A smile of genuine fondness spread across Jared’s face. “Oh yes. Great-grandfather lives in the country about thirty minutes or so from Black Arrow. In the same house he’s always lived in. We grandchildren have tried to talk him into selling the place and moving into town, but he won’t hear of it. That’s always been his home and he wouldn’t give up his livestock for anything. Thankfully he has one neighbor that keeps a pretty close eye on him.”
Kerry shook her head with amazement. Other than Enola, she had a maternal grandmother who lived about fifty miles north in Anadarko. What little was left of her father’s people were scattered in some of the western states. Since they were never interested in her father Marvin’s family while he’d been alive, she hardly expected to hear from them in the future.
“It must be wonderful to have a relative who has lived that long and seen so many changes in our world. I’m sure he has many stories to tell.”
Laughter rolled from Jared’s mouth and as Kerry’s gaze drank in his bronze features, she could see why women had always been drawn to him. His happy, laidback manner coupled with his rough-hewn looks made him a heady force to reckon with.
“Stories! Grandfather George is so full of tales we’re not sure where the real ones end and the fiction begins. He’s one of the few pure Comanches still living around here and he doesn’t let any of his family forget it. Our heritage is important to him.”
Kerry’s expression brightened. “I think that’s wonderful,” she said, then just as suddenly a wistfulness came over her. “My father didn’t know much at all about his heritage. And he didn’t care enough to learn.”
“What about Enola? She’s Comanche, too, isn’t she?”
Kerry nodded. “Enola is proud of the fact that she’s Native American but that’s about as far as it goes. I guess she’s always been too busy just trying to survive to think about much else. But I’ve been trying to teach Peggy about our ancestors as much as I can. Of course, she’s too young to understand much yet. But I think it’s important to start with her early so that she’ll get a sense of being a Comanche as she grows up.”
“Then you should let me take the two of you to see George sometime. He loves company. But be warned he’s hard to get away from and before you leave you’ll probably hear about a vision.”
Kerry smiled with fascination. “A vision? Does he really have visions?”
Jared chuckled. “Who knows. None of us actually believe he has that ability. But the crazy thing about it is that most of what he tells us winds up coming true.”
Just hearing about his grandfather made Kerry’s brown eyes glow. “I don’t know if you realize it, Jared, but you’re a very lucky man.”
His grin was wicked. “Why? Because I’m sitting here eating cookies with you?”
She glanced away from him as another blush warmed her face. Did he really find her company that pleasant? she wondered. It was hard to imagine. She didn’t have to look in the mirror to know she was about as glamorous and exciting as Betty Crocker. And no one had to tell her that Jared Colton’s taste in women ran toward the beautiful and vivacious.
During her waitressing days at Woody’s, it wasn’t uncommon to see him with a different belle every night. He’d had his pick of the most attractive girls to be had in Black Arrow and she seriously doubted that had changed. Especially now that he was in the prime of good looks, along with being a successful engineer. There was no reason why he’d settle for someone like Kerry.
She breathed deeply and told herself to ignore the glint in his eyes and forget the notion that she was sitting here alone with a man who made women his number one pastime.
“You’re lucky because you have so much family,” she finally managed to say. “Close family.”
Her looked at her with faint surprise. “I guess I never thought of us Coltons as lucky. Especially with our parents getting killed. But you’re right. I can’t imagine what life would be like without my brothers and sisters. And we also have six cousins and their parents, Aunt Alice and Uncle Thomas, who was my dad’s twin. If any family member has trouble, the rest are always ready to gather around and help.”
Kerry nodded. “I noticed some of your relatives were there to help that night you were trying to rescue Peggy from the pipe.”
“Yeah, I guess they were,” he said while thinking Enola had been the only relative there to support Kerry through the awful incident. It was no wonder she considered his large family a blessing. There had to be times that she felt very alone. “And I guess I’m guilty of taking my big family for granted. Maybe I should thank Willow again for making these cookies,” he added with a chuckle.
