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She tried not to stare at his striking face or the long, strong body attached to it as she replied, “We were about to eat supper. Peggy is asleep right now. But you’re welcome to join us.”
Kerry was trying to be polite, but Jared could see that the last thing she wanted him to do was join her and her mother for supper. The fact left him feeling vaguely hollow. Though he didn’t understand why. There were plenty of women in town that would be thrilled to find him on their front steps. Once he left here all he had to do was pick up his cell phone and make a call to one of them. And maybe he’d do that, he promised himself. It was foolish to let this single mother change his normal behavior.
Giving her his best smile, he shook his head. “Thank you, Kerry, but I wouldn’t want to impose.”
Disappointment flashed through her, catching her completely off guard. She didn’t want to entertain this man, she silently argued with herself. It would be like inviting a stick of dynamite into the house. And she’d already had too many explosions in her life to risk another one.
Feeling incredibly awkward, she tucked her bobbed hair behind her ears and darted a glance toward his face. “I hope you’ve had a chance to get rested up from yesterday’s ordeal,” she said.
He shrugged as though the part he’d played in Peggy’s rescue had been superfluous. Kerry could only wonder if the gesture was an attempt to appear humble or if these past years had honestly changed him into a more modest man than the Jared Colton she remembered.
“I’m fine,” he said with a quick grin. “What about you? How are you holding up?”
It was a beautiful spring evening. The sun had dipped below the bare hills that skirted the edge of town and a warm breeze was blowing the scent of honeysuckle across the porch. If this man had been anyone except Jared Colton she might have enjoyed having male company for a change. She might have invited him to take a seat and drink a glass of tea with her. Instead, she was afraid to trust him and afraid to trust herself.
“I’m okay. It’s Peggy and Mom that worry me. Peggy is—well, she’s hardly spoken to anyone today. And she’s eaten even less than she’s talked. Mother blames herself, of course. I’m not sure how to help either one of them.”
“I hate to hear that. I was hoping Peggy would be the sort of child that would bounce right back.” A rueful grin suddenly twisted his lips. “I mean, there’s not many little girls her age that would have enough courage to go exploring a deep dark place like she went into. Especially without another child with her.”
His remarks surprised Kerry. She’d not expected him to understand anything about the way a child’s mind worked. Especially a little female mind. But then females were his specialty; he ought to know how their minds worked, she quickly reminded herself.
“Peggy is very adventurous. I used to be proud of the fact that she was so curious about the world around her. But now I’m wondering if that curiosity is a curse. When I asked her why she left the yard, she told me that she went hunting birds with Fred. I don’t even know if she understands what the term hunting means. No one that I know of has talked about hunting birds or anything else to her.”
She looked weary, Jared thought. The harrowing hours she’d gone through yesterday and last night would have been enough to break any young mother. Much less one without the support of a husband. And suddenly he wished he had the right to try to comfort her with touches and whispered words.
“She’s probably heard someone refer to Fred as a hunting dog,” Jared suggested. “Or it could have come from television.”
Kerry nodded. “You could be right. Either way, I’m wondering now how to keep this from happening again. I don’t want to get rid of the dog. Losing her buddy would only make matters worse.”
His black brows pulled together in a thoughtful frown. “I don’t have any kids, Kerry, so I’m the last person to give you advice. But I used to be a kid with a dog and I know losing him would have broken my heart.”
Hearing one of Black Arrow’s most prominent playboys discuss children and dogs and broken hearts was as unsettling to Kerry as the potent sensuality that swirled around him. Because it made him more of a man somehow. A man that she could care about.
Alarmed by the soft thoughts running through her head, she glanced away from him and breathed deeply. “I’m—uh—I’ve been thinking I’ll go by the animal shelter and adopt a kitty for her, too. That way if Fred decides to take off again, she might decide it’s more important for her to stay behind and take care of her new friend.”
A grin lifted the corner of his lips, giving her a glimpse of snow-white teeth. “That sounds like a great idea. As long as Fred doesn’t decide he wants to make a meal out of the cat.”
