by Sara Orwig
“Don’t touch them. I'll get rid of them.” He drew his hand across the top of her towel, over the curves of her breasts. “As much as I hate to,” he said in a low voice, “we have to get dressed and go.”
“Right,” she said, pushing him away and closing the door.
She emerged in a blue cotton skirt, sandals and a blue blouse. Jake whistled as she stepped into the living room. “Wow! Do you look good!”
“I feel much better now. Even the sandals fit all right. I'm ready. Should we call Sally and tell her we're coming?”
“Nope. She knows.”
He walked over to her and put his arm around her. “Remember when Sally picked the girls up and I went out to talk to her?”
“Yes,” she asked, wondering what was on his mind, because he looked solemn.
“I told her I wanted something, and to have Zach call me. And then I made a few other calls. When Zach came by just now, he brought those clothes for you, and something that I had him buy awhile ago and haven’t had a chance to pick up.” He reached into his pocket and produced a small black box that he placed in her hand.
“I told Zach what kind of ring I wanted, and he suggested a jeweler, and we had a few conversations that I didn’t want you to overhear. Zach picked it up for me.”
Rebecca stared at the box, knowing her life was going to change. No matter what hurt was involved, she knew she couldn’t give up Jake. Opening the black velvet box, she looked at a sparkling emerald-cut diamond set in a gold mounting. Jake removed it from the box. “Hold out your hand,” he said in a husky voice. “Please.”
She extended her hand, holding out her slender fingers. “Jake,” she whispered, watching his strong, tanned fingers take the bright ring and hold her hand. He paused and studied her. “Rebecca, you consented last night in wild circumstances, and you were in shock.”
Feeling as solemn as he looked, she shook her head. “I know what I want, too. I love you, Jake.”
“Will you marry me, Rebecca?”
Looking into the depths of his hazel eyes, seeing the love that was shining in them, she was ready to take chances. And her chances seemed pretty good at the moment. “You know my answer is yes,” she said softly.
His brows arched and he studied her. “Without reservations or ultimatums or conditions?”
“I can’t put conditions on my love,” she whispered. “You won that battle so long before I wanted to acknowledge it.”
“And how will you handle the police work?”
“The same way I handled the fire fighting. The best I can. But it will worry me sometimes.”
“I love you, Rebecca,” he said quietly, leaning forward to kiss her hungrily.
Her pulse was drumming and she wanted him, seeing the desire she felt reflected in his smoldering eyes.
“Rebecca,” he said, her name coming out in a rush, his voice sounding torn with emotion. With shaking hands, he slipped the engagement ring on her finger. She closed her hands over his, looking at the sparkling ring and then up at him. “I love you,” she whispered again, feeling so certain.
He kissed her, and then leaned back. “Let’s go tell the girls.”
As he sped across town in his car, Jake glanced at her, watching her wiggle her fingers as she looked at the ring.
She smiled at him, her dimple showing. “Oh, Jake, I can’t believe—”
“Yes, you can. Love won. You're getting what you want and I'm getting what I want. Rebecca, I have a question.”
Giving the sparkling diamond one more glance, she looked up at Jake. “What is it?”
“You have your family. You've already had two girls,” he said solemnly. “Do you think you might ever want one more?”
She slid her arms around his neck carefully. “I would love one more with you,” she said. “I started young, so there’s still time.”
“It'll be good, love, so good,” he whispered.
The moment Rebecca saw Sissy and Tara run across the living room to her, she felt light-headed with joy. Unable to keep from crying, she gathered the girls into her arms and hugged them. Tara wiggled to get away, and Rebecca released her, trying to curb her emotions, hastily wiping tears away because for just a few minutes last night she had thought she might not ever see them again.
“There are my girls,” Jake said, walking to them to hug them both. Sissy threw her arms around him and squeezed him. As he moved away from them, he pulled Rebecca to his side, placing his other hand on Tara’s shoulder.
“Your mother and I have a surprise,” he said, glancing at Rebecca, waiting so that she could tell them.
Rebecca watched Tara. “Jake and I are going to get married. Jake will be your stepfather.”
Tara’s grin widened while Sissy shrieked with glee, and Jake hugged them both. Rebecca let out her breath, because it was obvious her announcement made both girls happy.
“Welcome to the family!” Sally said, hugging Rebecca. “I can’t believe it!”
“See the ring Jake gave me,” Rebecca said, showing the girls and Sally her engagement ring, suspecting the ride home would be spent answering questions.
“I can call you Daddy, too, just like I did my daddy?” Sissy asked.
“You can call me Daddy, Dad, or Jake. Whatever you want.”
