He picked Sammy up and parked him on his hip. Sammy was still sleepy and leaned his shampoo-smelling head against Jack’s shoulder.
This is for him.
Arianna was great with Sammy, and for his son’s sake, Jack could handle her presence. Even though he was attracted, he didn’t have to act on it.
As soon he’d crossed the yard, Penny came over and held out her arms, Willie right behind her. “Let me hold that sweet baby while you help carry boxes,” she said.
Sammy went to her willingly, and she tickled his chin. “You see what I did there,” she said to Willie, laughing. “Now I get to chill out with this beautiful boy.”
Willie gave her a tender smile. “If it were up to me, you’d sit in the shade and relax all the time.”
Penny blushed.
Leaving them to what looked an awful lot like flirting, Jack strode over to the truck, picked up a couple of boxes—one coming open, the other ripped on one side—and carried them upstairs, shaking his head. Ariana had probably packed at the last minute, like she seemed to do most things.
When he walked into the apartment, the sight that greeted him made him stop still.
Arianna was shoving a chair to one corner of the main room. Sunlight glinted on her hair, turning it into a fiery mane as she tilted her head to one side, studying the effect. Then she spun around, found an empty box and set it beside the chair as if it were an end table. She rummaged through another box, found a large scarf and draped it over the box. Suddenly, the little corner looked cozy, a nice place to curl up with a book.
Something tightened inside him. Arianna had a passion for beauty and color, and she was so creative. So different from him—opposite, really. Maybe that was why he found her fascinating.
To cover his reaction, he cleared his throat as he set down the boxes he was carrying, then crossed his arms as she turned to him. “You went pretty outrageous with the wall color,” he said, looking around.
“Outrageous?” She lifted an eyebrow as she turned a slow 360, studying the walls, three blue and one yellow. “I wondered if it was too much, but Penny seems to like it and so did the ladies. They finished all my painting the other night while I was with you.” The color in her cheeks heightened, and she looked away. “Wasn’t that nice of them?”
“It was nice. They’re good people.” And it gave you the chance to hang around with me and Sammy, like you were part of the family. Remembering the domestic evening they’d spent together made Jack feel a little warm, too.
And those were thoughts he didn’t need to be thinking, feelings he didn’t need to be having. “I’ll, um, run up the rest of the boxes if you’d like to keep setting up.”
After that, he’d take Sammy back to his house, where he felt a little more in control.
As he was bringing up the last load of boxes—surprising that Arianna had so few possessions—Penny and Willie followed, Penny carrying Sammy.
“There’s my little man,” Arianna cooed.
He glanced back from where he was setting down the boxes in time to see Arianna leaning toward Sammy, smiling and gently rubbing his arm. Sammy rocked a little and vocalized, an ah-ah-ah sound Jack hadn’t heard him make in a long time.
“Such a cutie,” Penny said, and Willie reached out a finger to tickle Sammy’s neck, making him half flinch, half giggle.
That warm feeling in Jack’s heart as he watched was unfamiliar, but he knew what it was: family.
Penny and Willie and Arianna felt like family. And they were a lot more affectionate than his own family had ever been.
But he had to be careful. Penny and Willie were fine, they’d most likely stay around. But Arianna was here temporarily. She obviously wasn’t the “put down roots” type, if the few boxes that constituted her possessions were any indication.
Best not to let that family feeling penetrate too deeply in regards to Arianna. Yes, she was Sammy’s aunt, but she was a free spirit and would probably just be in and out of his life.
“I can help you unpack your kitchen stuff,” Penny said to Arianna.
Arianna did a mock cringe. “I, um, actually don’t have any.”
“How have you managed to cook for yourself?” Jack blurted out.
She shrugged. “I’ve mostly been renting rooms in friends’ houses or furnished places,” she said. “There never was a need. It’s okay. I can pick up some stuff in the next few weeks.”
