“Jake! You’ve come home. Jake!”

Keri couldn’t see him – too many people blocked her view – but her instincts took over. Five months ago she could’ve hidden her news until she’d told him. Now he could see for himself, without any softening of the blow first.

But wasn’t he even going to acknowledge her? Keri set her hands protectively on her belly, shielding her baby from the hurt she felt herself. She hadn’t realised how much it mattered that he accept her and their –

“What’s going on here?” Jake asked his mother.

“We’re having a baby shower. Aren’t you going to say hello to her?” she asked in little more than a whisper.

Keri managed a smile, knowing everyone expected her to run to him.

The problem was, she could barely manage to breathe, much less run.

“Well, go on, son,” Aggie said, grinning. “Kiss the woman you love.”

The Pregnant Bride Wore White

By

Susan Crosby

www.millsandboon.co.uk

SUSAN CROSBY believes in the value of setting goals, but also in the magic of making wishes, which often do come true – as long as she works hard enough. Along life’s journey she’s done a lot of the usual things – married, had children, attended college a little later than the average co-ed and earned a BA in English, then she dived off the deep end into a full-time writing career, a wish come true.

Susan enjoys writing about people who take a chance on love, sometimes against all odds. She loves warm, strong heroes, good-hearted, self-reliant heroines and will always believe in happily ever after.

More can be learned about her at www.susancrosby.com.

Available in August 2010 from Mills & Boon® Special MomentsTM

Daddy on Demand by Helen R Myers & Déjà You by Lynda Sandoval

A Father for Danny by Janice Carter & Baby Be Mine by Eve Gaddy

The Mummy Makeover by Kristi Gold & Mummy for Hire by Cathy Gillen Thacker

The Pregnant Bride Wore White by Susan Crosby

Sophie’s Secret by Tara Taylor Quinn

Her So-Called Fiancé by Abby Gaines

Diagnosis: Daddy by Gina Wilkins

To Barbara Ferris, for your unfailing dedication to romance novels and authors.

Your enthusiasm is part of what keeps me going.

You truly do make the world a much better place.

Prologue

A bell jangled as Keri Overton pushed open the diner door. Heat hit her first, a welcome break from the biting December cold, then came the distinctive aromas of grilling hamburgers, onions and strong coffee. None of it appealed to a stomach already filled to capacity with butterflies.

She stepped inside and gave the lunchtime crowd a quick inspection, seeking one person, coming up blank. Disappointment but also relief swamped her. After all, what would she say? Her head started echoing with the words she’d practiced. “Hi, Jake, remember me?” Scratch that. There was no way he would forget her. “Hello, Jake. There’s something you should know before the rest of the world finds out…” Right. That would go over well.

Keri sighed. She hadn’t really expected to find him so easily, but he’d told her about this town, his town, and this diner, so she’d hoped—and feared—he would be sitting in a booth, having the burger and fries he’d raved about.

The other patrons gave her curious looks without interrupting their conversations. Chance City was a small tourist town, accustomed to visitors, even the day after Christmas.

Keri took the last stool at the counter, the only one available. From there she had a good view of everyone, not just those seated at the counter, but the ones in the red-leatherette-and-chrome banquettes. She plucked a menu from behind a mini-jukebox, wondering if the townspeople would close ranks if she asked questions about one of their own.

A woman in jeans and black shirt approached, her salt-and-pepper braid disappearing down her back. “Welcome to the Lode. My name’s Honey. What can I get you?”

“Do you have ginger ale?”

“We do. Anything else?”

“That’ll do for now, thanks.”

“All our desserts are homemade daily,” Honey said, gesturing toward a glass case displaying pies and cakes like colorful pop art. “Our soup, too. Got chicken noodle today, and clam chowder. Warm you up from the inside out.”

Keri smiled at the woman’s enthusiasm. “Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind.” After a minute, Keri stuck the menu in its holder and scanned the room again, more slowly this time. She’d come with a purpose, after all. He had family here. Would any of them look enough like him that she could identify a relative she might speak to? Could she even remember his face well enough?

She tried to envision him. Blue eyes, dark brown hair, tall, fit, sexy. Yes, sexy, even under the circumstances in which they’d met. And lips that had created a firestorm inside her, deep, intense, and thrilling. She’d harbored fantasies about him ever since.

Honey set a glass of ginger ale on the counter as the overhead bell sounded. An elderly woman came in, escorted by two thirtysomething men—one tall, with black hair, the other a little shorter, his brown hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Many of the customers greeted them. They smiled and said hello in return, but they didn’t seem relaxed, especially the man with the black hair, who carried what was no doubt the woman’s bright purple cane.

Wait. A man with a ponytail? Keri studied the three people further. They had to be Jake’s relatives. The man with the long hair would be his youngest brother, Joe. Which meant the black-haired man was Donovan. They had five sisters, too—a huge family.

Keri set her interest on the older woman. Their grandmother, probably, the woman they called Nana Mae? Keri had heard stories about Jake’s whole family for three days. She already felt as if she knew them.

“Oh, look,” the woman—Nana Mae—said, her steps small and shuffling. “There’s Laura and Dixie. Let’s go squeeze in the booth with them.”

Dixie? That name didn’t just ring in Keri’s head, it clanged. Jake had talked about her, too. And her broken engagement to Joe last fall.

Keri looked at the two women in the booth nearest to her as the others slid in, Donovan pulling up a chair to sit at the end. The women were both blonde but different from each other, one being curly haired and earthy, the other sleek and elegant.

“Any word?” the curly-haired blonde asked.

Joe shook his head. A long, uncomfortable silence followed.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Nana Mae said impatiently. “You can talk about it in front of me. I won’t have another stroke. Jake’s missing. He’s always come home for Christmas, except this year. And he hasn’t even called. It’s not like him. Something is wrong. We can say that out loud. We need to say it out loud.”

Missing? Keri grabbed the counter as her world tilted. Dread scattered the butterflies in her stomach, leaving a ball of ice behind. Her heart pounding deafeningly loud, she focused harder on their conversation, needing to hear what they were saying.

Everyone except Donovan was talking, stumbling over each other’s sentences.

“Stop,” he finally said, not loud, but forceful enough for the discussion to come to an abrupt halt. “Jake’s not missing. He’s on an assignment where he can’t call us until he’s done.”

Keri swallowed hard. Now what?

“You knew?” the elderly woman asked, her face gone pale. “Why didn’t you say something before?”

“I just got word myself. I would’ve told you after lunch. In private.”

Keri slid off the stool and made her way to the table. “Please excuse me, but are you Jake McCoy’s brothers, Joe and Donovan?” she asked through the lump in her throat. “And you’re his grandmother, Nana Mae?”

“Yes, dear. Who are you?”

“My name is Keri Overton. I…know Jake. I came all the way from Venezuela to see him.” She looked at Donovan, deciding he was the one she needed to convince she was telling the truth. “You really don’t know how to get in touch with him?”

“No.”