Kerry actually laughed and the unexpected sound darted through Jared like a ray of golden sunshine. Of all the times he’d been in her presence he’d never heard her laugh before. It made him wonder if the years had loosened her rigid personality or if she was just now allowing him to see the woman she’d always been.
“I’m not too worried about that,” she said. “He loves all of our neighboring felines.”
Enola’s voice suddenly carried through the screen door. “Kerry? Who is it?”
Both Kerry and Jared turned to see Enola stepping onto the porch with a sleepy-eyed Peggy in her arms.
“Jared has stopped by to check on Peggy,” Kerry quickly explained to her mother. “I asked him to join us for supper—but he has other plans.”
“Good evening, Mrs. WindWalker,” Jared greeted the older woman.
She inclined her head in his direction but didn’t grant him any sort of semblance of a smile. Jared couldn’t help notice the woman’s eagle-eyed gaze was encompassing both him and her daughter as though she was trying to gauge the sort of conversation that had been going on before she’d arrived. Her attitude was faintly insulting, but Jared tried his best to ignore it. From what he knew of Marvin WindWalker, it wouldn’t surprise him if Enola despised all men.
“Evening,” she stiffly replied.
Jared’s attention zeroed in on Peggy, who was chewing on one finger while studying him with guarded interest.
Stepping closer, he smiled at the little girl. “Hello Peggy. Do you remember me?”
Peggy squirmed in Enola’s arms and demanded to be put down. Then to her mother and grandmother’s total surprise, she scurried across the wooden porch straight to Jared.
“You’re Jared,” she said, then held up her arms to him in a totally trustful gesture.
A rush of tender emotions filled his chest as Jared bent down and scooped up the child. After carefully balancing her with one arm against his chest, he touched a forefinger to her cheek.
“That’s right, little dove. I’m Jared.”
Peggy’s tiny fingers reached out and played with his shirt collar, a signal, Jared realized, that she felt comfortable with him.
“You got me out of that hole,” she said to him.
Jared was surprised at her clearly pronounced words. Last night she’d refused to say anything to him except that she wanted her mama. And those words had been muffled with tears.
“That’s right, sweetheart. And I’m glad I did. You’re just about the prettiest little girl I’ve ever seen.”
For a moment her lips twitched as though she might give him a smile. Then all of a sudden she threw her arms around his neck and held on tight. Since fathering skills were something Jared knew precious little about, all he could do was follow his instincts and pat Peggy’s back with gentle reassurance.
A few steps away, Kerry tried to swallow away the tightness in her throat as she watched her daughter’s reaction to Jared. Even though Peggy was usually a tiny tornado, she’d always been slow to warm up to the male gender. To see her clinging so trustingly to Jared, a man she’d only seen once, was somewhat of a phenomenon.
Across the porch, Enola cleared her throat loudly. “Peggy, it’s time for you to eat supper,” she said firmly. “Tell Mr. Colton goodbye.”
Peggy ignored her grandmother and continued to bury her face against Jared’s neck. At the same time, Kerry stared with an open mouth at her mother.
She gathered her wits and said, “Mom, I’ll handle this. Why don’t you go finish eating. We’ll join you in a few minutes.”
The surprise that registered on Enola’s face told Jared the older woman wasn’t accustomed to having Kerry intercede with her own wishes. Especially in such a blunt way. Enola opened her mouth to say something else. But instead, she threw Jared a withering look, then turned and headed into the house.
Once the woman was out of sight, Jared joked in an effort to lighten the moment, “I don’t think she likes me.”
Kerry sighed. “Her behavior embarrasses me. I don’t know what’s making her this way.”
Jared did. There weren’t many mothers in Black Arrow that welcomed the sight of him on the doorstep. He knew he had a reputation for dallying with women’s hearts, maybe even crushing a few. If that was true, he’d not done it intentionally. Of all the women he’d dated in the past, he’d never once led them to believe he was a serious suitor with marriage on his mind. They’d gone into a relationship with him knowing it would only be fun and games. But convincing Enola WindWalker of that would be as fruitless as talking to the wall.