“Or this one could take you to town to get some stuff, and pick up your car, too,” Willie suggested, nodding at Jack.
“Oh, that’s not really necessary.” Arianna looked uneasy.
Of course she did. He’d come on pretty strong when they were last alone together.
“Penny and I will watch the baby,” Willie went on. “And Jack would probably even advance you the money from your first paycheck.” Willie nudged him.
Arianna glanced quickly at Jack, as if to see whether that was true.
She was broke and she needed some basics to survive. He couldn’t leave her to make do without a pan or cup or plate to her name, could he?
Willie leaned closer to Jack. “Gives me a little more time with Penny,” he whispered. “And I figured it might be a good thing for you young people, too.”
Great, Willie was matchmaking. “Penny,” Jack said with a feeling of desperation, “you probably have a ton of other stuff to do, right?”
She shrugged. “More important than taking care of this little peanut? Not hardly. Go on, go.”
“I could use a few things from the general store,” Arianna said hesitantly, “and I need a ride down to my car. But I don’t want to put you out.”
“It won’t put me out,” he said, giving in to the forces pushing him into a shopping date with Arianna. A shopping date brimming full of forbidden fruit.
* * *
Oh no. Not Donegal’s Hardware.
Arianna didn’t move to exit Jack’s truck as he pulled into one of the diagonal parking spots in front of the hardware store that had supplied the town with wrenches and mousetraps and road salt as long as she could remember.
“I might do better at one of the big-box stores out on the highway,” she said to Jack. “I need a little bit of everything, and I don’t think the hardware store has it all.”
“You’ll be surprised at what they’ve done to the place,” Jack said. “It’s not Donegal’s Hardware anymore, even though most townspeople still call it that. It’s Donegal’s General Store, and they have a little bit of everything.”
She sat still in the truck, trying to figure out how to escape and whether she needed to. But Jack had come around and was opening her door, and that distracted her. When did a guy do that, except on a date? She flushed, ignored the hand he extended and climbed out.
“Who’s running the store now?” she asked. “Surely not Mr. and Mrs. Donegal?”
He shook his head. “Old Mr. Donegal passed away, but Mrs. Donegal is still there sometimes. Her daughter-in-law, Courtney, is the one who really runs the place.”
Arianna’s heart started thumping, slow and heavy, even as she tried to calm herself. The Donegals didn’t know anything, she reminded herself. As long as she could stay calm, everything would be okay.
They walked inside, and it was like the old Donegal’s Hardware, but different. There were the same bins of nails and extension cords and the faintly chemical smell of fertilizer and weed killer. From the back of the store came the grinding sound of someone making a key. Sweet, soft memories of simpler times assailed her.
But it wasn’t the same. Nothing stayed the same. The store was bigger now, with a candy counter, displays of home goods and even some clothing.
“They knocked out a wall and took over the soda fountain next door,” Jack said, gesturing toward the far side of the store, where a row of turquoise-covered stools sat along a counter lined wit
h napkin holders and salt and pepper shakers.
Jack led the way toward an aisle with a sign proclaiming it held kitchen supplies. “Courtney’s husband, Malachi, is still a professor at the community college,” he explained. “And did you know their son, Nathan? Real smart guy. I heard he’s teaching at the University of Colorado. Chemistry, I think.”
Hearing Nathan’s name on Jack’s lips caused a flutter in Arianna’s stomach, but she was relieved to learn that Nathan was living up north and doing well. Breathe, she told herself. Everything’s going to be fine.
At least, as fine as it could be with the secrets she guarded in her heart.
There was Hannah Johnson from the bakery, buying mousetraps. “You didn’t see me with these,” she said with mock sternness. “Preventative measures. That’s all.”
“Just keep making your cinnamon muffins, and my lips are sealed,” Jack said.
One of the store’s workers called out a greeting, and Jack waved back. “How’s school, Marla?” he asked.