Desperately, she said, “Aren’t you a big-time journalist or something? Someone with contacts and connections?” Her heart picked up speed again at his icy expression. As if he hated her or something…

Which meant Jake had told his brother about her. About their circumstances. About her being responsible for what had happened to Jake in Venezuela.

“Donny, get the girl a chair,” Nana Mae said.

He didn’t, but he did stand and offer his.

The room started to swirl a little. She should probably sit and put her head between her knees.

Strong hands grabbed her as she reeled, helping to lower her to the chair. Keri lifted her head to thank him, but he was out of focus.

Nana Mae’s voice reached her, however. “You’re pregnant.”

Keri nodded, which made the room tilt.

“And you’re looking for Jake. So I’ll take a stab in the dark and say you’re carrying Jake’s baby.”

She needed him, and he wasn’t there. Her vision narrowed to one bright point. Sound barely penetrated her deadening world. “Yes,” she said finally, right before everything went black.

Chapter One

Five months later

Keri sat in a straight-back chair, eating cake and sipping a tangy fruit punch. The living room of the beautiful old Victorian house was decorated with pink-and-blue crepe paper and balloons. Adding to the vivid atmosphere were lots of brightly dressed women, the same women who had welcomed her with open arms to Jake McCoy’s town, even though they only had Keri’s word that Jake was the father of her baby, due any day. Fainting was apparently a reasonable measure of truth telling.

Her child wouldn’t lack for anything, Keri thought, looking at the colorful array of baby clothes and gear, the largesse of the baby shower now winding down. Some items were new and store bought, others were handmade, repaired or recycled with loving care. Her eyes welled at everyone’s generosity.

“Don’t you go crying on us again,” Dixie Callahan warned from the chair next to her. “I’ve already had to redo my mascara twice.”

“Switch to waterproof,” Keri teased the woman, who had quickly become her best friend, the curly-haired blonde from the Take a Lode Off Diner that life-changing day last December. Along with Donovan, Dixie had kept Keri from sliding off the chair when she fainted and had felt proprietary ever since. “It’s hormones, Dix. I have no control over them. Anyway, I’m not sad. I’m happy.”

As happy as a nine-months-pregnant, thirty-year-old woman could be, she supposed, when the father of her baby hadn’t been heard from for five months. Had he been injured during his assignment, whatever that was? Would someone inform them of that—or if he died? Would he ever know he’d fathered a child?

Not that he’d ever sought the role of father. Far from it. Since Keri had landed in town, she’d learned that all three McCoy brothers were commitment-phobic, although the youngest brother, Joe, had been engaged briefly to Dixie last fall after fifteen years of an onagain, off-again relationship that had started when they were high school freshmen.

Keri had moved too often and had lived outside of the U.S. most of her life, so she’d never known that kind of long-lasting relationship. “Having roots” was just a concept to her, not a reality.

“How’re you doing, angel?” Aggie McCoy, Jake’s mother, asked, bending close, worry in her eyes. Aggie was the world’s best hugger, her cushy body like Mother Earth personified, her bottle-black hair and vibrant blue eyes suited to her personality. Keri adored her.

“I’m not in labor, Aggie,” she answered with a grin. She’d had two false alarms in the past week, so it was no surprise that everyone was anxious. “How’s Nana Mae? Is she tired after all this noise and activity?”

“She’s loving every second of your party. Holding court, as you can see. Mama’s in her glory. You’ve been so good for her.”

“I’m the lucky one.” By the end of Keri’s first day in town, she’d been hired as a live-in attendant for Maebelle McCoy, Aggie’s eighty-nine-year-old mother-in-law. Nana Mae needed help but would never admit it. Keri needed a place to stay but wouldn’t accept charity. Two birds, one stone, Joe and Aggie had pointed out. So, Keri earned her keep by helping out Nana Mae, a job that required more domestic duties than the nursing care that Keri was trained to give.

Aggie took Keri’s hand. “I wish with all my heart that Jake would walk through that front door right this second.”

“Me, too,” Keri said, her heart doing a little dance at the thought. She’d been fretting about his return for what seemed like years instead of months. She just wanted to get the conversation over with, so she would know how he felt and what they would do about it. Even her dreams weren’t immune to her tension, having become much more intense lately, more detailed.

“I know, angel. And I know how much you love him.” Choked up, Aggie squeezed her hand.

Keri looked at her lap. She couldn’t tell Aggie the truth. Jake needed to be the one to decide what he wanted his family to know, not Keri. Still, she felt guilty for keeping things from them. And also worried about him coming home and finding her pregnant. Her emotions were jumbled, changing daily, sometimes hourly.

“Joe’s got some empty boxes,” Aggie said after a moment. “He’ll take everything to Mama’s for you. A bunch of us will come along and help you put everything in place. You shouldn’t be moving heavy things now.”

“Thank you, Aggie. I don’t know what I’d do without you and your generous friends and family. You were so kind to host this shower for me.”

“It’s my grandbaby.” She may have eight children and sixteen grandchildren, but this yet-to-be-born child was her Jake’s child.

People started saying their goodbyes, the noise escalating, punctuated with laughter. Then Aggie opened the front door as the first few guests were leaving.

“Oh, my word!” She stood utterly still, before suddenly shaking herself, a huge smile spreading over her face. “Jake! You’ve come home. Jake!”

Keri couldn’t see him—too many people blocked her view—but her instincts took over. She stood, looking for a place to hide, panicked, the urge to avoid him stronger than the urge to see him. Five months ago she could’ve hidden her news until she’d told him. Now he could see for himself, without any softening of the blow first.

And in front of his family and friends.

The sea of people parted, putting her at one end of what felt like a dark tunnel, with Jake at the other end, his arms around his joyous mother, Donovan at his side. Donovan’s gaze fired straight at Keri. She ignored it to take in Jake’s appearance, her heart sinking. He’d lost weight. His hair hadn’t been cut in who knew how long. He looked as if he hadn’t slept for…well, months.

Tears pushed at her eyes and burned her throat. What happened to you?

He scanned the crowd. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for him to spot Keri, but his gaze didn’t linger on her, giving her just a brief, blank stare before continuing on.

He wasn’t even going to acknowledge her? Or worse, he didn’t recognize her? Keri set her hands protectively on her belly, shielding her baby from the hurt she felt herself. She hadn’t realized how much it mattered that he accept her and their—

His gaze zoomed back to her and zeroed in, frozen.

“What’s going on here?” he asked his mother, who still had an arm around him.

“We’re having a baby shower. Aren’t you going to say hello to her?” she asked in little more than a whisper.

Keri managed a smile, knowing everyone expected her to run to him.

The problem was, she could barely manage to breathe, much less run.

“Well, go on, son,” Aggie said, grinning. “Kiss the woman you love.”

Jake’s blue eyes lasered Keri’s then lowered to her abdomen and back up again.

“Welcome home,” she said, her voice shaky, her whole body quivering.

“Yeah, go kiss her, Papa,” Dixie shouted. “She’s been waiting a long time for you.”