Kerry smiled in agreement. “Yes, I think you should. They’re very good.”
He nudged the plate toward her. “Then have another. You’ve only eaten one.”
“Oh no. One’s enough.” She glanced at her half-empty mug. “I really should finish my coffee and go. It’ll be late by the time I drive home.” And Enola would be champing at the bit, she thought wearily.
Disappointment struck him as he realized he didn’t want her to leave. She had a quiet, sweet nature that invited him to relax, to talk about things he rarely thought about, much less discussed over a cup of coffee. Talk. The word put an inward smile on his face. Since when had talking to a woman been important? he asked himself.
“We haven’t been sitting here long, Kerry. Finish your coffee and tell me about yourself—what you do.”
Her brows lifted in surprise. “What I do?”
“Sure. I know you can’t still work at Woody’s ’cause that place was turned into a dry cleaners a few years ago.”
The idea that he still remembered her after all this time was wildly flattering. Which only proved that her mother was right about one thing, she was a fool when it came to men.
“I work at Liberty National Bank. In the note department.”
Since Jared didn’t use that particular bank, the chances of his seeing Kerry around town before the incident with Peggy would have been slim. Especially when he figured she didn’t do much socializing.
“Do you like your job or is it just a stepping stone to what you’d really like to do?”
Since Peggy had been born, no one had bothered to ask Kerry that question. Not even her own mother. Enola’s attitude was that Kerry should be grateful to have any sort of job in order to support her young daughter. The idea that Jared cared enough to ask made her feel special, something she’d not felt in a long time.
“I like the job. Everyone there is easy to work with and the pay is okay. But it’s not what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
When she didn’t elaborate, he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “I feel like a dentist trying to pull a tooth with the patient’s mouth clamped shut,” he joked, then made a rolling motion with one hand. “Come on, what is the thing you’d want to be doing if you could?”
Her finger slowly traced the plaid pattern in the tablecloth as she thought about all the hopes and dreams she’d pushed aside in order to raise her daughter. Some people might view the choices she’d made as sacrifices. But Kerry didn’t see them that way. Peggy was worth much, much more than anything she’d had to give up.
“I need a few more hours to acquire my master’s degree in business. Someday when that happens I’d like to get a job with a small investment firm and work my way up to a high-level position.” She cast him a rueful smile. “But that will be in the far future—when Peggy is much older.”
Jared didn’t have to ask what had delayed her education. She’d had a baby. And she’d gone straight to work to support her. He desperately wanted to ask her about the father and why they weren’t together now. But he instinctively knew that Kerry didn’t feel comfortable enough to tell him something that personal. More than likely she’d be offended if he asked. But he was going to get closer to her, he promised himself. And soon.
Anxious now to break the cozy atmosphere that seemed
to be curling around them and drawing them together, Kerry quickly rose from her seat. “I really should be going. It would be embarrassing if Mom called your brother Bram out to search for me.”
Rising to his feet, he grinned at her. “Why Kerry, I didn’t realize you could actually joke.”
She tried to prevent her lips from tilting upward, but a smile spread across her face anyway. “I can laugh, too. Sometimes,” she tossed back at him as she headed out of the kitchen.
Jared followed close on her heels and appreciated the chance to watch the gentle sway of her hips as she walked. The faint sultry scent of her perfume drifted back to him like the luring curl of a finger. Her body would be soft, he thought. Soft and warm and womanly and the urge to reach out and touch her was so strong he jammed his hands into his trouser pockets.
When they reached the living room, Jared said, “I’ll carry Peggy out to the car for you.”
Kerry grabbed her handbag and preceded him out to the car where he placed the sleeping child on the back seat.
“We need to buckle her up somehow,” he said in a hushed voice so as not to wake her. “I didn’t save this little darlin’ from a dark hole to have her hurt in a car accident.”