“Forget it,” he told Kerry with a rueful grin. “I take no offense. Especially since I got such a nice greeting from my little dove here.” Placing his forefinger under Peggy’s chin, he lifted the angelic face up to his. “Are you going to be a good girl for your mother and stay in the yard from now on?”
Peggy nodded emphatically and Jared stroked the shiny black waves tumbling about her shoulders. He could see touches of Kerry in the girl’s proud thin nose, high cheekbones and faintly pointed chin. Yet her café au lait complexion made Jared suspect her father had been a white man. His own father had been half-white.
“That’s just what I wanted to hear,” he told her proudly.
“I have a dog,” Peggy said to him. “Do you have a dog?”
Jared chuckled as he found himself charmed by a set of big brown eyes and twin dimples. “No. But I met your Mr. Fred yesterday. And you know what, I think he’s almost as smart as you are.”
Peggy gave him another emphatic nod of agreement, then to Kerry and Jared’s amazement, she leaned forward and smacked a kiss on his cheek.
“I gotta go feed Fred,” she said suddenly, then squirmed, signaling that she wanted to be put back on her feet.
Jared complied, and smiled as he watched her scurry into the house.
“Looks like I need to be thanking you again,” Kerry said.
He turned his head in her direction and was instantly taken with the natural beauty of her face, the sensual curves, partially camouflaged by her loose clothing. She was not a glamour girl. So why did he wonder, as he had so many years ago, what she would look like in his arms with nothing on but a smile just for him?
“For what?” he asked, forcing his mind off the tempting thought.
“That’s the most Peggy has said to anyone today. She’s obviously taken with you.”
Jared was glad the child had warmed up to him. Yet it was her mother that he really wanted to charm.
Shrugging, he glanced down at the toe of his boot and wondered why this woman made him feel like a shy teenager wanting to steal a kiss. “Well, I’m kinda taken with her, too. That’s why I wanted to stop by and check on her.”
Kerry folded her hands primly in front of her. “Thank you. It was kind of you.”
No, it was selfish, Jared thought. Sure, he’d wanted to see little Peggy and make sure she was okay. But even more he’d wanted to see this woman. Yet he wasn’t going to confess such a thing to her. Right now she saw him as a gallant knight and he didn’t want to spoil it.
With a sudden grin, he lifted a hand in farewell. “You’d better go get your supper, Kerry. Before your mama comes after you.”
Kerry watched him walk to his truck. As he pulled away from the house, she wondered if this was the last time she would ever see him. Or if Jared Colton was going to try to make her one more notch on the foot of his bed.
Chapter Three
The kitten’s meow was more like a squall of protest. Jared glanced down at the small animal carrier sitting on the truck seat beside him. The yellow tabby had caught his eye the first moment the volunteer worker at the shelter had shown him into the room of orphaned cats. His broad nose, proud tail and coarse voice had convinced Jared he would be the perfect companion to frisky Fred and Peggy.
“Just hold on and I’ll let you out of that cage,” he told the cat as he turned off the main highway and onto a graveled dirt road.
At the end of the dusty, quarter-mile drive, stood an old square ranch house with a hip roof and a porch bordering three sides. The house and two acres had come up for rent five years ago when a local farmer had sold off the surrounding crop land and moved into town. Jared had taken it on a long-term lease, mainly to have a place to hang his hat when work brought him back to the Black Arrow vicinity.
There were times the old house stood empty for months running. But Jared had never had a problem with stealing or vandalism. There were benefits to having the county sheriff as your brother, he thought with great affection. Also to having a sister who was kind enough to keep the dust from piling up inside. And from the looks of the pickup truck parked to one side of the driveway, Willow must have taken pity on him and stopped by today to do a little cleaning.
After parking the truck in front of a faded wooden fence that separated the yard from weedy pasture, Jared climbed out and carefully carried the caged cat into the house. The moment he closed the door behind him, he was hit by the smell of fresh-baked cookies and the sound of his sister’s voice. He followed the sound into the kitchen to see her sitting on the tall barstool he kept beneath the wall phone.