Keri could see it was all too much for him. Whatever he’d been doing had only been made worse by coming home to find he was about to become a father. He was thirty-seven, but he looked years older.

He started to speak, then spotted Nana Mae, who had made her way over to him. His eyes went soft. Tenderly, he gathered his grandmother close.

“I missed you,” she said, patting his back. “There’ll be plenty of time to catch up with the rest of us. You go ahead and greet your girl.”

He headed toward Keri. A smile came over his face. He picked up speed.

She trembled with relief. Everything was going to be okay. He was in shock, but he wasn’t rejecting her. Okay, good. Okay. Good. Breathe…

Then he was there, within touching distance. He curved his hands around her arms. “Look at you,” he said, as if he’d been waiting for her. Then he took her into his arms. She hugged him back—

“I’m going along with this only because of my grandmother,” he whispered in Keri’s ear then released her, keeping her hand in his as Aggie started shooing people out.

Stunned, Keri said nothing, couldn’t have mustered a word.

“Mom,” he said. “You don’t need to do that. We’ll just step into the kitchen for a minute.”

He led Keri away, a journey that seemed to take an hour, during which she plastered a smile on her face. When the door was shut and they were alone, he released her.

“We’re in love?” he asked.

“I—”

“And this—” he gestured toward her belly “—is mine?”

“Yes.”

“I’m supposed to just believe that?”

“You can do the math. If that doesn’t work for you, we can do DNA tests after it’s born. I don’t need proof, but I figure you do.”

“It? You don’t know the gender?”

“I decided not to find out. Where have you been, Jake? Why couldn’t you call home?”

His mouth hardened. His eyes lost their sheen. “In Venezuela. Nothing like a little kidnapping to stir things up, eh? And revenge. Only sometimes it’s not so sweet.”

Chapter Two

Jake turned away from Keri’s horror-filled eyes. He shoved his fingers through his hair and stared at the floor. All he wanted was some peace and quiet. To sleep in his own bed. To take a shower whenever he felt like it, for as long as he wanted. To eat something he could identify.

Instead he’d been blindsided with a pregnant Keri Overton, the woman who’d consumed his thoughts night and day for far too long. The woman he’d been locked up with—because she thought she knew better than he about how criminals operate.

And then there was his brother. Yeah, Donovan was a dead man. During the almost three-hour drive from the San Francisco airport to Chance City, he hadn’t once mentioned Keri, who was not only pregnant but on the brink of giving birth. To his child. The result of a one-time, “are we going to get out of here alive?” moment after they’d been kidnapped together, along with her boss/patient. One damned time. And apparently she had everyone in Chance City snowed, convincing them they’d been in love.

“Did you even recognize me?” she asked from behind him.

He blew out a breath. “Not at first.” He should have, considering everything, but he’d been caught off guard, especially by her pregnancy. Would never have thought of her in terms of being pregnant. She’d had months to call and tell him that bit of news, all that time from Labor Day until Christmas before he’d gone deep undercover. She hadn’t called, so he’d decided he was safe from that worry.

“Would you have recognized me?” he countered, facing her.

“I don’t know. You’ve lost weight, and your hair is long. You look older. Maybe it’s the beard.”

He laughed coldly. Yeah, he’d aged about a hundred years. “Well, you’ve gained a lot of weight, and your hair is much longer, too.” She’d had short, straight hair before. Now it was almost shoulder length and wavy. But still a rich, shiny brown, a much deeper shade than her eyes—

The kitchen door swung open, and Donovan came in.

“Thanks for the heads-up,” Jake muttered.

Donovan ignored his sarcasm. “Everyone’s gone except family. Everything okay here?” he asked, looking from Jake to Keri.

“You should’ve called ahead,” Keri said. “That kind of shock can send a woman into labor, you know. And what about your mom and grandma? I thought you were in Alaska, anyway.”

“I was, until Jake called. We coordinated our flights to arrive in San Francisco at the same time.”

“Give us a minute more,” Jake said to his brother, not wanting dissension, too tired to participate. He shoved his hands in his pockets, found the small gold medallion he carried with him, rubbed it enough to heat it up.

“Sure,” Donovan said. “I just wanted you to know who was still here.”

As soon as the door shut, Jake focused on Keri. “Why does everyone think I’m in love with you?”

Her cheeks pinkened. “I didn’t think it was necessary to disillusion them. Besides, I was protecting your image.”

“And yours.”

“Yes. And our child’s. Your town…adopted me. But also I needed them, so I let them think what they wanted.”

He recalled the excited, hopeful look on his mother’s face as she’d waited for him to kiss Keri, the woman he loved. He closed his eyes, exhausted.

“You need to sleep,” Keri said, touching his arm.

He pulled back. “Where are you living?”

“With your grandmother. I’ve been helping take care of her.”

What now? He couldn’t live apart from her. People would ask too many questions, Nana Mae in particular. He’d spent his life living up to his grandmother’s expectations, as had all his siblings. He wasn’t about to start disappointing her now.

But at the moment, he couldn’t formulate a solid plan. “You need to come home with me, to my cabin. We have to figure out what we’re going to do.”

“All right,” she said, her voice low and raspy.

“We’ll make our goodbyes. They won’t be happy to have me leave again, but I don’t see any other solution.” There were details to be worked out, but those could wait.

Yesterday, before his flight home from Caracas, he’d almost gone looking for her but decided against it. If she’d wanted to see him, talk to him, she would’ve made the effort. She’d told him she wasn’t an accumulator—no house, no car, no major possessions. He gathered that meant people, too. So he’d come home, wrung out, needing to hole up for a while. Now he couldn’t, at least not alone.

Taking her arm, he moved toward the door, presenting a united front. He was completely aware of her. She was seven inches shorter than him, physically strong, reed slender when she wasn’t pregnant, competent as a nurse and caregiver and, beyond question, the most duty-bound person he’d known, which had been the problem in the end.

Touching her now sparked his most enduring memory, however, the one that never left his thoughts—how she was a wildcat in his arms…

His mother’s face lit up when they returned. He let go of Keri to give his mother another hug, then his grandmother, then his sisters. He vaguely recalled seeing some of his nieces at the party, but they were gone now.

“I’m sorry to take your helper away from you, Nana Mae,” he said to his grandmother, slipping into the familiar role of grandson, which had never included lying to her before. “Thank you for understanding that I want her with me.”

“There was no question about that, Jake. Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be fine. You go on. We’ll give you lovebirds some time.”

He spotted his youngest brother then, waiting by the door, and hugged him hard. “You haven’t made up with Dixie yet, Joe?”

“Nothing’s changed.”

Jake couldn’t read anything in his voice or expression. “Give me a day, then we’ll talk. For now, we’re going to swing by Nana Mae’s house and pick up some of Keri’s things then head to my cabin,” Jake said to the happy, still teary-eyed group. “Give us a little time, okay? I’ll be in touch.”

