An Eligible Bachelor
An Eligible Bachelor
Carolyn Greene
HE KNOCKED ON HER DOOR….The man every girl dreamed of-but every woman knew was dangerous. With his wicked sense of humor and sexy smile, Wade Matteo wreaked havoc on the average female. But struggling single mom Geneva Jensen prided herself on being strong. No way would she fall for the successful, single, charming manYet Wade had a softer side that he hid from everybody else-though as his neighbor, Geneva saw his kindness to her little boy. Was there a chance that this woman-wary Bachelor of the Year would ever settle down?Was that love knocking on the door?
“So tell me what you believe my type is,” Wade persisted.
“I’ve heard what people say about you, and in this case I believe they’re right.”
The left corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “You listen to rumors?”
“Sometimes. When it might affect my son.”
He nodded, almost as if he approved her decision. “And rumor says…?”
“You have two criteria.” Geneva held up one finger. “Female…” Then a second. “And breathing.”
Taking her hand in his he unfolded her third finger. “Don’t forget ‘beautiful.’”
He gripped her with a gaze so intense that Geneva became lost in the forest-green depths of his eyes.
He cleared his throat and cast her a wolfish grin. “Guess that makes you my type after all.”
Dear Reader,
As senior editor for the Silhouette Romance line, I’m lucky enough to get first peek at the stories we offer you each month. Each editor searches for stories with an emotional impact, that make us laugh or cry or feel tenderness and hope for a loving future. And we do this with you, the reader, in mind. We hope you continue to enjoy the variety each month as we take you from first love to forever.…
Susan Meier’s wonderful story of a hardworking single mom and the man who sweeps her off her feet is Cinderella and the CEO. In The Boss’s Baby Mistake, Raye Morgan tells of a heroine who accidentally gets inseminated with her new boss’s child! The fantasy stays alive with Carol Grace’s Fit for a Sheik as a wedding planner’s new client is more than she bargained for.…
Valerie Parv always creates a strong alpha hero. In Booties and the Beast, Sam’s the strong yet tender man. Julianna Morris’s lighthearted yet emotional story Meeting Megan Again reunites two people who only seem mismatched. And finally Carolyn Greene’s An Eligible Bachelor has a very special secondary character—along with a delightful hero and heroine!
Next month, look for our newest ROYALLY WED series with Stella Bagwell’s The Expectant Princess. Marie Ferrarella astounds readers with Rough Around the Edges—her 100th title for Silhouette Books! And, of course, there will be more stories throughout the year chosen just for you.
Happy reading!
Mary-Theresa Hussey
Senior Editor
An Eligible Bachelor
Carolyn Greene
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
This book is dedicated to Sean Eastwood, who has taught a lot of people about the power of love.
And to Charles and William Hine who inspire me.
Also, many thanks to Byron Foutch for sharing his knowledge of birds and their nesting habits.
CAROLYN GREENE
has been married to a fire chief for more than twenty years. She laughingly introduces herself as the one who lights the fires and her husband as the one who puts them out. They are a true opposites-attract type of couple and, because of this, they and their two teenagers have learned a lot about the art of compromise.
Coming together…mentally, physically and spiritually. That’s what romance is all about, and that’s what Carolyn strives to portray in her highly entertaining novels. Says Carolyn, “I like to think that after someone has read one of my books, I’ve made her or his day a little brighter. You just can’t put a price tag on that kind of job satisfaction.”
Dear Reader,
Fifteen years ago, a baby boy with a big personality came into my next-door neighbors’ lives. Doctors diagnosed him with a rare genetic disorder, Joubert Syndrome, and predicted that little Sean would never sit up, talk or even smile.
Although it’s known that Joubert Syndrome is genetically transmitted by both parents, testing is not currently available to determine whether they are carriers. Typical features of Joubert Syndrome, caused by a malformed or missing part of the brain (cerebellar vermis), include alternating episodes of panting and non-breathing in babies, poor balance and coordination, abnormal eye and tongue movements and decreased muscle tone. In addition, there are developmental delays and some degree of mental retardation is common. Since this is such a rare condition, it often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed as Dandy Walker Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy.
Fortunately, Sean was too young to understand the doctor’s grim prognosis. Today, he sits in his wheelchair, communicates through sign language and wears an ever-present smile. His mother served on the first Board of Directors for the Joubert Foundation, and the family has met others from all over the world with children like Sean and subsequently shared their experiences and struggles with me.
For more information about Joubert Syndrome, go to the Web site at http://www.joubertfoundation.com, or send a self-addressed stamped envelope care of Mary Van Damme, Joubert Syndrome Foundation, 12348 Summer Meadow Road, Rock, MI 49880.
All the best,
Contents
Chapter One (#u9ae1f783-e9fe-57a3-b91b-1c6da9e4fb51)
Chapter Two (#uee6f69e1-f8f7-50df-afc2-1679a1ab4f27)
Chapter Three (#uab4df298-60ec-56fd-b536-1df167a4e16c)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
The first thing Wade noticed was a red shoe, sitting like a misplaced rhododendron blossom among the clusters of blue hydrangea balls. And beside it a denim skirt and two shapely female legs protruding from the window. One foot sported a shoe that matched the one in the bush.
Not bothering to suppress a grin, Wade grabbed the shoe from the stalky branches and closed the distance between them. The woman’s little boy threw him a shy smile and moved back to watch.
Geneva wriggled, trying to squeeze her way inside with sheer willpower, but the bottom edge of the pull-down window bit into the small of her back, forcing her to give up the battle she’d been fighting for several minutes. This was all because of a couple of birds who were more successful in their life plans than she had been.
A light May breeze swept past, teasing the hem of her denim skirt and grazing her bare calves. If she pulled her knees close to the house and pointed her toes, she could touch an espadrille to the wooden planks of the small patio deck flanking her apartment at the back of her landlord’s old Victorian house.
Her toddler son poked her rump with his tiny finger. “Funny mama.”
Funny, indeed!
The embarrassment of being found like this—after only one day in her new place—was of less concern than the humiliation she would feel at having failed to live up to the agreement she’d struck with her landlord. Sean, her landlord’s nineteen-year-old disabled brother who occupied the apartment adjacent to hers, might be able to give her a hand. But one of the terms of her lease was that she’d be available to help Sean when needed. If she had to seek help from the young man she was supposed to watch out for, Wade Matteo would be justified in doubting her ability to perform the simple job. Worse, he might revoke the lease she’d recently signed.
And if she lost this apartment—with its reasonable rent and beautiful surroundings—she’d be forced to move back to the city. Then her chance of saving for a down payment on a house would disappear. And along with it, her dream of giving her son the roots she’d always longed for would vanish.
Jacob fidgeted behind her and proceeded to dance an awkward jig. “Gotta go potty.”
Of course. When it rained, it poured…so to speak.
His agenda for the afternoon—go through his black book, call some of the women who met his criteria and try to sweet-talk them into giving him what he wanted—would have to wait.
When he had returned home a few moments ago and pointed the nose of his elegant black sports car toward the garage at the left side of his house, he had heard a woman’s voice. Considering his new tenant’s domestic tendencies, Wade had assumed she was singing as she did her housework. During the past week, the lovely Ms. Jensen had been cleaning and gradually moving her belongings into the apartment.
Not that he was surprised. The first time he’d met her to show her the apartment, he’d immediately pegged her as a young June Cleaver. The single mother didn’t have the high-heeled shoes or strand of pearls, or even a husband, as the old-fashioned TV character had, but he knew with certainty she had the nesting instinct. And that spelled danger.
Long ago he’d learned to pick up on such clues, and less than a minute after he’d met his attractive tenant, he had mentally hung a Do Not Touch sign on her. And, as if to ward her off, a long-standing superstitious habit prompted him to rub the Bachelor of the Year pin on his collar. Women who sang while they did housework were definitely off his list of possibilities.
He crossed the driveway to the deck behind the attached apartment. Amusing as this might be, he’d have to make this quick. His little black book held promise for a fruitful evening.
“Sean?” Her cry was plaintive now, as if she’d given up hope that anyone would come to her rescue.
Odd that she would be calling his brother for help. The Joubert syndrome that weakened Sean’s muscles forced him to walk with crutches and prevented him from lifting heavy objects. It was Saturday afternoon, so the teen was no doubt driving his cart around the course as he picked up trash, retrieved lost golf balls and chatted with the country-club guests.
Geneva stiffened as if she must have felt the vibrations when he crossed the wood-planked patio.
From her facedown position, she pushed a hand out the window and motioned him closer. “I thought you’d never get me out of this mess. Do me a favor, and don’t mention this to your brother, okay?”
“And why wouldn’t you want him to know?”
“Mr. Matteo?”
“You can call me Wade.” Out of habit, he fell into his come-a’calling voice…a deep, rich tone that he’d cultivated to go along with his playboy persona.
She wiggled her toes, and he knew instinctively that he’d gotten to her. “Would you please lift this window off my back?”
Geneva tried to keep the panic out of her voice. Like it or not, she was at his mercy.
“How do I know you’re not a burglar? Maybe I should call the sheriff.”
“Come on, you rented the place to me just last week. You know who I am.”
“Now that you mention it, I do recognize the legs.”
Geneva automatically tugged at her skirt to make sure she wasn’t showing him more than just lack of coordination with the window.
Her ex-husband, Les, would have a field day with her predicament if he were here. Fortunately, he and his relentless put-downs were long gone now. She only hoped her landlord had more restraint.
Geneva grew warm when she remembered the first time she’d seen Wade. With looks like his, it was easy to understand why women practically stood in line to go out with him, and she had responded to his blatantly masculine charm by blushing and succumbing to a fit of shyness. Once again he was making her feel inexperienced and naive…which, come to think of it, she was.
Strong male hands gripped the small of her back, and Geneva stiffened at their touch.
“Bear with me a moment,” he said, his arm nudging her bottom as he braced his elbows on either side of her hips in an attempt to push the window up.
Although he’d started out teasing her, his actions were now matter-of-fact. Even so, she felt embarrassed at being caught with her rump up and her guard down. Geneva’s abdomen chaffed against the frame, but there was little she could do with the window pressed firmly against her back. The thin scarlet T-shirt had worked its way loose from the waistband of her denim skirt and did little to cushion her from the wood biting into her body.
A moment later the window shuddered upward and Geneva was freed from its grasp. Backing gingerly out of its clutches, she gathered her son close, then smoothed the tangle of brown curls that fell over her shoulders.
Momentarily forgetting to thank her rescuer, she lifted the hem of her top and inspected the damage. There was no blood from the scrape on her side, but a broad patch the size of her palm flamed a bright pink, and tiny ridges indicated where the skin had barely been broken.
Wade leaned close and made an appropriate noise of sympathy that somehow made her feel better.
“That’s gotta hurt like he—” He interrupted himself, his gaze darting to Jacob. “—a lot.”
Suddenly remembering she was exposing her midriff to a man who was not a doctor, Geneva jerked the fabric down without bothering to tuck it back into her skirt. She set about fussing with her clothes in an attempt to cover her awkwardness.
“You look great,” he said in an obvious attempt to reassure her but, coming from him, the words served as a reminder to beware the reputed philanderer on her doorstep. He took her shoe from his hip pocket. “You dropped this, Cinderella.”
Geneva reached to take it from him, but he had already knelt before her and cupped the heel of her bare foot in his hand.
“I feel like a regular Prince Charming,” he announced as he slid the canvas shoe onto her foot.
Self-consciously, Geneva moved backward. The deck railing prevented further retreat.
“What? I don’t bite.”
She looked down at her feet and wondered why the heel he had cupped in his hand still burned from his touch. “That’s not what the neighbors say.”
She hadn’t actually meant to say the words out loud, and she was all set to apologize, when he threw his head back and laughed. The deep sound of it wrapped around her, making her glad to have caused such a reaction, even if it had been accidental.
“Ah, so my reputation precedes me.”
He didn’t seem upset at having been the topic of discussion. Instead, he seemed amused by it. Perhaps he was used to such an occurrence.
“Let me put your fears to rest,” he said, his gaze capturing hers with such an intensity that she couldn’t have looked away if she had wanted to. “You’re not my type.”
With an involuntary squaring of her shoulders, she found herself annoyed rather than relieved by his declaration. There was nothing wrong with her. She was reasonably attractive, in pretty good shape, intelligent and, as a bonus, she was quite handy with most things domestic. And although her ex-husband had tried to make her believe otherwise, she was very easy to get along with.
At her skeptical “hmmph!” Wade raised an eyebrow. “Would you care to elaborate on that?”
“Not really.” She lifted her chin, determined to set some ground rules. “Your personal life is none of my business, and I don’t care what type of woman you prefer as long as you’re discreet about it.” She ruffled her son’s hair. “It wouldn’t do to have a certain someone asking questions about the birds and bees because of our neighbor’s activities.”
Besides, she’d already shared a roof with one skirt chaser. She had no desire to repeat the experience.
“You think you have me pegged.”
She took Jacob’s hand and started toward the house, but he intercepted her. Her gaze fell squarely on the broad wall of his chest, which blocked her view but presented her with an even better one.
