Two hours later Jared shook out the soft blanket, rolled it up, then bound it with leather before fastening it to a carrier on his back. Catching his shaggy hair, he fastened it with a leather thong behind his head. Then he carefully placed Merry in her baby carrier and secured her against his heart, brushing her soft hair lightly with his fingers.
“Sweetie, I didn’t know how lovable a little baby could be until I met you.”
He brushed off his jeans, gathered his things and crossed the park. Whistling, Jared strolled to the Harrington Building and pushed inside. Moments later, he was describing Faith to the receptionist, who shook her head at him.
“I’m sorry, sir. There are a lot of blond women who work in this building.”
“Faith Kolanko is about five feet eight inches tall. She has long blond hair, green eyes, a few freckles across her nose—”
“Miss Kolanko works on the fifth floor.” A man in a white shirt and dark slacks appeared at Jared’s side. “She’s an artist and works for Graphic Design.”
“Thanks,” Jared said, eyeing the man as much as the man was eyeing him. Jared turned, looked at the directory posted near the elevators and spotted Graphic Design listed on the fifth floor.
“We’ll have to wait until she gets off work, Merry,” he said to the sleeping baby. “We’ll come back about four o’clock so we don’t miss her.”
He strode out into the sunshine and back to the park, this time spreading his blanket in the shade where he could see two of the building’s exits.
At four he went to his pickup, where he left the blanket and picnic basket, opting instead for Merry’s umbrella stroller. “Now, darlin’,” he said, buckling Merry into the seat and handing her a bright blue rattle, “we’ll wait for Miss Kolanko to get off work.” Hooking Merry’s diaper bag over the handle of the stroller, he pushed her toward the Harrington Tower.
They sat in the cool lobby and watched people pour through on their way home from work, but Jared did not spot any tall, beautiful blonde. Five became six, the building emptied, and a security man in a brown uniform appeared.
“Sir, do you work in this building?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Well, unless you have some reason for being here, I’ll have to ask you to leave. I need to lock up the building for the night,” he said, switching off some of the lobby lights.
“I’m waiting for Faith Kolanko with Graphic Design.”
“Miss Kolanko? Do you mind if I verify that?”
“No, go ahead. I’m Jared Whitewolf,” he said, standing.
The security guard crossed the lobby to a phone and placed a call. Jared pushed Merry and the stroller closer.
“Whitewolf. He said he’s waiting for you, Miss Kolanko. That’s right, a little baby. Yes, ma’am. You’re welcome.” He replaced the receiver.
“She said to tell you she would be right down. Sorry for the inconvenience, sir, but we have to make the building as secure as possible.”
“sure. I understand. Thanks.”
Jared pushed the stroller back to the bench that faced the elevators and sat down to wait, watching as glowing numbers above the elevator moved from five to one. He stood as the double doors slid open and the woman he was going to marry emerged.
Two
Rushed, annoyed that she had to take time to see why the man she met in the park was waiting downstairs, Faith glanced around. Her searching gaze was arrested by a tall cowboy wearing a wide-brimmed black hat with two feathers hanging over the brim, a white T-shirt and a big silver buckle on a hand-tooled leather belt. Jeans hugged his slim hips, and the tips of black boots showed beneath the frayed edges. For an instant she didn’t recognize him. The lobby was dim; the hat hid his eyes. And the shaggy black hair she remembered from the afternoon was pulled behind his head, changing his appearance considerably.
The tall cowboy turned a stroller to face her, and she saw Merry Whitewolf. Faith knew the man she was facing was Jared Whitewolf.
“Mr. Whitewolf—”
“Howdy, Faith. And it’s Jared. You saved Merry’s life, so we’re on a very personal basis.”
“I have to get back to the office,” she said as he approached. She looked down at the baby, who smiled. Faith couldn’t resist smiling back. For just an instant the cares of the day fell away. “Hi, Merry,” she said, leaning down slightly. “You are the friendliest little girl I have ever seen.”
“That’s because her daddy’s friendly” came a slow drawl. “Sorry to interrupt your work, but we wanted to take you to dinner when you’re through here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t!” Faith exclaimed swiftly, straightening to face him. He tilted back his hat, and she looked into dark eyes that seemed to reach down and grab hold of a little part of her soul. She didn’t want to look away. She forgot work. She forgot where she was for a moment. In the park today, she had felt that same magnetic pull, but she had blamed it on the sweet baby, the magic of the outdoors on a sunny afternoon, the unusual encounter. And maybe an expanse of a fabulous, bare chest.
She couldn’t blame her current reaction on any of those things, yet here she was barely able to get her breath, gazing up at a man who was staring at her as if he had been searching for her all his life.
“Yes, you can,” he said quietly, touching a tendril of hair near her face. “You have to eat sometime. Have you already had dinner?”
She felt the faint brush of his warm fingers on her cheek. She knew she looked disheveled. The afternoon had been as hectic as she had expected, and plunging through the spirea bushes earlier had mussed her cotton skirt and blouse. “No, I haven’t, but I’m not going to take time now. I have another hour’s work to do.”
“We’ll wait,” he said with a smile as he smoothed her collar. When his knuckles brushed her collarbone, she tingled. What was the matter with her? Had she worked until she was senseless? She was reacting to a perfect stranger in a very primitive way.
“No, you shouldn’t wait,” she argued, making an effort to look away from brown eyes so dark, she felt she was staring into a moonless night. “I can’t go out with you. You’re a complete stranger. I know nothing about you. And I have to get back to work.”
“Faith,” he drawled, his hand catching her arm as she started to turn away. His touch was feather light, and she paused, rooted to the spot. “We’re not going to stay strangers. Are you engaged or involved with someone?”
“No, but that isn’t the point. In this day and age it’s dangerous to be friendly to strangers.”
“I agree. So let’s fix this stranger status.” He retrieved a glossy program from his satchel and handed it to her. “Here’s my picture. I’m riding in a rodeo at the arena tomorrow night.”
She stared at the smiling picture of him and noted the statistics about his bull riding, saddle bronc riding and prizes he had won. “You’re a three-time world champion bull rider,” she remarked as she read.
With a flash of very white teeth, he grinned. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s a plus in your book.”
“I can’t even imagine it,” she answered, looking again at his picture. She had to admit the man was not only handsome, he had a charm that was spellbinding.
“You can call out to the arena, and any of the boys will tell you about me. I own a home here in Tulsa. The house is on South Peoria. If Merry could talk, she would verify that I’m safe. And besides that—” he thrust the rodeo program into Faith’s