“My truck’s loaded with all the baby gear,” Joe said. “I’ll drop it off. Dix and a few others are headed to your place now to stock your refrigerator. Then we’ll leave you alone.”

Jake nodded. “Thank you, all of you, for not asking questions about what I’ve been doing. I’m sure you’re curious, and I’ll tell you when I’m up to it.” He waited, hiding his impatience, as Keri hugged everyone, then she and Jake went with Donovan to his rented SUV.

He wondered if she would accept that he didn’t want to talk to her, either. In his experience, women needed words. He barely had enough for cohesive thought, much less conversation.

And now there was too damn much that needed talking about.

From the backseat, Keri tried to memorize the route to Jake’s house as Donovan drove them, but she got lost in the twists and turns of the forested road. She’d never seen Jake’s cabin. Aggie had asked several times if she’d like to, but Keri always said no. She didn’t think he would like her invading his personal space like that, even pregnant with his child.

Talk about invading personal space.

The thought made her smile, which disappeared when the baby shoved a foot up against her rib cage, making her straighten then arch to accommodate the little soccer player. She grunted a little as she shifted.

“You okay?” Jake asked from the front passenger seat, looking over his shoulder.

“Your child just scored a goal.”

He eyed her for a few long seconds. “Did it hurt?”

“It’s uncomfortable, not painful.”

They pulled into a gravel driveway. Tucked into a grove of trees sat a log cabin, Joe’s truck parked beside it. He came out the front door as they came to a stop.

“I stacked all the baby stuff in your office, out of the way,” Joe said. “I’ll come back and help put the crib together, or whatever else you need. Just let me know.”

“Thanks, Joe,” Jake said. He’d held out a hand to Keri to assist her from the SUV but let go of her when she was steady on her feet. “Go on in,” he said to her. “I’ll be right behind you.”

She thanked both of his brothers, then went inside, leaving the door open for him. From the window she watched the three men talk for a minute, then hug, putting a lump in her throat. Would he tell her what he‘d been doing all this time? Could he? She thought he’d been working for a private security firm the past seven years, not the government, so how was it he went deep undercover? He’d spent eight years in the army after college, working in intelligence. Or maybe special ops. He was vague about it all. All she knew for sure was he was fluent in a whole bunch of languages, and those skills had been utilized constantly by the military.

As soon as he headed toward the cabin with her suitcases, she turned around and surveyed the room. The ultimate guy space, she thought, all wood and dark colors, a huge rock fireplace, contemporary kitchen, big-screen television. The bedroom and office must be down the hallway. After spending all that time in Nana Mae’s house, with its lace curtains and delicate furniture, this was like entering a dungeon. Not a whole lot of sunlight found its way indoors.

There were framed photos spread along the sofa table, pictures of his family, including one that included all thirty-one McCoys, one with Aggie and his late father, a sweet one with his grandmother and a couple in which he wore an army uniform, one with an arm slung over another man’s shoulders, the other with a group of ten men. She was glad he left the pictures out in the open, glad he hadn’t shut away that part of his life.

Jake came through the open doorway as she waited. She saw a change come over him, in his posture, his expression, his breathing, the reality of being home overwhelming. He set the suitcases down and looked around. His shoulders slumped. After a few long seconds, he moved down the hallway, opened a door and went inside, shutting it behind him, leaving her standing and watching. Silence followed, agonizing silence.

Time dragged. Into the fourth hour she heated a mug of soup and carried it onto the front porch as the sun set. The rich minestrone comforted her in the unfamiliar surroundings, a stark reminder of how little she knew about Jake, even though all they’d done was talk for the three days they were locked in a cell together.

Well, that wasn’t all they’d done, given that she’d ended up pregnant—

The screen door opened, and Jake stepped onto the porch. He glanced her way, then stood between the rough-hewn posts at the top of the stairs, arms folded, feet planted, and looked out at his property, with its tall pine and majestic old oak trees, manzanita dotting the landscape, as well, and small boulders. The land was untamed by hoe or lawn mower. There was plenty of greenery, but nothing in bloom, even though it was spring. Keri had come to love the Mother Lode area of Northern California, so different from anywhere else she’d lived.

His shirt was wrinkled, as if he’d not only worn it to bed but hadn’t moved an inch the whole time. One side of his face held indentations from the pillowcase.

“It’s beautiful here,” she said, when she couldn’t stand his silence any longer.

He nodded. She waited, wishing for a rocking chair, which would at least give her something to do, but his porch held only two Adirondack chairs.

“There’s minestrone soup in the fridge,” she said. “I could heat some up for you. If you’d rather have some rotisserie chicken, there’s that, and plenty of salad vegetables.”

“Thanks. I’ll get it when I’m ready.”

She started to stand, then realized she couldn’t gracefully get out of the deeply slanted chair, so she settled back again. “Your mom told me that you’re not here often.”

“A few times a year.” He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and rested one foot on a lower porch rail, still not looking at her.

“So you’re usually on the road?” she asked.

He sort of laughed. “On the road,” he repeated, shaking his head. “You know what I do for a living.”

“I know you do high-level security work. I know you carry a gun. But I don’t know why you would go undercover for five months.”

When he didn’t answer, she said, “Am I not allowed to ask questions? You intimated I had a hand in it somehow, because of the kidnapping. Don’t I have the right to know what that means?”

He finally turned around. Keri rested her hands on her belly, her fingers splayed, protective.

“Let me settle in. I need to get it all clear in my mind first. A lot happened. I do apologize for leaving you alone earlier. Honestly, I didn’t have another word in me.”

“That’s understandable.” She shifted her hands, deciding to shift the conversation, too. “The baby’s moving.”

His gaze dropped.

“Space is tight now,” she said, “so it’s pretty confined. I can’t feel the movements as easily as a month ago. I love lying in the bathtub watching the baby move. It’s slow motion, but it always amazes me. Would you like to feel it?”

He hesitated. “Not right now,” he said finally.

She didn’t push. There was nothing else to say except, “I’m glad you’re home.”

It was as if someone had turned off a switch inside him. “This isn’t home,” he said.

“It isn’t? You have another house somewhere?”

“No. This is the only house I own, but it’s just a house. It’s a tax deduction, and privacy when I need to be in town. If it weren’t for my family, I would never have bought the place, any place. I travel light.”

“I do, too, as a matter of practicality, not choice. You and my parents would get along really well.”

There was a long pause. “I imagine I’ll find that out for myself sometime in the future.”

She pictured him meeting her parents. The only thing they had in common with Jake was traveling light. He was serious and controlled. Her parents were…neither. They were good people, though, kind and selfless.

Keri looked around her, patting the chair arms several times, wondering where to take the conversation next. “This feels like a home to me. You have mementos. Pictures. It’s furnished and decorated.”

“My sister Cher insisted. She always was bossy. Comes from being the firstborn, I think.”

Keri was glad to see him finally smile. “I like all your sisters.”

“Me, too.” He pushed away from the railing. “Minestrone, you said?”

