Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

J ake took her invitation and captured her lips, the jolt of instant lust shocking him. The attraction between them was obvious and something new. Something intriguing.

So he forced himself to slow down and explore softly, gently, at his leisure. He wasn’t a man who lost control. Ever.

One hand cupped her head, holding her where he wanted her. Her eyes closed, and he took the kiss deeper, his nerves exploding as heat shot through his blood. His gentle hold kept her firmly in place as he controlled them both.

Desire and a shocking intimacy careened through him. Under his touch, the woman stilled, no doubt fighting to keep sane. It was too late for sanity. Way too late. With the hint of a growl, his tongue invaded her mouth. He took his time learning her texture, memorizing her taste. The hand at her nape threaded into her hair, and he let them both get lost.

She clenched his shirt and slid her tongue against his.

Fire boiled through him, and his groan of approval filled her mouth. His hand caressed from her waist and relaxed against her thigh, her toned muscle tempting him to yank the material away. Then he pulled her closer, and her breasts flattened against his chest, her nipples pebbling.

Lava cascaded down his spine to spark his balls. He wanted her naked. Now.

Obviously, the woman had no clue how close to the edge he’d slipped. She burrowed farther into his body, returning his kiss. They both panted wildly when he finally lifted his head.

Her eyes had darkened to dangerous blue depths, wide and unseeing on his.

He released her curls before stroking along her jaw to cup her chin. He watched the path of his thumb as it ran along her swollen bottom lip. Tempting. Too damn tempting. Her tongue slipped out and grazed his thumb.

He bit back a growl and forced himself to relax. They were fully clothed, in a parking area next to headquarters, and he’d never wanted a woman more. But this was neither the time nor the place. Definitely not the place.

At that second, seeing the promise in her pretty eyes, he knew he’d have her –without question. But he wanted all night from dawn to dusk to explore whatever this was.

Awareness flitted across her face, and she yanked her hands away, turning to face the steering wheel. “I, ah, have to go.”

He’d grant her a brief reprieve. Jake leaned in and pulled the seat belt between her breasts before clicking it firmly in place. “Go ahead and run, Sunshine. I caught you once before.” The door closed, but he made sure she could still hear him. “I will again.”

After a sleepless night where he couldn’t stop thinking about kissing Sophie, the morning sun poked through a light gauze of clouds while Jake maneuvered his truck across town.

“Why can’t I come on the picnic and meet the golf course lady?” The litany of questions continued from the backseat.

Jake drove the pickup around a pothole, then glanced in the rearview mirror and met irritated feminine eyes. Eyes so much like his own. “Because you have plans to bead necklaces with your grandmother, pumpkin.”

“I don’t wanna bead necklaces. I wanna go on the picnic.” Annoyance turned to sweetness. “Please, Daddy? I want to meet the city lady.”

“Nice try, Leila.” His grin matched hers.

Her expression turned dreamy. “I bet she has Manolo Blahniks.”

“Manolo what?” He turned down a narrow dirt driveway lined with lodge pole pines.

“Ah, Dad,” Leila huffed in pity. “Blahniks. Shoes. Really pretty shoes.”

“You’re six years old. Since when do you care about shoes?”

Leila’s midnight black eyes widened before she gave a delicate shrug and stared intently out the window.

Awareness ticked down his spine. What in the world was she hiding from him now? “Leila?” He used his best no-nonsense tone. The one that promised a lack of ice cream in the future if she didn’t answer.

Leila slowly looked back to meet his gaze. “Since me and Grets and Sally watched Sex and the City .”

Jake gaped at his daughter. His baby with her long dark hair pulled into two pigtails and her pert little nose. “ Sex and the City ?”

“Yep.” The sweet smile showed a gap from a missing tooth.

Jake’s lips tightened. “Where?”

Leila plucked at a string on her shirt. “At Sally’s house after school last week.”

“Her mother let you?”

She shrugged one tiny shoulder. “Well, not zactly.”

“Meaning?” He stopped the truck before a two-story log home surrounded by wild purple, yellow, and red flowers. He shifted in his seat to face his daughter. She appeared innocent and pretty in her blouse and light jeans with tiny tennis shoes.

A guilty flush stole across Leila’s face in a light pink hue.“Um, well, her mom thought we were watching a cartoon about kittens in her room, but we kind of put in the other movie instead.”

“I will call Madeline later today so she knows what you three were up to,” Jake said sternly before jumping from the truck and opening the back door. He released the seat belt and helped his daughter out of her booster seat before shaking his head. “You get no television for a week.”

“A week?” Leila wailed just as Jake’s mother opened the door and gracefully crossed the faded deck.

“Want to make it two?” he asked.

Leila took off at a run toward her grandma the second Jake put her on her feet. “No.”

Jake turned in exasperation as the two women in his life embraced.

“Daddy’s being mean,” Leila whined.

“Men,” his mother agreed, a twinkle in her dark eyes.

Jake gave her a warning glance before stalking over and kissing her weathered cheek. His mother was truly a beautiful woman. Nearly a foot shorter than him, petite, and slender, she had passed on her black eyes as well as her straight, patrician bone structure, whereas he had inherited his broad frame from his father.

The braid through her gray hair deserved a tug, and Jake complied.