“So tell me what you believe my type is,” he persisted.
Geneva crossed her arms in front of her and immediately regretted the action when it caused the shirt to rub her sore spot. “I’ve heard what people say about you, and in this case I believe they’re right.”
The left corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “You listen to rumors?”
She looked down, pausing a moment to send Jacob to ride on his tricycle. When he was engaged in his play, she admitted to Wade, “Sometimes. When it might affect my son.”
Such as when she’d heard whisperings that Les was seeing another woman during his supposed business trips. She hadn’t stuck her head in the sand then, and she wasn’t about to start with Wade Matteo.
He nodded, almost as if he approved her decision. “And rumor says…”
He was not going to let up until she told him, so she may as well deliver it with both barrels. “You have two criteria.” She held up one finger. “Female…” Then a second. “…and breathing.”
Taking her hand in his, he unfolded her third finger. “Don’t forget ‘beautiful.”’
Then, failing to release her hand, he gripped her with a gaze so intense that Geneva became lost in the forest-green depths of his eyes. Right now she felt less like Cinderella, whom he’d mentioned earlier, and more like Little Red Riding Hood. What big, dark eyes he had.
He cleared his throat and cast her a wolfish grin. “Guess that makes you my type after all.”
Geneva blinked. This was getting out of hand. Pulling away from his touch, she sought to escape into the relative safety of her new home.
“Thank you for helping me out of my predicament.” She withdrew her fingers from his grasp as casually as if they’d been shaking hands and sidestepped him to go back to the window. Flashing him a grateful smile, she added, “Next time I’ll find a stick to prop the window open while I’m climbing through.”
Wade moved toward her. His expression was no longer hungry, but filled with concern. “Next time you lock yourself out, just ask me for the spare key. There’s no need to risk getting hurt.”
“Oh, I didn’t lock myself out.” She wondered if, like her ex-husband, Wade would laugh at her sentimentality. Letting go of the window, she knew she couldn’t go through life reacting to her ex and his hang-ups. Just because Les didn’t share her love for babies didn’t mean all men were like that. And just because this particular man—crisp slacks, muscle-hugging shirt and raw masculinity—seemed less like a family man than any she’d ever met before, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t understand her softhearted reason for finding an alternate entry into the house, no matter how inconvenient it might be.
Nodding toward the decorative summer wreath on her one and only outside door, she gave him the short version. “A couple of squatters have moved in without paying rent.”
With a frown of dawning comprehension, Wade crossed to the mat in front of the door.
Standing on the ornate braided script that spelled out Welcome, he considered the irony. For him, her body language had spelled out Go Away. Not that he could blame her. Although he’d joked about her not being his type, it was clear they both saw danger signals in the other.
Lifting his gaze to the grapevine wreath she’d placed there a couple of days after signing the lease, Wade felt her presence as she came up behind him. He inhaled her scent and tried to place the wholesome aroma that tugged at his memory. As ridiculous as it seemed, he could have sworn she smelled like fresh-baked cookies. Or maybe cinnamon strudel.
Letting out a large breath, Wade reminded himself to stay focused on the matter at hand. He needed to get her inside—and quickly—so he could put a safe distance between them.
“See?” She brushed his arm as she pointed to the bottom curve of the wreath. “It’s inside that clump of brown grass.”
He had to look close to see the grass that had been added after she’d hung it. It was hidden behind an ornamental bird covered in blue-dyed feathers, and the dried strands camouflaged well within the door decoration.
Leaning in, he got a glimpse of a black-crowned head and an unblinking eye fixed on him. Their gazes held for a split second before the panicked bird darted from the creative nest, its flapping gray wings whirring so close that the breeze hit Wade’s face.
Dodging to avoid a collision, he bumped into Geneva, who had been hovering near his elbow.
“I told you,” she said as if he’d doubted her word. “Now look inside the nest.”
Wade hesitated, wondering what further surprises lurked within the otherwise ordinary-looking wreath. Curiosity soon got the best of him, and he chanced another approach to peer inside.
This time he was rewarded with a glimpse of a small speckled white egg tucked away in the down-lined nest.
Geneva leaned toward him, her head almost touching his as they examined the fragile contents. Wade inhaled again. The scent of her, a light vanilla fragrance mixed with something else, made him hungry. And not for food.
“I noticed it this morning. After last night’s rain, the door was sticking as I tried to close it. So I gave it a firm tug and a bird flew out, like it did just now.” Reaching forward, she secured a stray bit of grass behind the fake bird that served double duty as sentinel and nest anchor. “It’s a wonder the egg didn’t fall out.”
And a good thing, too, or his maudlin new tenant would have been wracked with remorse and self-blame. “A bird that looks like yours makes its nest in the eaves of the clubhouse porch every year. Our golf pro says it’s a tufted titmouse. There will be four or five eggs in there by the end of the week. You’re going to have company for another month or so until the babies fly away.”
Geneva’s reaction to that bit of news was to grab a loose tendril of hair that had escaped from the clip at the nape of her neck and twist it around her finger. No fancy manicure for her. Her fingernails had been filed to a serviceable length and covered with a clear gloss. Feminine yet unpretentious, just like Geneva.
Wade thought of the woman he’d been with last night. Her nails had been overlaid with acrylic tips of unrealistic proportions, painted a bright magenta, and each imbedded with a tiny diamond-like chip. He doubted they would survive normal day-to-day working conditions, not that they had to. The important thing was that they hadn’t hampered her ability to fulfill his need.
By now, Jacob had bored of circling his tricycle around the dogwood tree beside the deck. The little boy whose cinnamon-brown eyes and light olive skin matched his mother’s, clutched the front of his pale green shorts. Toddling to Geneva, he tugged her skirt and gave her a pleaded Mommy!”
She stooped and picked him up. “Oh, I’m sorry, honey. I forgot all about your problem.” Her eyes met Wade’s, making it clear he was the reason for her distraction. The gesture reminded him that it would be better for both of them to handle this situation with expediency.
She was heading back to the window, the boy in her arms. Although Kinnon Falls was a small town populated by law-abiding folks whose main concern was raising their families in a slow-paced, peaceful environment, he didn’t like the idea of his new tenant entering and leaving through an unlocked window. A nestful of birds wasn’t worth the risk.
“No, wait,” he said, stopping her with a hand to her arm.
Her skin, smooth and warm, enticed him to explore further. To move in a gentle caress up over her shoulder and trail across her collarbone to the beckoning hollow at the base of her throat. Her eyes shuttered as if his touch had sent her to a similar place of longing. He knew the look, knew that she was a woman who was passionate about life and who could be equally passionate in bed. But she was also passionate about a lifestyle he wanted to avoid.
He withdrew his hand from her arm. “You can go in through the connecting door inside my house.”
The delicate wings of her eyebrows drew together, causing a narrow crease above her small nose. He knew without asking that she was considering his reputation.
“Just for now,” he assured her. “Until we can figure out another solution.” He would have offered her a key to his house but, considering her wariness toward him, he thought it best to wait on that.
Geneva gave him a reluctant nod and taking Jacob’s hand, they followed him in through the garage. As they went, he explained that the two apartments had been added by his parents when he was a teen. “Your place was occupied by my grandmother after she’d broken her hip. That way, she could live independently, but it was close enough to allow my parents and me to check on her every day.”
Just as Geneva was now doing for his younger brother.
“Was Sean’s apartment originally for your other set of grandparents?” she asked.
He grinned as he entered the den and unlatched the connecting door between their residences. “It was for me. When I was seventeen, I had such an active life, with people coming and going all the time that it was distracting to the rest of the family. So when they built the apartment for Nana, they had the contractor do one for me as well.”
Geneva could feel her eyes grow large at his revelation, and she tried to squelch her reaction. It wouldn’t do to have her eyes pop out, right here in her landlord’s house. Even so, it was a shock to discover that his proclivities had started at such a young age…and that his parents had condoned it.
In an article in the local newspaper last year, he’d been named the town’s Most Eligible Bachelor. The author of the article had used words such as playboy and rake to describe him.
And then it had referenced another equally dubious distinction in which the mayor had proclaimed her landlord Bachelor of the Year and presented him with a gold pin. Geneva wondered if that was the same pin he wore on his collar and touched frequently as if it was some sort of lucky charm.
This information she’d regrettably discovered only after she’d signed the lease. If she’d known of his social standing beforehand, she wouldn’t currently be worrying that someone might have seen her enter his house. In fact, she’d be living somewhere else altogether.
One thing was for certain. If she had gone elsewhere, her surroundings wouldn’t be nearly as beautiful, nor would the place be as affordable. And she doubted she’d be able to save for a house of her own…a dream Les had trampled before their divorce.
As it was now, her modest apartment, located smack in the center of Kinnon Falls’s most exclusive residential community, overlooked a postcard-beautiful lake with a lush green golf course beyond it. To the left, about a ten-minute walk away, the country club and gardens created the perfect setting for outdoor parties and receptions. So far, she and Jacob had seen two such parties, their Japanese lanterns twinkling beneath a star-studded sky.
Releasing the latch on the door connecting their living quarters, Wade gave a push, but something on the other side refused to give. Casting a knowing glance at her, he stated rather than asked, “You added another lock, didn’t you?”
Of course she did! As the owner of the Country Club he might be the most successful businessman in Kinnon Falls, and he might have his pick of any of the area’s most influential society women, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Not that he’d be interested. Even so, she had her own reputation to consider.
“Gotta go!” Jacob reminded her with renewed urgency.
“It’ll take me a few minutes to climb through your window and unlock your new security hardware.” He pointed past her. “You can take him down the hall to the first door on the right.”
As she took her son through the house, she noted with relief that the portion of the dwelling she saw seemed very ordinary. Nothing gave testimony to the wild life her landlord was reputed to lead. No beaded curtains, overly large mirrors, mood music or other evidence that this place might serve as a seduction palace. The decor was masculine and free of frills but tastefully elegant with its heavy rosewood furniture and Oriental rugs. And, for a bachelor’s place, the area was surprisingly neat. The only thing that stood out to her was the pinball machine that commanded one corner of the den.
They returned a few minutes later to find Wade standing beside the open door. The amusement in his green eyes told her what he’d found even before he spoke the words.
“You added a slide lock and a chain?”
She squirmed under his perusal, anxious to get back to the sanctuary of her apartment and put the closed door and three locks between them. “One can never be too careful these days.”
“So true,” he said as if confirming that she had reason to be wary of him. Well, at least he didn’t pretend to be something he was not. “Which brings me to the problem of your getting in and out of your place.”
Reaching into a cut-glass dish on the coffee table, he withdrew a couple of chocolate candies, handed one to Jacob, and offered the other to her. When she refused, he gave that one to Jacob as well. Her son smiled and promptly expressed his thanks by sitting on his benefactor’s Italian-leather loafer while he removed the paper. Geneva started to say they hadn’t had dinner yet, then decided to let it slide this time. With any luck, they wouldn’t have much contact with each other after this.
“My golf pro knows a lot about birds. I’ll check with him to see if we can safely move the nest to a more convenient location.” He reached into his hip pocket, pulled out a wallet with a familiar designer logo and retrieved a key from it. “In the meantime, you can use my spare key for access to your place.”
Geneva took a step back, holding her hands up, palms facing outward. “No, I don’t think that will be necessary.” At the moment, she didn’t have another solution, but she was hopeful that if she gave it enough thought she could come up with something.
His hand dropped to his side, fingers gripping the key tightly. “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”
She was certain the offer was made out of generosity and concern for her and Jacob—at least, she hoped so. But she didn’t want to offend him further than she already had by confessing her fear that his reputation might taint her own.
“You lead a busy life,” she said at last. “I wouldn’t want to interfere with your, uh, entertaining.”
“You’re in luck,” he said, pushing the key toward her once again. “I only hold my orgies every other month. This is my month to rest up and study the videos.”
Before she could stop herself from reacting to his outrageous statement, Geneva felt her mouth drop open. Recovering as well as she could, she said, partly to assure herself, “You’re just teasing me.” Even so, she felt it necessary to refuse the proffered key. When he didn’t crack a smile, she added, “Aren’t you?”
Wade frowned. He couldn’t blame her for believing the things she’d heard about him…hell, he’d intentionally started some of those rumors himself.
With other women, he felt relief upon seeing their expressions of wary unease. His dubious reputation helped keep them at a safe emotional distance. When they accompanied him to galas, social functions and charity benefits, they did so with the full knowledge that he was a for-the-moment kind of man. They made no demands on him and held no expectations beyond the evening’s events. If he was lucky—and he often was—he managed to get them to share their carefully guarded assets. And when they did, they gave willingly, expecting nothing in return. And he liked it like that.
But that same wariness clouding Geneva’s normally bright, open features seemed out of place on her. Something told him it was a maternal reaction…a reaction borne of concern for her son more than for herself.
