Читать книгу The Rebel Returns: The Return of the Rebel / Her Irresistible Protector / Why Resist a Rebel? - Leah Ashton - Страница 16
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After a week of sharing the mansion, Jax found himself susceptible to Cleo’s enchanting spell. He’d found her fascinating as a kid, and as a woman, she was near irresistible. But no matter how sweet and enticing she may be, he couldn’t keep finding excuses to touch her—to kiss her. The best thing he could do was find a way to reunite her with her family.
But first, he had something he had to do. He was tired of waiting for the doctor’s office to call. He could only figure they’d lost his new number and that was why they hadn’t called with his test results.
He glanced around for Cleo. Not finding any signs of her, he grabbed the cell phone from the kitchen counter and dialed the familiar number. After two rings, it switched to a prerecorded message announcing the doctor was out of the office for the next week.
Jax cursed under his breath and resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room. Of all the times for the doctor to have a personal life, why did it have to be now?
The distinct sound of Cleo’s crutches echoed down the hall. He cleared the number and placed the phone back on the counter. He’d just turned around when she entered the room.
She stopped in front of him with a frown marring her beautiful face. “Have you seen Charlie?”
“I wasn’t exactly looking for him. Why?”
“I don’t know. He’s just usually wherever I am, and I haven’t seen him since first thing this morning.”
“In a house this size it wouldn’t be hard for him to find a hiding spot.”
A frown settled on her face. “I know, but I just worry.”
She fussed over that cat like a mother caring for a young child. The image of her holding a baby in her arms came to mind. That was yet another reason why they shouldn’t be playing house.
Jax shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I’ll...um, go look around for him. Why don’t you sit down? You know what the doctor said about resting.”
“How could I forget? You remind me every day.” She started toward the family room before calling over her shoulder, “While you’re upstairs would you mind grabbing the blue tote bag from my bedroom?”
“Your wish is my command.”
He took the steps two at a time. His gaze scanned the hallway for any sign of the feline. How in the world was he going to find a little cat in this big house? He’d probably found a nice dark corner to take a catnap.
But first Jax needed to get the bag for Cleo. He worried that she was overdoing it and he didn’t want her to reinjure herself. He told himself that it was no more care than he’d give to a coworker or neighbor... But then again he wouldn’t be kissing them. And with each passing day it was getting harder to keep Cleo at arm’s length.
Not only was he painfully attracted to her, but her passion for life made him want to set out on a new adventure. He found himself daydreaming about having a full life—no longer spending his days chained to a desk and computer. His thoughts trailed back to Hope Springs with its wide-open spaces and its endless possibilities. But most of all, he envisioned Cleo by his side.
However, for that to happen, he’d have to sentence her to an eventual life of caring for an ill man with a tenuous future—only to wind up a young widow. Cold fingers of apprehension gripped his throat, cutting off his breath. He refused to do that to Cleo. He banished the unsettling thoughts to the back of his mind. No matter how tempting a life with her might seem, he couldn’t put her in that horrendous situation.
With the blue bag in hand, he returned to the family room, where Cleo had turned on the big-screen TV. A fashion design competition was on. “I take it you still enjoy clothes.”
She nodded while rummaging through the oversize bag and pulling out a sketch pad and a pack of pencils.
“Some things don’t change.”
“Did you find Charlie?” She glanced at him expectantly.
He’d forgotten about the furball. Where in the world did he even begin to look for the cat?
As though reading his mind, Cleo said, “You’ll have to get down on all fours. He likes to nap in cozy, dark spots.”
Jax expelled a sigh. He might as well start in here. “Here kitty, kitty.”
He crawled around on the floor looking under every piece of furniture in the room. There was no cat to be found.
Jax sat up on his knees next to Cleo. “He isn’t in here.” His gaze moved to the sketch pad in her hands. “What are you doing?”
She jerked the pad against her chest. “Why?”
“I’m curious.”
“You’ll just laugh.”
“Why would I laugh? Obviously you’re drawing something that’s important to you. I’m just curious what it is.”
Her shoulders drooped and the lines in her face eased. “It’s just that when I was growing up my brothers would always poke fun at my drawings. I guess I didn’t realize, until now, how touchy I’ve become.”