“And chicken. Salad. Sourdough bread.” She extended her arms. “Would you give me a hand up, please?”

He hadn’t allowed enough space between them, so her belly bumped him. He took a quick step back.

“I know it’s a shock,” she said hesitantly.

“I should’ve known something was up, given Donovan’s conversation during the drive here. You know he’s a journalist, right? I’m used to him asking questions. He always had an insatiable curiosity, that stereotypical “why? why? why?” kid. But he was pushing for more information about the kidnapping today, instead of the job I’ve been doing that took me out of touch.”

“You mean you hadn’t told him about us being kidnapped?” She remembered back to the time when she first met Donovan in the diner, and the cold, hard look he’d given her when he found out who she was. She figured Jake had clued him in.

“I did, but I didn’t tell him your name.”

“He came to his own conclusions, then. I’ve only seen him once since Christmas. He came home for a wedding. Noah Falcon?”

Jake looked surprised. “Noah got married? That’s great. I was here for his brother David’s wedding in November.”

“Their other brother, Gideon, got married, too. He and his wife are expecting. So are David and his wife.”

Jake followed her into the house. “So the Falcon brothers are off the market. That was a long time coming.”

“Not as long as for the McCoy brothers,” she said, keeping her tone light, glancing behind her.

He shrugged. “I suppose it’s a record that’ll hold for a while longer. Unless Joe comes to his senses about Dixie.”

The fact that he didn’t even consider he might get married himself cut into Keri like a knife. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but she’d thought it would at least be something he’d think about. As she had.

That’s what she got for having expectations. They almost always turned out different from reality.

And if Jake wondered why she hardly said a word to him the rest of the evening, he didn’t ask.

Chapter Three

Jake watched Keri keep herself busy all evening. When he wouldn’t let her heat up his soup, she disappeared into his office and began going through the stacks of baby items, coming out with tiny clothes and blankets to put in the washer, apparently a requirement before letting a baby’s skin come in contact with them. Then she sat at the dining room table to write thank-you notes. They hadn’t spoken, unless out of necessity, since he’d come indoors.

He’d probably said something that bothered her, but he didn’t know what—and she wasn’t talking.

Anyway, he was ready to be alone, and it didn’t look like she was headed to bed anytime soon.

He’d channel surfed the television stations as much as he could stand it, sometimes paying attention for a while, sometimes zoning out, the volume not up loud enough to intrude into his thoughts if he didn’t want it to. Sometimes he watched Keri as she made her way to and from the laundry room, her belly a constant reminder of the time they’d shared, and the unknowns of the future.

Donovan would probably insist they get a DNA test, as Keri had offered, to make sure the baby was Jake’s, but he didn’t doubt her. She may have defied him—with what she considered good reason—but she hadn’t ever lied, even when it made her look bad.

“You can have the bedroom,” he said when he saw her finally yawn and stretch. It was almost eleven o’clock.

“Of course I won’t do that. You need good rest. I’ll be fine on the couch.” She stacked her thank-you notes neatly, set her pen precisely beside them and came into the living room space.

“You’ll take the bedroom,” he repeated, an order this time. He needed to be able to move around, not feel hemmed in. To be able to go outdoors if he wanted.

She sat on the coffee table, facing him, their knees almost touching. “Do you need to be alone?”

“Yes.”

“All you have to do is tell me, Jake—whatever it is you need. I can’t anticipate it. Please just be direct. It’ll save us both a lot of grief and confusion.”

“All right.” Would she do the same?

She headed out of the room but turned around when she reached the hall. “I usually have to get up a couple of times during the night,” she said, gesturing toward the only bathroom in the house.

He wasn’t sure why she was telling him that. “Do you need a light kept on?”

“No. I just didn’t want to startle you.”

“I appreciate the warning. I’ll keep my boxers on so I don’t startle you.”

She laughed, the pitch almost hurting his ears. He realized he hadn’t heard her laugh before. It was a good sound, a healthy one. After months of hearing only men’s voices, men who spoke only Spanish, her laugh seemed musical.

She grinned. “Feel free to be comfortable, whatever that means to you.”

“And since you’ve already seen it all…”

“That’s not true,” she said softly. “It was dark. I only…felt.”

A heavy curtain of silence dropped between them, the moment of humor gone because of a memory that could never fade. A child would be born of it.

He’d only felt, too—Keri’s long, lean body and firm breasts and smooth rear. Her mouth—God, her mouth.

As if she heard his thoughts, she pressed her fingers to her lips. He stared.

“Good night, Jake,” she said, a little breathless, then hurried down the hall.

He didn’t expect to sleep. Earlier he’d fallen asleep instantly in his own bed, but it was dark now, and quiet. No sounds of men snoring, or shouting as they slept. No witnessing violence done to others, unable to stop it without blowing his cover. He’d had to keep the bigger picture in mind.

He wished he could snap his fingers and have the memories disappear. Instead they held court in his head. After hours of pacing and prowling, he dropped onto the sofa and turned off the television, stretching out, still fully dressed, and tucking a small pillow under his head. He shoved his fingers through his hair. He needed to get it cut, take away yet another reminder of where he‘d been.

He closed his eyes but still saw too much. He probably should take the sleeping pills Donovan had gotten from Doc Saxon for him—except he needed to be able to hear the sounds around him.

He jolted as he heard a door open, then realized it was Keri. Light from the bedroom spilled into the hallway enough that he could see her glance toward the living room as she crossed to the bathroom on a whisper of sound. When she came out, she headed toward him instead of the bedroom. He closed his eyes. The last thing he wanted was to talk.

But after a few seconds he felt something being laid over him—an afghan Nana Mae had crocheted for him one Christmas. He usually kept it on the back of an overstuffed chair.

Jake felt the warmth of the blanket even before she turned away. It smelled…clean.

“Keri.” He propped himself up on an elbow.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Did I wake you?”

“I was awake. Be glad I was.”

She frowned. “Why?”

“It’s risky, okay?”

“What? To touch you? I didn’t touch you.”

“The blanket did. Just don’t do it. For your own sake.”

“All right.”

“Have you slept?” he asked.

“Mostly, yes.”

“Even though you’re in a new place with a man you barely know and are about to give birth?”

“I’ve had nightmares for months. Tonight I didn’t.” She gave a little wave and left.

Nightmares. Were hers anything like his? Did she wake up swinging?

Unable to fall asleep, he turned on the television again, settling on a rerun of Friends. He must’ve slept a little, but as soon as the sky lightened, he grabbed his car keys and left the house, needing to get out where he could breathe. Needing not to talk to Keri until he’d given more thought to their situation, wanting to reconcile his memory of her and how he’d clung to it all this time, with the facts before him—that she was here in his hometown. And pregnant.

Primal, protective instincts were overtaking him. He needed to think more logically about everything. Which meant not making small talk first thing this morning.

He drove without a destination, then ended up at Joe’s place. Donovan would be bunking with their youngest brother.