“I think I want to call you Dad. I always called our real father Daddy,” Tara said solemnly, and Jake gave her shoulder a squeeze.
“I think that would be nice.”
“I think I'll call you Daddy,” Sissy announced. “I have two daddies now. One is in heaven and one is here.” She squinted her eyes at him. “Suppose someone shoots you again?”
“I intend to see that that doesn’t happen, so we won’t even consider it. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He stroked Tara’s hair. “I want to adopt both of you legally so you'll officially be my little girls. All right?”
“Yes,” Sissy answered happily, but Tara gave it some thought.
“I don’t want to forget Daddy.”
Jake sobered, his arm sliding around her shoulders. “Tara, you won’t ever lose or forget your daddy. Not ever. Your mom and I will talk it over, but it'll never change the relationship you had with your daddy.”
She nodded and ran her hand along his arm. “I'm glad you're getting married,” she said shyly.
Jake hugged her lightly, hugging Sissy with his other arm. “I'm glad, too.”
“When’s the wedding?” Tara asked, and Jake looked at Rebecca.
“Soon, I hope. Very soon.”
“We have a lot to consider...your brothers and their families, and I'll be months behind in my business... When?”
“Saturday,” he said, his eyes dancing.
She laughed. “I have plans to make, and the girls will need dresses.”
Jake grinned. “Your list will be ten feet long!”
Sally disappeared and returned with a calendar to hand it to Rebecca.
Rebecca studied it, her insides fluttery with excitement. “It’s June now. How about the third week in August?”
Jake stepped to her side and ran his finger along the calendar. “I'll help you get dresses.”
Sally laughed. “Don’t fall for that one, Rebecca!”
“How about the third week in July?” he suggested.
Rebecca looked up at him, knowing there were so many plans to be made, but it all seemed insignificant at the moment, because the four of them were safe and were going to be a family.
Jake’s hazel eyes were filled with love. He put his arm around her and pulled both girls to them to hug.
“All right, we'll marry in the third week in July. You always win.”
“No, I don’t. You just notice it more when I do.” He winked at her.
“Let’s go home so you can start planning this wedding,” he said, looking into her eyes, his gaze filled with love.
At the house, he was afraid that Rebecca’s memories of the night before would resurface, but to his relief, she
didn’t seem to have any problem.
“You can put this house and the neon car on the market,” he said, standing in the kitchen doorway.
“You might come to like my car.”
“Not in the next—” He grinned. “Who knows—I seem to remember telling you I wasn’t going to marry for years. I'll be back when I'm finished at the station.”
They kissed again and she watched him drive away and couldn’t wait for him to return. She could hear the television and Sissy’s laughter and the house seemed right again. And she wasn’t going to think about last night.
Three hours later, she heard a car roar up the drive. She hurried to the window and then dashed out the back door to watch Jake drive up and stop. He stepped out, bounding around the car to wrap his arms around her and swing her off her feet. “Good news, beautiful fiancée!”
“Oh? You must have gotten a pay raise.”
“Yes, I am getting one, but it’s better than that. And I have the rest of the week off. After I tell you my news, I'm packing all of you up and we'll go look at my ranch. We'll stay out there tonight.”
“The girls will love it,” she said, wondering whether Jake didn’t want her staying in the house tonight because of her ordeal yesterday. “I have a million things to do, but—” she shrugged “—this comes first,” she said, placing her hand against his jaw and kissing him.
He set her on her feet, keeping his arms around her. “Look, honey, we can stand out here in plain sight in the sunshine.”
“I know, Jake, I've been thinking about that all day. And it’s nice of you not to say, 'I told you so about our being safe again.' Now, what’s the big news?”
“Richard Vance has a promotion in mind. He’s offered me a captain’s job. It won’t be as hazardous as what I've been doing.”
“How marvelous!” she cried, but then she sobered when she thought about Jake and all he had told her about loving his job. “You're not going to like it. I don’t want you to change if it’s something you won’t like.”
He ran his fingers along her cheek, and suddenly hope blossomed in her, because he looked satisfied and not at all as if he were making a sacrifice. “I'm suddenly tired of getting shot at, and my priorities have changed, and I think I'll have enough excitement at home that I won’t need an adrenaline rush at work.”
“Oh, Jake,” she said, tears of joy filling her eyes. His arms tightened around her, and he leaned over her to kiss her passionately.
Rebecca stood on her toes to kiss him back, knowing their house would be filled with love because of this very special man.
* * * * *
ISBN: 978-1-4592-8747-1
Hide in Plain Sight
Copyright © 1995 by Sara Orwig
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