“Can I see? I promise to be on my best behavior.”
Her mouth pulled to the side as she thought it over before she nodded. When she turned the pad around, he sat up straighter, truly interested. There was the outline of a woman with no face, but the details were in the soft pink dress with a long skirt and a halter-style top.
“That’s impressive.” He meant it. “Instead of going to college to become an accountant, you should have considered pursuing art.”
“You really think it’s that good.”
He nodded. “If I had to draw it, there’d be a stick figure on the page. It wouldn’t be that good of one, either. And as for the clothes, um...do rectangles and squares count?”
“I don’t think so. They’d be awfully uncomfortable.”
The rays from Cleo’s smile filled his chest with warmth. Until that moment he hadn’t realized how empty his life had been, even before the cancer. Sure, he had his work, and his amazing success at such a young age was very rewarding. But when he returned to his apartment in the evenings, it was dark and empty. There wasn’t so much as a fish or a Charlie waiting for him.
He didn’t know how he’d ever go back to that solitary life after sharing this place with Cleo...and her furball. The cat really wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, he rather liked the little guy, which was probably a good thing since the cat had taken to snuggling up on his chest when he was sleeping. He’d surprisingly grown used to Charlie’s nightly visits.
Jax knew he was setting himself up for a fall because this arrangement was not permanent—no matter how much he might like it to be otherwise. But he had resolved not to fight it. There was no harm in enjoying Cleo’s company—as long as he kept his hands to himself.
“So what do you do with your drawings?”
“Actually they are sketches of clothes I plan to make.” Her eyes never left his, as though she was anxious to gauge his reaction. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“I don’t know what to say except...wow! You’re a lady of many talents.”
“You’re really impressed?”
“Of course I am. Did you make what you’re wearing now?”
His gaze moved to the pink-and-white tiny T-shirt and gray sweat shorts. It didn’t matter what she wore, she always looked beautiful.
Cleo shook her head. “I only make dress clothes like the ones you saw me in at the Glamour Hotel.”
“Have you been doing this for long?”
She nodded. “My grandmother taught me how to sew at an early age. She was a very patient woman. More so than I could ever hope to be.”
He glanced through her sketchbook. Each drawing was more impressive than the last. “Have you sent these out to professionals?”
Color infused her cheeks. “I couldn’t do that.”
He caught the uncertainty in her eyes. “I’m no expert, but I think you should follow your dream. If you want I can make some calls.”
“No!” She grabbed the sketch pad from him. “I already know my clothes aren’t good enough. I’ve been told they’re too frivolous. It’d be a waste of time.”
Anger warmed his veins. “And who told you that?”
“My parents. They said that if I insisted on going to college that I must take up a skill that was practical and would eventually provide me with a substantial income when I finished.”
He wanted to argue with her and those misconceptions that her parents drilled into her head. They had stolen her dreams. And now he was determined to find a way to give them back to her.
Jax sat down on the carpet and leaned an elbow on the couch near Cleo’s pink-painted toes. “Boy, your parents were more set in their ways than I ever imagined.”
“Now you’re seeing why I moved across the country for college and why I was arguing with my father...”
Not wanting her to return to that dark, quiet place where she locked him out, he said, “So this sketch, is it an outfit for yourself?”
Her gaze snapped back from that faraway look. “Um...no. It’s actually for Robyn. She’s always going on about my clothes and how pretty they are, which is so sweet. Anyway she wanted me to make an outfit for her. It’s nice to have someone appreciate my efforts.”
If Cleo ever hoped to make peace with her mother, she had to lighten up on her. Maybe he could try to help bridge that gap. He hated the thought of Cleo with no family. He wouldn’t wish a solitary existence on anyone, especially when he knew as sure as he was sitting there that deep down where it counted, her mother loved her.
“Cleo, did you ever think that maybe your parents saw your fashion magazines and your high-class creations as a rejection of the life they chose to lead? Or maybe they were afraid that if they encouraged you to follow your dreams that you’d up and leave Hope Springs—leave them.”
A light shone in her eyes. “But I never looked down on them or the ranch. It’s my...was my home.”
