sent such emotions washing over Jonas that it was all he could do not to throw Sabrina in his truck and drive off with the both of them. He could convince her on the road—he did his best work on the road.
That was something his brothers had never understood about him. They thought he was just an old fuddy-duddy, steadfast and boring Jonas the heart surgeon. He was that, in some ways, because he was the eldest and he’d felt a strong sense of being a role model when they were growing up. But there was nothing he loved more than to cut loose from the office and hit the road, experiencing the variety life had to offer.
“I can’t marry you, Jonas,” Sabrina said, interrupting his scattered thoughts. He was nervous—nerves akin to waiting for a bull to leave the chute—as he waited for her answer to the proposition he’d blurted.
“Sabrina,” Jonas said, ignoring her statement. She was an adorably prickly little thing, but she didn’t understand that a boy needed his father. A girl did, too, but Jonas had a boy, and right now he was dealing with the obvious. A girl could come later, if he played his cards right. “While you consider what I said, which is really not open to debate because Joe absolutely has to have my name, I want to show you what I just bought.”
She looked at him suspiciously. “What?”
“It’s not here. I’ll have to drive you there to show you. Would you mind taking a two-day jaunt with me?”
“I’m not sure. Based on the marriage proposal you seem to be offering in a rather chauvinistic way, I don’t know if I want to spend much time alone with you.”
He nodded. “You owe it to yourself to find out. We belong together as a family, and that’s the goal we need to work toward.”
He’d hoped to see the light of joy in her eyes, but Sabrina’s brows pulled farther together. “We don’t have any goals, Jonas.”
“I’m aiming to fix that.” Jonas stood up with the baby when the nurse called little Joe’s name. “What the three of us need is time away. See if you don’t agree.”
Sabrina followed him silently, which was unusual for her, because she was a firecracker and given to both opinions and the occasional explosion when put upon. He liked the fire in her. Funny that I ever thought she was all wrong for me. It must have been the gypsy bells and the clairvoyant oogie-boogie that made me think she wouldn’t be happy married to Steady Eddy.
He could fix all that.
“You’re crazy,” Sabrina told him as they put Joe on the scales, and the nurse smiled.
“Big boy,” she said, and Jonas smiled.
“Yes, ma’am. Just like his dad.”
“Oh, brother,” Sabrina said.
Jonas beamed hugely. Now that sounded more like the gypsy who’d rocked his world.
He was so glad to be with her.
He’d have to work on the relationship part. But he remembered how good “Yes, Jonas” sounded, and he was willing to try his darnedest.
* * *
IT TOOK TWO DAYS OF wondering how to politely do it, but Sabrina finally got up the courage to investigate her very attractive rival. “Excuse me,” she said, walking up to the Diablo library desk with little Joe.
The redhead at the counter sent her a wide, welcoming grin. “I know you. You’re Sabrina McKinley, and that’s Joe. Hi, Joe,” Chelsea said, giving his cheek a slight caress. “He sure is a happy baby.”
Sabrina was warmed by Chelsea’s Irish accent and the fact that the woman honestly seemed pleased to see little Joe. She couldn’t pick up any animosity or jealousy from her, either. Sabrina’s curiosity was killing her. Before she accepted Jonas’s invitation to visit what he’d bought, she meant to speak with his supposed ex-fiancée.
Once burned, twice shy… .
“Hi, Chelsea,” she said. “You found a job so quickly.”
“Yes.” Chelsea smiled again. “I’m fortunate. Word got around that I was looking, and someone called me. I’ve got my passport, of course, and I applied for a visa. Then, one day, maybe a green card.”
“That’s a lot of plans,” Sabrina said, holding Joe as he squirmed, trying to reach for a book. Chelsea handed him one, a children’s picture book, and he instantly tried to gnaw on it.
“No, honey,” Sabrina said absently, putting him into his stroller so he could “read” the book. “This is for higher education, not nutrition. You turn the page like this. See?”
Joe observed, but didn’t quite have the motor skills to figure out page-turning. Still, he was happy to pat the page for a moment. “So,” Sabrina said, “I guess what I really want to know is if you…if you’re—”
“If Jonas and I are still engaged.” Chelsea nodded. “No. We’re not. It was Jonas’s plan, to keep him from being embarrassed that he was the only brother without a woman. He was pretty devastated when he thought you’d gone to Washington and met another guy.”
“Oh,” Sabrina said. “That’s not what happened at all.”
“And any woman could have figured that out.” She nodded again. “But Jonas was in full protective mode. I figured the two of you had to work things out eventually.”
“So why did you come to Diablo?” Sabrina asked, wondering what Chelsea’s angle was, if not marrying Jonas.
She began checking in some books that were in the bin. “I’ve been taking care of my mother for a few years. She’s much better now. She told me to go see the world.” Chelsea glanced at Sabrina. “Mom lives next door to Fiona, you know.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Mom’s supposed to be keeping an eye on Fiona and Burke’s place until they get back. Who knows when that will be?”
“They’re elusive,” Sabrina murmured. “So did you tell Jonas you wanted to see the world?”
“Mmm. And he said New Mexico was a great place to begin. That if I’d pretend to be his fiancée, he’d fly me over here and help me get started.” The redhead grinned at her. “I want to do a lot of traveling, but I can tell Diablo is a great place to live. I may stay here for a while. I like family places.”
“Diablo is certainly that.”
Chelsea stopped checking in books for a moment to consider Sabrina. “You know, men think with their hearts more than we give them credit for. And Jonas really was freaked out that you were having another man’s baby.”
“It never occurred to me that he would think that,” Sabrina said.
“There’s the trouble,” Chelsea said cheerfully, going back to her work. “We never know what they’re thinking, and it’s usually nothing that we’d think at all.”
“Thanks, Chelsea,” Sabrina said, feeling immensely relieved. “I really appreciate you telling me all this.”