“Why are you picking on my granddaughter?” She smacked his arm.

“Because your granddaughter watched Sex and the City last week.”

“Oh my.” Loni Freeze bit her lip while turning to his urchin. “Why did you watch that?”

“To see the pretty clothes. And shoes. And the big city with the big stores and buildings.” Leila clapped her hands together.

Jake’s gut rolled at her words. “The city isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be, Leila.”

“Jake, all girls dream of big stores in pretty cities,” his mother chided.

“I’m well aware of that,” he replied grimly. And he was. He and Leila had lost too much due to the lure of urban life.

His thoughts flashed to Sophie. Even her name screamed sophistication. He couldn’t believe that he’d kissed her. What had he been thinking? A slow grin ripped across his face. He wanted to do it again.

His mother’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “You have that look.”

“What look?” he asked, all innocence.

“That look. The one you had right before riding that untamable stallion, Satan. Incidentally, does your arm still ache before a storm?”

Jake didn’t answer.

“The look you had when your brother dared you to jump off Smitty’s cliff into the lake.” His mother continued with a huff. “The look you had when?—”

“All right. I know the look.” The smile deserted his face. “I don’t have it right now.”

His mother opened her mouth to speak, only to have Leila interrupt. “Where’s Grandpa Tom?”

“He’s mending fences in the south pasture. He’ll be back in time for lunch with you,” Loni assured her granddaughter.

Jake frowned. “Mending fences? Why didn’t he call?”

“Because”—Loni reached up to peck him on a cheek—“your stepfather is just like you. He doesn’t ask for help.”

Jake nodded toward his daughter. “I ask for help.”

“Humph,” Loni replied with a twinkle. “Shouldn’t you get going on your date?”

“It’s not a date,” he said.

She shrugged. “I heard it’s a date.”

“Your father had better not be matchmaking, Mom.”

“I have no control over your grandfather .” A smile lit her pretty face. “Have you noticed that we never quite claim him?”

Jake glanced at his watch. “No. I have to get going—for my business meeting .” He emphasized the last two words before swooping down to kiss his daughter on the head before stalking toward his rig.

His mother’s voice stopped him just as he reached the truck. “Maybe it’s time to date again.”

“Maybe,” he allowed with a cautious glance at his suddenly curious daughter. “But not some city girl with Manolos. Whatever the heck those are.” His gaze narrowed at his mother, who had an arm around his child. The homestead sat strong and solid behind them. Happy whinnies cascaded out of the deep green paddocks to the south, while the scents from steers to pasture wafted around.

Dust, dirt, and nature commingled into a combination of home.

With a shake of his head, he tossed his black Stetson across the front seat and jumped into the truck to meet the woman he’d kissed. A woman who belonged on his dusty ranch as much as a stallion belonged on Park Avenue. But first, he had a stop to make.

He drove through town to the general store, dodging inside to make his purchase. Within fifteen minutes he was back in the truck heading toward the edge of town, wondering when his daughter had stopped watching cartoons. His thoughts still whirled when he wiped his black boots on the mat adorning Shiller’s B and B’s large porch, removed his hat, and knocked on the door.

Sophie opened it immediately, fresh and pretty in dark jeans, frilly white blouse, and a braid seeming too similar to his mother’s.

“These are for you.” Jake handed her a large white box. Roses came in big white boxes, and he wondered belatedly if she’d be disappointed. They weren’t flowers.

Sophie stuttered in surprise as she accepted the box. She flipped open the lid and stilled. “You brought me boots?” Her face wrinkled in confusion.

“Yeah. They’re not Manolos.” Jake shuffled his boots. “Plain old cowboy boots, and you’ll need them for your ride today.”

“They’re beautiful,” Sophie breathed out. Soft calfskin leather colored a creamy beige with a pointed toe. She hurried over to the wide porch swing covering one side of the wraparound porch and slipped off her tennis shoes.

“Dawnie picked them out. She had to guess at the size.” Thank goodness his sister had time between classes to help him out.

“They’re perfect,” Sophie said after yanking both boots up under her jeans. She stood, the boots giving her a couple inches in height. “But I can’t accept them.” Regret colored her words to reflect in her blue eyes.

Jake grinned. He couldn’t help it. What was it with women and shoes? Sophie looked like she was about to cry at giving up the boots. “Montana law, ma’am,” he said.

“Huh?” Her brow wrinkled more.

“Montana law. A representative of the bar association, me , gives an associate boots, you , then state law dictates you have to keep them,” he said.

Sophie laughed and shook her head. “Really?”

“Really,” Jake affirmed solemnly.

“No, Jake?—”

If he had to charm her into accepting the gift she so obviously wanted, then no problem. “Please, Sophie? You’re probably used to more lavish gifts, but I really want you to have them.”

She gazed in wonder at her pretty new boots. “I’m not used to gifts at all. Thank you. These are perfect.” She balanced up on her toes and back down like a graceful ballerina.

“You’re welcome,” he said thoughtfully. How odd. Why wasn’t she accustomed to receiving gifts? “I don’t suppose you know how to ride a horse?”

Sophie’s gaze flew to his face. Her partial lesson the other day on his horse probably didn’t count. “Um, not exactly…”