Jake pulled up beside the house, one Joe had shared with Dixie for the better part of ten years, on and off. Off again now, though. Jake didn’t mind waking Joe up, but he would’ve thought twice about dropping in so early had Dixie still cohabited.

Joe was already up, however, walking through his garden, a mug of coffee in hand as he deadheaded flowers. His job as a landscaper started early each day.

“Got some more of that?” Jake asked, indicating the mug.

“Donny’s here. What do you think?”

Which meant there was always a pot being brewed.

Jake followed his brother into the house, then into the kitchen. “The place looks good. You painted the outside.”

“Yeah. Group project.”

“Family project.”

Joe nodded, a slight, aggrieved smile on his face. He took a mug from the cupboard, poured Jake a cup then they both leaned against the counter and sipped.

“Looks like you’re doing most of the gardens in town, Joe. It’s all photo worthy.”

“I have a crew of twenty now. We’re busy all the time. Not just residential but quite a few commercial accounts. It’s steady and profitable.”

Jake wondered at Joe’s low-key responses and tone. He used to be the liveliest brother, the most outgoing and talkative. He looked the same—his shower-wet brown hair was tied back in the ponytail he’d had since he was fourteen, and he wore a T-shirt, shorts and work boots, as usual—but something had changed.

“Think Dixie would cut my hair?” Jake asked.

“I’m sure of it, but are you sure you want her to? She’ll ask questions.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to answer them.”

Joe shifted slightly. “Thanks for having Donny tell me what was going on. I worried less. Sort of,” he added with a small smile.

“I figure Donny’s in risky situations often enough, too. I wanted more than just him to know what was happening. Who to contact. You’re the only one who came to mind. I know a lot of extra responsibility has been put on you, Joe, since Dad died.”

“I can handle it.”

“I know that, too. I just wanted you to know I appreciate it.”

“Me, too,” Donovan said, coming into the kitchen and heading straight for the coffeepot. “I don’t say it often enough.”

“True.” Turning to Jake, Joe said, “Speaking of extra responsibility and what you’ve been doing these past months, I don’t know how Keri fits in. Where she fits in.”

Jake hoped by talking about it, some of the memories would fade. He was tired of living with them all the time. “Keri and I were kidnapped together, along with the man she’d been private nurse to for several months.”

“Kidnapped? And this is the first I’m hearing about it?”

“I’m telling you now, Joe. Hidalgo Escobar, Keri’s patient, had been on the waiting list for a liver transplant for months.”

“In Venezuela?”

“Yes. I was on an assignment there and had come across intelligence that Escobar was a target of a hardcore kidnapping group, one that makes a living off ransoming people. I tracked down Escobar and warned him—and Keri, too, since she was always with him. They were supposed to wait for a helicopter to take them to the hospital when they got the call that a liver had been found for him. The helicopter never showed, so they headed to the hospital, a two-hour drive from Caracas.”

He and Keri had argued that first time he’d met her, but that wasn’t something he would tell Joe. In the end, she hadn’t taken his advice, had specifically gone against it, in fact, because she felt she had to, that Escobar’s survival depended on it.

“She didn’t call you?” Joe asked.

“They hadn’t hired me, but when the copter didn’t show, she did call me.” He’d told her to stay put, but she’d insisted the transplant team wouldn’t wait long before contacting the next person on the list. “What was I supposed to do? Let her take Escobar alone? Unfortunately, for medical reasons, she refused to wait. I met them on the road to Caracas, but it was too late. We were accosted by armed men, forced into their van, blindfolded and taken to a location miles away.”

Jake dumped his coffee down the drain, the taste suddenly bitter. “It was an inside job, involving someone at the hospital who knew all the details—Escobar’s address and when he would be on his way. The helicopter was prevented from taking off. My presence was a surprise, but everything else was according to plan. They knew they could get a lot of money for Escobar anytime, but especially right at that moment, when his life depended on it.”

Joe joined him at the sink. “So he was ransomed?”

“Within hours.”

“But not you?”

“Or Keri.” The leader of the gang, a loose cannon named Marco, had taken a fancy to her. They’d decided to demand a ransom for Jake but keep Keri for a while. Jake wouldn’t give them a contact for himself. He wouldn’t leave Keri alone, period.

“What happened?”

“One of the kidnappers got us out.” There was much more to it, of course, an internal power struggle, a disgust of Marco’s intentions by José, the man who helped Jake and Keri escape. José had been killed for it.

“So, when you were home over Labor Day last year,” Joe said, “this had already happened? That was why you were keeping to yourself so much?”

“Yeah.”

“How does Keri fit in? Why didn’t she come back with you?”

Jake rested a hand on Joe’s shoulder. “That’s all I want to say about it for now. And it’s between us, okay?”

“Hey. Goes without saying, Jake.”

The sound of the front door stopped further conversation.

“Where are my boys?” Aggie’s voice filled the house.

“In the kitchen, Mom,” Joe called out, then fired a “good luck” look at Jake.

Aggie breezed through the doorway. She was a vibrant sixty-seven-year-old widow of ten years with a great laugh and a big heart. The McCoy children had been raised to know unconditional love—and little privacy, which some of her children handled better than others.

“I saw your car out front,” she said to her oldest son, passing him a plastic container. “Apple turnovers.”

“I was coming to see you next,” Jake said honestly, giving her a hug.

“Isn’t this a rare treat, having all my boys here at the same time.” She accepted the mug of coffee Donovan handed her. “I expect you’ll be gone soon, though, hm, Donny?”

He shrugged. “I’m thinking I’ll hang around a while longer, if Joe doesn’t mind. Or maybe I’m cramping your style?”

Joe looked over the rim of his mug at Donovan. “Nana Mae’s going to need some help now that Keri has moved out.”

Jake laughed. He’d missed this, being with his family, the comfort of familiarity, even as he didn’t know them as well as he used to or should.

“Didn’t you hear?” Aggie said. “Dixie’s moved in with Mama to help.”

All eyes turned to Joe. Jake wondered why his youngest brother and the love of his life, Dixie, hadn’t managed to find their way back to each other this time. They’d never stayed apart more than a month before, and this made six months.

“Good of her.” Joe turned away as he spoke. He rinsed out his mug and set it in the sink, the motion deliberate. “Well, some of us have to work.” He kissed his mother’s cheek and grabbed a turnover from the container Jake opened and held out to him. “See you all later.”

Donovan excused himself, as well, after also snagging a turnover. Jake set the container on the counter. He didn’t think his stomach was ready for the high-fat, high-sugar treat. “Do you want to go into the living room?” he asked his mother.

“Sure. Bring those things along. You need to eat, Mr. Skin and Bones.”

He guided her out of the kitchen. “Not now, Mom. I appreciate your making my favorite, though. I’ll take them home with me.” They sat on the sofa. He saw the unspoken maternal concern in her eyes. “You look like you’ve dropped a few pounds, too.”

“Not too much room for food in a stomach when it’s full of worry.”

He took her hand. “I’m sorry. I wish I could’ve gotten word to you.”