“I’m loving it,” she said. “Photography is my life.” She glanced around quickly and added, “After Donegal’s General, of course.”
Arianna looked at the pots and pans and selected an inexpensive skillet and pot. The initial expense was going to be tough to cover, but she’d be able to eat much more cheaply if she cooked, and healthily, too.
“Chloe used to love these,” Jack said, holding up a heavier pan.
“Yeah, well, Chloe could afford it,” she said and then bit her lip.
Jack was looking at her quizzically. “Does it bother you when I mention her?”
“No. No, it’s good. And I didn’t mean to sound bitter, not at all. I’m glad she had all the nice things, since they meant a lot to her.”
“They did,” Jack said, and their eyes met for the briefest moment. But it was enough to read a meaning: Jack wasn’t the type to care much about material things.
Neither was Arianna. But the last thing she needed was to focus on what she and Jack had in common.
“I wish I hadn’t gotten rid of so much,” Jack said. “The church was helping a family whose home burned down, and I just boxed up a lot of Chloe’s cookware that I’d never use myself and drove it over.” A shadow passed across his face, and Arianna could imagine why.
A lot of people coped with loss by clinging to the loved one’s stuff, but Jack wasn’t that type. He’d want to clean up and move on.
“I can’t afford a set of heavy-duty cookware,” she said quietly. “Anyway, I like to travel light.”
Jack studied her. “If it’s a question of how much I’m willing to advance your salary, it’s whatever you need. Don’t let money keep you from getting what you need to be comfortable.”
“Thanks,” she said, wondering why he was being so generous. Was it just his nature, would he do the same for any employee or was he treating her differently because she was Chloe’s sister? “I appreciate it. I’ll get what I need, but these—” she held up the lightweight skillet and pot “—these are fine.”
He hesitated, then asked, “How come you’ve lived like that, traveling light? It seems like the opposite of what Chloe wanted.”
No need to tell Jack that the reason she’d stopped thinking about the future, that she’d never wanted to settle anywhere, was that she’d given up her precious baby for adoption. When she’d done that, she’d given up her dreams of a home, as well. “We’re—we were—pretty different.” Leave it at that.
“Chloe was so keen on making a home, trying to have it warm the way you guys didn’t have growing up.” He picked up a couple of serving utensils and dropped them into the basket. “I hope you don’t mind my saying that. I know your parents could be sort of...” He trailed off.
“Cold and judgmental?”
“Yeah. That’s pretty much how Chloe felt, and even though I didn’t see them often, I got that vibe from them. Do you like these?” He thrust a purple pot holder set into her hands. “I guess that’s why Chloe and I understood each other. We grew up a similar way.”
She nodded as she took the pot holder set out of his hands and set it back on the shelf. There wasn’t much else to say about her family of origin, and truth to tell, she was surprised Chloe had revealed so much to Jack, even surprised Chloe had experienced their parents that way. She’d always come so much closer to meeting their exacting standards than Arianna had.
Of course, Chloe had tried a lot harder. And the stress of that had taken its toll in all kinds of ways.
After they’d gathered a few more things Arianna needed, and Jack had insisted on paying for them—which, however embarrassing, definitely helped, but she made sure to reiterate that he should take the balance out of her first paycheck—Jack stopped in the middle of carrying things out to the car. “You know what I’m hungry for?”
“What?” She lifted her eyes to his strong jaw and handsome face and then looked as quickly away. Not things she should focus on.
“A hot-fudge sundae,” he said. “And they make really good ones here at Donegal’s. They’ll even give you extra fudge if you ask. Want one?”
Yum. Stress eating was her downfall, always had been. “Don’t tempt me,” she said.
“They’re really good. They have small ones, if you’re not super hungry, but I’m getting a large. Come on.” He took her hand and tugged her toward the soda fountain side of the place.
She followed, the feel of his work-calloused hand stealing her breath. She didn’t normally think of a veterinarian as doing physical work, but Jack trimmed horses’ hooves and birthed calves. A country veterinarian relied on his own strength, and Jack had plenty.