As Kerry watched his fingers smooth Peggy’s long hair and ruffled dress, her heart turned as soft as warm butter. Jared might not know what it was like to have a child of his own, yet he treated Peggy with as much love and tenderness as any father would.
All at once Kerry realized her head was hovering very near to Jared’s. With the slightest turn, their faces would be together, their lips separated by only a scant distance. Just the thought of kissing Jared Colton sent a thrill of heat rushing from her head to her toes.
The decadent thoughts turned her voice to a throaty whisper. “I’ve buckled her up like this before. And I’ll drive slowly on the way home.”
Thankfully he eased back out of the car and Kerry was able to breathe normally again, but her nervous hands fumbled with the seat belt straps before she was finally able to get them completely fastened.
Once she had Peggy safely settled, Kerry hurried around to the driver’s side of the car. Jared followed and opened the door before she could do it herself.
“This has been nice, Kerry. I’m glad you agreed to come out tonight.”
His low, masculine voice was as smooth as the warm night breeze slipping over her bare skin. Her heart thudding, Kerry tucked her hair behind her ears and glanced his way. “Thank you, Jared. It has been nice.”
Before he could stop himself, Jared stepped closer and gently folded his fingers around her upper arm. “Uh—when are we going to get together again?”
Eyes wide, she stared up at him. Maybe in the back of her mind, she’d suspected he was slightly attracted to her. But she’d assured herself he would never act upon his attraction. Not when he could find more beautiful, willing women elsewhere.
“I—don’t think that would be a good idea,” she finally managed to murmur.
A scowl pulled his black brows together. “Why not? Is there someone you’re seeing on a regular basis?”
Kerry had lived such an isolated life since her ordeal with Damon that his question seemed ludicrous. Averting her gaze from his, she released a shaky laugh. “No.”
Jared continued to frown as he studied her lowered head. “Is there something funny about that question?”
Kerry lifted her eyes back to his and suddenly she felt overwhelmed with emptiness. Damon had not only shattered her hopes and dreams of having a family, he’d also filled her with a deep distrust of men. In the past three, nearly four years, she’d not met one man she’d felt comfortable enough to share a hamburger with, much less date on a continued basis. Yet as she looked at Jared, she desperately wished that things could be different.
“Not exactly,” she answered, then tried her best to smile. The last thing she wanted Jared Colton to think was that she was limping around with hidden scars. “I just—don’t date.”
Jared had suspected she didn’t have much of a social life. At least not with the opposite sex. But to hear her say she didn’t date at all was a real tragedy.
“Oh come on, Kerry, you’re kidding, aren’t you?”
Her lips thinned to a grim line. “No. I’m not kidding.”
He looked totally perplexed. “But why?”
Why? Was he blind, she wondered. Wasn’t Peggy’s existence enough explanation for him? “That’s something I don’t want to get into.” Especially with you, she silently added.
Jared could see her expression closing him off, and the separation left him with a sudden emptiness. “Okay,” he said with slow deliberation. “You don’t have to get into your reasons right now. But I might as well warn you that I won’t take no for an answer.”
His remark made Kerry even more aware of his warm fingers pressing into her flesh. For one reckless moment, she considered tossing her fears aside and simply stepping into his arms. Somehow she knew that to kiss this man would be a wild, sweet pleasure. To make love to him would bend her mind and make her forget everything. Until it was over and he was gone.
That cool thought of sanity was the only thing that gave her the strength to pull away from him and slip into the driver’s seat.
With her hands gripping the wheel, she said, “And I might as well warn you that you’re wasting your time. I have a child and a job that requires all my focus. I don’t have any space in my life for men.”
To Kerry’s surprise he gave her a broad grin.
“That’s good to hear, ’cause I only want you to make room for one man. Me.”
Kerry wasn’t prepared to deal with this sudden intimate exchange. She’d expected after tonight their time together would end once and for all. And it had to, she thought desperately. Jared Colton was the last man who could fit into her life.
