He gave a hungry look before brushing a kiss on her cheek as he strolled out. She followed him, keeping a wide distance between them.
In the hall he turned. “I’m glad you came and we didn’t just have this appointment at the office. It turned out better that I didn’t know you wanted to talk to me.”
“You didn’t have the long ride from my ranch or try for over twenty calls to get through to you.”
“Sorry,” he said.
“You’re not really. You’ll continue keeping out unwanted visitors. See you in the morning, Jake. You can call me at seven o’clock. How’s that time?”
“Perfect. Good night,” he said and was gone, closing the door behind him.
She stood staring at the door. His presence was overwhelming and the day had been a surprise. She had never expected to find Jake Benton a man she would be attracted to. Would he talk reasonably next week or had he already made up his mind and was simply toying with her?
Would she see him again after his decision? She should complete their business and get out of his life. He would get out of hers soon enough.
As she remembered his kiss, her lips tingled. He had stirred a storm in her, something totally unexpected.
She ran her hand over the pile of clothing. The robe was dark blue velvet, soft and warm. She picked up a package wrapped in tissue with a seal and opened it to find new dark blue silk pajamas and slippers. There was a package with a small hairbrush and comb, new toothbrush in plastic, more toiletries in the plastic from a store.
Caitlin showered and dressed in the silk pajamas, relishing the smooth, soft material against her skin. She slipped into the robe, turned the television on low and curled up in bed to watch, but her thoughts drifted to Jake and she neither saw nor heard the program she had turned on.
She still marveled over the chemistry between them. How could it happen with Jake? It wasn’t anything either of them wanted or did one thing to cause. Yet it existed, all right, as apparent as a Roman candle shot into the night sky.
She could only think he would entertain an offer from her to buy back part of the Santerre ranch. Caitlin expected him to make a profit, perhaps a huge one, but she didn’t care what the purchase cost. She was well fixed financially, having inherited Grandmother Santerre’s fortune, plus the money she made from her photography that was growing each year.
Unless he simply priced it out of the market to keep her from buying, she would pay an exorbitant fee if she had to in order to get the land back. It had been a final cruel snub by Will, selling the place without informing her. She didn’t expect to have contact with him ever again.
Her thoughts shifted to Jake and the moment he had stepped out of his car and strolled to his porch, climbing the steps until he was on her level, to gaze into her eyes.
He was far more handsome than she had remembered, but she hadn’t seen him for years and as a child, he had just been an older boy. Now he was an incredibly sexy, handsome, appealing man. She didn’t want this dynamite reaction to a Benton. Even if none of the arguments and fights had anything to do personally with her.
When Jake had faced her on the porch, she had barely been able to get her breath. His blue-eyed gaze had been riveting. His smile was a flash of warm sunshine. But it was his kisses that took her breath and set her spinning. Kisses that burned and melted and made her want him desperately.
She wanted to be in his arms in his bed right now with Jake making love to her. It was insanity, a slippery slide to disaster. Never in her life did she want to take a chance on leading the life her mother had—rejection by the man she loved, an unplanned pregnancy, giving up her baby, humiliation and hurt. If Grandmother Santerre hadn’t been there, Caitlin’s life could have been frightful. She was thankful every day for the blessings she had.
Later, she tossed and turned and fell asleep still thinking about Jake and his hot kisses, knowing next week he had agreed to talk to her about buying back part of the ranch. Would he sell to her?
Four
The next morning Caitlin dressed in the same blue shirt and jeans she had worn the day before. She braided her hair into one long rope that hung down her back.
She found Jake in the state-of-the-art kitchen with its cherrywood walls, granite countertops and large glassed-in dining area. He was dressed in jeans and a black knit shirt and was talking on his phone. When her gaze slid over him, her heart skipped faster. He was handsome, far too appealing.
Glancing at her, he motioned her to come in, but she left to give him privacy, walking to the nearest room, which was a sunroom. A yellow bougainvillea grew in a massive pot and climbed up one wall to curl across part of the skylight ceiling. Its yellow blooms were bright, matching the yellow upholstered rattan furniture.
“There you are,” Jake said, striding into the room, his presence dominating it. “I motioned to you to come on in. That was no private conversation. It was my friend, Nick Rafford. We have fathers with similar traits of being control freaks. I got some sympathy and words of wisdom from Nick over my dad’s latest demands.”
“Sorry. I’ve never had that problem in my life.”
“Be thankful. Come have some breakfast. You look as fresh as if you had just driven here from your home.”
“Thank you. I don’t quite think so. You may need glasses.”
He smiled and walked beside her to the kitchen. In a short time they were seated in the dining area with fluffy eggs and hot buttered toast, tall chilled glasses of orange juice and steaming coffee.
“In fact,” he said, “I’m here to get away from my dad. This ranch is a haven.”
“Then you can understand how I feel about ours,” she said. “It’s a retreat even though I’m not trying to escape from any particular person. Just people in general. Do you have this often with your father? “
“Too often to suit me.”
“Can’t you ignore him?”
Jake shot her a look. “He always sees to it there’s a threat that makes it impossible to ignore him.”
“A threat?” she asked, beginning to wonder if Jake’s father had a streak of meanness like her half brother Will. “Is he like Will? Will can be mean to get his way.”
“Depends on what you call mean. Cruel and unusual punishment rather than anything physical. In this case, I will be disinherited.”
“Good heavens! What does he want you to do?” she said, staring at Jake and momentarily forgetting her breakfast.
“Get married within the year,” Jake answered quietly and she laughed. Jake gave her another grim look. “I’m not joking.”
“Sorry. You have to get married or be disinherited? Well, that’s simple enough. Marry someone. You’ll inherit a fortune and then you can divorce.”
“Oh, no. I have to marry this year and I have to remain married for five years or the deal’s off and I’m disinherited. My friend, Nick, has the same sort of father and he made the same kind of demand and Nick just happened to fall in love and marry. My dad knows Nick’s father and thought that was an excellent plan—so now he’s foisted it on me.”
She stared at Jake. “I can’t imagine a parent interfering that much, particularly with someone who is as together as you are. You’re successful, have friends, have a full life. You’re an adult. That decision is highly personal and yours to make. You can’t just run out and grab up a wife.”
“I have