For the first time in many years he found himself wanting to shatter the illusion he’d so carefully crafted. But he couldn’t do that, couldn’t expose his true self, especially not to a home-and-hearth kind of woman like Geneva. The stakes were too high for him to let her see the person he kept hidden away from public scrutiny. If he let down his guard, he might find himself wanting what he’d been denying himself ever since…
Wade gritted his teeth. There was no use mulling over the past or the probability that it might be repeated for him in the future. But despite all this, he couldn’t stop himself from proclaiming, “I’m not as bad as you think. I even go to church on a fairly regular basis.”
The furrow between her eyebrows disappeared, and a broad smile spread across her face, forming dimpled brackets on either side of her mouth. “Really? I’ve been looking for one in this area. Jacob and I would love to go to your church on Sunday.” She removed a rumpled tissue from her skirt pocket, wiped the chocolate from her son’s hands and drew him toward the door Wade had unlocked earlier. “Perhaps you could introduce us to some of your friends.”
Wade felt like a bobcat treed by a Chihuahua. Feeling cornered and scared, and a little foolish that such a tiny woman could elicit these emotions in him, he contemplated all the trouble that had arisen since she’d moved in. First, she’d sent his libido into overdrive despite the fact that she embodied every quality he tried to avoid in a woman. Then, thanks to her door wreath that spelled out an open invitation to a pair of family-minded birds, she had cost him his privacy. And now she was working her way into his personal life. He’d better do something about this latest development, and somehow put her out of his reach, before his heart and hormones overruled his head.
Propelling Jacob into her apartment with a light pat to the boy’s bottom, she flashed Wade a warm, open smile that nearly undid years of carefully constructed armor. “I’ll see you at church.”
And that was when Wade knew what he would have to do.
Chapter Two
Geneva hoped to take Jacob to the toddler-age Sunday-school class without either of them crying. He’d had a lot of changes in his young life, first losing a father—bum that he was—and then moving to a whole new community. There were some positive changes, too, such as the wide-open yard for him to play in and a new friendship with Sean, who doted on the boy and took him for rides on his golf cart. But the changes, both good and bad, were creating stress, and her son had become slightly clingy in the past few weeks.
His reaction had made her more resolved than ever to find just the right house for Jacob to grow up in. The only child of a military man, Geneva had gone through more than her share of uprootings, and she wanted to give her son the kind of stable home environment she had longed for as a child…and still wanted.
And while she was dreaming, her idea of the perfect upbringing for her son included a strong and loving father and a handful of siblings. She’d gone into her relationship with Les harboring this same dream for their future. Although she’d seen evidence of his party-boy ways, she had believed him when he’d told her that her happiness was his foremost concern. She’d thought he would settle into family life after Jacob was born, but he soon found more excuses to be away from the house. Away from her and his child.
“You really didn’t need to drive us to church,” she said as Wade pulled his car into the parking lot. “We could have met you here.” All weekend long, she’d had to impose on him to answer the door each time they’d needed to enter or exit the apartment through his house. And on the one occasion they both had to go out, he’d hidden a key in the hanging basket of begonias that adorned the broad front porch. It was a hassle doing it this way, no doubt about it, but she had no desire to encourage any more togetherness than was absolutely necessary.
“It’s no bother. Because of the rain, I doubt we’ll have any but the most diehard golfers at the course this morning.” He looked at her strangely, as if something was on his mind, but he only sighed and added, “Sometimes I have to miss church, especially when it’s sunny and mild, but now that you know the way…”
Then she understood. He was saying, in essence, after this you’re on your own. He was doing the hospitable thing today, bringing her here and introducing her around, but he was making it clear this was not to become a habit. Well, that was perfectly okay with her.
Once inside, Sean and Jacob walked ahead as Wade led Geneva past the adult classes, the high-school class, and eventually stopped at the fifth-grade room.
“I want to get Jacob to the nursery.” Her gaze remained fixed on Sean, who was making faces at her laughing son as they waited for her and Wade to catch up.
Wade straightened his tie before answering. “There’s someone I want you to meet first. Sean, why don’t you take Jacob to the nursery for Geneva?”
Her protective instincts kicked in as she imagined her son feeling helpless and abandoned in a new place. “But I was going to take him.”
Oblivious to her concern, Jacob grasped the older fellow’s coattail and left without a backward glance. She supposed she should have been glad he went along so easily, carefully dodging Sean’s crutches, but instead she felt as though she’d been forgotten in the excitement of the moment.
“He’ll probably cry,” she protested. And if he did, who would hold him and comfort him until his tears dried?
“It’s better this way,” Wade assured her. “Kids are less likely to cry when they leave Mom than when Mom leaves them. You can check on him through the two-way mirror when we’re done here.”
“Since when did you get to be an authority on children?” she muttered. She hadn’t intended for him to hear her grousing, but the upward quirk of his mouth told her he’d caught it all.
“Since I helped raise my younger brother,” he replied.
Before she could respond, a dark-haired man in his early thirties appeared at the classroom door. “May I help you?”
A roomful of eleven-year-olds studied them with keen interest.
“I’d like you to meet Geneva Jensen,” Wade said without preamble. “She and her son are visiting our church for the first time today.” Then, finishing the introduction, he pulled her by the elbow so that she was positioned squarely in front of the man. “Geneva, this is Deacon Tackett.”
Geneva smiled shyly. If ever she’d felt put on the spot—on display, even—it was now. But she appreciated her landlord’s friendly gesture, so she would just tough it out.
The gentleman before her seemed to sense her discomfort. After switching a bit of chalk to his left hand, he shook her hand and smiled warmly. It was a pleasant expression set against an attractive backdrop of dark eyebrows, aquiline nose and slim cheeks that carried what she suspected was an ever-present shadow of beard, and it went a long way toward making her feel welcome.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” he said. “I hope you’ll like your visit enough to return and perhaps become a member of our congregation.”
She was about to murmur a polite reply so they could excuse themselves gracefully, but Wade seemed determined to prolong the awkward conversation.
“The deacon teaches Sunday school to fifth-graders,” he said, stating the obvious. “He really likes kids a lot…always organizing youth trips and having pizza parties for them.”
“No need to be formal,” the man said in response to the manner in which Wade addressed him. “Please, call me Ellis.” Ellis tilted his head as if suddenly realizing the implication behind the introduction. “Is your son in fifth grade? He’s welcome to join our study class this morning.”
“Oh, no, he’s in the nursery.” And she was getting antsy about checking to see how Jacob was accepting his new situation.
“Well, I’m glad Mr. Matteo stopped by to introduce us. If there’s anything you need, or if you have any questions…”
That’s when it hit her. These two men barely knew each other! Why else would they call each other Deacon Tackett and Mr. Matteo? Until now she had assumed Wade had merely wanted her to meet a friend of his. But they obviously weren’t close, and she didn’t have an older child for Ellis to teach, so why was Wade putting her through this?
“Geneva does a lot of sewing.” Wade ignored Ellis’s attempt to close the conversation and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Perhaps you could charm her into helping with the costumes for this year’s Christmas play.” The smile Wade flashed the other man seemed fraught with meaning. Then, turning to Geneva, he added, “The deacon is a real pillar of the community. His family has lived in the area for more than a century. They even have a road named after them.”
Why was he telling her this? Not knowing how else to respond to this seemingly unnecessary bit of information, she merely said, “That’s quite impressive.”
Wade gave her an amused grin. “Personally, I’d rather have a roller coaster named after me.”
She wasn’t surprised. A date with Wade Matteo was probably just like a roller-coaster ride—full of exciting turns, giddying heights and heart-stopping plummets, that ultimately ended up right where they started. Whoever dared to take such a ride would certainly have a story to tell and a memory to cherish, but nothing more.
Realization dawned with such crackling intensity that it nearly blinded her. Wade was setting her up, and he’d chosen to pair her with Ellis. She felt herself blush, not certain whether to get angry with him for being so presumptuous or go along with the match-making attempt.
Taking another, more assessing look at Ellis, she realized Wade had chosen wisely. Now, there was a man with whom she could go somewhere. From what little she knew about him—that he was a leader in the community, that he seemed kind and polite and, best of all, that he liked children—she decided this was someone she could possibly build a relationship with. There wouldn’t be any hairpin turns or spiraling heights of ecstasy as in a roller-coaster ride perhaps, but he seemed like just the kind of man she and Jacob needed.
Ellis obviously hadn’t caught on to Wade’s machinations yet. He pointed at the two of them. “How long have you two been dating?”
“Oh, no, we’re not dating,” Geneva quickly supplied. “We just live together.”
Wade gave her a look that told her she’d blown it, and then his Adam’s apple bobbed as he tried to hold back a laugh.
“I mean we live in the same house.” Suddenly the spring day seemed to have grown unseasonably warm, and Geneva realized she hadn’t actually clarified the deacon’s misconception after all. So she tried again. “I’m at the back, and he’s in front.”
Oh, good grief, that sounded even worse!
Ellis’s blue eyes darkened as his gaze darted between them. Geneva had the sickening feeling that not only had she ruined her chances with him, but also with anyone who might talk to him.
To her relief, Wade fished her out of the hot water she’d gotten herself into.
“What she means is that I’m her landlord. Geneva lives in an apartment attached to the back of my house, which is next door to Sean.”
Ellis’s eyebrows descended to a more normal position, and he gave a soft chuckle. “Of course.”
The conversation fell suddenly quiet, and Ellis glanced over his shoulder at the children who were swatting each other with their lesson books.
“Would you like to see it sometime?” Wade seemed impervious to her growing discomfort. “Tuesday evening, maybe?”
Geneva caught his elbow and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t think—”
“Sure,” said Ellis. By now the kids had stopped their horseplay and were chanting a jump-rope song about sitting in a tree and k-i-s-s-i-n-g. Ellis seemed not to hear as he smiled benevolently at Geneva. “Is seven o’clock okay?”
“That’s perfect,” Wade said, cutting off her protest. “Bring an appetite. I hear Geneva is quite the cook.”
This was getting out of control. What would people think when they found out the town’s resident playboy was procuring dates for her? What must Ellis think about this peculiar setup? A knot clutched at her stomach as she considered the expectations such an arrangement might arouse.
Wade stabbed at the buttons on the phone and stopped before he reached the last one. It should be such a simple thing to ask a wealthy heiress to accompany him to a charity ball, but he couldn’t bring himself to punch that last number.
He felt like a phony…he didn’t even like the woman. That had never stopped him before, so he couldn’t understand why he was having so much trouble going through with it this time. Hell, he didn’t even have this much trouble asking the deacon for a date with Geneva.
Maybe Geneva had something to do with his hesitation. He hadn’t been the same since she moved in. At first he’d told himself it was because a single woman on the premises, especially one as wholesome and motherish as Geneva, tended to cramp his style. Instead, he found himself daydreaming about unfastening her hair clip and letting her rich brown locks tumble over his fingers. And if he wasn’t careful, his thoughts led to imagining the softness of those curls tickling his bare chest as they lay together in each other’s arms.
Then, to shake himself out of the foolhardy reverie, he reminded himself of his resolve to date only career women or those over forty who had no desire to add to their families. Geneva embodied every quality that he sought to avoid in women: she was in the prime of her childbearing years, making clear in actions and words her wish for a large family. She was the kind of woman who wanted permanence…and promises of things he could not fulfill.
Wade paced the kitchen floor, reminding himself that the end justified the means, and forced himself to redial the woman’s number.
Cherise Watson was the daughter of a wealthy businessman-turned-senator, and though her father had died a few years ago, she and her mother still had strong ties to others in the political arena. Wade had long been a dedicated fundraiser for the children’s hospital. Not only would a generous donation from Cherise provide the hospital with a new magnetic resonance imaging machine, but a well-placed word in the right politician’s ear might garner the research funds the facility so desperately needed.
Geneva hoisted Jacob to her hip and allowed him to peek carefully into the nest at the two most recent additions. One of the parent birds sat in an oak tree, chirping its indignation at their intrusion. Setting her son down, she contemplated the best way to approach the problem. Although she thought her landlord could have been more subtle, and definitely more tactful, in his matchmaking effort, she was grateful that he had introduced her to such a nice man.
Fortunately, after church she was able to talk a bit more with Ellis without interruption from her busybody neighbor. Their conversation helped convince her that the deacon’s desires mirrored her own. He loved children and wanted a traditional family life but, as was her own experience, his exacting standards narrowed the dating pool so that his options were severely limited.
She stood back from the house and examined the bare area beside the light fixture. If she moved the wreath those few feet, perhaps the parent birds would adapt without complaint to the minor adjustment. And she would regain the use of her door.
For the past couple of days, she’d been using Wade’s house as a cut-through to her apartment. Despite his insistence that her entering and leaving through his living quarters was not an inconvenience, Geneva was equally insistent that she had to find another solution. Today. Before her upcoming dinner date with Ellis tomorrow night.
It was inconvenient to have Wade let her and Jacob through his house every time they needed to enter or exit. The situation could prove awkward if he had to serve as the gatekeeper for her date as well.
Considering the way in which Wade had meddled to bring her and Ellis together, she didn’t want to give him an opportunity to meddle any more than he already had.
