He glanced at the bags now scattered at her feet. “Did you buy out the stores?”
“Only a few of them,” she said, regarding him warily. “Since you’re here, make yourself useful and open the back door.”
“Why haul all that stuff around back when you can come in this way?”
“How do you suggest I step up and into the house?”
“You always have me to help,” he suggested. “That’s why I’m here, after all.”
Jo couldn’t see his eyes at this distance and in this light, but she suspected there was a wicked glint in them. “You?” she asked skeptically.
He leaped down, then came toward her. When he was closer, she could spot the amusement glittering in his eyes. She backed up a step, bent over and grabbed haphazardly for the bags, holding them in front of her as if they would somehow ward him off.
He just kept coming. “Hope none of that stuff you’re carrying weighs too much,” he joked as he scooped her up, then shifted her till she was snuggled securely against his chest. “Nope. Light as a feather.”
“Pete, put me down this instant,” Jo grumbled, even though the faint scent of his aftershave and the masculine scent that was as familiar to her as salt air made her feel vaguely weak with a sudden, unwanted longing.
He stopped in his tracks and gazed into her eyes. “Now, the way I see it, you have two choices. You can let me give you a little boost inside or you can face the indignity of trying to scramble up there on your own while I stand here and watch.” He grinned. “I imagine it’ll be quite a show. You always did have the cutest little butt around.”
“You’re a pig!”
“You’re not the first to suggest that,” he noted calmly. “So, what’s it going to be?”
“Just get me into the damn house and then go away,” she said.
“You’d send me away even after I got dinner all ready for the two of us?”
“I would send you away if you’d spent your last dime on it,” she said firmly.
“Heartless,” he said mildly. “I’d never have guessed it.”
“Some traits develop over time,” she commented wryly as he stepped onto a precarious arrangement of cinder blocks she hadn’t even noticed, then stepped inside the house as easily as if there were actual steps.
“Why didn’t you just tell me you’d rigged up some temporary steps? I could have gotten in here on my own,” she noted, punching him in the chest.
“True,” he agreed, his grin unrepentant. “But this was more fun.”
“Not for me,” she said, scrambling out of his arms and snatching away her packages. “Go away.”
“Not till you eat.”
“I told you you weren’t invited to stay for dinner,” she said, even as she sniffed the air and noticed the appealing aroma of baking chicken.
“That’s fine, but I don’t intend to leave until I see you put a few forkfuls of food into your mouth.”
“Do I look as if I need coaxing to eat?”
“Yes,” he said readily. “You’re too skinny. It was the first thing I noticed when I saw you last night.”
“Now you’re just being insulting.”
“That’s me, known far and wide for my complete lack of charm. Dinner’s in five minutes, if you want to put this stuff away and wash up.”
Jo sighed and accepted the fact that she wasn’t getting rid of him. She didn’t pretend to understand why he was insinuating himself into her life like this. Maybe Ashley had hired him to do more than fix the porch and look good while he was at it. Maybe he was an undercover babysitter. Whatever was keeping him around, he seemed to be serious about it. She knew from bitter experience that he wouldn’t be shaken off till he was good and ready. That’s why it had hurt so much when he’d simply vanished without a word seven years ago. It had told her he was ready, if not eager, to be rid of her and move on to his new life.
“If you’re staying, you may as well eat,” she finally said grudgingly.
“Thank you,” he said solemnly.
To her surprise, the table was set. He’d even lit a couple of candles and plunked a bouquet of flowers in a water glass in the center of the table. It had all the trappings of romance to it, and a tiny little shiver of anticipation danced along her spine.
“What’s all this?” she asked suspiciously, as if it weren’t plain as day.
“Ambience,” he said, looking vaguely uncomfortable. “I hear women are fond of it.”
“Maybe when they’re being courted, but the circumstances are a bit different with us.”
“Are they?” he asked in a tone clearly intended to have her blood humming.
She regarded him with frustration. “Pete, you can’t say stuff like that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not appropriate.”
“Because we parted a long time ago?”
“No, idiot. Because you’re married and have at least one child. What is wrong with you? You can’t start hitting on me. I am not going to have a fling with a married man just for old time’s sake.”
Something dark and painful flashed in his eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence about my morals,” he said tightly. “Just to set the record straight, I have a son who lives in Richmond with his mother. I’m no longer married.”
Jo had picked up a glass of water, but her hand shook so badly she had to set it down again. His news was the last thing she’d expected. It changed everything. It made her nervous in ways she hadn’t been before. His marriage had been like a safety net, the only thing keeping her from forgetting about all the anguish he’d caused her.
“You’re divorced, not separated?” she asked, just to be sure she’d gotten it right.
“Two years now. I can bring the divorce papers by for you, if you don’t believe me,” he said, his expression bleak.
“What happened?” she asked instinctively.
He gave her a shuttered look. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But—”
Now he was the one on the defensive. “Look, I fixed you a little dinner and stuck around to make sure you ate it. No big deal. It doesn’t give you the right to start poking around in my personal life.”