Her hands shaking, she shut the door and quickly started the engine. “Goodbye, Jared.”
He reached through the window and laid a hand on her shoulder. “You’d better buckle up before you drive away,” he said dryly.
Flustered from his touch and the fact that she was letting him get to her, she snatched up the belt and fumbled with the two ends until they snapped together.
“That’s better,” he said smugly. Then pulling his hand from her shoulder, he tapped the door in a gesture of farewell. “See you later, Kerry.”
Even though she’d already pulled the gearshift into Reverse, she pressed on the brake and looked through the window at him. “Jared, I expect you to respect my wishes.”
His brows lifted with flirty innocence and he bent his head toward the open window. “And what are your wishes?” he asked softly.
Kerry silently groaned. No man should be allowed to be this sexy or tempting, she thought desperately. It wasn’t fair to womankind. “That you not try to see me again. For any reason.”
A twisted grin lifted one corner of his mouth. “We both know you don’t really wish that, Kerry.”
Kerry was all set to argue, but Jared didn’t give her the chance. Before she could make any sort of response, he waved goodbye and stepped back from the car.
Grateful for the chance to escape, she stepped on the gas and wheeled the car around. As she drove away, her eyes longed to find him in the rearview mirror. But she refused to look up or to acknowledge that Jared Colton had left her shaking from her head to her toes.
Chapter Five
The newspaper landed with a plop on the keyboard of Kerry’s computer. Frowning at the interruption, she looked up from the screen to see Christa’s grinning face.
“What’s up?” Kerry asked. “Have you already run out of something to do?”
Giggling, Christa glanced over her shoulder to make sure none of the bosses were nearby. “Actually my desk is loaded with work, but I just had to see if you’d had a chance to look at the paper yet.”
Her face blank, Kerry shook her head. “The paper?”
“Kerry!” Christa practically shouted
. “Have you forgotten? You and the town’s new hero!”
Dear Lord, since she’d left Jared’s house last night all she’d been able to think about was him. The newspaper article had totally slipped her mind.
Snatching up the paper she began to flip through the pages.
“Try the front page,” Christa said smugly. “Lower left-hand corner. It’s hard to miss.”
Kerry flopped the paper back over then gasped as her gaze zeroed in on the photo. Just as she’d feared last night, the image was more like a snapshot at a family reunion.
“Oh, this is—” she paused and miserably shook her head. “What was that reporter thinking? The three of us look like we’re posed for a family Christmas card!”
“You do look right at home with each other,” Christa said with another giggle. “So tell me, what was it like being that close to Jared Colton?”
Kerry glowered at the other woman. “What sort of question is that?”
Christa tossed another covert glance behind her just to make sure the two of them weren’t being observed. “Oh come on, Kerry. I know you don’t go out on dates. But that doesn’t mean you’re totally dead. Jared Colton is a real hunk. Surely your heart was doing some sort of tap dance while the two of you were rubbing shoulders.”
Her heart had been dancing all right, Kerry silently admitted. But she’d done her best to ignore the affliction. And she was going to keep right on ignoring the strange feelings she got every time she thought about the man.
“He is a handsome man, Christa,” Kerry said firmly. “But that doesn’t mean anything to me.”
Christa leaned over the front of the desk and picked up Kerry’s wrist. “Better let me take your pulse, lady. You’re definitely not normal.”
Kerry shook her hand away from Christa’s fingers, then shoved the newspaper under a stack of banking forms. “Look Christa, the reason you don’t think I’m normal is because my common sense is much stronger than my libido.”
The blonde slapped a hand across her forehead and lifted her eyes toward the ceiling. “Okay, I admit my marriage was a disaster and, like you, I picked a guy that couldn’t have been worse for me. But that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped being a woman. And—” she lowered her head and leveled a pointed look on Kerry “—you haven’t stopped being one either.”
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