[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

 I can t. Cole s voice was agonized.  She ll never want anything to do with me after that.
 Cole, you ve built this thing up in your mind until it s far bigger than it needs to be. If
you really want a relationship with Tara, you have to be honest. You have to tell her what the
real problem with Molly is. Otherwise, you can forget about any second chance.
Cole was silent for so long Sean wondered if he d turned to stone.
 All right, he said at last.  Now, tell me how I m going to get my wife back.
 Okay, Sean poured himself more coffee.  Here s the plan.
And he told Cole in great detail what he was going to do and how he was going to do it.
* * * *
Tara was glad to be home, even if the house was filled with painful memories that kept
prodding at her. She felt, if not refreshed by her stay at the ranch, at least released from the grip
of emotional disaster. Regardless of the circumstances, she and Cole had taken a leap into
intimacy. Somewhere in all this mess were real feelings propelling both of them. If they could just
negotiate the obstacle course, maybe they could examine how they really felt about each other.
She wasn t sure how she would ever sleep in her bed again without thinking about that
night. She still had so many unresolved conflicts. Loving Cole was not enough if he didn t love her
back. Despite what Lindsey said, she needed him to tell her that himself. She would listen to
whatever he had to say then decide what to do next.
She went to her room early, emotionally and physically spent from the previous days. She
forced herself to crawl into her bed and, with an effort, banished the Thanksgiving night images
from her mind. Unbelievably, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep and didn t wake until the sun
was bright and she heard Molly calling from her crib.
Taking advantage of the beautiful day, Tara decided to walk Molly in the stroller. The
weather was gorgeous if you were celebrating the holidays. She wasn t doing much of that, but
she could at least enjoy the cool, crisp, sunshine-washed weather.
She remembered to take her cell phone in case Cole called, mindful of what happened
the time she d forgotten it. She actually heard from Jake first.
 Where are you? he demanded.  I m cooling my heels on your front steps.
 I m taking a walk with Molly. She frowned at the phone.  What are you doing at my
house?
 I ll tell you when you get here. How far away are you?
 Just a few blocks. I ll be right there.
He was standing by the door when she got there, looking at his watch with impatience.
He plucked Molly from her stroller and hugged her, planting a kiss on her cheek.  How s my
beautiful girl today? Do you know we re hoping for one just like you? Do you think that s
possible?
 Jake. Tara tried to conceal her impatience.  Are you going to tell me what this is all
about?
 Inside the house. Then we ll talk.
She put Molly in her highchair with a cookie and turned to Jake.  All right, what s going
on? she demanded.
 Go pack a bag for Molly, he ordered.  She s coming to the ranch to stay until tomorrow.
Don t argue. Luisa s more excited about this than Lindsey. And where s the car seat?
 What? Not until you tell me what s going on. Have you heard from Cole?
 More than I ever want to. He blew out a breath.  Tara, you are a wonderful woman and
a special friend, but just this once, will you shut up and do as you re told? Where s the car seat?
 In my car in the garage, she said, dazed.
 I ll get it. Go pack her things.
Realizing she would get no more answers, she handed Molly to Jake and went up to the
nursery to gather some of the little girl s things. When she got back downstairs, Jake was standing
in the kitchen still holding Molly, a huge gift-wrapped box sitting on the table.
He pointed to it.  This is from Lindsey. You re not supposed to open it until after I leave.
She said it s not what she wanted, but I only had time to take her into Cibolo this morning so she
had to settle for what she could find in town. And no questions, remember? he said, as he saw
her open her mouth.
 All right. Molly hasn t had lunch yet. I was just going to feed her.
 No problem, Jake grinned.  Luisa is delighted to feed anybody she can.
 Okay. She stared at him.  Are you going to tell me what this is about now?
 You have a date tonight, Mrs. Cassidy. With your husband. He ll be here at seven, and all
you have to do is be ready and waiting. He picked up Molly to take her with him.  Cut him a
little slack, will you? Hold onto the thought that he s madly in love with you and shaking in his
shoes about seeing you. Okay?
 But& 
 Just call us in the morning and let us know if you ve shot him to death and where we
should come to pick up the pieces.
 Wait, I& 
 No more questions. Jake gave her a swift peck on the cheek, shifted Molly in his arms
and was gone.
Tara closed the front door and leaned against it, forcing herself to breathe. Cole was
coming to the house. He was coming to see her. She was filled both with dread and anticipation.
When she opened the package from Lindsey, she didn t know whether to laugh or cry.
Inside were bottles of bath salts and bath oil, a gold and pearl clip for her hair and a long, silk
gown in pale yellow. Cut temptingly low both front and back, the material was sensuous and
luxuriant, and she knew it would cling to every curve of her body.
Lindsey had enclosed a note with the gown that said,  Knock him dead, Tara. And you
can t wear anything under this. It shows every line. If you decide to throw him out, at least, let
him see what he ll be missing.
She dropped into one of the kitchen chairs, holding the silk gown and allowed herself one
more crying jag. Then she took the box and went upstairs.
Chapter Eleven
A long bath was a luxury Tara didn t indulge in much these days, so it was heaven just to
sit in the scented water and close her mind to everything. Her muscles were loose and relaxed
when she finally climbed out and turned on the shower to wash her hair. A brand new bottle of
scented lotion stood on the vanity. Despite everything, her body tingled at the thought of seeing
Cole again, and she felt wanton as she slowly massaged the lotion into every inch of her skin.
Then she dried her hair, brushing it until it shone, and pulled it back with the clip Lindsey had [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]