight through the humidity for air.

  Jake pulled her close, while she kept her hands on his shoulders, trying to lessen the closeness, if that was even possible. She fit snugly against his hard thighs. Her face heated at the memory of the encounter from earlier. In one day, he had already pulled her up against him twice—forward and backward. Having to look at his suntanned face while being grasped tightly in his hold was a little too much. All the blood was rushing to her head. She gripped his shoulders a little tighter by squeezing his vest between her fingers, fearful of making a complete fool of herself and passing out in the middle of the dance floor because of some old high school crush. He must have taken the touch as meaning she wanted to get closer, because his hands left her back as he took both of her arms and wrapped them around his neck.

  Trying to squirm away from him did not work.

  “You better just dance, Ms. Kelly. The whole room is watching,” he whispered near her ear.

  Anna averted her gaze to the room of watchers with a sick feeling in her stomach and then gave her dance partner a look of disgust. He had her, and they both knew it. He knew she wouldn’t cause a scene in front of everyone. So now it made sense. He was definitely trying to irritate her and knew she would play along because she didn’t want the embarrassment. Well, he was wrong. She was not going to enjoy the dance.

  “You can stop calling me Ms. Kelly now.”

  Cocking his head to the side, he said, “Why, you don’t like it?”

  “No.”

  “You liked it when Cam said it.”

  She couldn’t stop her cheeks from turning rosy red again, more at annoyance than embarrassment. “Well, maybe you should have taken the hint and asked some other defenseless woman to dance.”

  “I wanted you,” he stated simply.

  Anna sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. How could this man make you want to kill him in his sleep one minute, and the next cause her heart to become a puddle at his feet?

  Something told her her dance partner was watching her every move a little too closely, and she tried checking her emotions.

  “I’m furious with you at the moment.”

  “What for, Ms. K…sweetness?” he choked out.

  “Don’t act dumb with me. You know damn well why I’m mad at you. How could you take my house from me?” She hadn’t meant to sound so desperate, but the throbbing in her throat leaked out before she could swallow it.

  “I didn’t take your house. I’m renting it from you. There’s a big difference.”

  “You purposely hid that you are renting it from me. You could’ve told me earlier.”

  He shifted her in his arms until she rested perfectly at his midsection. He bent down low and spoke low and thick in her ear, “Since you brought it up—I have to say I’m truly, truly sorry for…well, you know.”

  No, she didn’t know. What was he sorry for? Was it because he ran her off the road, because he took her house without her signing off on it, or because he had her wanting to have sex right on the front lawn? Or was he sorry for all those years ago when he crushed her heart?

  “I’m just saying, you could’ve told me I wouldn’t be staying at my house while I am back in town,” she said frostily.

  “If I said that, it would be a lie. You are more than welcome to stay at the house.”

  “What?”

  “You can stay at the house if you want. There are two bedrooms and a lumpy couch. You’re welcome to any of the three.”

  “Okay, I’ll have to say that’s a no. I will just stay at Garrett’s until I get you out of my place.

  He smirked. “So, is that your plan? To try to wiggle the house away from me?” It was obvious to her he was looking at this as a bet—something she knew he never backed down from.

  “Honestly?” Anna asked.

  “That’s the only way.”

  She knew that was a lie if she ever heard one.

  “Yes, that’s my plan. I came home to live in that house, and I expect to before I leave, regardless of whether you have a rental agreement or not.”

  “If you hadn’t rushed off earlier, you would’ve noticed all of the improvements I’ve worked my ass off on.”

  She’d noticed some of the changes he—instead of Garret—obviously had done. He probably was the one who mowed the grass, too. Thing was, she didn’t want anyone’s help. It was her house now, and she needed to be the one to take care of the improvements. She didn’t have the money or talent to make it look like a house of its era could look, but she was responsible for it—not Garrett, and damn well not Jake.

  “They’re not your improvements to make. You had no right. Don’t you have better things to do…like help Bradley at the farm?” She was curious as to why he wasn’t living at his brother’s farmhouse. She knew the Lawrences had a pretty sizeable farm, and it had taken both brothers plus a close family friend to keep it running after their dad’s death when Jake was fifteen and Bradley thirteen.

  “I have time to do both.”

  She wondered how he could do the work required for running a farm and remodel her house at the same time. His knee had to give him some problems…otherwise, why else had he left baseball?

  They continued swaying to the soft country music. “So, what did you have to talk to me about…that couldn’t wait?”

  “We’ll get to that in a minute. Right now I just want to enjoy this.”

  Now, what?

  Trying to wriggle out of his hold hadn’t worked last time. If he wanted to continue this little song and dance—no pun intended—then so be it.

  “Okaay. So, I see Bradley over there,” she said, cutting her eyes over at the other brother’s direction, where he was still getting it on on the dance floor. “Who’s the woman? Is he married?”

  Jake laughed. “Bradley? Shit, no. That guy will never settle with only one woman. He hasn’t stopped going through the population of single women in Patience and its surrounding cities over the last ten years. That person there is probably some girl he met last night at Ollie’s.”

  “Ollie’s?”

  “It’s a bar that opened about six or seven years ago on the outskirts of town. Not something you would be into, but it has cheap beer and sometim
es live music.”

  She tried to take what he said as a good thing, but it seemed like a dig to her. “What’s that supposed to mean? How do you know what I am into? I’ll have you know, I am no prude. I have been in a bar before.”

  “Honey, I never said you were a prude. You just don’t look like the type who would enjoy hanging around a watering hole like Ollie’s.”

  God, if he only knew how good she was and how much she wished to be bad. For once in her life she wanted to empty her past and allow herself to live. She wanted to be careless, make rash decisions, and live out her impulses.

  “What’s going on in that ‘lil head of yours?” Jake asked, bending his head down so he could peer into her downcast gaze.

  The brief, concerned look was the hottest thing she’d ever seen. The softness of his eyes left her insides trembling—at least she hoped it was only her insides. She was feeling a little more relaxed, probably because of the extra wine Jesse had insisted on plying her with. She knew Jesse offered some useful bad habits. The wine was probably a bad idea since she hardly ever drank more than one glass at a time, but right now she was thankful for her fellow bridesmaid’s persistence. She could handle this dance with Jake and anything else that came along. Not that she was thinking about anything else. This dance would be it. Speaking of…it was time to end it.

  “Can you tell me now what was so urgent and the reason for this dance?”

  “What, ready to leave me already?” He snorted a laugh.

  “The song’s almost over, and I only agreed to one dance.”