Angry at herself for allowing this man to shake up her senses, she said, “Not by me—or you—or us.”
Then, before he could counter that remark, she turned and hurriedly walked away.
* * *
Later that evening, as the three of them sat around the supper table, Sassy had to admit to herself that Jett could cook as well as he could kiss. The food was delicious and so was the memory of being in his arms.
He’d called her pretty. Had he really meant that? She’d certainly not expected to hear him say such a thing. He was a man with high standards. She could see that by the way he lived. And, at her best, she had an average appearance. So the compliment could have just been his way of apologizing, she mused. Or, God help her, maybe the fact that she was pregnant and unmarried had given him the idea that she was promiscuous.
Quit thinking about him, Sassy. Forget how his lips felt as they’d moved over yours. Forget the way he tasted and the way the male scent of his body enveloped you like a dreamy fog. Giving in to a man has already gotten you into a big fix. You can’t allow this one to lead you down a wrong path. You’ll be gone from here in a few days, and then Jett Sundell will be nothing more than a dim memory.
She was thankful that, as the meal progressed, Jett and Bella kept the conversation flowing with small talk about local happenings and the weather they’d endured so far this winter. And for a few minutes Sassy was grateful to have her mind on things besides the baby, the kiss and the Calhouns.
“Jett, since you cooked, I’ll volunteer to clean the kitchen tonight,” Bella said, as the three of them finished the meal with slices of chocolate cake.
“I’d be glad to help,” Sassy quickly offered. “In fact, I’d feel better if you’d let me do all the cleaning.”
“Not on your life,” Jett replied.
Bella backed her brother up by saying, “Thanks for the offer, Sassy. Maybe next time. You’ve had a long day. You go along with Jett and relax in the living room. I’ll take care of everything here.”
Relax with Jett? How could she manage that, when just looking at the man whipped her pulse into a mad gallop? Putting her fork aside, she said, “Bella, I’m a maid. I’m used to doing the cleaning.”
“You’re not a maid here,” Jett pointed out.
Sassy had never planned to set foot in this man’s home, yet he was treating her as if she was a special guest. Was he just showing basic good manners? Or trying to get on her good side for some reason?
She was still trying to figure out the answers to those questions when he rose from his seat and helped her to her feet. Sassy had little choice but to accompany him to the living room. Once there, she sat on the couch while he went over to fireplace and added two more logs to the low-burning flames.
When he finally put away the poker and started toward an armchair, her coiled nerves had her suddenly blurting, “Please don’t feel like you have to sit around and entertain me. I’m sure you have other things you’d like to be doing.”
Changing direction, he strode over to the couch and eased onto the cushion next to hers. Sassy’s heart immediately kicked into a rapid flutter.
“Trying to get rid of me?” he asked wryly.
Reaching over, he wrapped a hand around hers and Sassy was instantly overcome with conflicting emotions. There was something about Jett that greatly comforted her, yet, at the same time, he made her feel things she had no business feeling. Like wanting and needing and dreaming.
“I should’ve gone to the hotel as I’d first planned,” she said ruefully.
“No. I should’ve behaved like a gentleman.” His fingertips gently stroked the back of her hand. “You didn’t ask for that kiss. Now you have the idea that I’m a wolf.”
Feeling as though she was about to break apart, Sassy drew in a deep breath and lifted her chin. “There’s no need for you to apologize. It was just a kiss, no matter what you think.”
Disapproval bent the corners of his mouth. “You hardly come across as easy, Sassy.”
She searched his face. “Well, some people back home view me as a party girl—and I have had a few boyfriends,” she admitted. “But not in an—intimate way. Barry was— He was the only man I’ve ever been close to and that happened only once. Now I’m pregnant. Folks back home might not be shocked at the news, but I surely am.”
“Every town has its gossipers. You don’t pay any attention to that sort of talk, do you?”
“I never did before. But now...”
“You don’t want it to hurt your baby,” he finished softly.
He understood. For some reason that made everything she was facing seem much less daunting and him seem, oh so special.
“Now that I’ve learned George and Gloria Matthews weren’t my parents, I regard a lot of things differently,” she said. “It hurts—the not knowing where I came from. I don’t want my child to ever have any doubts about his parents.”
“Sassy, I hope you’re not thinking that being a single mother is something to be ashamed of.”
Her low laugh was tinged with irony. “I’m not ashamed. But it’s hard to forget hurtful things that are said about you. For instance, a couple of years ago I had a little crush on a ranch hand who works for the Chaparral. Someone told him I’d like to go on a date with him, and his reply was that he’d never date a young woman who hopped from one man’s bed to the next.”
“You should have told the guy to go to hell. Did you?”
She shrugged. “After that I knew he wasn’t worth the bother. But the whole thing did get me to thinking and wondering why some people get the wrong impression about me.” She looked at him, and for the first time in her life, words began to roll past her lips that she’d never spoken to anyone before. “You see, after my parents died, I felt really alone, Jett. I didn’t have brothers or sisters. Not even cousins to hang with. And I was desperate for attention and just, well—human connection. I liked going out on dates and having fun. It made me forget that I’d lost everything that was dear to me. After a while, I suppose people began to think I was overdoing it with the dates and the guys. That probably doesn’t make much sense to you, but that’s the way I see it.”
“I’ll tell you the way I see it, Sassy. You’re beautiful and special. And you’re going make your son or daughter proud.”
He squeezed her hand, and his touch warmed her just as much as his words. And even though she could hear faint warning bells clanging in the back of her head, urging her to get up and move away from the man, she couldn’t budge from his side.
A nervous little laugh slipped out of her. “I’ve been talking too much. What in the world did you put in that spaghetti, Jett? Truth serum?”
A faint grin grooved his cheeks. “I didn’t put any serum in the spaghetti, but I can truthfully say that kiss I stole earlier this evening... It didn’t happen because I thought you were easy. Understand?”
She smiled faintly. “Okay, Jett. I understand.”
But, frankly, Sassy didn’t understand. Why had that kiss happened? Had it only stemmed from basic male attraction or because he was lonely? Oh, Lord, it didn’t matter, she tried to tell herself. After meeting the Calhouns, she’d start making plans to go home.
* * *
The next morning, after Bella left to make the forty-five mile trip over to Truckee, California, to visit their mother, Jett invited Sassy to join him on his feeding rounds. After being cooped up in the house since yesterday, she’d jumped at the chance to get outdoors and