“Here he is now,” she said to the caller. “So I’ll let you ask him.”
Jared cocked a questioning brow at her. She mouthed the word “newspaper” as she handed him the phone.
Two minutes later, Jared hung up.
“That was quick,” Willow remarked.
“I’m sure he’d already told you that he wanted to do an interview with me, Kerry and Peggy. I told him we’d meet him here tomorrow night.” He made a general wave in the direction of the sink full of dirty dishes. “Do you think you could clean the place up a bit?”
Willow shook her head in amazement. “Listen, little brother, you might not even need this place cleaned up when Kerry hears that you didn’t bother to consult her about this meeting. Sounds to me like you’re asking for big trouble.”
He probably was asking for trouble, Jared thought, but not the sort his sister had in mind. “I’ll get her to agree,” he told her with a confident grin, then motioned for her to follow him out to the living room. “Come here and look what I’ve got.”
“What is this?” Willow exclaimed as soon as she spotted the animal cage sitting in the middle of the floor. “You found a snake at the work site?”
He chuckled. “I’m not into reptiles. I like soft, cuddly things.”
“Hmm, don’t I know it,” she said dryly.
Jared bent down and unlatched the cage. The tabby pranced out as if he was ready to take possession of the place.
Willow squealed with pleasure, then quickly knelt down and stroked the cat’s arched back. “Oh, how adorable! Where did he come from?”
“I stopped by the animal shelter on my way home.”
His black-haired, gray-eyed sister looked up at him with disbelief. “Am I hearing this right? My playboy brother actually adopted a kitten? What are you going to do with him when your job here is finished? Take him with you?”
Jared laughed at her flurry of questions. “He’s not for me. He’s a gift to Peggy WindWalker. Her mother thought it would be a good idea to get her a kitten, so that she wouldn’t be tempted to follow her dog away from the house.”
Willow smiled at the kitten as he batted at a piece of fuzz he’d discovered under the edge of an armchair. “So you took it upon yourself to get the kitten for her,” she said with sudden understanding.
Grinning, Jared bent down and picked up the kitten. “The last time I looked it wasn’t against the law to give someone a gift.”
Willow laughed again. “Little Peggy must have made quite an impression on you. I can’t ever remember you taking such an interest in a child.” She slanted him a knowing look. “Or is it her mother that’s the real appeal here?”
Jared chuckled as he rubbed the yellow tom between the ears. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
Willow clucked her tongue in disapproval. “Jared, I can tell you right now that you’re headed in the wrong direction. Kerry WindWalker is not your style.”
Nestling the cat against his chest, Jared headed out of the room. “And how would you know my style?” he tossed over his shoulder.
Willow followed her brother into the kitchen. “Probably because I’ve watched you go from one pretty face to another these past ten years. You like easy, fun-loving women who have reputations for being just as reckless as yourself. Kerry seems like she’s the complete opposite. As far as I know she’s a nice girl. You’d be bored to death.”
He poured a small amount of milk onto a saucer then placed it and the cat on the floor. “Maybe I’m getting tired of reckless, fun-loving girls.”
Willow rolled her eyes. “That’ll be the day.”
Jared feigned an offended look. “I do have my serious moments, sis. Besides, I’m only asking her to do an interview, not spend the rest of her life with me.”
An hour later, Jared parked in front of the WindWalker house and carried the cat, cage and all to the front porch. A tight-lipped Enola met him at the door and Jared decided a door-to-door salesman would have probably been greeted with more enthusiasm.
“Hello Mrs. WindWalker. Is Kerry home?”
“She’s eating supper right now. Maybe you’d better come back some other time.”
Clearly the woman didn’t want him around. But Kerry was a grown woman with a child of her own. If Jared was going to be kicked off the place, he wanted Kerry to do it herself. Not her smothering mother.
“I’ll just wait out here until she finishes,” Jared told her.