“Where were you, son?”

He debated how much to say. “Helping take down a kidnapping ring.”

Her face paled but her gaze held steady. She wasn’t one to crumble. “One you infiltrated, I suppose. I’ve seen enough movies and TV shows about that kind of thing.”

“Then you have an idea.” Although she really couldn’t. No one could imagine what went on unless they lived through it.

“And that you probably can’t say more than that,” she added authoritatively.

“You got it.”

“We kept your Christmas presents,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “I figure we can have a Christmas-in-May party.”

He smiled at that. “Give me time to shop first.”

She squeezed his hand. “Your being home is gift enough. And the new grandbaby you’re giving me.” She settled herself in the sofa cushions. “How’d it feel seeing Keri? I’ll bet you were surprised at how big she is.”

The understatement of the year. “Yes.”

“We think the world of her, you know.”

“She told me you all adopted her. I appreciate everything you did.”

“She’s a sweetheart. And so brave.”

Those particular traits of hers, along with extreme stubbornness, were what had led to their capture. “You’ll get no argument from me.”

“So when’s the wedding?” Aggie asked, lifting her mug.

Wedding? “Uh, we haven’t talked about it yet.”

“Don’t you think you need to get to it? She could pop any second. She’s already had two false labors.”

“She has?” He didn’t know exactly what that entailed.

“A real trouper, that one.” Her eyes, deep blue and direct, took aim at his. “We’ve had a few ‘early’ babies in our family, but none as close to the wire as this one.”

And no divorces. Jake didn’t say the words out loud, but they clanged in his head like the bell at Notre Dame, reverberating, deafening. “When Keri and I decide what we’re going to do, you’ll be the first to know.”

Aggie pursed her lips. “I don’t see how there could be any hesitation—or doubt.”

“Just give me a chance to breathe, okay?” His jaw hurt, his hands clenched.

After a long silence, Aggie said, “How is Keri feeling this morning?”

“I don’t know. I left before she woke up.” He could see her debating what to say. He was, after all, one of her children who ignored what she called her “mother’s right to know,” as all eight siblings had been told forever. To forestall any unwanted advice or recrimination, he stood. “I’ll go home right now and check.”

“Would you like to come to dinner?”

He forced himself to keep his voice level, reminding himself that she didn’t understand all he’d been through and that he needed time and space—something Keri had recognized. Score one for her. “Not tonight, okay, Mom? I’ll talk to you later.”

Jake scooped up the container of turnovers, then went out to his car. He headed up the winding road, again with no particular destination in mind, only a need for his previously unappreciated freedom, and solitude of his own choosing.

And yet ten minutes later he found himself pulling into his own driveway.

He had responsibilities he couldn’t ignore now, no matter what else was on his mind.

He could almost see his mother’s approving nod and feel his late father’s pat on the back, the weight of his responsibilities made even heavier by parental expectations—and those of his grandmother, who hadn’t yet had her say.

Chapter Four

He hadn’t even left a note.

Keri kicked a pebble and watched it tumble down the slope behind Jake’s cabin. He’d taken off this morning without extending even the most basic courtesy of telling her he was leaving, and also stranding her without a car.

She toed another pebble loose then kicked it, not giving it her all. The baby had dropped recently, shifting her center of balance, and there was nothing to grab hold of to stop her from falling.

She grumbled at the ground, feeling handcuffed by her isolation after months of living in the easy company of Nana Mae, and with Aggie right up the block, not to mention Dixie only three streets away.

Keri had constantly thought about seeing Jake again, her fantasies about their reunion mushrooming out of proportion with time and distance, and pregnancy, of course. Doesn’t every woman want her baby’s father in her life? And it wasn’t just her, but his family and friends’ steady assurance that everything would be perfect once Jake came home. She’d begun to believe it herself, needing something to hold on to.

The reality hadn’t matched the fantasy, which made the letdown even harder.

Keri heard a car approaching. Through a smattering of trees, she spotted a black SUV as it made its way toward the house. She rounded the corner of the house as Jake got out of the vehicle. She had a whole lot to say to him, then stopped short when she saw him—his too-lean body and too-tired face stark reminders that he’d been through some kind of hell.

She didn’t want to fight with him or add to his burdens.

“Good morning,” she said, as they walked toward each other.

His shoulders relaxed a little. “Morning. You okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, thanks. How about you?” They sounded like strangers. Well, technically they were. Strangers who’d slept together once, no matter what ensuing hopes had come of that for her.

He passed her a plastic container. “Apple turnovers. Mom made them.”

“Yum.” So, he’d gone to visit his mom. Keri forgave him for leaving without a note. “Did you have breakfast with her?”

“I wasn’t hungry.” He gestured toward his side yard with his head. “You were out for a walk?”

Nothing else to do. She stopped the words from escaping. “I walk a few times a day.”

“Did I interrupt it?”

“No, I’d been out for a half hour. I’m ready to sit for a little while.”

They turned toward the house at the same time.

“You’ve been healthy, then?” he asked, matching his stride to hers.

“Exceptionally. I adore your Doc Saxon.”

His brows raised. “He delivered me. He must be ninety by now.”

She laughed. “Seventy-two, I think. He’s looking for a replacement, but it’s hard to get anyone to come to a community this small. I told him after the baby was born, I’d help him search, maybe even work a couple days a week.”

Jake turned a sharp gaze on her. “I’ll provide for you and the baby.”

Her heart slammed into her sternum. What did that mean? Provide in what way? “I don’t want to lose my nursing skills,” she said as they went into the house. “It’s not about the money.”

“Isn’t it? You don’t own anything.”

“By choice.” She took off her sweatshirt and hung it on a hook by the front door, then went into the kitchen to make some tea. “I couldn’t accumulate anything, since I moved from job to job so often. If I wanted those things, I could have them,” she added, waiting to see if by “provide” he meant he would offer her money to set her up somewhere and guarantee he’d get to see the baby. As if she’d keep the baby from its father. Or maybe he’d meant he intended to be part of their future, although she’d always assumed that would happen. He was a good man, not one to shirk his responsibilities.

“I’ve hardly ever had to spend any money, Jake. I’ve got a ton. Well, that’s an exaggeration, I guess, but I could buy what I need.”

“Yet you stayed with my grandmother.”

“Again, a choice I made. We needed each other. Money wasn’t the issue.” She lit the burner under the teakettle. “Can I fix anything for you? Coffee? Breakfast?”

“Have you eaten?”

She’d had a bowl of cereal, which was enough, but she decided he wouldn’t let her fix him anything if she wasn’t eating, too. He needed to eat. “I thought I’d have some scrambled eggs and toast. Would you like some?”

“Yeah, thanks. If you’ll do the eggs, I’ll do the toast.”

“That’s a deal.” As she washed her hands, she felt him come close. He stopped maybe a foot behind her, but her sense of him was so strong, her pulse leaped. If only she could turn to him, be held for a while. He’d held her in that dark, dank, frightening place all those months ago, when she’d panicked in a big way, thinking they would never get out alive. He’d taken her in his arms and held her tight, soothing her even though he’d been furious at her, too, for getting them into the situation to begin with.

