out of the blue—for absolutely no reason Ian could put his finger on—he felt like he should drive over there and say hello.
That was a little strange—the sudden yen to be a part of what he was spying on.
Of course, it was a great day in the country, he did get a kick out of Abby, and Jenna was a naturally beautiful, fresh-faced woman whom he’d enjoyed talking to for that brief time yesterday. So maybe it wasn’t really such a big mystery that he felt like saying hello.
Well, the mystery might be in the intensity he was feeling to get to them, but still he reasoned that he did need to be establishing a relationship with Jenna Bowen. So why not take advantage of the day, the situation, the coincidence and the convenience of having her right there, no more than a two-minute drive around a U-shaped dirt path?
He’d be silly not to take advantage of all that and lay some groundwork for a purely friendly relationship with her that could potentially benefit them both, wouldn’t he?
Sure he would.
Now he just needed to take his eyes off of her to do that….
He forced himself to lower the binoculars, to get back in the car, feeling oddly grateful that the engine was still running, and that all he had to do was put it into gear.
And if he was in such a hurry to get to her that he left huge plumes of dust behind him when he hit the gas?
It didn’t mean anything.
And neither did his lack of concern for how bumpy a ride it was on that road or what it was doing to his shocks not to take any care with how he drove.
He was merely going to extend a simple greeting to the farm owner he would like to convince to do business with him.
And the fact that the farm owner was the lovely-to-look-at Jenna Bowen meant nothing at all …
As Montana winters went weather-wise, Jenna’s first one back hadn’t been particularly bad. But since she’d lost both of her parents during that period of time, it had felt very bleak. So that first, early taste of spring on Sunday was a welcome relief.
She had to be at the hospital for a three-to-eleven shift but—not wanting to waste the warmth and sunshine—she’d decided to take Abby outside for a little while.
She hadn’t been out the back door for more than a few minutes when the sudden stirring of dust over on the border road drew her attention.
“Looks like we’re gonna have company,” she told Abby, inching back in the direction of the house.
During the last ten years, she’d lived in several places where being cautious was advisable, and while she might be back in Northbridge, she still didn’t recognize the expensive black import that was coming her way. Just in case her drop-in visitor wasn’t welcome, she wanted the ability to duck inside in a hurry.
In fact, she was standing so that she and Abby were in the lee of the screen door, where one step would take them over the threshold to safety, when the car drew near enough for her to see that it was Ian Kincaid behind the wheel.
Of course … Jenna thought as a completely inexplicable sense of excitement replaced her trepidation.
He drove around the side of the house before he came to a stop. Jenna heard him turn off the engine and get out, shutting the door after himself.
Then he appeared around the corner.
“Hi,” he called, tossing her a smile that she liked more than she had any reason to.
“Hello,” Jenna said, keeping it somewhat formal, despite her reactions to the man. Or maybe to hide those reactions….
“It was such a nice day I wanted to come out and look around a little more.” He pointed in the direction he’d come from. “I was on that other road when I saw you. I thought maybe I should drop over and make sure you don’t mind. If you do, I’ll take off.” He finished with a gesture of surrender that raised his hands to the height of his extremely broad shoulders.
His big, strong-looking hands that Jenna couldn’t help noticing right along with the shoulders. He wore brown tweed slacks and a tan shirt that made him look too dressed up for a lazy, Sunday afternoon in Northbridge, but impressively good nonetheless.
“Un!” Abby said then, bending far away from Jenna and putting her arms out to Ian as he drew near.
“Hi, Abby,” he said to the infant with an even warmer smile. Then to Jenna he added, “That’s what she calls me—’Un.’ Abby and I are old friends.”
“So Meg said.”
“Can I take her?” he asked.
Since Abby wasn’t giving her much choice, and Jenna knew that Meg had come to trust him around both Abby and Tia, Jenna abandoned the doorway and handed over the infant.
Abby promptly curved one arm around the back of Ian’s muscular neck as if she belonged there and was staking her claim on him.
“Meg told me you’ve made quite an impression on both Abby and Tia,” Jenna said.
“I’d like to say all the girls love me, but I’m pretty sure you could refute that, so I won’t,” he joked.
He did seem like kind of a hard person to dislike, but Jenna kept that to herself. Instead she said, “It’s been a rotten winter for me, and I have spring fever something fierce today so, even though it’s a little early for it, I made fresh lemonade. Would you like a glass?”
“Sounds great. But why don’t we sit on your porch to drink it so you can still get some of this nice weather? I’ll take Abby around to the front, and you can meet us there.”
Was he thoughtful or good at orchestrating things or giving orders? Jenna wasn’t sure. But the idea of a glass of lemonade on the front porch—okay, yes, with him—was too appealing for her to balk at, one way or another, so she said, “Okay.”
As she went inside, put ice in two tall glasses and poured their drinks, Jenna hoped that Ian Kincaid wasn’t there to try to talk her into selling the farm to him. It was such a nice day, she wanted to enjoy it, and that was a subject that would ruin it.
Maybe, if he did bring it up, a firm no coupled with an “I don’t want to talk about it,” would stop him.
If not, she might take Abby and her lemonade and just go inside, because she was not going to let him put a damper on today.
As Jenna carried the glasses down the hallway to the front door she’d opened earlier to let in some fresh air, she could see Abby and Ian Kincaid through the screen. It gave her a clue as to one of the reasons Abby liked him. He was sitting on the porch floor at the top of the stairs. The little girl straddled his ankle while he held both of her hands and bounced her up and down with the rise and fall of that long leg.
Jenna knew from doing that herself that Abby adored what Jenna called a horsey-ride, and the baby’s giggling delight only confirmed it.
“Mo!” Abby demanded when Ian paused to glance over his
