Bring On The Night

At the first sight of him today, she had hated how her pulse jumped. When he’d taken her arm to help her into the car, she had felt the contact to her toes. After all this time and even when she didn’t want to, she still responded instantly and totally to him.

She wondered if he was stationed in San Antonio now. Wondered if there was a regular woman in his life. She glanced at him again, to find his dark gaze on her, and as she looked quickly away, she tingled all over.

She was self-conscious about her clothes, which were old and worn, and she hated that she had had to reveal all her problems to him. If they were going to have this chance encounter, she wished it had been a month from now, after she had found a place to live and gotten her first paycheck from what promised to be an exciting job.

“Want some more water, Kate?” Jonah asked.

“Yes, please,” she answered politely, knowing they were both being courteous for Henry’s sake, and that every time Jonah looked at her, his dark eyes still blazed with anger.

She watched as he picked up the large pitcher with ease and filled her glass. She had always loved the shape of his strong hands, his blunt fingers with nails clipped short.

“Thanks,” she said, remembering his touch, knowing how his hands could take her to ecstasy. She looked away and tried to stop thinking about him, to stop memory piling on top of memory. But today had been a shock, one she’d been totally unprepared for.

“Would you like more milk, Henry?” Jonah asked.

“He’s fine—” she began, but when Henry nodded, Jonah got up to cross the room to the cafeteria line. Kate watched his long-legged stride. He was so broad-shouldered, his back tapering to a waist still as narrow as when they had married. He wore jeans and loafers, but she could remember Jonah naked, his warrior’s body fit and virile and breathtaking.

Stop thinking about him, she ordered herself. She looked away before he glanced back and caught her watching him.

He returned, opening the carton and pouring chocolate milk for Henry, who smiled up at him.

Guilt swamped her. It hurt to watch the two of them together, because she had not only cheated Jonah, she knew she had cheated her son. Henry deserved to know his father, whose only crime was to like his dangerous lifestyle and feel it was his mission to save people and help the world, even at his family’s expense.

She looked at her watch and then at Jonah, gazing into his eyes, which snapped with fury.

“I have an appointment in thirty minutes to view an apartment,” she reminded him.

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Jonah said. “I want to be able to see Henry.”

“We’ll work something out,” she assured him, rubbing her forehead. “This isn’t the time or place to do so,” she added, glancing at the child. She didn’t want to talk about visitation rights or custody battles in front of Henry, who, now that he had a full tummy, was beginning to turn his attention completely to Jonah. Henry’s big eyes were fixed on his newfound father, studying every inch of him, from the watch on his wrist to the loafers on his feet. Henry scanned Jonah’s features slowly, as if memorizing them.

“If we’re finished here, we can talk as we walk to the car,” Jonah suggested, standing and coming around to hold her chair.

She nodded, wanting to get rid of him before he saw her years-old vehicle, piled high with the only belongings they owned.

Stepping outside into the sunshine, they headed for Jonah’s car.

“If you’ll just take us back to the drugstore, my car is parked there,” she said. “You can give me your phone number. I don’t have one yet, but you know where I’ll work, and I can give you that number.”

“Kate,” Jonah said, taking her arm while Henry hopped on one foot ahead of them. “I think I have a temporary solution for you that would save you money and enable me to get to know my son.”

Feeling weak in the knees at his touch, she turned to face him. Even though she was five feet nine inches tall, she had to look up at him, because he was six-two.

“What are you referring to?” she asked.

“I just inherited a ranch. That’s why I’m here in San Antonio.”

“You’re going to live on a ranch?” she asked in disbelief. “You’re not in Special Forces?”

“No, I’m not,” he answered. “I got out of the military, and yes, I’m going to live on the ranch.”

“You won’t last six months,” Kate remarked swiftly, without thinking, “unless you’re raising and riding wild bulls. You like life on the wild side too much, Jonah.”

A muscle worked in his jaw, and she knew she had deepened his anger, but she had blurted the truth.

He watched Henry while he took deep breaths in an obvious struggle to get his temper under control. “I have a lot of room. Move into the ranch house with me. You can commute to work and I can get to know Henry.”

Stunned, she stared at him, caught unaware by an offer she had never dreamed of getting.

Chapter 3

“That’s crazy, Jonah! I’m not moving in with you!” she whispered, wanting to avoid Henry overhearing them. So far he seemed wrapped in his own world. She didn’t know if Jonah was propositioning her, or what he had in mind, but it was impossible.

“It’s a large ranch house,” Jonah said calmly, as if he were explaining the situation to Henry. “If we don’t want to, we don’t have to see each other. Living on my ranch would save you paying rent until you get your feet on the ground.”

“Jonah, I can’t imagine—” she began, but he interrupted her.

“Wouldn’t it help you to live rent-free for the next six or eight months?”

She thought of what that would be like—a gift, heavensent. An enormous break. At the same time, it would mean living with Jonah.

If she did, she might risk falling in love with him and being hurt all over again. She knew that because she was responding to him now. Yet, undoubtedly Jonah was in her life and would be until Henry was grown.

“Yes, it would help,” she murmured, possibilities spinning in her mind.

“If you’d like, I can take you out to look at the place. It’s furnished, and you and Henry can move in today. I’m staying out there tonight, and tomorrow I’m going home to get my things.”

“This is so sudden,” she said, rubbing her forehead. She wished she could choose a different course, but this was such a godsend for her.

“It’ll solve some of your problems,” he said, as if the matter was settled. “Cancel your appointment to look at that apartment, and let’s go to the ranch.” Jonah held out his cellular phone.

She looked up to meet his gaze. What was she doing? she wondered. Did he know what he was asking? The past hour had been strained, and Jonah was steeped in anger that she knew was going to last a long time. And this volatile chemistry between them—did he feel it, too, or was she the only one who would have to fight that magnetic attraction, as strong as it had been when they first met?

“Kate, you could save the money to get a better place,” he reminded her. “During the day I can keep Henry with me, and if we need to, I’ll hire a nanny. Henry is my son, and I want to do things for him.”

She was weak in the knees again. After all the responsibilities she had shouldered alone for the past five years, to have such an offer of help was overwhelming.

“I know you’ll be a great dad to him and a role model,” she said, convinced there was only one answer to give. Yet she felt an enormous reluctance. She didn’t want to rely on Jonah any more than she wanted to find herself loving him again. If she had ever been completely over him…

Kate didn’t want to think too much about that, either.

Bright sunshine spilled over him, highlighting his black hair. Looking relaxed, with his hands splayed on his narrow hips, he stood close enough that she could catch a faint scent of his woodsy aftershave. His jaw was clean-shaven. He was still dangerous to her heart, and she was sure that, ranch or no ranch, he was still as wild and impulsive as ever.

“Are you going to let Henry do risky things?”

Jonah looked at the boy, who was squatting down and watching a bug crawl along the edge of the sidewalk.

“Kate, you don’t have a right to ask me what I’m going to do. I can go to court and take him away from you for what you’ve done.”