understand better why Gaston was hovering. He didn’t want you to go out with me.”
“Well, you’re not my usual date.”
As they waited for the elevator, Jared looked down at her, then touched her collar, his fingers brushing her throat. He stood close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body.
“Who’s your usual date?”
“I date men like Porter. They work at brokerage firms or ad agencies. They don’t spend the afternoon in the park. And I’ve known them for years and years.” She knew she was rambling, but his brown eyes were playing havoc with her thought processes and she was aware she had worked since six that morning. She smoothed stray tendrils of hair away from her face and wished she had taken more time to freshen up before leaving the office.
He caught her hand and rubbed his thumb lightly across her knuckles. The touch made her draw a deep breath. Why did the slightest physical contact with him make her tingle?
“I don’t see any ring from one of these guys you’ve known years and years. Who’s the one in your life now?”
“Right now, there isn’t one. I’ve been really busy with work for the past couple of months.”
He gave her a crooked grin and ran his finger down her cheek. “Sounds like you’re ready for a little change in your life.”
The elevator doors slid open and he stretched out a long arm, holding the door open while she entered. He pushed the stroller inside.
She looked down at Merry in his arms. “You know, I really don’t know you. If it weren’t for this baby, I wouldn’t be doing this.”
Jared stretched out his arm, placing his hand against the wall beside her head and leaned close, bending his knees to look into her eyes. “I didn’t have anything to do with your agreeing to go out?” he asked in a husky voice. “You don’t feel any little zip of anticipation or curiosity when we talk?”
“Maybe,” she answered cautiously, her whole body feeling little zips from his husky voice, his nearness and his question. As she gazed up at him, her breasts tightened and her heart raced.
“Scared to admit it?”
“I told you, this isn’t what I’m accustomed to at all. I’ve never gone out with someone I just met.”
“I don’t blame you if it’s a stranger you don’t know. But you know a lot about me. You know I ride in rodeos. You’ve talked to my brother. And you’ve saved my daughter from choking. We’ll get to know each other better, and tomorrow night you can come watch me ride.”
She had to smile. “Too bad you don’t have any confidence in yourself,” she remarked.
“Faith, darlin’,” he drawled, leaning closer and placing his fingers along her cheek, “my confidence is in what I feel and what I see in your green eyes when we stand close like this.”
The elevator doors slid open. As she stepped out and walked through the doors into the night beside Jared Whitewolf, she felt as if she were leaving more than her office and day’s work behind.
They placed the stroller in the rear of the pickup and then buckled Merry in the carrier that was in the back seat.
When Jared drove out of the lot, Faith glanced back at the sleeping baby. “She is the best little baby. What happened to her mother?”
“She didn’t want a baby, so she packed and left Merry behind.”
Faith shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said, wondering how badly he had been hurt. “Having a new baby and losing your wife about the same time must mean huge adjustments. I’m sorry you lost your wife.”
“Oh, I’ve never been married. I’m not Merry’s blood father,” he answered quietly.
Three
As he drove along darkened streets, Faith stared at him. “You said she’s your daughter.”
“I adopted Merry when her daddy died,” Jared said, his voice rough.
“You must have been close friends,” she said.
“He was my best friend.” Jared stared straight ahead as he turned into a graveled lot lighted by a tall pole lamp. He parked and cut the motor, still staring out the front window. She saw a muscle knot in his jaw.
“You know, life is strange. My family was such a mess growing up, I finally ran away. I’ve lived everywhere and done nearly everything, but when Dusty died, it got to me like not much else ever has. I think part of it has to do with Merry. Sometimes when I’m with her, I know what he’s missing. It shouldn’t be me watching her get her first tooth, it should be Dusty.”
“Sorry, Jared. But it’s wonderful you took responsibility for her.”
“She’s my life now,” he said, reaching back to touch the baby’s wispy hair. “Enough about the past. C’mon, let’s eat.”
As they stepped out of the car, Faith glanced around. Red neon burned over the door in a simple sign reading Eldon’s Café. Across the street was a bar and pool hall, and down the block another bar.
“The area’s not great,” he said, as if he had noticed her inspection. “But they have the best spaghetti south of Chicago and it’s quiet inside so we can talk. You said you like Italian.”
“I do. I’ve lived in Tulsa all my life and I’ve never eaten here.”
“This isn’t your style, Faith. Those businessmen you date prefer other places. This is pretty simple,” he said as he unbuckled the carrier and lifted it from the rear seat of the pickup. He closed the door and took her arm.
They entered a small, one-room café with wooden tables, an old-fashioned jukebox and men on stools along the bar at the end of the room. A few customers were scattered at booths and tables around the room. Jared led her to a booth and placed the carrier on the seat. He hung his hat on a peg before sitting down to face Faith. As soon as they had glasses of water and had ordered their meals, he took a drink of the beer he had requested and then lowered the bottle to study her.
“Tell me about yourself, Faith. How many brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews do you have?”
“I’m next to the oldest of five siblings. My brothers and sisters are married and all have children.”
“So you’re the career woman.”
She looked down, running her fingers on the cold glass, and watched as little drops of water dripped to the table. “I am. To tell the truth, it’s beginning to get a little stale.”
“How so? You looked pretty dedicated back there.”
“I used to love my work and couldn’t wait to get to the office. It was fun and I was eager and it was exciting.” She glanced up to meet his steady, disconcerting gaze. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.”
“Because I’m a good listener,” he answered