Eventually he’d kissed her as she crumbled in fear, his mouth warm and comforting at first, then hot and needy, stopping her tears, giving her different reasons to shake and quiver.

And after the wild and intense sex, he’d held her as she slept well for the first time since they’d been kidnapped…

“What’s wrong?” he said from behind her, passing her a hand towel.

Her belly brushed his as she turned and leaned against the counter. She dried her hands, meeting his curious gaze, careful not to look at his mouth, his sexy, comforting mouth. “I zone out sometimes. Don’t mind me. It’s hormones.”

He didn’t move out of her way. “Mom said you had false labor?”

“I didn’t go to the hospital or anything, but I’ve had some moments.” She patted her belly. “I think this one’s been waiting for you to get here, so that you could take part in the birth.”

His jaw went slack. She probably shouldn’t have assumed he would want to be in the delivery room.

“Do you faint at the sight of blood?” she teased, needing to lighten the tension.

“Hardly.” He nudged her aside to wash his hands, keeping his back to her.

She came so close to setting her hands on his back and massaging away his tension. Would she feel his ribs, now that he’d lost so much weight?

She passed him the towel then went to the refrigerator for eggs.

“I’ll be there, Keri. When the baby is born.”

She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, relieved. “Okay.” She cracked eggs into a bowl. “At some point today, would you take me to Nana Mae’s so that I can pick up the rest of my things and her car?”

“Her car? Why?”

“She’s been letting me use it until I find what I want to buy.”

“I have a car,” he said in a tone implying it was obvious.

It was the perfect opportunity to get after him for leaving her without transportation earlier, but she didn’t. “Which means I’m at the mercy of your schedule. Nana Mae’s car will do fine.”

“Last I knew, she still had that old Geo.”

“She still does.”

“Even though she hasn’t driven in fifteen years.”

“Even though. She’s sort of a personal rental-car business. Your nieces and nephews have needed it now and then, so she’s loaned it out.” Keri heard the crinkle of bread wrapper as he prepared to fix the toast, making everything seem so homey, when it was far from that. They were polite with each other, treading carefully. “It’s a cute little car, and it runs great.”

“No.”

“No, what?”

“You’re not driving it. It’s too small. Too light.”

“I’ve been driving it since I got here, Jake.”

“Joe should’ve let you use my car.”

“He offered it.”

“Ah.”

She turned toward him. “Ah?”

“Stubborn.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

He met her gaze. They challenged each other with their eyes. “Are you even supposed to be driving at this point?” he asked.

“As long as I can be ten inches away from the air bag.”

He studied her, his gaze traveling down her body and back up. He didn’t need to say anything to get his point across.

Silence crackled between them. She finished cooking the eggs. He set toast on the plates, then carried them to the dining table.

After eating a few bites, she said, “Do you seriously think I would put my child in danger?”

“Humor me.”

Should she? Dixie had told her recently that damsels in distress were Jake’s specialty, so his overprotectiveness was apparently his default mode. She should probably expect him to come from that position on every issue. Certainly it had been the case in Venezuela, before, during and after the kidnapping.

“I measure the distance every week, and today would be the day to recheck,” she said, trying but not totally succeeding in keeping her tone from being snippy.

He looked ready to laugh. She waited, her arms crossed. Then, just when he seemed about to say something, the doorbell rang.

He shoved away from the table and went into the living room. Keri picked up the empty plates. She couldn’t see who was on the other side of the door, but she could hear a woman say, “I didn’t even get to hug you yesterday.”

“I guess Joe called you,” Jake said, opening the door wider, letting Dixie in, giving her a quick hug.

Dixie waved at Keri, then held up a small tote bag. “I brought everything I need, but you’ll need to wet your hair.”

“Sure. I appreciate this, Dix.”

Dixie watched him walk away, then moseyed into the kitchen, her curls bouncing. She was a couple of inches shorter than Keri, and curvier, if one didn’t count the pregnancy. “So. How’s it going?”

Keri slid plates into the dishwasher. “It’s fine.”

“Fine,” Dixie repeated in the same neutral tone, frowning. “That’s a mild word, especially since the tension was as thick as thunderclouds when I walked in the door.”

“Just a normal period of adjustment.” She shut the dishwasher and looked for something else to do. Dixie was her best friend, but Keri had confided little about how she’d met Jake, even though she’d ached to tell someone. She wanted to talk about how she felt, get someone else’s feedback to help her see her situation with more clarity. Help her sort through the push-pull of her emotions.

“Is he okay?” Dixie asked.

“I can’t tell you. It’s up to him.”

“Then we’ll never know. He and Donovan are as closemouthed as they come.”

“Which is one reason why they’re both good at their jobs. Would you like some tea?” Keri asked sweetly, making Dixie laugh.

“No, thanks. I think I’ll take a chair out to the porch. No cleanup, that way.”

“Good. He needs sunshine.”

Dixie took Keri’s hand. “He went through some kind of hell, didn’t he?” Dixie asked quietly.

After a moment, Keri nodded, not knowing the details, but it only took looking at him to see that much.

Jake rounded the corner, his long hair dripping wet, a towel over his shoulders. “You remember how I used to have it cut?” he asked Dixie, ignoring Keri.

“Of course.”

He grabbed a chair and carried it outside, leaving Keri and Dixie to wonder if he’d overheard their conversation, and if so, how much of it. After a few seconds, Dixie shrugged and followed him.

Keri wiped down the countertops, checked to see what she could make for dinner later and then was at a loss. The kitchen was clean. She’d finished her thank-you notes. She didn’t feel like watching television, so she wandered out the door. Jake’s eyes were closed, the sun on his face, as Dixie snipped away, the usually direct and forthright woman as quiet as Jake.

Keri didn’t think she made any noise, but he opened his eyes. She couldn’t read his expression. All she knew for sure was he was exhausted. How much had he slept last night? She’d heard him prowling several times, heard him open the front door and, she assumed, go outdoors a couple of times.

“So, you moved in with Nana Mae,” Jake said to Dixie.

“Really?” Keri said before Dixie answered. “Oh, I’m so relieved. She’s tough, but she really shouldn’t be alone all the time.”

“That’s how I felt. It also means I can quit working for my parents at the hardware store, and fast-track cosmetology school. They’re letting me switch from the part-time program to full-time. I’ll be done four months from now instead of eight.”

“You haven’t graduated?” Jake asked, as if horrified. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Still there. Okay.”

Dixie gave him a little shove. “I’ve been cutting hair since I was fourteen.”

“Isn’t that about the time you and Joe met? Hm. I’m thinking there’s a reason he wears his hair long.”

Keri smiled, happy to see him teasing Dixie.

Dixie seemed satisfied with the haircut, then studied his face. “I can shave that beard, too, if you want. Or at least trim it close enough for you to shave comfortably.”

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