"Only because your coffee is so much better."
"Susan made coffee this morning for you, you just didn't like it."
"I wouldn't call what she made coffee."
She drove her elbow back, hard, into his side. "Go away. You're annoying me more than usual this morning."
"I don't like strangers in my house."
"Jake. Really. Seriously. Susan is a teenage girl without a mother and her father is never home. Have a little compassion. She's got a crush on you and you're just mean." She spun around, her back to the counter, and glared at him. "It's just mean."
Jake straightened his tall body, catching her at the waist with both hands to lift her, placing her on the countertop beside the coffeepot so she faced him. "I'll be better with her. I'll make an effort."
"Do you promise?" Once Jake gave his word, he always followed through.
He hesitated. She'd known him long enough to know what he was thinking. "Don't you dare use this as a bargaining chip. You should make an effort with Susan because she's young and without much of a family. She's a nice girl and she needs a little help right now, and not just so you can get your way."
"You sound so sexy when you get bossy, Emma," he teased. "I said I'll make an effort with her and I will. I forgot to tell you I hired a new man. He's a friend of Drake's and Joshua's and he's been ill. He doesn't talk much, but he's a good man. Work your magic on him, will you? But don't flirt."
"I don't flirt." She glared at him. "Go to your office and get out of my kitchen. I'm liable to bake something for you and put arsenic in it if you keep this up."
"I'm just edgy lately when it comes to you, so don't hang out too much with the new guy. I don't know him and he doesn't know me."
"You aren't making any sense. If he's Drake's friend and you're hiring him, I take it he's been thoroughly investigated and you're not worried he'll cause any of us harm. What are you going on about?"
Jake lifted her from the counter and set her away from him, his hand sliding over her hip and along her bottom, his palm lingering, even rubbing. "Having to beat the living daylights out of a man I respect, or doing even worse than that. Just behave yourself."
"Jake." She spun around, pushing at the wall of his chest. "What was that?"
"What?"
"You just groped me on the butt. I'm not two, you know."
"I wouldn't be groping you if you were two."
She put both hands on her hips and gave him her sternest look. "Are you aware that little feel you copped could be interpreted as sexual harassment in the workplace?"
"You wouldn't take any money, remember, so technically you don't work for me. You're the mother of my children and you make the best damn coffee I've ever had in my life." He flashed an unrepentant grin at her. "If I want more children, sooner or later I'm going to have to do more than grope your butt. You might as well get used to it."
She tried to stay annoyed with him and not feel the flush of pleasure at being called the mother of his children, or feel happy that he thought of her that way. She'd refused to take money for running the household when he'd taken such great care of her, and then the settlement his lawyers had arranged for her and Andraya had been more money than she ever heard of. He had set up trust funds for both Andraya and Kyle, so money wasn't going to be a problem. Truthfully, Jake had never really treated her like an employee--more like a pampered pet, indulged but still under his rule. Not taking his money always made her feel more on par with him. She didn't have to obey his orders.
She sighed. He was so complicated, so difficult to be around all the time, with his edgy moods and his brooding silences. She knew him better than most people did, but she still found him difficult to read, particularly when he was in the kind of mood he was now.
She pointed to the door. "Get out. You're outrageous this morning. I've got things to do."
Perversely, he straddled a chair. "I'm starving. Feed me."
"I thought you had things to do," she objected, but she was already at the refrigerator, pulling out eggs, bacon and orange juice. "Didn't you have some big meeting you had to prepare for? I figured you must have tons of lawyers to hand you documents so you can make an informed, knowledgeable decision."
"Not on this one. They'll give me the documents and everything I read will tell me the best thing to do is to sell the company. It's a small real estate business and it seems to be losing large amounts of money. It acquires land and rarely sells it. The manager has brought me several deals in the last few months, advising me to sell. The lawyers agree with him."
"But you're not going to sell."