Mustering up his gumption, Wade took a deep breath and finished dialing the number. It was only for one evening, for crying out loud. And it was a public event, so it wasn’t like he’d have to wine and dine Cherise privately…and risk giving her the impression that he harbored a romantic interest in her. The line on the other end rang once.
“Excuse me.”
Startled, Wade wheeled around to find Geneva poised hesitantly on the threshold between his den and kitchen.
He sucked in his breath at the sight of her and dropped the phone back into its cradle. The trim white pants that ended in a slit just below her knees showed off a flat stomach, enticingly rounded hips and lightly tanned calves and ankles. As for the tailored blue shirt, it caressed her curves in a way his hands itched to mimic. And her hair, as usual, fought to escape the clip that held the riotous waves prisoner. A fragment of oak pollen clung near her temple, giving evidence that she’d been gardening or playing outside with Jacob. If she looked this good while just hanging around the house, he dared not imagine how easily she could outshine all the ladies who would be attending the hospital’s charity ball later this month.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I might borrow a hammer?”
Jacob crawled between her ankles. “Bam-bambam!” he said, imitating a popular Saturday-morning cartoon character.
“Sure, it’s out in the utility room.” He started to step past her and lead the way. But, preferring instead to savor this unexpected visual treat, he motioned for her to go ahead of him. The view from the back was as good as the front. His body reacted as if he’d just returned from spending several years in a monk’s retreat. His overstimulated hormones had his nerve endings tingling with anticipation, and Wade knew if he didn’t send her away immediately he might do or say something he’d regret later.
Grabbing three different sizes of hammers from his workstation, he shoved them all in her hands and abruptly turned and went back inside. Standing once again in front of the telephone, he tried to wipe the picture of her—eyes wide and lips puckered in an unspoken question—from his mind and return to the task he’d been avoiding for weeks.
Waiting a moment for his heart to stop racing, he once again forced himself to pick up the phone. But this time he couldn’t bring himself to go through the motions of calling Cherise.
When Geneva returned a moment later, he felt rather than heard her enter the kitchen.
“I think I need a screwdriver after all.”
“They’re on the workbench where I got the hammers,” he said, inviting her to help herself and save him the torture of having to refuse her round bottom’s beckoning gesture as she exited the room.
Fortunately, she took his cue and left before a fit of conscience compelled him to change his mind.
Trying to pull his thoughts back to the matter at hand, Wade knew he couldn’t wait any longer to find a date for the charity ball. Although there’d never been a shortage of willing ladies to accompany him to similar fund-raisers in the past, courtesy dictated that he give his guest ample time to book a fitting for a new dress and otherwise prepare for the event. With only two weeks to go, he was already pushing it to the wire.
Despite the urgency, he couldn’t bring himself to focus on what he had to do. He was distracted, partly by the image of Geneva in those casual pants, and partly from wondering what she was up to with his tools. Remembering the shelves he’d promised to install over her sewing table, he wondered if she’d decided to put them up herself.
Happily abandoning his mission, he followed the path she’d taken through the garage to the back of the house.
Having anchored a screw in the wood siding beside her door, Geneva reached to lift the wreath from its current mooring.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The deep male voice almost made her send the wreath—nest and all—crashing to the deck. “I wish you wouldn’t sneak up on me!”
Ignoring the scolding tone in her words, Wade stated simply, “I talked to Tim, the golf pro, and he says the parents might abandon the nest if you move it.”
Releasing her grip on the grapevine decoration, she also let go a breath of frustration. “Then what am I supposed to do? I have a date tomorrow night, and I want to make a good impression.”
“You will.” Wade stepped uncomfortably close. “How could he not be impressed?”
“You know what I mean. Imagine how odd it looks for me to be coming and going at all hours through your house.”
“What’s the matter?” he whispered. “Are you afraid the good people of Kinnon Falls will think we’re together?”
Of course she was! But, to spare his feelings, she shook her head. “It might make Ellis feel weird.”
“Here, take my key.” This time he pressed the metal into the palm of her hand. His gesture clearly said he would brook no further argument on the subject. “I’ll stay out of the way while you two get to know each other.”
It felt so personal, so intimate, to be holding the key to his house. She’d been putting off accepting it, hoping to come up with a more acceptable solution to her bird-imposed dilemma. But that had only put them in more frequent contact as he let her and Jacob in and out of his house. Closing her fingers around the key, Geneva couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes, so she used the excuse of glancing toward the yard where Jacob played in a new sandbox Wade had built just for him.
“Your generosity in letting us cut through your home is very much appreciated.” Unfortunately the birds gave her no other choice. She paused, uncertain about the propriety of putting conditions on a favor. But it was either that or be confronted with improprieties herself. When he offered to stay out of the way tomorrow night, her imagination supplied the most likely scenario—that he’d be having company of his own. “However, considering your, uh, bachelor situation, perhaps we could devise a code for when you’re…” Geneva felt her cheeks flush with heat “…indisposed. Perhaps a candle in the window or a string tied around the doorknob?”
Wade ran a thumb over the shallow divot in his cheek. “Or we could wire the porch lamp to my bedsprings, and when the light flashes on and off, you’ll know—”
“I should have known you’d make fun of my concern. This may not be a big deal to you, but it is a big deal where my son is concerned.” Moving away from the nest and out of earshot of Jacob, she added, “The reason I moved to Kinnon Falls in the first place is because I wanted to protect him from being exposed to certain unsavory elements.” The major one being the boy’s father, but she wouldn’t go into that now.
Wade’s countenance suddenly turned serious. He leaned in as if to stress his point. Feeling dwarfed by his size, Geneva retreated a step. It didn’t help much. He still took her breath away.
“It’s foolish to make assumptions before you have all the facts,” he said. “When I want to, I can be quite…savory.”
The tone for her date with the deacon was set when Geneva failed to hear the doorbell from her apartment and Wade met Ellis at the door holding a horsewhip and wearing a devious smile. She had hoped he would be out on his own date tonight, but it looked as though he would be sticking around for the evening.
On first glance at the jeans Wade wore and the too-tight T-shirt that pulled across his chest, he looked like an eternal teenager. A well-built one. Ellis, on the other hand, was dressed for the occasion in tan slacks, a pale blue oxford shirt and a navy tie.
Jacob hid shyly behind her, pressing his face against her skirt. Except, perhaps, for the current situation with her landlord, she knew Kinnon Falls would be a wonderful place to raise her son. Discreetly studying Ellis from the den, she wondered if he might be the man with whom she would someday raise Jacob. Judging from his interaction with parishioners and the respect they held for him, he certainly appeared to be a good possibility. And if he wasn’t the man for them, well, she’d keep trying until she found the right one. Never again would she marry someone who didn’t fully meet her needs. And never again would she believe that she could change someone to fit her criteria of the perfect family man.
She stepped into the room, Jacob clinging like an appliqué to her leg, just as Wade was launching into his explanation about the whip.
“Our riding instructor found this in the old barn beyond the stables.” Wade shook the coil loose and danced the worn leather across the floor. “Louis thinks it could be as much as a hundred years old.”
Ellis pushed his hands into his pockets. “What are you going to do with it?”
Her nemesis flashed her a wicked smile. “At first I considered how I might use it for myself, but eventually I decided to do something a little wild and crazy.”
Fearing the worst, Geneva sought to intercept the conversation and gracefully extricate Ellis to the safety and privacy of her apartment. “I don’t think Wade needs to go into—”
But he was determined to finish…and most likely embarrass her.
“I was thinking I’d hang it in the Fox and Hound room at the restaurant,” he said with utmost innocence. Then, raising his eyebrows at her, he rewound the whip over his hand and elbow. “What did you think I was going to do with it?”
Wade held her gaze a moment longer than necessary, breaking contact only after a flush of pink swept over her cheeks. He told himself he was only encouraging her in her wrong opinion of him because it fell in with his plan. If she thought him a wayward man, she would avoid him even if he should lose his head momentarily and attempt to flirt with her. But the real reason was that he enjoyed teasing her and watching her react with the fresh innocence of a much younger woman. He liked the way her chin dipped, revealing the embarrassment she tried not to show. He liked the way her pale brown eyes glowed with golden flecks when she confronted him about his reputation and how it might affect her child. He liked…way too much about her.
Jerking his gaze from the tight line of her soft pink lips, he addressed the man standing patiently in his living room. The deacon was a good man, and Wade was certain he’d treat Geneva right. But something deep down inside Wade nudged him, asking if that was enough. Would she be happy with this guy?
If this relationship went sour for her, he’d be consumed with guilt for having fixed her up with someone unsuited to her. He had to know without a doubt that they were right for each other, and to gain that certainty, he would need to know more about Deacon Tackett.
“So, what kind of car do you drive?”
Geneva sighed and narrowed her eyes at Wade to signal that she was ready to take over from here. All the while, Tackett enthusiastically filled him in about the collector-model Mustang he was restoring. Although the man’s boss cam fascinated him greatly, he reluctantly acknowledged that bit of information would be of no help to Geneva. He decided a more personal question would give him a better idea of their compatibility.
Geneva turned and lifted a hand toward the den, but before she could lead her date away, Wade intercepted them. “You seem to be a man of high standards, Deacon. Tell me, what do you think is the most important attribute in a woman?”
There. That should tell him volumes about whether he was truly the right one for Geneva.
“Wade?”
The deacon touched a hand to her wrist. “That’s okay, Geneva. It’s a fair question.” He addressed Wade much as a student answers a teacher when called on in a spelling bee. He squared his shoulders and looked him directly in the eye, fully confident in his answer. “It is written that charm is deceptive and beauty fades, but a woman who loves the Lord will be greatly praised.”
“No fair,” Wade said with a grin. “You took the easy way out by quoting Proverbs.” It would take some thought, but Wade knew he’d have to come up with a better test.
Geneva bestowed a blistering frown on him that could have made a small child cry. “Here’s another proverb for you. ‘He who guards his lips guards his life.”’
This time, she hooked Tackett’s elbow and practically dragged him from the room, no easy task considering that Jacob had mooched a ride on her foot. So far Wade had scored a double bogey with his line of questioning, and Geneva was calling it a game before they’d reached the eighteenth hole.
But he refused to let her off that easily. He’d impulsively hooked her up with this man, taking his reputation at face value and failing to check him out thoroughly beforehand. Wade’s conscience would not allow him to stand by idly while innocent, trusting Geneva turned her heart over to someone who might not be worthy of love.
Honesty compelled him to consider that his concern about this pairing was not totally altruistic. There was something about Geneva’s sweet innocence that made him want not only to protect her, but to keep her for himself. He supposed that, in an ideal world, he might have considered her his perfect match.
But this wasn’t an ideal world. And he had no guarantee that Ellis was the ideal mate for Geneva.
Deacon or not, Ellis was subject to flaws just like any other man. Wade would have to find out more about this guy before the evening was out.
Chapter Three
After she’d discouraged Wade from following them into her apartment, she invited Ellis into the kitchen to keep her company while she finished preparing their dinner. She didn’t know what had gotten into her landlord, but she hoped he got over it soon.
“Smells great,” Ellis said as he settled into a chair at the table. “What is it?”
“Roma chicken with rice.” She added the chicken and tomatoes to the sautéed onions and garlic, then covered the skillet. “This needs to simmer a little while. In the meantime, I’d love to hear about your Sunday-school class.”
Just as she’d hoped, the subject was one her date enjoyed talking about, and it made a small headway toward breaking the ice between them. Even so, they were still at that awkwardly polite stage. Perhaps, by evening’s end, once the effects of Wade’s interrogation wore off they’d be more relaxed and better able to enjoy each other’s company. To her dismay, Wade ambled into the kitchen wearing a large grin and carrying a bottle of wine in the crook of his arm. “I noticed you were completely out of wine, so I brought you some to restock.”
Flabbergasted, Geneva could only stammer, “But I don’t…we’re not…”
She didn’t know anything about Ellis’s attitude toward alcohol, but since the communion “wine” at church had actually been grape juice, she thought it safe to assume he didn’t imbibe.
Wade pulled a couple of goblets from her cabinet, filled one, and handed it to Geneva. Then he poured another. “How about you, Elvis? Care for a little conversation lubrication?”
Ellis held his hand palm-out at the proffered glass. “No thanks. I don’t drink.”
Just as she’d thought. She had to get Wade out of here before he managed to offend Ellis further and wind up ruining her chances with this man who seemed to have so much going for him.
“No?” he persisted. Wade reached into his pocket and sidestepped her with a smile full of devious innocence. “Then how about a breath mint?”
Ellis accepted one, and Jacob took three. Great, now he was ruining her son’s appetite, too.
“You have a beautiful home.” Her date was obviously trying to make polite conversation.
“Thank you, Elvis. It’s been in my family for generations.” Geneva could have sworn he stuck out his chest as he launched into a discussion of his family’s farming history. “My father was the first to give up farming for a salaried job.”
