The Wife He Needs

by Brenda Jackson

  He inhaled deeply. Maybe her not showing up was an omen. If he was honest with himself, he would admit he preferred meeting women the traditional way. “No. Please cancel my relationship with the service.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “All right. I’ll notify them to remove you as a client. Enjoy yourself. Love you. Bye.” Charm then clicked off the phone.

  * * *

  “You want me to join you at the château?” Regan asked Garth, speaking into her phone and trying to make sense of what he was saying.

  “Yes, my original plans have changed and there’s no need for everything I had set up to go to waste, so I’m asking you.”

  Regan could only reach one conclusion. For whatever reason, the woman who was supposed to join him was a no-show, and he was inviting her to be with him instead.

  Should Regan be upset that she was being asked by default? First of all, she wasn’t really a default. He wouldn’t expect her to take the woman’s place per se. There was no doubt in her mind that he and the woman would have engaged in an affair. That would not be the case for him and Regan. He was merely being kind by inviting her to enjoy some of the things his date was not there to enjoy. Being in his bed would not be one of them.

  Knowing how she felt about Garth, could she share space with him and enjoy his company, just like she would if the invitation had come from Jess, Cash, Sloan or Maverick? Garth was her boss; they weren’t. As the firstborn, Garth had been groomed to take Bart’s place one day, and lately, he hadn’t been as approachable as his siblings.

  Since becoming his pilot, she could recognize his moods. Although he always exemplified a kind, caring and thoughtful demeanor toward her, she could tell when he was in a more serious state of mind versus a more relaxed one. She was well aware that his disposition was driven by whatever business deals he had on the table. Lately, she’d seen less of his relaxed mood.

  She wanted to see more of it.

  “Yes, Garth, I’ll join you at the château. Thanks for asking.”

  “I know you wanted to spend a couple of days in LA with your friend. I’ll make sure you still get that time on the back end. While you’re visiting her, there’s a couple of guys I met while stationed there that I can look up. No problem.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I don’t mind. It’s the least I can do to show my gratitude to you for keeping me from getting bored for two weeks. And I recall you mentioning on the flight here that you intended to do some shopping tomorrow. How about if I join you?”

  Regan, who’d been about to take a sip of tea, nearly spilled it out of her cup. “You want to go shopping with me?”

  “Sure. Why not? It’s not like I’m new to the shopping game. Remember I’m Charm’s oldest brother, and if Charm’s shopping antics haven’t driven me crazy, then I’m sure yours won’t, either.”

  “Oh.”

  “So when do you want me to pick you up from the hotel?”

  “I’ll be packed and ready to leave whatever time you decide.”

  “In that case, I’ll be there at ten in the morning, Regan.”

  * * *

  At exactly ten the next day, Regan watched Garth stride into the hotel’s lobby. Her heart skipped and then began to race when he saw her and gave her that Garth Outlaw smile. The one that made her feel all warm inside.

  “Good morning, Regan. Are you ready?”

  She wasn’t sure if she was. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, wondering if spending two weeks with him was a good idea. Being his pilot was temptation enough. But there was no way she could back out now without him questioning the reason she was doing so.

  “Yes, Garth, I’m ready.”

  “Need help with your luggage?”

  “No, I’ve got this,” she said, taking hold of her luggage handle to walk beside him.

  “Walker called before I left to come here. Guess what?”

  She glanced up at him. “What?”

  “The twins were chosen Babies of the Year and will be featured on the cover of some motherhood magazine.”

  A smile spread across Regan’s lips. She’d known Walker Rafferty for as long as she’d known Garth, since the two had been the best of friends from toddlerhood. “That’s wonderful.”

  “I think so, too. Of course, he couldn’t wait to tell me since I’m one of the twins’ godfathers.”

  She knew Bailey’s oldest brother, Ramsey Westmoreland, was the other godfather. “I haven’t seen the twins in a while. I bet they’ve gotten bigger now,” she said.

  “They have. I’m happy for Walker. Losing his older son, Connor, was hard on him and he swore he would never have any more children. I’m glad he and Bailey have a beautiful family.”

  When Garth opened the rental car door for her, he glanced at her and said, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say if you plan to settle down, marry and have children, Regan.”

  She slid onto the seat and snapped her seat belt in place. Pushing her hair back from her face, she said, “Those are my plans one of these days, but I’m in no hurry.”

  He nodded and then closed the door. Goose bumps formed on her arms as she watched him walk around the front of the car to get in. He had such a sensuous walk. It went well with the rest of him. Today, like her, he was dressed in jeans. The blue polo shirt looked amazing on him and she hoped he thought her blue blouse looked good on her.

  “I don’t recall sending out the memo,” she said.

  He glanced over at her as he buckled up. “What memo?”

  “The one that told you what colors I was wearing today.”

  A huge grin spread across his face. “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve coordinated our outfits without realizing it.”

  That was true. She’d been his last-minute escort to various functions enough times to know to always pack both semiformal and formal outfits and the necessary accessories.

