Jay hesitated when Rachel moved forward to take it from him. “It’s heavier than it looks.”
“I think I can manage.” Rachel smiled and carefully lifted it from his arms.
It was heavy. One misstep… Rachel cringed, thinking of him maneuvering across the slick linoleum floor.
“You could have broken your neck,” Rachel said over her shoulder, placing the tray on the round wooden table next to her chair.
“First I’d have had to fall,” Jay said with equanimity. “And I wasn’t about to do that.”
The smell of fresh coffee and hot bacon filled the air and Rachel’s stomach growled.
Jay smiled. “Sounds like someone is ready to eat.”
“It looks wonderful.” Rachel filched a piece of bacon and popped it into her mouth. She chewed for a moment then swallowed. “And it tastes just as good.”
Jay puffed with pride. “I’m glad you like it. Now sit down and prepare to be dazzled.”
Rachel dropped the piece of toast she’d just picked up back on the plate. “I beg your pardon.”
He gestured with his head to the chair. “Sit. I’m waiting on you this morning.”
Rachel stared. None of this was making any sense. “But your parents are paying me to take care of you.”
“Not this morning.” Jay smiled. “Today is your turn to be waited on.”
“Why? It’s not my birthday or anything.” But even as she spoke, Rachel gave in and sat down.
“Was that the last time you had someone wait on you?” Jay pulled out the chair next to her and took a seat. “On your birthday?”
Rachel popped another piece of bacon into her mouth.
“Actually never was the last time for me. I’ve lived alone for the last ten years and before that I was at home.” Rachel took one bite of the eggs then promptly took another. “My father believed women should wait on men, not the other way around.”
“My dad’s the same way.” Jay reached over, took one of the coffee cups from the tray and took a leisurely sip. “My mother insisted her sons be self-reliant.”
His cooking expertise went far beyond self-reliant. The eggs, enhanced with Swiss cheese and chives, were scrambled to perfection and the bacon was just as she liked it—crisp without being burnt.
“It’s a fabulous breakfast,” Rachel said. “You’re a natural in the kitchen.”
“I like to cook.” Jay smiled and relaxed against the chair, his fingers curved around the coffee cup. “I just never have time.”
“Did you ever cook for Lindsay?” Rachel stabbed a piece of egg with her fork, finding the thought strangely unsettling.
Jay raised the cup to his lips and took a sip before answering. “Nope.”
“Why not?” Rachel wasn’t sure what madness made her push the point. “You two were together almost six months. Surely you found time to cook once during that time.”
“Lindsay was very social,” Jay said matter-of-factly. “When we were together we usually went out.”
“But what about when you spent the night?” Rachel asked.
“I never spent the night,” Jay said. “Lindsay didn’t like anyone to see her without makeup.”
Did you sleep with her? For a second, Rachel thought she’d voiced the question niggling at her. But when he merely took another sip of coffee and stole a piece of her bacon, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief and rephrased the question. “Did you love her?”
Jay paused. His eyes took on a distant faraway look. Finally, when she’d given up hope of him answering, he shook his head.
“I like Lindsay a lot—” the fondness in his voice told her that much “—but no, I don’t love her.”
Rachel exhaled the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Did she love you?”
Jay shrugged. “If she did, she has a funny way of showing it. I haven’t seen or talked to her in weeks.”
“You could call her.”
It was as if someone else were talking, asking the ridiculous questions, pushing him back to a woman who hadn’t cared enough to be there when he’d really needed her.
“I don’t look back,” Jay said simply, his gaze direct. “I’ve never seen the value in looking anywhere but straight ahead.”
Rachel realized it wasn’t just Lindsay he was talking about. This was his way of telling her that once he left Millville, he wouldn’t be calling or making a special effort to keep in touch with her, either.
The food Rachel had consumed lay like a leaden weight in the pit of her stomach. She placed her fork on the tray and shoved it aside, knowing she couldn’t eat another bite.
“Rachel?”
She sensed, rather than saw, the concern in Jay’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”
It wasn’t until he touched her shoulder that she lifted her head and met his gaze.
“Once you go back to L.A.—I’ll never see you again, will I?” Though she tried to keep her tone casual and offhand, anger and hurt resonated in her voice.
“Probably not,” he said, his eyes never leaving her.
“I don’t know why we couldn’t remain friends.” The word “friends” didn’t begin to describe the feelings he stirred up inside her but it was the best she could do.
“Because I don’t feel like your friend.” His words came out on a sigh and he leaned his forehead against hers. “Not at all.”
After a moment he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “I worry about you.”
Rachel raised her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders. She tilted her head questioningly. “Worry?”
“I don’t like the idea of leaving you here with Tom.” Jay’s arm tightened protectively around her. “I don’t want him bothering you.”
“I’m afraid that’s a given—” Rachel’s lips quirked up in a humorless smile “—but I’m tough. I can handle him.”
Tom had continued to call and Rachel had the feeling that wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. And she had no doubt that once Jay left town, Tom’s efforts would escalate.
“But if you and I were engaged, he’d leave you alone,” Jay mused.
“Engaged?” Rachel could feel her eyebrows hit her hairline. “You want to marry me?”