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Carolyn Greene
HE KNOCKED ON HER DOOR….The man every girl dreamed of-but every woman knew was dangerous. With his wicked sense of humor and sexy smile, Wade Matteo wreaked havoc on the average female. But struggling single mom Geneva Jensen prided herself on being strong. No way would she fall for the successful, single, charming manYet Wade had a softer side that he hid from everybody else-though as his neighbor, Geneva saw his kindness to her little boy. Was there a chance that this woman-wary Bachelor of the Year would ever settle down?Was that love knocking on the door?
“So tell me what you believe my type is,” Wade persisted.
“I’ve heard what people say about you, and in this case I believe they’re right.”
The left corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “You listen to rumors?”
“Sometimes. When it might affect my son.”
He nodded, almost as if he approved her decision. “And rumor says…?”
“You have two criteria.” Geneva held up one finger. “Female…” Then a second. “And breathing.”
Taking her hand in his he unfolded her third finger. “Don’t forget ‘beautiful.’”
He gripped her with a gaze so intense that Geneva became lost in the forest-green depths of his eyes.
He cleared his throat and cast her a wolfish grin. “Guess that makes you my type after all.”
Dear Reader,
As senior editor for the Silhouette Romance line, I’m lucky enough to get first peek at the stories we offer you each month. Each editor searches for stories with an emotional impact, that make us laugh or cry or feel tenderness and hope for a loving future. And we do this with you, the reader, in mind. We hope you continue to enjoy the variety each month as we take you from first love to forever.…
Susan Meier’s wonderful story of a hardworking single mom and the man who sweeps her off her feet is Cinderella and the CEO. In The Boss’s Baby Mistake, Raye Morgan tells of a heroine who accidentally gets inseminated with her new boss’s child! The fantasy stays alive with Carol Grace’s Fit for a Sheik as a wedding planner’s new client is more than she bargained for.…
Valerie Parv always creates a strong alpha hero. In Booties and the Beast, Sam’s the strong yet tender man. Julianna Morris’s lighthearted yet emotional story Meeting Megan Again reunites two people who only seem mismatched. And finally Carolyn Greene’s An Eligible Bachelor has a very special secondary character—along with a delightful hero and heroine!
Next month, look for our newest ROYALLY WED series with Stella Bagwell’s The Expectant Princess. Marie Ferrarella astounds readers with Rough Around the Edges—her 100th title for Silhouette Books! And, of course, there will be more stories throughout the year chosen just for you.
Happy reading!
Mary-Theresa Hussey
Senior Editor
An Eligible Bachelor
Carolyn Greene
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
This book is dedicated to Sean Eastwood, who has taught a lot of people about the power of love.
And to Charles and William Hine who inspire me.
Also, many thanks to Byron Foutch for sharing his knowledge of birds and their nesting habits.
CAROLYN GREENE
has been married to a fire chief for more than twenty years. She laughingly introduces herself as the one who lights the fires and her husband as the one who puts them out. They are a true opposites-attract type of couple and, because of this, they and their two teenagers have learned a lot about the art of compromise.
Coming together…mentally, physically and spiritually. That’s what romance is all about, and that’s what Carolyn strives to portray in her highly entertaining novels. Says Carolyn, “I like to think that after someone has read one of my books, I’ve made her or his day a little brighter. You just can’t put a price tag on that kind of job satisfaction.”
Dear Reader,
Fifteen years ago, a baby boy with a big personality came into my next-door neighbors’ lives. Doctors diagnosed him with a rare genetic disorder, Joubert Syndrome, and predicted that little Sean would never sit up, talk or even smile.
Although it’s known that Joubert Syndrome is genetically transmitted by both parents, testing is not currently available to determine whether they are carriers. Typical features of Joubert Syndrome, caused by a malformed or missing part of the brain (cerebellar vermis), include alternating episodes of panting and non-breathing in babies, poor balance and coordination, abnormal eye and tongue movements and decreased muscle tone. In addition, there are developmental delays and some degree of mental retardation is common. Since this is such a rare condition, it often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed as Dandy Walker Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy.
Fortunately, Sean was too young to understand the doctor’s grim prognosis. Today, he sits in his wheelchair, communicates through sign language and wears an ever-present smile. His mother served on the first Board of Directors for the Joubert Foundation, and the family has met others from all over the world with children like Sean and subsequently shared their experiences and struggles with me.
For more information about Joubert Syndrome, go to the Web site at http://www.joubertfoundation.com, or send a self-addressed stamped envelope care of Mary Van Damme, Joubert Syndrome Foundation, 12348 Summer Meadow Road, Rock, MI 49880.
All the best,
Contents
Chapter One (#u9ae1f783-e9fe-57a3-b91b-1c6da9e4fb51)
Chapter Two (#uee6f69e1-f8f7-50df-afc2-1679a1ab4f27)
Chapter Three (#uab4df298-60ec-56fd-b536-1df167a4e16c)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
The first thing Wade noticed was a red shoe, sitting like a misplaced rhododendron blossom among the clusters of blue hydrangea balls. And beside it a denim skirt and two shapely female legs protruding from the window. One foot sported a shoe that matched the one in the bush.
Not bothering to suppress a grin, Wade grabbed the shoe from the stalky branches and closed the distance between them. The woman’s little boy threw him a shy smile and moved back to watch.
Geneva wriggled, trying to squeeze her way inside with sheer willpower, but the bottom edge of the pull-down window bit into the small of her back, forcing her to give up the battle she’d been fighting for several minutes. This was all because of a couple of birds who were more successful in their life plans than she had been.
A light May breeze swept past, teasing the hem of her denim skirt and grazing her bare calves. If she pulled her knees close to the house and pointed her toes, she could touch an espadrille to the wooden planks of the small patio deck flanking her apartment at the back of her landlord’s old Victorian house.
Her toddler son poked her rump with his tiny finger. “Funny mama.”
Funny, indeed!
The embarrassment of being found like this—after only one day in her new place—was of less concern than the humiliation she would feel at having failed to live up to the agreement she’d struck with her landlord. Sean, her landlord’s nineteen-year-old disabled brother who occupied the apartment adjacent to hers, might be able to give her a hand. But one of the terms of her lease was that she’d be available to help Sean when needed. If she had to seek help from the young man she was supposed to watch out for, Wade Matteo would be justified in doubting her ability to perform the simple job. Worse, he might revoke the lease she’d recently signed.
And if she lost this apartment—with its reasonable rent and beautiful surroundings—she’d be forced to move back to the city. Then her chance of saving for a down payment on a house would disappear. And along with it, her dream of giving her son the roots she’d always longed for would vanish.
Jacob fidgeted behind her and proceeded to dance an awkward jig. “Gotta go potty.”
Of course. When it rained, it poured…so to speak.
His agenda for the afternoon—go through his black book, call some of the women who met his criteria and try to sweet-talk them into giving him what he wanted—would have to wait.
When he had returned home a few moments ago and pointed the nose of his elegant black sports car toward the garage at the left side of his house, he had heard a woman’s voice. Considering his new tenant’s domestic tendencies, Wade had assumed she was singing as she did her housework. During the past week, the lovely Ms. Jensen had been cleaning and gradually moving her belongings into the apartment.
Not that he was surprised. The first time he’d met her to show her the apartment, he’d immediately pegged her as a young June Cleaver. The single mother didn’t have the high-heeled shoes or strand of pearls, or even a husband, as the old-fashioned TV character had, but he knew with certainty she had the nesting instinct. And that spelled danger.
Long ago he’d learned to pick up on such clues, and less than a minute after he’d met his attractive tenant, he had mentally hung a Do Not Touch sign on her. And, as if to ward her off, a long-standing superstitious habit prompted him to rub the Bachelor of the Year pin on his collar. Women who sang while they did housework were definitely off his list of possibilities.
He crossed the driveway to the deck behind the attached apartment. Amusing as this might be, he’d have to make this quick. His little black book held promise for a fruitful evening.
“Sean?” Her cry was plaintive now, as if she’d given up hope that anyone would come to her rescue.
Odd that she would be calling his brother for help. The Joubert syndrome that weakened Sean’s muscles forced him to walk with crutches and prevented him from lifting heavy objects. It was Saturday afternoon, so the teen was no doubt driving his cart around the course as he picked up trash, retrieved lost golf balls and chatted with the country-club guests.
Geneva stiffened as if she must have felt the vibrations when he crossed the wood-planked patio.
From her facedown position, she pushed a hand out the window and motioned him closer. “I thought you’d never get me out of this mess. Do me a favor, and don’t mention this to your brother, okay?”
“And why wouldn’t you want him to know?”
“Mr. Matteo?”
“You can call me Wade.” Out of habit, he fell into his come-a’calling voice…a deep, rich tone that he’d cultivated to go along with his playboy persona.
She wiggled her toes, and he knew instinctively that he’d gotten to her. “Would you please lift this window off my back?”
Geneva tried to keep the panic out of her voice. Like it or not, she was at his mercy.
“How do I know you’re not a burglar? Maybe I should call the sheriff.”
“Come on, you rented the place to me just last week. You know who I am.”
“Now that you mention it, I do recognize the legs.”
Geneva automatically tugged at her skirt to make sure she wasn’t showing him more than just lack of coordination with the window.
Her ex-husband, Les, would have a field day with her predicament if he were here. Fortunately, he and his relentless put-downs were long gone now. She only hoped her landlord had more restraint.
Geneva grew warm when she remembered the first time she’d seen Wade. With looks like his, it was easy to understand why women practically stood in line to go out with him, and she had responded to his blatantly masculine charm by blushing and succumbing to a fit of shyness. Once again he was making her feel inexperienced and naive…which, come to think of it, she was.
Strong male hands gripped the small of her back, and Geneva stiffened at their touch.
“Bear with me a moment,” he said, his arm nudging her bottom as he braced his elbows on either side of her hips in an attempt to push the window up.
Although he’d started out teasing her, his actions were now matter-of-fact. Even so, she felt embarrassed at being caught with her rump up and her guard down. Geneva’s abdomen chaffed against the frame, but there was little she could do with the window pressed firmly against her back. The thin scarlet T-shirt had worked its way loose from the waistband of her denim skirt and did little to cushion her from the wood biting into her body.
A moment later the window shuddered upward and Geneva was freed from its grasp. Backing gingerly out of its clutches, she gathered her son close, then smoothed the tangle of brown curls that fell over her shoulders.
Momentarily forgetting to thank her rescuer, she lifted the hem of her top and inspected the damage. There was no blood from the scrape on her side, but a broad patch the size of her palm flamed a bright pink, and tiny ridges indicated where the skin had barely been broken.
Wade leaned close and made an appropriate noise of sympathy that somehow made her feel better.
“That’s gotta hurt like he—” He interrupted himself, his gaze darting to Jacob. “—a lot.”
Suddenly remembering she was exposing her midriff to a man who was not a doctor, Geneva jerked the fabric down without bothering to tuck it back into her skirt. She set about fussing with her clothes in an attempt to cover her awkwardness.
“You look great,” he said in an obvious attempt to reassure her but, coming from him, the words served as a reminder to beware the reputed philanderer on her doorstep. He took her shoe from his hip pocket. “You dropped this, Cinderella.”
Geneva reached to take it from him, but he had already knelt before her and cupped the heel of her bare foot in his hand.
“I feel like a regular Prince Charming,” he announced as he slid the canvas shoe onto her foot.
Self-consciously, Geneva moved backward. The deck railing prevented further retreat.
“What? I don’t bite.”
She looked down at her feet and wondered why the heel he had cupped in his hand still burned from his touch. “That’s not what the neighbors say.”
She hadn’t actually meant to say the words out loud, and she was all set to apologize, when he threw his head back and laughed. The deep sound of it wrapped around her, making her glad to have caused such a reaction, even if it had been accidental.
“Ah, so my reputation precedes me.”
He didn’t seem upset at having been the topic of discussion. Instead, he seemed amused by it. Perhaps he was used to such an occurrence.
“Let me put your fears to rest,” he said, his gaze capturing hers with such an intensity that she couldn’t have looked away if she had wanted to. “You’re not my type.”
With an involuntary squaring of her shoulders, she found herself annoyed rather than relieved by his declaration. There was nothing wrong with her. She was reasonably attractive, in pretty good shape, intelligent and, as a bonus, she was quite handy with most things domestic. And although her ex-husband had tried to make her believe otherwise, she was very easy to get along with.
At her skeptical “hmmph!” Wade raised an eyebrow. “Would you care to elaborate on that?”
“Not really.” She lifted her chin, determined to set some ground rules. “Your personal life is none of my business, and I don’t care what type of woman you prefer as long as you’re discreet about it.” She ruffled her son’s hair. “It wouldn’t do to have a certain someone asking questions about the birds and bees because of our neighbor’s activities.”
Besides, she’d already shared a roof with one skirt chaser. She had no desire to repeat the experience.
“You think you have me pegged.”
She took Jacob’s hand and started toward the house, but he intercepted her. Her gaze fell squarely on the broad wall of his chest, which blocked her view but presented her with an even better one.
“So tell me what you believe my type is,” he persisted.
Geneva crossed her arms in front of her and immediately regretted the action when it caused the shirt to rub her sore spot. “I’ve heard what people say about you, and in this case I believe they’re right.”