  Before he could start the ignition, she couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you want to know about my plans regarding settling down and having children? Dad’s been talking to you?”

  He shook his head. “No. I asked out of curiosity. Why would you think Franklin has talked to me about that?”

  “Because that’s all he’s been talking about lately. Now that he’s retired and has plenty of free time on his hands, he figures he should be spending it with grandchildren he doesn’t have yet. He’s been dropping hints.”

  Garth chuckled. “I can see him doing that.”

  “Dad knows he has to marry me off first. You wouldn’t believe how many guys, mainly sons or grandsons of his new collection of friends from Florida, that he’s tried fixing me up with whenever I visit him.”

  “Annoys you much?”

  “Yes, like the dickens,” she said grinning. Then, because he’d asked her, she felt it should be okay to ask him. “What about you? Now that Walker has gotten married and become a family man, are you thinking of doing the same?”

  Regan had expected a quick yes or no. His hesitation gave her pause. “Umm...maybe,” he finally said.

  Maybe? Now she wondered if his plans to spend two weeks with a woman here in Santa Cruz had been more serious than she thought. All kinds of questions went through her mind. How did the two of them meet? Just how serious were things? If things were serious enough for him to be contemplating settling down, that meant he was finally moving on with his life after losing Karen.

  “Where do you want to go first?”

  She glanced over at him. “I heard that the best shops and markets are located in the Square.”

  He smiled as he turned on the car’s ignition to pull off. “Then that’s where we’ll go.”

  Three

  An expression of annoyance flitted across Garth’s face. If one more man approached Regan to hit on he
r, he would step in and say something. It didn’t matter one iota that she seemed to be doing a good job of handling them herself; it bothered the hell out of him that she had to handle them at all.

  He was sitting on a bench on the other side of the store, which provided a good view of her. Unfortunately, other men, too, saw what he saw—a very beautiful woman. But still, that didn’t give any man the right to interrupt her shopping.

  The man finally moved away and now she was the only one in Garth’s line of focus. He studied her striking features. There was her very smooth-looking mocha complexion, a pair of full lips, high cheekbones and almond-shaped, brown bedroom eyes. Her glossy, dark brown hair curled at the ends and hung around her shoulders. And he couldn’t dismiss, any more than those other men could, just how good she looked in her jeans and pullover blouse. Regan Fairchild was definitely one delectable package and he wished he hadn’t paid attention to that fact.

  When a ping alerted him to a notification from his stock app, Garth stood to pull his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans. He smiled seeing the good news that some of his investments were doing extremely well. After putting his phone back in his pocket, he glanced over to where Regan stood and saw yet another man had approached her.

  Garth stiffened when he noticed that unlike the other men, she was pretty damn friendly with this particular guy. She was smiling at whatever he was saying. Why?

  Deciding it was time to break up that little party, Garth walked toward her, ignoring the little voice telling him she had a right to talk to whomever she wanted, and it wasn’t his place to interfere. He ignored that same voice when it accused him of acting territorial.

  From the man’s accent, which he heard as he came to a stop beside her, Garth guessed this guy was American. “How’s the shopping going, Regan?” Garth asked her.

  She smiled up at him. “It’s going fine. Garth, I’d like you to meet someone,” she said, her smile getting even brighter. “This is Lamont Jefferson. Lamont and I attended college together at UCLA.”

  She turned to the other man. “Lamont, this is my boss, Garth Outlaw.”

  Garth didn’t flinch at the introduction. He wasn’t sure why it had bothered him, when technically he was her boss. As he and Lamont exchanged handshakes, Garth had a feeling Jefferson was probably wondering why a boss would accompany his employee on a shopping trip.

  “What brings you to Santa Cruz?” Garth asked Lamont.

  “My wife and I came over on a cruise ship. We split up when I wanted to check out some sporting equipment, and she said she was looking for several new outfits. This was the first ladies’ fashion store I came to and figured she’d be in here. While looking around for her, I ran into Regan. Small world.”

  Regan beamed. “Yes, it is, isn’t it?”

  Lamont then said, “I’d better check out the other shops for Monica. We’ll need to return to the ship in a few hours. It was good seeing you again, Regan, and nice meeting you, Garth.”

  “Same here,” Garth said.

  When the man walked out of the store, Garth turned to Regan. “He seems like a nice guy.”

  “He is. Lamont and I dated for a semester while we attended UCLA.”

  Raw venom seeped into his gut. He’d gotten that same reaction when Charm had told him about Harold Anders’s job offer. Garth had no clue why he would be feeling territorial either time. But then maybe the feeling wasn’t territorial but protective. Yes, that had to be it.

  “I bet you’re getting bored.”

  Her words intruded into his thoughts. Did she think that was the reason he had come over here? “No, I’m not bored.” He glanced down at the outfits slung over her arm. “I see you found several things.”

  “Yes. I feel like I hit the jackpot. I just have to pay for them and then I’ll be ready to go.”

  He lifted a brow. “Aren’t you going to try them on?”

  “There’s no need. I know my size.”