“I want to protect you,” he said. “Being engaged is a way I could do that without being here.”
Rachel let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Her heart warmed, recognizing the caring behind the offer.
“I like you, Jay.” Rachel whispered the words, though Aunt Lena was upstairs and there was no one else to hear. “So much.”
Jay straightened and his eyes met hers, the show of emotion in his liquid depths taking her breath away. “With a face like this, I can’t imagine why.”
His chuckle didn’t fool her. He was scared. Anger rose inside Rachel at the thought of his so-called “friends”—those who’d abandoned him, who’d said by their actions that he wasn’t worthy unless he was perfect.
How could they not see the goodness in him? She remembered the strength he’d shown in standing up to Tom, the gentleness with which he’d handled each kitten and the kindness he’d shown her this morning.
Her gaze slid across Jay’s face and the fact that there was still some redness and puffiness by his eye barely registered.
It was then that Rachel realized that she no longer saw Jay Nordstrom, the popular newscaster who’d once made the cover of GQ, but a friend, a man who in only a few short weeks had found a place in her heart.
Her heart swelled with emotion. Impulsively, Rachel leaned forward and gently kissed his battered cheek. “Any woman would be lucky to have you.”
He pulled her to him and the world ceased to exist. The air seemed to carry an electrical charge and Rachel’s heart fluttered wildly. In all her time with Tom he’d never had her in this state.
Rachel could feel Jay’s breath on her neck and his hand against her shoulder. Warmth seeped through her shirt and into her skin.
After a long moment Jay lif
ted his head and tipped her face up to him.
His eyes were the color of slate and when his finger stroked her cheek, Rachel’s heart thumped even faster. She held her breath as his mouth lowered to cover hers.
Rachel couldn’t deny it anymore. She needed to find out what it was like to be held against him, to breathe him in and be thoroughly kissed. Just once.
His lips were warm and firm as they brushed against hers, then his mouth took possession. Rachel closed her eyes and gave in. It was nothing like she’d expected.
Jay stamped his mark on her mouth and her heart and she finally realized why she’d never lost her head with Tom. Because it had never been like this.
“What is going on here?” The horrified voice from the yard was like a splash of cold water.
Rachel’s head jerked up. She gasped. Gladys Mitchell stood on the stairs to the deck, her eyes wide with shock.
Rachel suddenly felt naked and exposed. She straightened her shirt and moved to step away but Jay clamped a hand on her arm and fixed a steely-eyed gaze on the older woman.
“What are you doing here, Mrs. Mitchell?” Jay’s tone was barely civil.
“Don’t talk to me in that tone, young man,” Gladys snapped. “Your mother would be horrified if she heard you talking to an elder in such a disrespectful manner.”
A hint of a smile touched Jay’s lips though his eyes remained hard and unyielding.
“My mother,” he paused, giving the word extra emphasis, “would be horrified to learn you’d invaded her son’s privacy.”
“I knocked on the front door and rang the bell.” Gladys lifted her chin. “But when no one answered, I got worried and walked around the house.”
If Rachel was feeling particularly generous she’d give the woman points for quick thinking. But she wasn’t feeling generous. By the look on Jay’s face, he wasn’t, either.
“I don’t think so,” Jay said, his tone as hard and unyielding as his eyes. “I think you heard voices, wanted to snoop and seized the opportunity.”
“If I wanted to snoop,” the woman said, “I would have simply walked in the house.”
Rachel had to concede that point. Most of the people in Millville and the surrounding county left their doors unlocked.
“You’ve been ill,” Gladys continued unapologetically. “Like I said, I was worried.”
“Well, as you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
The look in Gladys’s eyes sent dread coursing up Rachel’s spine.
“You two should be ashamed of yourselves.” The woman’s words may have been directed to Jay, but she’d shifted her attention to Rachel.
Rachel swallowed hard. “We were only kissing.”
“Word is Henry is in Des Moines this weekend,” Gladys said pointedly. “Leaving you two unchaparoned.”
“I’m Jay’s caretaker. And we’re not alone. Lena is here.” Though she was shaking inside, Rachel’s voice sounded remarkably calm and matter-of-fact.
“Lena is a sweet woman, but I hardly think she’s adequate supervision.” Gladys’s lips pursed together. “As evidenced by your shameless behavior this morning.”
Rachel resisted the sudden overpowering urge to throttle the woman. “One little kiss like you’d give a friend.”
The comment was meant to lighten the tension, but Gladys didn’t even smile.
“It’s time you leave.” Steel edged Jay’s tone. “What we do or don’t do is none of your concern.”
“None of my concern?” Gladys’s voice rose and her gaze narrowed to tiny slits. “I’m a taxpayer in this county and that means I pay this woman’s salary. She teaches my grandchildren. The kind of example she sets is very much my business.”
The ramifications of what the woman was implying hit Rachel like a sledge. “You wouldn’t.”
“It’s my duty,” Gladys said.
Rachel jumped to her feet.
Jay’s brows pulled together in confusion. “Duty to do what?”
“Report Miss Tanner’s conduct to the school board,” Gladys said. “It’ll be up to them to decide what action to take.”