The left corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “You listen to rumors?”
She looked down, pausing a moment to send Jacob to ride on his tricycle. When he was engaged in his play, she admitted to Wade, “Sometimes. When it might affect my son.”
Such as when she’d heard whisperings that Les was seeing another woman during his supposed business trips. She hadn’t stuck her head in the sand then, and she wasn’t about to start with Wade Matteo.
He nodded, almost as if he approved her decision. “And rumor says…”
He was not going to let up until she told him, so she may as well deliver it with both barrels. “You have two criteria.” She held up one finger. “Female…” Then a second. “…and breathing.”
Taking her hand in his, he unfolded her third finger. “Don’t forget ‘beautiful.”’
Then, failing to release her hand, he gripped her with a gaze so intense that Geneva became lost in the forest-green depths of his eyes. Right now she felt less like Cinderella, whom he’d mentioned earlier, and more like Little Red Riding Hood. What big, dark eyes he had.
He cleared his throat and cast her a wolfish grin. “Guess that makes you my type after all.”
Geneva blinked. This was getting out of hand. Pulling away from his touch, she sought to escape into the relative safety of her new home.
“Thank you for helping me out of my predicament.” She withdrew her fingers from his grasp as casually as if they’d been shaking hands and sidestepped him to go back to the window. Flashing him a grateful smile, she added, “Next time I’ll find a stick to prop the window open while I’m climbing through.”
Wade moved toward her. His expression was no longer hungry, but filled with concern. “Next time you lock yourself out, just ask me for the spare key. There’s no need to risk getting hurt.”
“Oh, I didn’t lock myself out.” She wondered if, like her ex-husband, Wade would laugh at her sentimentality. Letting go of the window, she knew she couldn’t go through life reacting to her ex and his hang-ups. Just because Les didn’t share her love for babies didn’t mean all men were like that. And just because this particular man—crisp slacks, muscle-hugging shirt and raw masculinity—seemed less like a family man than any she’d ever met before, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t understand her softhearted reason for finding an alternate entry into the house, no matter how inconvenient it might be.
Nodding toward the decorative summer wreath on her one and only outside door, she gave him the short version. “A couple of squatters have moved in without paying rent.”
With a frown of dawning comprehension, Wade crossed to the mat in front of the door.
Standing on the ornate braided script that spelled out Welcome, he considered the irony. For him, her body language had spelled out Go Away. Not that he could blame her. Although he’d joked about her not being his type, it was clear they both saw danger signals in the other.
Lifting his gaze to the grapevine wreath she’d placed there a couple of days after signing the lease, Wade felt her presence as she came up behind him. He inhaled her scent and tried to place the wholesome aroma that tugged at his memory. As ridiculous as it seemed, he could have sworn she smelled like fresh-baked cookies. Or maybe cinnamon strudel.
Letting out a large breath, Wade reminded himself to stay focused on the matter at hand. He needed to get her inside—and quickly—so he could put a safe distance between them.
“See?” She brushed his arm as she pointed to the bottom curve of the wreath. “It’s inside that clump of brown grass.”
He had to look close to see the grass that had been added after she’d hung it. It was hidden behind an ornamental bird covered in blue-dyed feathers, and the dried strands camouflaged well within the door decoration.
Leaning in, he got a glimpse of a black-crowned head and an unblinking eye fixed on him. Their gazes held for a split second before the panicked bird darted from the creative nest, its flapping gray wings whirring so close that the breeze hit Wade’s face.
Dodging to avoid a collision, he bumped into Geneva, who had been hovering near his elbow.
“I told you,” she said as if he’d doubted her word. “Now look inside the nest.”
Wade hesitated, wondering what further surprises lurked within the otherwise ordinary-looking wreath. Curiosity soon got the best of him, and he chanced another approach to peer inside.
This time he was rewarded with a glimpse of a small speckled white egg tucked away in the down-lined nest.
Geneva leaned toward him, her head almost touching his as they examined the fragile contents. Wade inhaled again. The scent of her, a light vanilla fragrance mixed with something else, made him hungry. And not for food.
“I noticed it this morning. After last night’s rain, the door was sticking as I tried to close it. So I gave it a firm tug and a bird flew out, like it did just now.” Reaching forward, she secured a stray bit of grass behind the fake bird that served double duty as sentinel and nest anchor. “It’s a wonder the egg didn’t fall out.”
And a good thing, too, or his maudlin new tenant would have been wracked with remorse and self-blame. “A bird that looks like yours makes its nest in the eaves of the clubhouse porch every year. Our golf pro says it’s a tufted titmouse. There will be four or five eggs in there by the end of the week. You’re going to have company for another month or so until the babies fly away.”
Geneva’s reaction to that bit of news was to grab a loose tendril of hair that had escaped from the clip at the nape of her neck and twist it around her finger. No fancy manicure for her. Her fingernails had been filed to a serviceable length and covered with a clear gloss. Feminine yet unpretentious, just like Geneva.
Wade thought of the woman he’d been with last night. Her nails had been overlaid with acrylic tips of unrealistic proportions, painted a bright magenta, and each imbedded with a tiny diamond-like chip. He doubted they would survive normal day-to-day working conditions, not that they had to. The important thing was that they hadn’t hampered her ability to fulfill his need.
By now, Jacob had bored of circling his tricycle around the dogwood tree beside the deck. The little boy whose cinnamon-brown eyes and light olive skin matched his mother’s, clutched the front of his pale green shorts. Toddling to Geneva, he tugged her skirt and gave her a pleaded Mommy!”
She stooped and picked him up. “Oh, I’m sorry, honey. I forgot all about your problem.” Her eyes met Wade’s, making it clear he was the reason for her distraction. The gesture reminded him that it would be better for both of them to handle this situation with expediency.
She was heading back to the window, the boy in her arms. Although Kinnon Falls was a small town populated by law-abiding folks whose main concern was raising their families in a slow-paced, peaceful environment, he didn’t like the idea of his new tenant entering and leaving through an unlocked window. A nestful of birds wasn’t worth the risk.
“No, wait,” he said, stopping her with a hand to her arm.
Her skin, smooth and warm, enticed him to explore further. To move in a gentle caress up over her shoulder and trail across her collarbone to the beckoning hollow at the base of her throat. Her eyes shuttered as if his touch had sent her to a similar place of longing. He knew the look, knew that she was a woman who was passionate about life and who could be equally passionate in bed. But she was also passionate about a lifestyle he wanted to avoid.
He withdrew his hand from her arm. “You can go in through the connecting door inside my house.”
The delicate wings of her eyebrows drew together, causing a narrow crease above her small nose. He knew without asking that she was considering his reputation.
“Just for now,” he assured her. “Until we can figure out another solution.” He would have offered her a key to his house but, considering her wariness toward him, he thought it best to wait on that.
Geneva gave him a reluctant nod and taking Jacob’s hand, they followed him in through the garage. As they went, he explained that the two apartments had been added by his parents when he was a teen. “Your place was occupied by my grandmother after she’d broken her hip. That way, she could live independently, but it was close enough to allow my parents and me to check on her every day.”
Just as Geneva was now doing for his younger brother.
“Was Sean’s apartment originally for your other set of grandparents?” she asked.
He grinned as he entered the den and unlatched the connecting door between their residences. “It was for me. When I was seventeen, I had such an active life, with people coming and going all the time that it was distracting to the rest of the family. So when they built the apartment for Nana, they had the contractor do one for me as well.”
Geneva could feel her eyes grow large at his revelation, and she tried to squelch her reaction. It wouldn’t do to have her eyes pop out, right here in her landlord’s house. Even so, it was a shock to discover that his proclivities had started at such a young age…and that his parents had condoned it.
In an article in the local newspaper last year, he’d been named the town’s Most Eligible Bachelor. The author of the article had used words such as playboy and rake to describe him.
And then it had referenced another equally dubious distinction in which the mayor had proclaimed her landlord Bachelor of the Year and presented him with a gold pin. Geneva wondered if that was the same pin he wore on his collar and touched frequently as if it was some sort of lucky charm.
This information she’d regrettably discovered only after she’d signed the lease. If she’d known of his social standing beforehand, she wouldn’t currently be worrying that someone might have seen her enter his house. In fact, she’d be living somewhere else altogether.
One thing was for certain. If she had gone elsewhere, her surroundings wouldn’t be nearly as beautiful, nor would the place be as affordable. And she doubted she’d be able to save for a house of her own…a dream Les had trampled before their divorce.
As it was now, her modest apartment, located smack in the center of Kinnon Falls’s most exclusive residential community, overlooked a postcard-beautiful lake with a lush green golf course beyond it. To the left, about a ten-minute walk away, the country club and gardens created the perfect setting for outdoor parties and receptions. So far, she and Jacob had seen two such parties, their Japanese lanterns twinkling beneath a star-studded sky.
Releasing the latch on the door connecting their living quarters, Wade gave a push, but something on the other side refused to give. Casting a knowing glance at her, he stated rather than asked, “You added another lock, didn’t you?”
Of course she did! As the owner of the Country Club he might be the most successful businessman in Kinnon Falls, and he might have his pick of any of the area’s most influential society women, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Not that he’d be interested. Even so, she had her own reputation to consider.
“Gotta go!” Jacob reminded her with renewed urgency.
“It’ll take me a few minutes to climb through your window and unlock your new security hardware.” He pointed past her. “You can take him down the hall to the first door on the right.”
As she took her son through the house, she noted with relief that the portion of the dwelling she saw seemed very ordinary. Nothing gave testimony to the wild life her landlord was reputed to lead. No beaded curtains, overly large mirrors, mood music or other evidence that this place might serve as a seduction palace. The decor was masculine and free of frills but tastefully elegant with its heavy rosewood furniture and Oriental rugs. And, for a bachelor’s place, the area was surprisingly neat. The only thing that stood out to her was the pinball machine that commanded one corner of the den.
They returned a few minutes later to find Wade standing beside the open door. The amusement in his green eyes told her what he’d found even before he spoke the words.
“You added a slide lock and a chain?”
She squirmed under his perusal, anxious to get back to the sanctuary of her apartment and put the closed door and three locks between them. “One can never be too careful these days.”
“So true,” he said as if confirming that she had reason to be wary of him. Well, at least he didn’t pretend to be something he was not. “Which brings me to the problem of your getting in and out of your place.”
Reaching into a cut-glass dish on the coffee table, he withdrew a couple of chocolate candies, handed one to Jacob, and offered the other to her. When she refused, he gave that one to Jacob as well. Her son smiled and promptly expressed his thanks by sitting on his benefactor’s Italian-leather loafer while he removed the paper. Geneva started to say they hadn’t had dinner yet, then decided to let it slide this time. With any luck, they wouldn’t have much contact with each other after this.
“My golf pro knows a lot about birds. I’ll check with him to see if we can safely move the nest to a more convenient location.” He reached into his hip pocket, pulled out a wallet with a familiar designer logo and retrieved a key from it. “In the meantime, you can use my spare key for access to your place.”
Geneva took a step back, holding her hands up, palms facing outward. “No, I don’t think that will be necessary.” At the moment, she didn’t have another solution, but she was hopeful that if she gave it enough thought she could come up with something.
His hand dropped to his side, fingers gripping the key tightly. “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”
She was certain the offer was made out of generosity and concern for her and Jacob—at least, she hoped so. But she didn’t want to offend him further than she already had by confessing her fear that his reputation might taint her own.
“You lead a busy life,” she said at last. “I wouldn’t want to interfere with your, uh, entertaining.”
“You’re in luck,” he said, pushing the key toward her once again. “I only hold my orgies every other month. This is my month to rest up and study the videos.”
Before she could stop herself from reacting to his outrageous statement, Geneva felt her mouth drop open. Recovering as well as she could, she said, partly to assure herself, “You’re just teasing me.” Even so, she felt it necessary to refuse the proffered key. When he didn’t crack a smile, she added, “Aren’t you?”
Wade frowned. He couldn’t blame her for believing the things she’d heard about him…hell, he’d intentionally started some of those rumors himself.
With other women, he felt relief upon seeing their expressions of wary unease. His dubious reputation helped keep them at a safe emotional distance. When they accompanied him to galas, social functions and charity benefits, they did so with the full knowledge that he was a for-the-moment kind of man. They made no demands on him and held no expectations beyond the evening’s events. If he was lucky—and he often was—he managed to get them to share their carefully guarded assets. And when they did, they gave willingly, expecting nothing in return. And he liked it like that.
But that same wariness clouding Geneva’s normally bright, open features seemed out of place on her. Something told him it was a maternal reaction…a reaction borne of concern for her son more than for herself.
For the first time in many years he found himself wanting to shatter the illusion he’d so carefully crafted. But he couldn’t do that, couldn’t expose his true self, especially not to a home-and-hearth kind of woman like Geneva. The stakes were too high for him to let her see the person he kept hidden away from public scrutiny. If he let down his guard, he might find himself wanting what he’d been denying himself ever since…
Wade gritted his teeth. There was no use mulling over the past or the probability that it might be repeated for him in the future. But despite all this, he couldn’t stop himself from proclaiming, “I’m not as bad as you think. I even go to church on a fairly regular basis.”