They sat next to each other on stools that seemed to be placed just a little too close together. She could feel the warmth of his jeans-clad thigh next to hers, and suddenly, she was finding it hard to breathe.
“The usual, Dr. Jack?” The woman behind the counter sounded amused.
“Two of them,” he said and then turned to Arianna. “That is, if double hot fudge on coffee ice cream sounds at all good to you.”
“Don’t forget the whipped cream and extra nuts,” the server said.
Arianna’s restraint lasted at least three seconds. “Okay. I’ll have one, too.”
“Arianna Shrader!” The high, raspy voice behind her went right down Arianna’s spine and back up again. She turned and half stood to face a hunched, white-haired woman leaning on a cane.
She’d aged more than Ariana would have expected in just a couple of years, and it squeezed Arianna’s heart. She’d always liked Nathan’s grandmother. She leaned in and kissed the woman’s dry, powdery cheek. “Hey, Mrs. Donegal.”
Mrs. Donegal gave her a surprisingly fierce hug, then released her and waved a hand at Jack, who’d stood when she’d approached. “I see you all the time, but this girl’s like the prodigal daughter. How have you been, honey?”
“Good. Doing art therapy,” she said, blinking a little.
“That boy made a big mistake when he let you go,” Mrs. Donegal declared. “You know, he’s never found another.” She looked sharply at Jack. “Are you two dating?”
“No!” Arianna said, her face heating.
“Not at all,” Jack said at the same time.
“Well, good. Because I don’t mind saying I’d like to see Nathan settle down with someone like you. Maybe you could pull him back here where he belongs.”
Jack cleared his throat. “I heard he was doing something important at the University of Colorado,” he said.
“That’s right,” old Mrs. Donegal said, her face visibly lifting. “Working on a fertilizer that’ll double crop production, and they want to use it somewhere in Africa. Help people get more out of their land.” She sighed. “Oh, I know he’s a different one, and he says he’s perfectly happy being single, but I just don’t know. I’m afraid he gets lonely.”
“Here you go.” Two hot-fudge sundaes appeared in front of them, brought not by their original server, but by Courtney Donegal, Nathan’s mother. “Hey, Arianna, good to see you. Mom, stop trying to find Nathan a woman. He’s doing fine. Doing the work he loves. He and Arianna were never serious.”
She ought to speak up, agree, laugh, congratulate them on Nathan’s success. And she was happy for Nathan, and not surprised he’d done so well.
It was just the enormity of discussing him with Jack here.
Fortunately, Jack carried the conversation, asking about Nathan, encouraging them to brag, which gave Arianna a chance to regain her composure.
Wasn’t his success evidence that she’d done the right thing, not telling Nathan about her pregnancy? He was following his calling, making a difference, using that mighty, impressive mind of his.
“Come on, Mother. Let them eat their sundaes before they melt,” Courtney said firmly, taking her mother-in-law’s arm and leading her away. “It was good to see you both. Enjoy.”
Arianna stared at the giant sundae in front of her so she wouldn’t have to look at Jack. Some women’s appetites would have been demolished by a stressful encounter with an ex’s family.
Not Arianna. The sundae looked fantastic.
“Dig in,” Jack said. He stuck his spoon into the ice cream, took a bite and smiled, the pleasure going all the way up to his eyes.
Arianna swallowed. Wow. Hastily, she looked down at the sundae and took a bite of creamy richness.
“Good, isn’t it?” he asked, and they focused on their food for several blissful moments.
“You know, Chloe would never slow down enough to enjoy a sundae with me,” he said, and then, when she looked up at him, he covered her hand with his, giving it a quick squeeze. “I’m sorry I keep talking about her. It’s just that you look like her, I guess, and make me think of her.”
The Nanny's Secret Baby--A Fresh-Start Family Romance Page 8