"No, I'm not. We've acquired several pieces of land adjacent to the property I inherited from my great-grandfather in North Dakota, as well as land running from Pennsylvania to New York. I'm working on adding to that acreage, and suddenly I've got someone very interested in acquiring the business and all of its properties. Someone has been snooping around my properties and they've been bribing my manager."
She glanced at him over her shoulder. Disloyalty was Jake's biggest hot button. He could be ruthless and vindictive when he caught an employee spying or cheating. She'd seen his cold anger and she'd never wanted that brutal, merciless side of Jake ever directed toward her. He paid his employees very well and they had excellent benefits and retirement and vacation plans. In return, he expected their best work and absolute loyalty.
"Jake." She kept her voice low. Emma was certain he felt hurt when someone betrayed him, but he wasn't aware that he did. He let intense anger and contempt rule him to keep from feeling any gentler emotion. "I'm sorry. This manager . . . did you consider him a friend?"
Jake stood there a long moment, studying her eyes, her emotions chasing across her face. She was so different from him. "I don't have friends, Emma. Except for you. Maybe Drake and Joshua." Although he couldn't bring himself to trust any of them completely.
Emma's lips curved and her smile warmed the inner part of him where sometimes he felt there was nothing but rage or the need for revenge. "I am your friend, and that's why you should always listen to me. I give great advice."
She was teasing him again, her voice mischievous, inviting. He'd heard her use that same exact tone with the children. She made them feel loved, made them feel important to her and precious, and somehow she did the same with him. Was he in the least bit special to her? Or did she make everyone around her feel that way?
"Jake?" The smile faded from Emma's face, concern creeping into her expression. "Are you really upset about this meeting?"
He shrugged. Hell no, he wasn't upset. Let the bastards come at him. He was ready for them. He welcomed ferreting out traitors, and his manager was taking someone else's money. He'd find the reason soon enough and he'd set things right in his own way. He just liked that look on her face. He studied her expression, the look in her eyes. His heart contracted. He didn't know what love looked like. He knew she was capable of great self-sacrifice and loyalty, and maybe that was what love was. If so, she was looking at him with something close to it.
She stepped closer, close enough that he could feel the heat of her body. In that moment, as his body reacted to her nearness, he realized she was the reason he couldn't sleep at night. She was the reason no matter how many women serviced him, he couldn't stop the aching hardness. Emma. His body demanded Emma and no one else would do. She was the reason he felt disgust with himself--and guilt--when he touched other women.
He backed away from her, the revelation shaking him. His heart pounded in his chest, his lungs burning for air. She was supposed to be captivated by him, not the other way around. He wasn't about to give anyone that kind of power over him.
"Jake?" she said again.
He shook his head. "I'm heading for the office. I'll catch breakfast in town." He turned and went out the door without a backward glance, leaving her staring after him.
10
EMMA knew she had to stop obsessing over Jake. If she'd still been considering cancelling he
r date, Jake's strange behavior all morning proved to her that he was far too complicated of a man for a woman like her. She wasn't sophisticated and she didn't have the ability to be a jet-setter or even be part of that side of his life. They thought differently. Jake thought differently. One moment he blew hot and the next cold. He was far too complicated for her and he was the type of man to break a woman's heart if she let him.
Since Jake wasn't having breakfast, she quickly turned off the stove and finished cleaning before going outside to join Susan and the children. If the children were outdoors, Jake required a bodyguard present, even on the property. If she took them off the property to the doctor's office or anywhere else, he sent at least two of the men with them, sometimes three. Although she thought his precautions a little excessive, she decided to trust his judgment. If he had enemies, she didn't want them getting to the children.
Evan smiled and waved at her as she approached. He was a big man, muscular, a former prize fighter, fast on his feet with tremendous upper body strength and quick reflexes, but he had a major speech impediment. Often he signed rather than spoke, and both Andraya and Kyle were learning to sign. They liked their "secret" language with him. He seemed to genuinely care for the children and never tired of pushing them on the swings or catching them sliding down the winding tube slide.