The furrow between her eyebrows disappeared, and a broad smile spread across her face, forming dimpled brackets on either side of her mouth. “Really? I’ve been looking for one in this area. Jacob and I would love to go to your church on Sunday.” She removed a rumpled tissue from her skirt pocket, wiped the chocolate from her son’s hands and drew him toward the door Wade had unlocked earlier. “Perhaps you could introduce us to some of your friends.”
Wade felt like a bobcat treed by a Chihuahua. Feeling cornered and scared, and a little foolish that such a tiny woman could elicit these emotions in him, he contemplated all the trouble that had arisen since she’d moved in. First, she’d sent his libido into overdrive despite the fact that she embodied every quality he tried to avoid in a woman. Then, thanks to her door wreath that spelled out an open invitation to a pair of family-minded birds, she had cost him his privacy. And now she was working her way into his personal life. He’d better do something about this latest development, and somehow put her out of his reach, before his heart and hormones overruled his head.
Propelling Jacob into her apartment with a light pat to the boy’s bottom, she flashed Wade a warm, open smile that nearly undid years of carefully constructed armor. “I’ll see you at church.”
And that was when Wade knew what he would have to do.
Chapter Two
Geneva hoped to take Jacob to the toddler-age Sunday-school class without either of them crying. He’d had a lot of changes in his young life, first losing a father—bum that he was—and then moving to a whole new community. There were some positive changes, too, such as the wide-open yard for him to play in and a new friendship with Sean, who doted on the boy and took him for rides on his golf cart. But the changes, both good and bad, were creating stress, and her son had become slightly clingy in the past few weeks.
His reaction had made her more resolved than ever to find just the right house for Jacob to grow up in. The only child of a military man, Geneva had gone through more than her share of uprootings, and she wanted to give her son the kind of stable home environment she had longed for as a child…and still wanted.
And while she was dreaming, her idea of the perfect upbringing for her son included a strong and loving father and a handful of siblings. She’d gone into her relationship with Les harboring this same dream for their future. Although she’d seen evidence of his party-boy ways, she had believed him when he’d told her that her happiness was his foremost concern. She’d thought he would settle into family life after Jacob was born, but he soon found more excuses to be away from the house. Away from her and his child.
“You really didn’t need to drive us to church,” she said as Wade pulled his car into the parking lot. “We could have met you here.” All weekend long, she’d had to impose on him to answer the door each time they’d needed to enter or exit the apartment through his house. And on the one occasion they both had to go out, he’d hidden a key in the hanging basket of begonias that adorned the broad front porch. It was a hassle doing it this way, no doubt about it, but she had no desire to encourage any more togetherness than was absolutely necessary.
“It’s no bother. Because of the rain, I doubt we’ll have any but the most diehard golfers at the course this morning.” He looked at her strangely, as if something was on his mind, but he only sighed and added, “Sometimes I have to miss church, especially when it’s sunny and mild, but now that you know the way…”
Then she understood. He was saying, in essence, after this you’re on your own. He was doing the hospitable thing today, bringing her here and introducing her around, but he was making it clear this was not to become a habit. Well, that was perfectly okay with her.
Once inside, Sean and Jacob walked ahead as Wade led Geneva past the adult classes, the high-school class, and eventually stopped at the fifth-grade room.
“I want to get Jacob to the nursery.” Her gaze remained fixed on Sean, who was making faces at her laughing son as they waited for her and Wade to catch up.
Wade straightened his tie before answering. “There’s someone I want you to meet first. Sean, why don’t you take Jacob to the nursery for Geneva?”
Her protective instincts kicked in as she imagined her son feeling helpless and abandoned in a new place. “But I was going to take him.”
Oblivious to her concern, Jacob grasped the older fellow’s coattail and left without a backward glance. She supposed she should have been glad he went along so easily, carefully dodging Sean’s crutches, but instead she felt as though she’d been forgotten in the excitement of the moment.
“He’ll probably cry,” she protested. And if he did, who would hold him and comfort him until his tears dried?
“It’s better this way,” Wade assured her. “Kids are less likely to cry when they leave Mom than when Mom leaves them. You can check on him through the two-way mirror when we’re done here.”
“Since when did you get to be an authority on children?” she muttered. She hadn’t intended for him to hear her grousing, but the upward quirk of his mouth told her he’d caught it all.
“Since I helped raise my younger brother,” he replied.
Before she could respond, a dark-haired man in his early thirties appeared at the classroom door. “May I help you?”
A roomful of eleven-year-olds studied them with keen interest.
“I’d like you to meet Geneva Jensen,” Wade said without preamble. “She and her son are visiting our church for the first time today.” Then, finishing the introduction, he pulled her by the elbow so that she was positioned squarely in front of the man. “Geneva, this is Deacon Tackett.”
Geneva smiled shyly. If ever she’d felt put on the spot—on display, even—it was now. But she appreciated her landlord’s friendly gesture, so she would just tough it out.
The gentleman before her seemed to sense her discomfort. After switching a bit of chalk to his left hand, he shook her hand and smiled warmly. It was a pleasant expression set against an attractive backdrop of dark eyebrows, aquiline nose and slim cheeks that carried what she suspected was an ever-present shadow of beard, and it went a long way toward making her feel welcome.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” he said. “I hope you’ll like your visit enough to return and perhaps become a member of our congregation.”
She was about to murmur a polite reply so they could excuse themselves gracefully, but Wade seemed determined to prolong the awkward conversation.
“The deacon teaches Sunday school to fifth-graders,” he said, stating the obvious. “He really likes kids a lot…always organizing youth trips and having pizza parties for them.”
“No need to be formal,” the man said in response to the manner in which Wade addressed him. “Please, call me Ellis.” Ellis tilted his head as if suddenly realizing the implication behind the introduction. “Is your son in fifth grade? He’s welcome to join our study class this morning.”
“Oh, no, he’s in the nursery.” And she was getting antsy about checking to see how Jacob was accepting his new situation.
“Well, I’m glad Mr. Matteo stopped by to introduce us. If there’s anything you need, or if you have any questions…”
That’s when it hit her. These two men barely knew each other! Why else would they call each other Deacon Tackett and Mr. Matteo? Until now she had assumed Wade had merely wanted her to meet a friend of his. But they obviously weren’t close, and she didn’t have an older child for Ellis to teach, so why was Wade putting her through this?
“Geneva does a lot of sewing.” Wade ignored Ellis’s attempt to close the conversation and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Perhaps you could charm her into helping with the costumes for this year’s Christmas play.” The smile Wade flashed the other man seemed fraught with meaning. Then, turning to Geneva, he added, “The deacon is a real pillar of the community. His family has lived in the area for more than a century. They even have a road named after them.”
Why was he telling her this? Not knowing how else to respond to this seemingly unnecessary bit of information, she merely said, “That’s quite impressive.”
Wade gave her an amused grin. “Personally, I’d rather have a roller coaster named after me.”
She wasn’t surprised. A date with Wade Matteo was probably just like a roller-coaster ride—full of exciting turns, giddying heights and heart-stopping plummets, that ultimately ended up right where they started. Whoever dared to take such a ride would certainly have a story to tell and a memory to cherish, but nothing more.
Realization dawned with such crackling intensity that it nearly blinded her. Wade was setting her up, and he’d chosen to pair her with Ellis. She felt herself blush, not certain whether to get angry with him for being so presumptuous or go along with the match-making attempt.
Taking another, more assessing look at Ellis, she realized Wade had chosen wisely. Now, there was a man with whom she could go somewhere. From what little she knew about him—that he was a leader in the community, that he seemed kind and polite and, best of all, that he liked children—she decided this was someone she could possibly build a relationship with. There wouldn’t be any hairpin turns or spiraling heights of ecstasy as in a roller-coaster ride perhaps, but he seemed like just the kind of man she and Jacob needed.
Ellis obviously hadn’t caught on to Wade’s machinations yet. He pointed at the two of them. “How long have you two been dating?”
“Oh, no, we’re not dating,” Geneva quickly supplied. “We just live together.”
Wade gave her a look that told her she’d blown it, and then his Adam’s apple bobbed as he tried to hold back a laugh.
“I mean we live in the same house.” Suddenly the spring day seemed to have grown unseasonably warm, and Geneva realized she hadn’t actually clarified the deacon’s misconception after all. So she tried again. “I’m at the back, and he’s in front.”
Oh, good grief, that sounded even worse!
Ellis’s blue eyes darkened as his gaze darted between them. Geneva had the sickening feeling that not only had she ruined her chances with him, but also with anyone who might talk to him.
To her relief, Wade fished her out of the hot water she’d gotten herself into.
“What she means is that I’m her landlord. Geneva lives in an apartment attached to the back of my house, which is next door to Sean.”
Ellis’s eyebrows descended to a more normal position, and he gave a soft chuckle. “Of course.”
The conversation fell suddenly quiet, and Ellis glanced over his shoulder at the children who were swatting each other with their lesson books.
“Would you like to see it sometime?” Wade seemed impervious to her growing discomfort. “Tuesday evening, maybe?”
Geneva caught his elbow and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t think—”
“Sure,” said Ellis. By now the kids had stopped their horseplay and were chanting a jump-rope song about sitting in a tree and k-i-s-s-i-n-g. Ellis seemed not to hear as he smiled benevolently at Geneva. “Is seven o’clock okay?”
“That’s perfect,” Wade said, cutting off her protest. “Bring an appetite. I hear Geneva is quite the cook.”
This was getting out of control. What would people think when they found out the town’s resident playboy was procuring dates for her? What must Ellis think about this peculiar setup? A knot clutched at her stomach as she considered the expectations such an arrangement might arouse.
Wade stabbed at the buttons on the phone and stopped before he reached the last one. It should be such a simple thing to ask a wealthy heiress to accompany him to a charity ball, but he couldn’t bring himself to punch that last number.
He felt like a phony…he didn’t even like the woman. That had never stopped him before, so he couldn’t understand why he was having so much trouble going through with it this time. Hell, he didn’t even have this much trouble asking the deacon for a date with Geneva.
Maybe Geneva had something to do with his hesitation. He hadn’t been the same since she moved in. At first he’d told himself it was because a single woman on the premises, especially one as wholesome and motherish as Geneva, tended to cramp his style. Instead, he found himself daydreaming about unfastening her hair clip and letting her rich brown locks tumble over his fingers. And if he wasn’t careful, his thoughts led to imagining the softness of those curls tickling his bare chest as they lay together in each other’s arms.
Then, to shake himself out of the foolhardy reverie, he reminded himself of his resolve to date only career women or those over forty who had no desire to add to their families. Geneva embodied every quality that he sought to avoid in women: she was in the prime of her childbearing years, making clear in actions and words her wish for a large family. She was the kind of woman who wanted permanence…and promises of things he could not fulfill.
Wade paced the kitchen floor, reminding himself that the end justified the means, and forced himself to redial the woman’s number.
Cherise Watson was the daughter of a wealthy businessman-turned-senator, and though her father had died a few years ago, she and her mother still had strong ties to others in the political arena. Wade had long been a dedicated fundraiser for the children’s hospital. Not only would a generous donation from Cherise provide the hospital with a new magnetic resonance imaging machine, but a well-placed word in the right politician’s ear might garner the research funds the facility so desperately needed.
Geneva hoisted Jacob to her hip and allowed him to peek carefully into the nest at the two most recent additions. One of the parent birds sat in an oak tree, chirping its indignation at their intrusion. Setting her son down, she contemplated the best way to approach the problem. Although she thought her landlord could have been more subtle, and definitely more tactful, in his matchmaking effort, she was grateful that he had introduced her to such a nice man.
Fortunately, after church she was able to talk a bit more with Ellis without interruption from her busybody neighbor. Their conversation helped convince her that the deacon’s desires mirrored her own. He loved children and wanted a traditional family life but, as was her own experience, his exacting standards narrowed the dating pool so that his options were severely limited.
She stood back from the house and examined the bare area beside the light fixture. If she moved the wreath those few feet, perhaps the parent birds would adapt without complaint to the minor adjustment. And she would regain the use of her door.
For the past couple of days, she’d been using Wade’s house as a cut-through to her apartment. Despite his insistence that her entering and leaving through his living quarters was not an inconvenience, Geneva was equally insistent that she had to find another solution. Today. Before her upcoming dinner date with Ellis tomorrow night.
It was inconvenient to have Wade let her and Jacob through his house every time they needed to enter or exit. The situation could prove awkward if he had to serve as the gatekeeper for her date as well.
Considering the way in which Wade had meddled to bring her and Ellis together, she didn’t want to give him an opportunity to meddle any more than he already had.
Mustering up his gumption, Wade took a deep breath and finished dialing the number. It was only for one evening, for crying out loud. And it was a public event, so it wasn’t like he’d have to wine and dine Cherise privately…and risk giving her the impression that he harbored a romantic interest in her. The line on the other end rang once.
“Excuse me.”
Startled, Wade wheeled around to find Geneva poised hesitantly on the threshold between his den and kitchen.
