He was smiling down at Charlie again and lightly touched the little boy’s hand. “So long, Charlie. I’ll see you soon, okay? We can play that game again.”
The tenderness in his tone caught Rachel’s attention. She had to smile up at him when he finally looked her way. She realized she hadn’t sold him anything from the store. But that didn’t seem to matter.
“I’m glad you decided to drop in and look around,” Rachel said with a laugh.
He nodded, but barely returned her smile. “So am I, Rachel.”
Then he turned and left the store. The bell on the door rang as he walked out. Then suddenly, it seemed very quiet.
Rachel picked Charlie up out of his seat and held him in her arms. Her little boy looked drowsy and she wondered if she should try a nap again. Jack had given the baby quite a work-out with their dog tossing game.
There was something about Jack Sawyer. Rachel couldn’t put her finger on it. He was good looking. Smart. Even had a surprisingly kind side.
But still, there was something a little…off. That didn’t quite fit.
She wondered if his references would check out. If they did, she’d hire him, of course. She’d never find anyone else to do the job at that price, or at this late date so close to winter. Besides…she did sort of like him. Even though she knew she shouldn’t let herself.
Rachel rocked Charlie on her shoulder and slowly walked back to his nursery, humming “Rockin’ Robin” again. She could hardly wait for him to fall asleep so she could call Julia.
Jack walked down to his car, slipped inside and drove down the quiet, shady street. By the time he’d reached the corner, he felt a strong impulse to pull a screeching U-turn, go back to Rachel Reilly and come clean with her completely.
Why did she have to be so damned beautiful?
Of all the mental images he’d had of his son’s mother, he’d never expected her to be such a damned knockout. He’d expected anything but. He thought of her, standing in the buttery sunlight in her shop, with her soft, curly hair and creamy complexion, and those big hazel eyes. Her figure was curvy, a bit more voluptuous than the lean, slinky model types he usually dated. But those curves were amazingly enticing. He wondered now what he’d been missing.
She’d looked like an angel holding Charlie in her arms. Then later, sitting under the apple tree, she could have been posing for a softly hued painting by some romantic nineteenth century artist.
Why in the world did a woman who looked like that go to a sperm bank to get pregnant? She could have men waiting in line to bed her. The minute he’d set eyes on her, he’d felt like getting in line himself.
Wasn’t this situation complicated enough?
It had been sheer madness to even suggest that he do the work on her cottage. He didn’t know what had gotten into him. Of course he could do the work. It might even be fun. He’d worked his way through college on construction crews and wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He could easily come up with the references and credentials she wanted. That wasn’t any problem either.
The problem was lying to her. She seemed a nice person. A reasonable person.
But of course, you never know. She might go berserk if she heard the donor dad of her child had searched for, and found, her and the baby. She might decide she’d never let him see him Charlie again.
When she’d stepped out of that back room carrying his son, Jack had thought for a second he was actually going to faint.
Jack had expected to feel moved by the sight of his son. But feeling his heart so full of love it was about to burst… well, that was a totally unexpected experience. And one previously unknown to him.
When she asked him to hold Charlie and he felt him so close, breathing right into his ear…his entire body was trembling. His son, his very own flesh and blood. In his arms for the first time.
He wasn’t a man to break down crying. But this was different. This was the real thing.
Jack knew in an instant Charlie had forever sealed his fate. Forever marked his life’s course. Charlie was his lodestar now, his touchstone.
He’d nearly lost it completely and told her everything.
But it hadn’t been the right time. The right way to do it.
It was more important than ever to find out for sure if she was a good mother before he could determine his approach. Sure, she seemed nice. But first impressions could be deceiving.
Case in point. Look how he’d just deceived her.
Until he knew more about her, he couldn’t jump to conclusions. And he certainly couldn’t let his hormones distort his judgment. There was still a lot to find out.
But was planting himself on her property, disguised as some down-and-out handyman, the right way to go about this? Jack didn’t think so. It wasn’t ethical. Or fair.
Oh, who was he kidding? Sure, he wanted to find out about her. But it was the boy. His boy. The temptation of being near his son every day was hard to resist. Watching him play, laugh, sleep. Not just hard. Impossible.
Still, Jack wasn’t sure if he should return to Rachel Reilly’s store tomorrow, as he’d promised. He could just call and make some excuse to her. Or just disappear without any word of explanation.
Yet it was funny how that had all come together though, just at the moment of his visit. Jack wasn’t a very spiritual man, yet this all seemed like some sort of gift from the universe. Should he really just pass on the opportunity?
Either way, whether he returned to work for her or disappeared into the blue, she would eventually find out who he was and why he’d come to visit today. Jack didn’t even want to think far enough to imagine her reaction.
The entire situation presented as many problems as it solved. He almost regretted coming here and not taking the advice he’d been offered.
Almost, but not quite. Not at all, when he thought back to Charlie.
Jack didn’t know for sure what he would do. Or should do.
He did know he was hungry, exhausted and this day of all days had shaken him to core.
At least he had all night to figure it out.
Chapter Two
“I love this place. I could live here. Honestly.”
Julia Martinelli strolled around the shop, surveying the wares with a wistful sigh. No matter how many times Rachel’s best pal dropped in at Pretty Baby—and she visited nearly every day—she always wore a look of wonder…and longing.
It was a short walk down Main Street to Pretty Baby from Home Sweet Home Realty. If Julia didn’t come for a morning coffee break, she often brought lunch. Like today.
Rachel was hungry, but her stomach felt jumpy, too. Nerves about seeing Jack Sawyer again, though she hated to admit it. He said he’d come by noon and it was now about half past. That wasn’t a good sign, she thought. But she didn’t want to spin her wheels about it. If he came, he came. He did seem to be too good to be true…and maybe, he was.
Julia had wandered over to the infant wear. She picked up a pair of fuzzy pink knitted booties, stuck them on her fingers and wiggled them around like tiny feet.
“These are adorable? So sweet…” She sighed and put them back again. “Can’t you please fix me a little room in the back, like Charlie’s? I’ll even pay rent.”
“Sorry, I need the extra space for storage. But maybe you can rent out the cottage when it’s fixed up. I’ll even give you a discount.”
The bright-eyed blonde glanced at Rachel, then sat down across from her at the counter. She