“You tried to poke around in mine,” she reminded him.
“And you told me to butt out. Now I see your point. Let’s stick to safe, neutral topics.”
Jo nodded, but somewhere deep inside, where Pete’s announcement had lit a ridiculous spark of hope, she realized that things would never be entirely safe or neutral between her and this man.
She swallowed a whole litany of questions and searched frantically for something they could talk about.
“The chicken looks good,” she said eventually. “When did you learn to cook?”
“After the divorce,” he said, his gaze avoiding hers.
So, not even dinner was a safe topic, apparently. Jo regarded him with frustration. “You could help me out here. Say something.”
An unwilling smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. It was obvious he was fighting it. “There never was much that was safe or simple between us, was there?”
“Not much,” she admitted.
“There’s always the weather,” he said. “I hear it might snow again.”
She went along with him. “Really? When?”
He did grin then. “Sometime this winter.”
Jo laughed and the tension was broken. “You made that up, didn’t you?”
“Hey, it’s as accurate a forecast as any we’re likely to get on the news,” he protested.
“I suppose so.” She grinned back at him. “Think it will rain this spring?”
“Pretty certain,” he said.
“If we work at this, we could carve out whole new careers for ourselves.”
“Personally I like the one I have,” Pete said. “You can go for it if you want to.”
She shook her head. “Not me. I like landscape design.”
Pete’s eyes lit up. “That’s what you do?”
<
br /> “Yes,” she said, surprised by his apparent enthusiasm. “Why?”
“I don’t suppose you’re looking for any work while you’re here, are you?”
“Mike said he might have some jobs for me,” she admitted. “We haven’t discussed the specifics, though.”
He nodded slowly. “You could work through him,” he said. “Or work directly for me. I’ve been on his waiting list for weeks for a couple of houses I just built. He told me the other day he might have help soon. I imagine that’s you.”
Jo swallowed hard. So there really was more work around than Mike could handle, but working for Pete? Could she do it? Wasn’t that just asking for disaster? She needed more information on just how closely she’d have to work with him. It might be smarter to keep Mike as a buffer.
“Are you making the decisions?” she asked. “Or are the new owners of the houses?”
“I’m making the decisions for now. I’ve built these places on spec. I want the grounds in good shape by spring when the real estate market kicks into high gear around here.” He studied her intently. “Is that a problem?”
She put her fork down and met his gaze. “I don’t know. Is it, Pete?”
“What are you asking me?”
“It’s been a long time. I was a girl when you knew me. Now, not only am I a woman, but I’m a professional. Can you treat me with the respect I deserve and trust my judgment? Or will our personal history constantly be getting in the way?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he reminded her.
Her lips curved. “But I asked first.”
His gaze never wavered. “I always trusted you. I’m the one who blew it, Jo, not you. I may not have shown you the respect you deserved at the end, but the whole mess was caused by my stupidity. It had nothing to do with the way I felt about you. I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense, since you were the one who got hurt.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she said.
“I guess the real question is whether you trust me enough to give me another chance, at least enough for us to work together on a few projects. We can take it one day at a time. Anytime you say it’s not working for you, that’s it. No hard feelings.”
“I don’t walk out on jobs,” she said. “I’ll finish whatever I start. You can count on that.”
“And you can count on me not to hurt you again, Jo. I mean that.”
Sincerity radiated from him. Jo wanted desperately to believe what he was saying. He clearly was talking about a whole lot more than a couple of landscaping jobs, but the work was all she could think about for now. It was a start, and it would keep her from going stir-crazy here.
She finally held out her hand. “Deal. I’m going to want to clear this with Mike, but if he doesn’t have a problem with it, I’ll do it.”
“Sounds fair to me.” Pete took her hand in his, but instead of shaking it, he raised it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “You won’t regret it, darlin’.”
She kept her gaze on his steady and cautious. “I hope you’re right,” she said softly. For both their sakes.
Chapter Four
First thing the next morning, Jo opened the back door to Mike and, to her dismay, Melanie. She frowned at her sister.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” she said.
“Mike said you’d asked him to stop by, so I figured I’d tag along.” Melanie returned her gaze curiously. “Is that a problem?”
Jo bit back a sigh. She’d really hoped to have this conversation with Mike in private. She was afraid her sister would read too much into it. Too late for that now. She could hardly kick her out. Melanie really would read too much into that.
Jo forced a smile. “Of course not,” she said with exaggerated cheer that was as phony as her smile. Hopefully it was too early in the day for Melanie to pick up on that. “Come on in. The coffee’s ready. Have you two eaten? I can scramble some eggs, or make you some toast at least. I’m afraid if you want baked goods, you’re at the wrong place. That’s Maggie’s province.”
“I’ll pass,” Melanie said, still regarding her with a puzzled look.
“Me, too,” Mike replied. “I have to be on a job site in twenty minutes. I’d have been here sooner, but I had to wait for my wife to get ready. It’s actually astounding how fast she can move when she’s highly motivated.”
“Oh?” Jo asked.
