what beautiful animals.”
Jarrett changed direction as they detoured to the corral fence. “Trace has been doing some horse-breeding the past few years. This guy is Thunder Road.” When he whistled, the horse trotted over as Jarrett climbed up on the fence railing so he could pet the spirited animal. “Hey, Roady.” He rubbed the horse’s face and neck briskly, then glanced at Mia. “This guy was sired by Midnight Thunder, a champion cutting horse.”
“He’s beautiful.” She could see how much Jarrett loved animals. “He seems to like you, too.”
“He knows me. I come out here sometimes.”
There was so much about this man she didn’t know, that he kept hidden. She glanced around. “I still can’t see how you’d want to give this place up. I love the peace and quiet.”
He shrugged and released the horse and they watched him run off. “When I was younger, I called it boredom. I wanted excitement and fun.” He looked toward the horses. “After my mother died, my father and I didn’t get along much.”
Mia understood that. “He’s gone now?”
“Yeah. When his wife died, he wasn’t much for living alone.”
“What about your mother?”
He continued to stare toward the corral. “She’s been gone since I was a kid.”
“I’m sorry, Jarrett. How old were you?”
“Six.”
“Oh, God, you were just a child.”
He turned toward her. She could see the pain before he quickly masked it. “I grew up fast.”
“What about your stepmother?” She wanted him to tell her that she’d been a caring and loving woman. “Did she help you through that time?”
“I don’t remember much.” He shifted. “She was just there, and soon, so was Trace.”
“At least you had a brother to share things with.”
“Yeah, right. I did everything possible to let him know how much I hated him.”
Jarrett stepped up to the small cottage porch and turned to see if Mia needed help. Damn, he hated that he’d spilled his guts to her. He’d never told anyone about his childhood. Why her?
He inserted the key into the lock. “I know Trace and his foreman, Cal, redid the entire inside.”
“The outside is well-maintained, too,” she said, coming up beside him. “I can’t wait to see the rest.”
He swung open the front door, and they stepped into a living room that had a small sofa and two chairs. An area rug covered part of the shiny hardwood floors.
“Oh, this is nice.”
He gestured with his hand to go on, and she walked into a galley-style kitchen. All the stained-wood cabinets were new, as were the egg-shell-colored solid-surface counter-tops. The white appliances gleamed. Jarrett had no doubt Kira had been out here cleaning.
“This is so nice. There’s even a table and chairs.” Mia walked through to a small sunroom that looked toward the open pastures. “This would be a perfect work area. Plenty of light and space for a desk and computer.”
She beamed as she walked ahead of him and down the hall. She stuck her head into the bathroom that also had a stackable washer and dryer. “Okay, I’ve died and gone to heaven.” She went on to check out the two bedrooms. When she came out she looked about to burst.
Her dark hair was bouncing against her shoulders. And he noticed how slim she was becoming, and how long her legs were. Yet, it was her eyes, those blue eyes of hers that made his gut tighten in need.
“This is three times as big as my apartment,” she said, bringing him back to the present.
“And thirty miles out of town.” But closer to his house. “In the winter that could be a difficult drive.”
“But I know I can afford this place,” she insisted. “Obviously, if I stay here, I plan to pay rent to Kira and Trace.”
He studied the stubborn woman in front of him. She was beautiful and no doubt capable of doing anything she set her mind to.
“Okay, but you have to let me take you to look for a dependable car. That sedan of yours is in bad shape.”
Her eyes widened. “I can’t afford a new car.”
“Not new, but at least an upgrade from what you’re driving now. I can get you a good deal, one with decent tires.”
She smiled slowly. “You’re a fraud, Jarrett McKane. You try to get everyone to think you’re this ruthless businessman with no heart, but you’re a nice guy.”
He stood straighter. “If you think I’ve gone soft because I’m fixing the apartments up, think again. I have a good reason for doing it. The judge ordered me to.”
Her look told him she wasn’t buying it.
“Ah, hell. At least while you’re living there I can keep an eye on you.”
“You’re not responsible for me, Jarrett,” she told him sternly. “I can take care of myself, and have for a lot of years.”
“I know that.” He couldn’t help wondering about other men in her life. “What if I just want to help you?” He tested her. “Say if I want to come around to see if you and BJ need anything? I mean, I do visit my brother and sister-in-law out here.”
“And Jenna,” Mia added.
“And Jenna,” he repeated, watching the light play off her hair. Her skin looked so soft.
Her eyes met his. “Aren’t you going to be too busy with the new factory project to bother with us?”
He shrugged. “That’s not a done deal, yet. I’m still going over things with Fulton Industries.”
“It’s because of the tenants, isn’t it?”
“Things could work out better.” He didn’t want to tell her his idea to keep the apartment building. “Hey, what’s the worst that can happen? The deal goes south and I get to live in the hellhole apartment 203 forever.”
“Well, BJ and I would be your neighbors.”
He stepped closer. “I thought you were moving in here?”
“Not if the apartment is still available. I like paying my own way. Would you raise the rent on us?”
He smiled at her. “Maybe we can work out a special deal.”
An hour later, with BJ asleep in his carrier in the living room, the Christmas dinner could start.
In the McKanes’ dining room, there were two long tables dressed with red and green tablecloths