Emma watched him for a minute as Susan chattered away in French, which he clearly didn't understand. He smiled a lot, flashing a ready grin, but his attention was clearly on his surroundings. He dressed like an authentic cowboy and he probably could ride, but he wasn't babysitting and he wasn't working the ranch. He was watching over his charges and taking his job very seriously.
She crossed her arms, a sudden shiver going down her spine. What did Jake know that she didn't? Who was he afraid of?
"Ma'am?"
She spun around so quickly she tripped and nearly fell. Hard hands caught at her arm, fingers biting deep to prevent her from falling. Ordinarily she had acute hearing and a heightened sense of smell, but she hadn't realized anyone was near her.
"I'm sorry, Miss Emma." The man released her immediately. "Jake told me to introduce myself when you came out. I'm Conner Vega."
The man stood straight, his large frame too thin, his hair shaggy and thick, one half of his face quite beautiful and the other covered in four deep scars that ran from his hairline to the side of his jaw, as if something had tried to rake his face from his skull. She forced herself to look at him, at the masculine beauty on one side of his face and the horrendous damage done to the other. He was quite pale and gaunt, as if he'd been ill for a long time. He didn't look like a cowboy or a bodyguard, and he certainly wasn't a businessman, not with the merciless slash of his mouth, yet Jake had hired him.
Emma held out her hand. Her arm hurt where he'd grabbed her, and she knew she'd have bruises. He was enormously strong for someone so gaunt. "It's good to meet you. Are you hungry? There's always coffee ready in the kitchen and I usually have fresh bread baked or cookies to grab on the run."
"Jake gave me one of the cabins with a kitchen. I brought a few things with me so I'm good, thanks."
"He keeps food supplies for the men in the common pantry. Did he show you where? When you take anything from there, just check it off the list. It makes it easier for me to replace the supplies so we keep them from running low."
He nodded, then stepped back and lifted his hand slightly. "I just wanted to introduce myself to you so you wouldn't think a stranger was hanging around the children."
"Thank you, I appreciate that," Emma said.
She watched him walk away and rubbed at her arm again. Along with the bruises there was a long scratch, as if his nail had caught her when he'd pulled her upright. She sighed, realizing the latest addition was just like everyone else on the ranch. Drake with his bum leg; Joshua with his pretend smile and the pain in his eyes; Evan with his speech problem; Conner with his scars; and of course, Jake's biggest rescue--Emma, with her lost husband and difficult pregnancy. Jake collected strays whether he knew it or not. She'd met several of the people who worked for him. One was an older couple, intensely loyal to him, and she'd heard Jake on the phone with them on several occasions, sorting out some fund for them and getting back a house that had been repossessed.
Jake had so many personalities. He could be difficult and at times even cruel, yet he was so generous. She spent far too much time thinking about him. As hard as she tried not to, throughout the rest of day she found herself daydreaming about Jake, puzzling, worried, annoyed, frustrated--so many emotions. At least her body wasn't going up in flames at his mere scent as she cleaned the house and played with the children. There was some relief in that.
Susan was a big help, although she talked a lot, mostly about Jake and Evan. At the end of the day, after Emma had listened to Susan for hours and put the children to bed, she really wanted to just sit back with her feet up, but she made herself take a shower and do her hair. She wore it down her back, the way Jake liked it most. She'd always had great hair, the one attribute she loved about herself. Most of the time she wore it up out of the way, but Jake often took her hair out of the clip so that the silky strands would cascade down her back to her waist. She found a long-forgotten short silk blouse that dressed up her favorite swingy skirt and walked down the stairs.
"You look beautiful," Susan greeted her in the hallway. "Where are you going tonight?"
"Just to a movie, but I go out so rarely"--make that never--"that I thought I'd make the most of it." Was a part of her angry at Jake for making it so impossible to be with him? She paused, afraid she was more upset with him than she'd realized. She'd been honest with Greg, telling him she wanted to go out only as a friend, but maybe even that wasn't the truth.
"That's so cool that Jake is taking you to a movie."
