a quick half shrug, he remarked, “Don’t know. I just know these two can make a mess of whatever they get into.” Looking her squarely in the eye, he asked, “Are you ready for that?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Yes. More than ready. I’ve wanted children for years.”
“Your husband didn’t?”
Confiding in Jake would create a bond between them that Tori didn’t want. It was better if she kept her distance, better if she let the attraction between them sizzle and burn out. “It’s a long story.”
With a penetrating look, Jake sat back and gave his attention to his ice-cream cone, stretching his legs out under the table. The swirl of his tongue on the dessert sent a shiver up Tori’s back.
After he lazily licked chocolate from his lips, he acknowledged, “I guess everybody has one of those stories.”
An awkward stretch of time settled between them as cars sped up and down the street. Ricky and his brother took licks from each other’s cones as dusk settled in and began to envelop the city.
Finally Jake asked, “What did you think of Charlie?”
She’d caught Jake watching Charlie carefully more than once. “I didn’t spend much time talking with him. Nina likes him a lot. He seems good with the boys.”
Jake frowned. “She’s only been dating him for two months. I just met him last weekend when she invited him to Sunday dinner.”
“And?”
“I don’t know. Today you can’t be too careful, that’s all. He’s a car salesman, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I just hope he’s not handing her a line. I can’t believe she’s ready to jump right in so soon after Frank.”
“Maybe she feels the boys need a father figure.”
“They have me.”
Jake’s arm was almost touching hers. Tori sat back and gave him a sideways glance. “Nina’s afraid you aren’t going to stay in Santa Fe. Are you?”
He finished his cone and wiped his fingers on a napkin. “I don’t know. But no matter where I am, I’ll be part of their lives.”
After she took the last bite of her own cone, she wiped her lips. Just then Jake turned toward her, and his gaze lingered where she’d wiped. Feeling hot, bothered and unsettled, she asked, “Why did you come back to Santa Fe?”
The question brought his gaze to hers. Two cars zoomed up the street before he answered her. “I had to get out of police work for a while. I like working with my hands. I’ve done that for years, mostly on weekend projects for friends. I find peace in it, and I need that now.”
Tori had always admired his honesty. She had the feeling Jake was living in the moment, not knowing what was going to happen next. She’d done that after her divorce.
“Speaking of working with ceramic tile,” he said, changing the subject easily, “have you picked out what you want to use yet?”
She shook her head. “I can do that this week. The thing is, I’d love to use hand-painted tiles. I know it would be expensive to use them everywhere, but I hoped I could find some to use as accents here and there. I haven’t had a chance to look into it, though.”
“I know someone who does hand-painted work. He lives in Taos. If you’d like to see what he has to offer, we could drive up there on Saturday afternoon. Can you get away?”
“I have one full-time assistant and someone who helps part-time. Let me check with them. If they can both work, I’ll take the day off.”
The twins had finished their cones now, too, and were jabbing each other with sticky fingers, squealing and jumping from their chairs to play tag around the table.
“Okay. It’s time to put a lid on it,” Jake announced. He motioned to the truck. “Let’s move on out. Don’t touch anything until I wipe your hands.”
Without the complaining Tori expected, Ricky and Ryan looked up at their uncle, then raced to his truck.
Jake’s expression was affectionately patient.
As Tori followed Jake and the boys, she noticed again how Ricky and Ryan adored him. Why had he never married and become a father?
When Tori’s telephone rang Saturday afternoon, she wondered if Jake was calling to tell her he’d be delayed or couldn’t go to Taos. After their trip to Carlo’s Place, he’d become quiet, more remote. A little voice full of common sense told her that was best. If they got to know each other better…
However, picking up the phone, she heard Barbara Simmons’s voice.
“Hi! Tori?”
“How are you?” Tori asked, always glad to hear from the teenager, yet always fearful, too.
Once Barbara signed the consent papers to give up her parental rights, her decision was irrevocable. She understood that and had asked the court to allow Tori to act as the baby’s legal guardian for sixty days before she signed the final papers. In essence, Tori would become the parent, but not officially. She’d agreed to those terms because Barbara was an intelligent, sensitive young woman, just trying to do what was best for her and her baby. And once Tori had seen that baby’s picture on the sonogram, she’d fallen in love with him. She had wanted to be a mother so badly, she was willing to take this risk.
“I gained another two pounds,” Barbara almost wailed. “Dr. Glessner said it’s okay, but I have to get it all off afterward. I’ll only have three months. I don’t want to be fat when I go to college.”
“You’ve been officially accepted for the winter term?”
“Yes. The letter came last week. Mom and I have been shopping for everything I’ll need.”
Just as Tori had been shopping for baby supplies. Her closet was full of them, and she couldn’t wait to get the baby’s room ready. As soon as Jake did the closet and patched the plaster, she could paint.
Her doorbell rang.
Carrying the cordless phone with her, she opened it. Her heart fluttered. Jake looked incredibly sexy in a beige polo shirt and jeans.
Still, she concentrated on Barbara as she motioned him inside.
“I just wanted to tell you,” Barbara went on, “that the doctor said everything’s A-okay. I can’t wait to get this over with. I can hardly see my feet.”
In a few weeks, she would be bringing Barbara’s baby home. “Keep me up to date on how you’re doing. You know I like your progress reports. And stop by if you want to talk.” It was better to know than to guess exactly what Barbara was thinking about everything.
Whenever she talked to Barbara, fear crept into Tori’s heart—fear that the young woman would change her mind, that she wouldn’t go through with the adoption. It was a worry Tori couldn’t put out of her head.
After she said goodbye to Barbara, she pushed the worry aside and smiled at Jake. She