Rachel stepped back, her head spinning. Was her career over? The thought made her weak. She stumbled backward and might have fallen, but Jay reached out and placed a steadying hand around her waist.
Rachel knew she should pull away, but she didn’t move and Jay’s arm tightened around her.
“Tell me you’re not talking about invoking some kind of moral clause,” Jay said with a laugh. “Those went out at the turn of the last century.”
“That may be true where you live now,” Gladys said, clearly irritated by Jay’s cavalier attitude, “but here in Millville we take such matters very seriously. Isn’t that right, Rachel?”
“There isn’t a morals clause in my contract.” Rachel lifted her chin and forced the words past suddenly dry lips.
“Of course there isn’t.” Gladys gave Rachel a pitying glance. “Those liberals would take us to court over something like that, but we all know if a school district wants to get rid of someone, it will. Mrs. Peabody found that out.”
Jane Peabody had been a nice woman, and a good teacher. Though Rachel would never condone adultery, she thought Jane had been treated too harshly, given the circumstance.
Jay frowned. “Who?”
“She taught junior high,” Rachel said. “She was married. She had an affair with another teacher.”
“Her contract wasn’t renewed,” Gladys added.
Disbelief flickered across Jay’s face and Rachel could tell he’d finally made the connection. “Are you saying you could lose your job based on what this woman says?”
Gladys straightened, drawing herself up to her full five foot three inch stature. “I know what I saw.”
Rachel thought of her classroom. Of the kindergarteners so sweet and innocent and so eager to learn. Her eyes filled with tears. Although she’d already signed her contract for next year, Gladys was right. If the board decided she had to go…
“Rachel?” Jay asked softly.
Rachel blinked back the tears she refused to let Gladys see and lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. “Essentially she’s right.”
A muscle jumped in Jay’s jaw, but otherwise he didn’t react. A thoughtful look crossed his face.
Rachel wondered if he was considering apologizing. She hoped not.
He shot Rachel a slight smile and turned back to the woman. “If you decide to run to the school board with your ridiculous tale, I hope you tell the whole story.”
A tiny frown furrowed the older woman’s brow. “I plan to be honest and tell them exactly what I saw—an unmarried teacher alone with a young man kissing, his hands—”
“Let me rephrase.” Jay held up his hand silencing Gladys’s protest. “You interrupted Miss Tanner kissing her injured fiancé. You—”
“Fiancé?” Gladys interrupted. “How can that be? Just last week Rachel was dating Tom Tid—”
“She was only dating Tom,” Jay said firmly. “There’s a big difference between dating and being engaged.”
Gladys stared at him for a long moment, then her thin lips opened into a wide smile and her eyes took on an almost misty glow.
“I simply adore weddings.” Gladys’s hand rose to her bosom and she exhaled a sigh before her gaze shifted to Rachel. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Rachel smiled wanly, unable to utter a single word. But the funny thing was the older woman didn’t seem to expect an answer.
Gladys clasped her hands together, her eyes fairly dancing with excitement. “I can’t believe I’m the first to know.”
“It’s usually customary to tell family first,” Jay said pointedly.
Family?
Rachel had never fainted, but she wished she could now. Her world was spinning out of control and she didn’t know how to stop it.
“I am so sorry I interrupted such a special moment,” Gladys said, not sounding sorry at all. “I wish I could stay and chat, but
I’ve really got to be going.”
The octogenarian fairly twittered with excitement and when the woman started backing up, Rachel knew the news would be all over town by tonight.
Unless Rachel ended the madness right now.
Chapter Fourteen
“I should have said something,” Rachel murmured. She stood next to Jay on the porch of the farmhouse, watching Gladys’s four-door sedan spew gravel as it headed down the long drive to the highway. “I could have told her you were only kidding.”
Only moments before she’d been about to do just that, but then Jay’s lips had unexpectedly closed over hers. By the time she’d regained her composure, Gladys was already out the door and in her car.
Jay’s eyes remained focused on the disappearing taillights, his fingers absently kneading the tension from her shoulder. “If you had, you’d have lost your job. And like we discussed, this way I can protect you.”
The gentle massage seemed to be short-circuiting her brain. It took all Rachel’s determination to stay focused on the conversation rather than on the sensations his fingers were evoking. “It was really all quite innocent.”
Jay’s expression sobered. “Innocent or not, Gladys would have trashed your reputation.”
“And yours,” Rachel said.
Jay waved a dismissive hand. Though he couldn’t help but be touched, her concern was misplaced.
“We can’t let people think we’re engaged,” Rachel said when he didn’t respond.
“Why not?” Jay asked, meeting Rachel’s gaze head-on. In the early morning light her eyes were as blue as the Iowa sky and her thick lashes the color of ripened wheat. She looked wholesome and pure and utterly appealing. “I did ask and you did say that any woman would be lucky to have me. Not to mention an engagement between us would take care of your problems with Tom.”
Almost of its own volition, his gaze lowered to her lips and the memory of how it had felt to kiss her.
“I don’t mind being engaged if you don’t.” Actually he rather liked the thought of being linked to Rachel, even if it was only for a couple of weeks.
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