Emma stiffened. "I'm not going with Jake. He's at a business meeting tonight."
Susan frowned. "Are you going by yourself? I thought you said it was a date."
"Sort of a date. He's a friend."
Susan's eyebrow shot up. "He? Does Jake know?"
Emma's stomach knotted. Fear curled inside her, making her more annoyed and determined than ever. "It isn't Jake's business what I do."
Susan looked shocked. "Okay, Emma. You're teasing the tiger."
"I've told you, Jake and I are not like that."
"Maybe you're not like that, but I've seen him with you. He definitely has the hots for you. No joke, Emma. If you don't know it, you're the only person on this ranch that doesn't."
Emma closed her eyes, briefly wishing there was more to it than that. "He has the hots for all women, Susan." She pulled on a short black cardigan and caught up her purse. It was quite cold, but she figured the theater would be warm enough. "Don't wait up."
"Don't you worry about that. I don't want to be up when Jake comes home and finds you gone," Susan said. "He's the type that might kill the messenger, and I was on my way to bed anyway."
Emma rolled her eyes. "You're so dramatic. Jake doesn't care what I do off this ranch." She started down the hall.
"You keep believing that," Susan said.
Emma hurried into the kitchen, glancing at her watch. "One of the men will stay in the house, so if you need help, just call out." She picked up the phone and punched the intercom button to the main cabin. "Joshua, send one of the bodyguards up to the house for the rest of the evening. I'm heading out."
There was a stunned silence and then Joshua gave a croak. "Out?"
She wasn't going to explain herself. Just that tone had irritated her. It was obvious she'd waited far too long to assert herself. "Just send someone now."
She hurried out to the Jeep that was kept parked near the house for her use on the property.
"Wait!" A figure came flying toward the Jeep, out of the darkness. Joshua leaned into the vehicle through the open window and actually took the keys right out of the ignition. "Where are you going? It's eight thirty." He stared at her.
&n
bsp; "You're dressed up. What are you doing, Emma?" He sounded shocked.
"I'm going on a date, Joshua," she answered quietly, fighting the mixture of indignation and amusement.
"A date?" he echoed, his voice hitting a high note. "With a man?"
She smiled at him sweetly. "That is fairly standard, isn't it, or have I gotten it wrong after all this time?"
"Nobody told me." Joshua's mind raced frantically. Emma never went anywhere off the ranch without an escort. Who would dare ask her out? Who would be so crazy as to take his life in his hands? Who was off that evening? He tried to remain calm.
"I wasn't aware I had to tell you," Emma replied mildly. She held out her hand for the keys. "I'm late. Hand them over."
He backed up a step, little dots of sweat forming on his forehead. "Does Jake know about this?"
"Jake is at a business meeting, Susan is watching the children and I'm taking the night off. It's the first time in two years. I deserve it, don't you think?"
Joshua raked a nervous hand through his hair. "Yeah, well, just who is this guy?"
"No one you know." Emma leaned out through the window of the Jeep and took the keys from his hand. "Don't worry, Joshua. You're acting like a father. I'll come home at a reasonable hour."
"But you never go out," he protested. "You never wear a skirt." He passed a hand over his face and blinked at her. "You never look like this."
She laughed ruefully. "I'm not sure that's actually a compliment. I'll see you tomorrow, Joshua."
"Oh, God, Emma." He nearly wailed it. "You aren't thinking of spending the night with this guy, are you? I'll get killed for this. I'm dead. Boiled in oil."
Emma scowled at him with exasperation. It was clear she needed to leave the ranch more often. Did they all think she wasn't date-worthy? "Will you stop? It has nothing to do with you. I'm just going to a movie, maybe out for coffee afterward. Don't wait up."
"Skip the coffee." He glanced at his watch. "It's too late for the early show. Call the guy and cancel."
"Joshua." Exasperated, Emma started the Jeep.
"Wait! I'll drive you in," he said desperately.
She patted his arm. "Not on your life. Stop worrying. I'm following Jake's orders."