“She was dying of curiosity about why you wanted to see me,” Mike said, giving his wife an affectionate look.
“Then I’ll get right to the reason I called,” Jo told him. “Pete Catlett has asked if I’d be willing to do the landscape design for a couple of houses he built. He said you were too busy to get to them right away. I said I’d do it, but only if you didn’t have a problem with it. I don’t want to poach on one of your clients.”
“Hell, no, I don’t have a problem with it.” Mike grinned. “That would be great, in fact. Pete’s been very patient. The minute Melanie told me you were coming, I started hoping you’d agree to take on those jobs, but I didn’t want to rush you.”
Although he sounded very convincing, Jo pressed him. “You’re sure? We can work it out so you bill him and then you can pay me whatever you figure the going rate is around here.”
“Absolutely not,” Mike said. “Why make extra paperwork? Make your deal directly with Pete. I don’t need to be involved.” He gave her a sly look. “Although, if you decide you want to work around here on a more permanent basis, I’d like you to consider teaming up with me. There’s more than enough work for a partnership.”
Melanie’s eyes lit up. “What a fabulous idea!”
Jo frowned at her. “As if you weren’t the one who planted it in his head.”
“I most certainly did not,” Melanie retorted. “This was Mike’s idea.”
Jo glanced at him. He nodded in confirmation.
“In that case, thanks. I appreciate the offer. I’ll think about it. Let’s see how these two jobs go first. You might hate my ideas.”
“Don’t wait. Say yes now, Jo,” her sister pleaded. “It would be so great to have you living here.”
“She’s right,” Mike agreed. “It would sure help me out.”
Jo held up her hands. “Hey, slow down, you two. I’ve agreed to take on a couple of jobs. Even if I agreed to do a few more, I’m not making some long-term commitment. I still intend to go back to Boston at some point.”
“But why?” Melanie asked. “This is perfect for you. You’d be your own boss, instead of working for someone who doesn’t really appreciate you. And who knows? If you settled here, maybe Mom and Dad would retire down here. Wouldn’t that be fantastic?”
Things were moving way too quickly for Jo. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Mom and Dad are nowhere near ready to retire and, despite what you think of my boss, I did tell him I’d be back. It was very generous of him to give me a leave of absence.”
“An unpaid leave,” Melanie retorted. “Where’s the generosity in that?”
“He could have hired someone else for that position,” Jo argued.
“In winter?” Melanie asked skeptically, then gave a gesture of surrender. “Okay, okay, I won’t push.”
Jo hooted at that. None of her sisters were the shy, retiring type. They’d push like crazy, especially if they sensed she was weakening. “Yeah, right.”
“I promise,” Melanie said, sketching a little X across her heart. “The decision’s all yours, even if your staying would mean that Mike and I would have more time to work on our baby project.”
Jo stared at her sister. “Baby project?”
“We think it’s time Jessie had a little sister or brother,” Melanie said. “But Mike’s so busy, we barely even see each other, much less have time to, well, you know.”
Mike nudged her in the ribs. “We will always find time for that, sweetheart.” He winked at Jo. “On that note, I think I’ll get out of here. I meant what I said, Jo. The door’s always open if you do decide to stay, even if it�
�s just through spring. That’s my busiest season and it’s worse than ever with all the construction going on.”
She stood up and impulsively gave him a hug. “You’re the best.”
“So my wife tells me,” he said lightly, dropping a kiss on Melanie’s lips before taking off.
As soon as the door was closed behind him, Melanie regarded her intently. “Now we can get to the good stuff.”
Jo stared at her blankly. “What good stuff?”
“You and Pete. You seem to have formed a bond awfully quickly.”
Jo frowned. This was exactly what she’d been afraid would happen the minute any of her sisters heard about this job. “It’s not a bond. I mentioned that I do landscape design. He said he needed help. That’s it.”
Melanie obviously wasn’t satisfied. “And when did you share this information?”
Jo saw the trap. “Yesterday,” she said cautiously.
“Oh? I thought you intended to stay away as long as he was working.”
“That was the plan,” Jo agreed. “It didn’t work out. Turned out he was still here when I got home.”
“What time was that?”
“Melanie, is there some point you’re trying to make?”
“No,” she said cheerfully. “I’m just fishing for information I can share with Maggie and Ashley. It’s so rare that I know anything before they do.”
“And what is it you think you know?”
“That something’s clicking between you and Pete.”
“Indeed there is,” Jo said. “He’s thrilled about my job experience. I’m excited about his offer to pay me for my expertise. If that’s clicking, then we are definitely on the same wavelength.”
“Joke if you want, but I think there’s more going on,” Melanie insisted.
“Such as?”
“Chemistry.”
“More like botany,” Jo said dryly. “We have plants in common.”
“Ha-ha,” Melanie responded with a roll of her eyes.
“I thought it was amusing.”
“Where is he, by the way?”
“Working, I imagine.”
“But not here?” Melanie said, looking disappointed that she wasn’t going to get to put him through the wringer on this visit.
For the Love of Pete Page 5