He sucked in his breath at the sight of her and dropped the phone back into its cradle. The trim white pants that ended in a slit just below her knees showed off a flat stomach, enticingly rounded hips and lightly tanned calves and ankles. As for the tailored blue shirt, it caressed her curves in a way his hands itched to mimic. And her hair, as usual, fought to escape the clip that held the riotous waves prisoner. A fragment of oak pollen clung near her temple, giving evidence that she’d been gardening or playing outside with Jacob. If she looked this good while just hanging around the house, he dared not imagine how easily she could outshine all the ladies who would be attending the hospital’s charity ball later this month.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I might borrow a hammer?”
Jacob crawled between her ankles. “Bam-bambam!” he said, imitating a popular Saturday-morning cartoon character.
“Sure, it’s out in the utility room.” He started to step past her and lead the way. But, preferring instead to savor this unexpected visual treat, he motioned for her to go ahead of him. The view from the back was as good as the front. His body reacted as if he’d just returned from spending several years in a monk’s retreat. His overstimulated hormones had his nerve endings tingling with anticipation, and Wade knew if he didn’t send her away immediately he might do or say something he’d regret later.
Grabbing three different sizes of hammers from his workstation, he shoved them all in her hands and abruptly turned and went back inside. Standing once again in front of the telephone, he tried to wipe the picture of her—eyes wide and lips puckered in an unspoken question—from his mind and return to the task he’d been avoiding for weeks.
Waiting a moment for his heart to stop racing, he once again forced himself to pick up the phone. But this time he couldn’t bring himself to go through the motions of calling Cherise.
When Geneva returned a moment later, he felt rather than heard her enter the kitchen.
“I think I need a screwdriver after all.”
“They’re on the workbench where I got the hammers,” he said, inviting her to help herself and save him the torture of having to refuse her round bottom’s beckoning gesture as she exited the room.
Fortunately, she took his cue and left before a fit of conscience compelled him to change his mind.
Trying to pull his thoughts back to the matter at hand, Wade knew he couldn’t wait any longer to find a date for the charity ball. Although there’d never been a shortage of willing ladies to accompany him to similar fund-raisers in the past, courtesy dictated that he give his guest ample time to book a fitting for a new dress and otherwise prepare for the event. With only two weeks to go, he was already pushing it to the wire.
Despite the urgency, he couldn’t bring himself to focus on what he had to do. He was distracted, partly by the image of Geneva in those casual pants, and partly from wondering what she was up to with his tools. Remembering the shelves he’d promised to install over her sewing table, he wondered if she’d decided to put them up herself.
Happily abandoning his mission, he followed the path she’d taken through the garage to the back of the house.
Having anchored a screw in the wood siding beside her door, Geneva reached to lift the wreath from its current mooring.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The deep male voice almost made her send the wreath—nest and all—crashing to the deck. “I wish you wouldn’t sneak up on me!”
Ignoring the scolding tone in her words, Wade stated simply, “I talked to Tim, the golf pro, and he says the parents might abandon the nest if you move it.”
Releasing her grip on the grapevine decoration, she also let go a breath of frustration. “Then what am I supposed to do? I have a date tomorrow night, and I want to make a good impression.”
“You will.” Wade stepped uncomfortably close. “How could he not be impressed?”
“You know what I mean. Imagine how odd it looks for me to be coming and going at all hours through your house.”
“What’s the matter?” he whispered. “Are you afraid the good people of Kinnon Falls will think we’re together?”
Of course she was! But, to spare his feelings, she shook her head. “It might make Ellis feel weird.”
“Here, take my key.” This time he pressed the metal into the palm of her hand. His gesture clearly said he would brook no further argument on the subject. “I’ll stay out of the way while you two get to know each other.”
It felt so personal, so intimate, to be holding the key to his house. She’d been putting off accepting it, hoping to come up with a more acceptable solution to her bird-imposed dilemma. But that had only put them in more frequent contact as he let her and Jacob in and out of his house. Closing her fingers around the key, Geneva couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes, so she used the excuse of glancing toward the yard where Jacob played in a new sandbox Wade had built just for him.
“Your generosity in letting us cut through your home is very much appreciated.” Unfortunately the birds gave her no other choice. She paused, uncertain about the propriety of putting conditions on a favor. But it was either that or be confronted with improprieties herself. When he offered to stay out of the way tomorrow night, her imagination supplied the most likely scenario—that he’d be having company of his own. “However, considering your, uh, bachelor situation, perhaps we could devise a code for when you’re…” Geneva felt her cheeks flush with heat “…indisposed. Perhaps a candle in the window or a string tied around the doorknob?”
Wade ran a thumb over the shallow divot in his cheek. “Or we could wire the porch lamp to my bedsprings, and when the light flashes on and off, you’ll know—”
“I should have known you’d make fun of my concern. This may not be a big deal to you, but it is a big deal where my son is concerned.” Moving away from the nest and out of earshot of Jacob, she added, “The reason I moved to Kinnon Falls in the first place is because I wanted to protect him from being exposed to certain unsavory elements.” The major one being the boy’s father, but she wouldn’t go into that now.
Wade’s countenance suddenly turned serious. He leaned in as if to stress his point. Feeling dwarfed by his size, Geneva retreated a step. It didn’t help much. He still took her breath away.
“It’s foolish to make assumptions before you have all the facts,” he said. “When I want to, I can be quite…savory.”
The tone for her date with the deacon was set when Geneva failed to hear the doorbell from her apartment and Wade met Ellis at the door holding a horsewhip and wearing a devious smile. She had hoped he would be out on his own date tonight, but it looked as though he would be sticking around for the evening.
On first glance at the jeans Wade wore and the too-tight T-shirt that pulled across his chest, he looked like an eternal teenager. A well-built one. Ellis, on the other hand, was dressed for the occasion in tan slacks, a pale blue oxford shirt and a navy tie.
Jacob hid shyly behind her, pressing his face against her skirt. Except, perhaps, for the current situation with her landlord, she knew Kinnon Falls would be a wonderful place to raise her son. Discreetly studying Ellis from the den, she wondered if he might be the man with whom she would someday raise Jacob. Judging from his interaction with parishioners and the respect they held for him, he certainly appeared to be a good possibility. And if he wasn’t the man for them, well, she’d keep trying until she found the right one. Never again would she marry someone who didn’t fully meet her needs. And never again would she believe that she could change someone to fit her criteria of the perfect family man.
She stepped into the room, Jacob clinging like an appliqué to her leg, just as Wade was launching into his explanation about the whip.
“Our riding instructor found this in the old barn beyond the stables.” Wade shook the coil loose and danced the worn leather across the floor. “Louis thinks it could be as much as a hundred years old.”
Ellis pushed his hands into his pockets. “What are you going to do with it?”
Her nemesis flashed her a wicked smile. “At first I considered how I might use it for myself, but eventually I decided to do something a little wild and crazy.”
Fearing the worst, Geneva sought to intercept the conversation and gracefully extricate Ellis to the safety and privacy of her apartment. “I don’t think Wade needs to go into—”
But he was determined to finish…and most likely embarrass her.
“I was thinking I’d hang it in the Fox and Hound room at the restaurant,” he said with utmost innocence. Then, raising his eyebrows at her, he rewound the whip over his hand and elbow. “What did you think I was going to do with it?”
Wade held her gaze a moment longer than necessary, breaking contact only after a flush of pink swept over her cheeks. He told himself he was only encouraging her in her wrong opinion of him because it fell in with his plan. If she thought him a wayward man, she would avoid him even if he should lose his head momentarily and attempt to flirt with her. But the real reason was that he enjoyed teasing her and watching her react with the fresh innocence of a much younger woman. He liked the way her chin dipped, revealing the embarrassment she tried not to show. He liked the way her pale brown eyes glowed with golden flecks when she confronted him about his reputation and how it might affect her child. He liked…way too much about her.
Jerking his gaze from the tight line of her soft pink lips, he addressed the man standing patiently in his living room. The deacon was a good man, and Wade was certain he’d treat Geneva right. But something deep down inside Wade nudged him, asking if that was enough. Would she be happy with this guy?
If this relationship went sour for her, he’d be consumed with guilt for having fixed her up with someone unsuited to her. He had to know without a doubt that they were right for each other, and to gain that certainty, he would need to know more about Deacon Tackett.
“So, what kind of car do you drive?”
Geneva sighed and narrowed her eyes at Wade to signal that she was ready to take over from here. All the while, Tackett enthusiastically filled him in about the collector-model Mustang he was restoring. Although the man’s boss cam fascinated him greatly, he reluctantly acknowledged that bit of information would be of no help to Geneva. He decided a more personal question would give him a better idea of their compatibility.
Geneva turned and lifted a hand toward the den, but before she could lead her date away, Wade intercepted them. “You seem to be a man of high standards, Deacon. Tell me, what do you think is the most important attribute in a woman?”
There. That should tell him volumes about whether he was truly the right one for Geneva.
“Wade?”
The deacon touched a hand to her wrist. “That’s okay, Geneva. It’s a fair question.” He addressed Wade much as a student answers a teacher when called on in a spelling bee. He squared his shoulders and looked him directly in the eye, fully confident in his answer. “It is written that charm is deceptive and beauty fades, but a woman who loves the Lord will be greatly praised.”
“No fair,” Wade said with a grin. “You took the easy way out by quoting Proverbs.” It would take some thought, but Wade knew he’d have to come up with a better test.
Geneva bestowed a blistering frown on him that could have made a small child cry. “Here’s another proverb for you. ‘He who guards his lips guards his life.”’
This time, she hooked Tackett’s elbow and practically dragged him from the room, no easy task considering that Jacob had mooched a ride on her foot. So far Wade had scored a double bogey with his line of questioning, and Geneva was calling it a game before they’d reached the eighteenth hole.
But he refused to let her off that easily. He’d impulsively hooked her up with this man, taking his reputation at face value and failing to check him out thoroughly beforehand. Wade’s conscience would not allow him to stand by idly while innocent, trusting Geneva turned her heart over to someone who might not be worthy of love.
Honesty compelled him to consider that his concern about this pairing was not totally altruistic. There was something about Geneva’s sweet innocence that made him want not only to protect her, but to keep her for himself. He supposed that, in an ideal world, he might have considered her his perfect match.
But this wasn’t an ideal world. And he had no guarantee that Ellis was the ideal mate for Geneva.
Deacon or not, Ellis was subject to flaws just like any other man. Wade would have to find out more about this guy before the evening was out.
Chapter Three
After she’d discouraged Wade from following them into her apartment, she invited Ellis into the kitchen to keep her company while she finished preparing their dinner. She didn’t know what had gotten into her landlord, but she hoped he got over it soon.
“Smells great,” Ellis said as he settled into a chair at the table. “What is it?”
“Roma chicken with rice.” She added the chicken and tomatoes to the sautéed onions and garlic, then covered the skillet. “This needs to simmer a little while. In the meantime, I’d love to hear about your Sunday-school class.”
Just as she’d hoped, the subject was one her date enjoyed talking about, and it made a small headway toward breaking the ice between them. Even so, they were still at that awkwardly polite stage. Perhaps, by evening’s end, once the effects of Wade’s interrogation wore off they’d be more relaxed and better able to enjoy each other’s company. To her dismay, Wade ambled into the kitchen wearing a large grin and carrying a bottle of wine in the crook of his arm. “I noticed you were completely out of wine, so I brought you some to restock.”
Flabbergasted, Geneva could only stammer, “But I don’t…we’re not…”
She didn’t know anything about Ellis’s attitude toward alcohol, but since the communion “wine” at church had actually been grape juice, she thought it safe to assume he didn’t imbibe.
Wade pulled a couple of goblets from her cabinet, filled one, and handed it to Geneva. Then he poured another. “How about you, Elvis? Care for a little conversation lubrication?”
Ellis held his hand palm-out at the proffered glass. “No thanks. I don’t drink.”
Just as she’d thought. She had to get Wade out of here before he managed to offend Ellis further and wind up ruining her chances with this man who seemed to have so much going for him.
“No?” he persisted. Wade reached into his pocket and sidestepped her with a smile full of devious innocence. “Then how about a breath mint?”
Ellis accepted one, and Jacob took three. Great, now he was ruining her son’s appetite, too.
“You have a beautiful home.” Her date was obviously trying to make polite conversation.
“Thank you, Elvis. It’s been in my family for generations.” Geneva could have sworn he stuck out his chest as he launched into a discussion of his family’s farming history. “My father was the first to give up farming for a salaried job.”
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Carolyn Greene
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: HE KNOCKED ON HER DOOR….The man every girl dreamed of-but every woman knew was dangerous. With his wicked sense of humor and sexy smile, Wade Matteo wreaked havoc on the average female. But struggling single mom Geneva Jensen prided herself on being strong. No way would she fall for the successful, single, charming manYet Wade had a softer side that he hid from everybody else-though as his neighbor, Geneva saw his kindness to her little boy. Was there a chance that this woman-wary Bachelor of the Year would ever settle down?Was that love knocking on the door?