“You don’t have to do that.”
Devlin was pleased to note that her voice was as unsteady as his. Made him feel ten times better. “You’re right, Blondie, I don’t have to, but I want to. If I’d jumped out to fix your tire you wouldn’t have twisted your ankle.”
“That wasn’t your fault,” she insisted.
“No? Try telling that to my conscience,” he said before he walked into the rain, hoping it would cool him down.
THAT KISS was definitely a mistake of gigantic proportions, Devlin scolded himself as he shoved the pickup into reverse and backed from the driveway. Yup, that kiss was going to be right there between them when he returned. He probably should apologize, but he wasn’t sorry to discover that she tasted sweet and passionate and was so damn responsive that desire hit him between the eyes when she kissed him back.
Devlin shook his head and sighed, knowing he had become too direct, blunt and straightforward for his own good these past few years. The lessons he’d learned with Sandi Saxon were still controlling his life to some extent.
After that humiliating episode, he had made his intentions perfectly clear to the women who came and went from his life. Not that there had been many of them. He’d been chased on a regular basis, but he refused to get caught just because he was considered good marriage material. Truth was, it had been a long dry spell for Devlin, which was probably why he’d gone off like a ticking time bomb when he leaned down to kiss Jessica.
Nowadays, if he was attracted to a woman he said so. He also set limitations, because he’d had no intention of getting serious again. He wanted that understood up front.
His mind wandering in a dozen different directions, Devlin stepped into the rain to make short shrift of the tire that had given Jessica fits. Then he hooked up her car to a sturdy chain and towed it to her house.
Devlin glanced at his watch. Thirty minutes had passed, and he still wasn’t certain if he was ready to face Jessica again. But there was no postponing the inevitable, he told himself. He’d just play it cool. If she wanted to discuss that explosive, lip-sizzling kiss that rocked his world, then she could bring it up.
Devlin dashed through the downpour, then shouldered through the front door to see Jessica’s ruined business suit piled on the coffee table. Thank goodness she had covered herself up with the handcrafted quilt. He didn’t need to see her in that skimpy pink robe, because his imagination was already doing a number on him.
“Your flat is fixed, but you’ll need a new tire,” he said, striving for a nonchalant tone. “Anything else I can do for you before I fix supper?”
“Well, yes, but I doubt you’ll want to do it,” she murmured, then glanced quickly away.
Yup, she was definitely uncomfortable about that impulsive kiss he’d laid on her without warning. “Your wish is my command, Blondie.” Yeah, that’s it, Callahan. Keep things light and impersonal, and maybe you both can relax.
“My animals haven’t been fed,” she announced.
Devlin smacked himself on the forehead with the heel of his hand. “Damn, did I ever walk right into that. Now I have to feed the nuisances that started this feud between us.”
Jessica grinned, but she couldn’t maintain eye contact for more than a couple of seconds. He figured she felt as awkward as he did after that impulsive, electrifying kiss.
“Don’tcha just love the irony of this, Callahan?” she asked.
Good girl, Blondie, keep it light and we’ll get past this awkward moment, he mused. “Yeah, and when I get eaten by a bear you can tend my wimpy cattle herd. I’d probably appreciate the irony of that even more.”
“I’m really sorry about the extra work and all the trouble my animals caused,” Jessica apologized. She stared at the air over his left shoulder. “I realize we have a problem, and I tried to solve it by moving some of the cages farther west. But since it’s raining, and I can’t walk, it will be a while before I can move the loud-mouth animals away from your fence.”
“I appreciate your effort. Now where’s the feed and who gets how much of what?”
Jessica grabbed a pen and notepad off the coffee table, then made a list of the rations for her exotic animals.
“Criminey, your feed bill must be staggering,” Devlin said when she kept writing and writing.
“The association picks up part of the tab, but the rest comes out of my pocket. Not that I mind. The animals are my hobby, and they have become like family to me.”
“A husband might be cheaper,” he retorted.
Jessica picked up her credit-card bill and thrust the invoice at him. “Think so? My ex-fiancé sneaked a peek in my wallet and jotted down the account number and charged a cruise for two to my tab. He was clever about spending my money more often than his after we started dating.” She gave herself a self-deprecating smirk. “Being a number cruncher by profession, you’d have thought I’d notice. Go figure.”
“A fine pair we make,” Devlin said, then snorted. “Your ex-fiancé wanted to get his hands on your money and my ex-fiancée didn’t think I could make enough of the green stuff to keep her in the manner to which she aspired. If I ever find myself on the verge of what feels like love, money sure as hell isn’t going to enter into the equation. If the lady doesn’t love me for who and what I am, doesn’t approve of the same things I stand for, and against, doesn’t return my loyalty, then I want no part of it.”
“Same goes for me,” Jessica quickly affirmed. “I hated playing the fool.”
“There, you see? Despite our conflicts we have something in common. We both got tripped up once in our search for the real thing. And, Jessica, about that—” Devlin slammed his mouth shut and nearly clipped off his tongue. He had promised himself that he wasn’t going to bring up that kiss, which had an impact equivalent to the detonation of a heat-seeking missile. “About that list of which animals get what,” he finished.
She handed the list to him, and he breathed a thankful sigh that he hadn’t crammed both feet in his mouth.
“If you want an umbrella, there’s one on the back porch,” Jessica informed him.
“Naw, I can’t imagine how I could get wetter than I already am,” he said as he made a beeline for the back door.
JESSICA SCRUNCHED sideways on the couch, then winced when agonizing pain shot up her leg. This twisted ankle was going to be a major inconvenience.
And speaking of inconvenience, that kiss had hit her with the force of a nuclear bomb—which was very untimely, because she had vowed not to let herself become interested in a man for at least half a decade. Time enough to learn to control her defensive mechanisms, which locked into place when she found herself the slightest bit attracted to a man. Plus, she didn’t have time to devote to a meaningful relationship or to get to know a man. The accounting business was hectic several months of the year. And there were always chores and repairs that needed her attention on the farm. When could she possibly fit in time for a man?
Better yet, Porter, answer this question. Despite all your excuses, how are you going to ignore the effects that impromptu kiss had on you? Hmm? Devlin Callahan may be quick-tempered, stubborn and opinionated, but he blew your mind with that searing kiss. Wanna deny it? Go ahead, turn yourself into a pathological liar. Then try to tell yourself that you haven’t learned more about Devlin Callahan in a week than you knew about that devious, underhanded baseball jock after six months.
“Okay, so Dev is nothing like Rex,” she admitted to herself. “Yes, he’s