  He chuckled. “Charm claims she knows her size, too, but that never stopped her from trying on her clothes. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Otherwise, I’m going to feel as if I rushed you.”

  “Please don’t feel that way. I’m sure they’ll fit me.”

  “Humor me anyway, or else I’ll think Charm has deliberately taken advantage of my kindness all these years.”

  She threw her head back and laughed, having no idea how beautiful her neck looked when she did so. “All right, if you’re sure. It’s your time.”

  “Yes,” he agreed. “It’s my time and I have plenty to spare. I’ll grab a seat right here to wait.”

  He watched Regan disappear behind the door that led to the fitting room. While working, she wore her pilot uniform, and on occasion, when she doubled as his chauffeur, she wore a chauffeur uniform. Every so often he saw her dressed formally when she accompanied him to events. He rarely saw her in casual attire, so whenever he did, he couldn’t help but appreciate the beautiful woman she was.

  In addition to her good looks, Regan had a gorgeous figure, but she’d never been one to flaunt that fact. And he liked it whenever she wore her hair down, where it flowed around her shoulders, which was something she rarely did while working. Usually she wore a ponytail, or had it all stuffed beneath her pilot cap.

  As he settled in the chair, he recalled how she’d looked at the Westmoreland Charity Ball, beautiful from head to toe. He released a deep breath, still not certain why that particular night in Denver had been a turning point for him. Not really a turning point but more of an eye-opener. Since then, he’d tried not to be aware of certain things about her, but he’d noticed them anyway. And putting distance between Regan and himself wasn’t an option when he’d been flying around the country a lot lately.

  He’d meant what he’d told Regan. Going shopping with her was a piece of cake compared to the times he’d gone with Charm. Early on, Bart had declared that one of the brothers would escort Charm whenever she went anywhere, including shopping. She hadn’t liked that directive any more than they had.

  Instead of taking out her irritation on Bart, she’d unloaded on her brothers and made their shopping trips with her a nightmare. At least for the others, she had. Garth had known how to handle Charm from the beginning, and when she saw that nothing she did rattled him, she soon began behaving. He could honestly say accompanying her on those shopping excursions had turned out to be rather enlightening. She’d told him more than he’d wanted to know about women’s undergarments, and how to tell if a woman was wearing any. Charm said she preferred him taking her shopping because he never rushed her out of the stores like Cash, Sloan, Jess and Maverick did. And he never flirted with the sales clerks like Sloan and Maverick. She claimed that Maverick even disappeared a time or two, probably into the ladies’ restroom, with a sales clerk. Garth had no reason to doubt her story.

  “I’m ready, Garth.”

  He glanced up and met a smiling Regan. “That was quick.”

  She chuckled. “While modeling, I learned how to get in and out of my clothes rather quickly.”

  Why did the image of her doing that very thing suddenly flash in his mind? “I’d forgotten about that time you modeled.” Franklin, fearful that his daughter was turning into a tomboy, had enrolled her into etiquette school at sixteen. One of her instructors had persuaded Franklin to let Regan participate in several teen modeling events.

  “That was back in the day, but it was fun.”

  “Do you miss it?” he asked, getting to his feet.

  The store clerk had placed all the items she’d purchased in a shopping bag emblazoned with the store’s name and logo.

  “I didn’t do it long enough. Just two years.”

  He recalled that he and his siblings had attended several of her modeling events. She’d also appeared on the covers of a number of Alaskan teen fashion magazines. After glancing at his watch, he said, “It’s a littl
e past noon. I hope you’re ready to grab something to eat.”

  “I am.”

  “I know how much you like tacos and I overheard someone mention a place not far from here that sells good ones.”

  They left the clothing store and headed to the taco shop. “Just so you know, Charm planned this entire trip for me and one of the things she included was a chef who will be at our disposal.”

  “Sounds nice.”

  “It is. I met him this morning. And breakfast was delicious.”

  As they strolled in silence, he was glad they were spending time together like Charm had suggested. The thought that Regan might accept Harold Anders’s job offer was bothering him whether he wanted it to or not. The only possible problem he could see in them sharing space for two weeks was his inability to control his attraction to her.

  That was basically his problem and not hers.

  He credited himself as being a problem-solver and intended to do everything within his power to make sure his desire for her didn’t become an issue he couldn’t handle.

  * * *

  Regan watched Garth walk into the guest room of the château to place her luggage near the huge bed. Why did he always have to look sexy, no matter what he was wearing or what he was doing? Then there was his scent. Always fresh, robust and manly.

  “Thanks for bringing that in, Garth.”

  “No problem. I hope you find everything satisfactory.”

  He had to be kidding. The room was gorgeous, and the view of the mountains outside one window and the sea out the other was spectacular. But then, she could say the same thing about the château itself. It sat high on a hill that overlooked the ocean as well as lush green valleys.

  When they’d arrived, she’d been awestruck. The house was a lot bigger than she’d thought, spread out in a way that there were views from every window.

  “It’s beautiful here, Garth. Thanks for inviting me to stay.”

  “What time do you want to eat dinner?”