“But every time you complained about having to ride the fence line or feed the herd, maybe they took it as a strike against their lifestyle. I’m not saying it was right what they said or how they made you feel, but maybe they thought if you lost interest in fashion that you would realize the ranch was the right place for you.”
Cleo’s fine brows arched. “You really think that’s what it was about?”
Jax raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t have all of the answers. I just know that a mother’s love runs deep. You’ve both made mistakes. How long has it been since you tried to talk to her?”
“Almost two years. The last time I called was a month after the funeral. She told me never to call again.” Cleo’s eyes shimmered and she blinked repeatedly.
“Try to forget what she said in a moment of grief and follow your heart. When you talk to her be honest about who you are and what you want in life. Maybe she’ll surprise you. What do you have to lose?”
Cleo shook her head. “I—I can’t do that. I can’t have her say those hurtful things again. I’m fine with the way things are now.”
“Then you’re lying to me and yourself. This distance isn’t making you happy. You may have all of the independence in the world, but it’ll never replace the love of your family. And don’t doubt that they love you just as much as you love them.” He got to his feet. “Now I have a cat to track down.”
He didn’t want to push Cleo too far too fast, but before they went their separate ways, he hoped she’d work up the courage to call home. The sooner, the better. Otherwise he wasn’t sure if he could just walk away from her and leave her alone.
* * *
A few days later, Cleo was still thinking over Jax’s words. The fact that he’d come to her mother’s defense she found confusing. Why was he pushing this? There had never been any love between him and her mother. In fact, as a kid, Jax used to revel in egging her mother on by doing things to irritate her. So why was he suddenly coming to her mother’s aid?
It didn’t make any sense. But more than that, Cleo didn’t feel worthy to be part of the Sinclair clan any longer. Not when her actions contributed to her father’s death—the man who gave her the dream of an Ivy League school even though he’d had to put the family’s heritage at risk to do it. And how did she repay him? By her last words to him being ones of anger.
Cleo gave herself a mental jerk. She wasn’t going down that painful road again. She’d thought she’d tucked all of these memories into a locked box in the back of her mind. Now the memories had broken the padlock and were spilling out faster than she could push the lid closed.
What she needed to do was quit thinking. She’d done enough of that all afternoon and right about now, the most delightful aroma was coming from the kitchen.
Tired of sketching, she closed the pad and placed it on the glass coffee table alongside her colored pencils. She grabbed the crutches that she was now more adept at using and made her way to the kitchen.
From the hallway, she could hear Jax talking but she couldn’t make out what he was saying until she got closer. “Don’t look so down. Us guys have to stick together. I’m sure that surgery wasn’t easy.”
Surgery? Oh, having Charlie neutered. She smiled as she listened to Jax sympathizing with the cat. He continued to talk as if Charlie understood every word he said.
“Here. Maybe this will cheer you up.”
Cleo turned the corner in time to find Jax doling out some treats before turning his attention back to the stove.
“So you and Charlie are buddies now?”
Jax jerked around from where he’d been stirring a steaming pot. With the spoon still in his hand, the tomato sauce dripped all over the black-and-white floor tiles. The sheepish look reminded her of the expression her brothers would get when caught stealing one of her mother’s cookies fresh from the oven.
“You heard that?”
“I did.” She worked her way over to the island and pulled out a stool. “I told you Charlie would grow on you.”
Jax turned away and busied himself cleaning up the mess. “There. All cleaned up.” He tossed the paper towels in the trash and washed his hands. “I hope you like pasta.”
“Smells delicious to me. What is it?”
“My version of Sicilian pasta.” He broke up some capellini and dunked it in a pot of boiling water. “It’ll be ready shortly if you want to go back to the family room. I can bring it in there.”
“I’m bored with my own company. Mind if I stay and watch?”
He cocked a smile. “Is that your way of saying that I’m interesting? Or am I just the best of the worst?”
She laughed. “Hmm...I’m not going to answer on the grounds that it might incriminate me.”
“I see how you are,” he said teasingly as he moved to the fridge.
She wouldn’t have missed this for anything in the world. As he bent over to retrieve some salad makings, she couldn’t help but take in the way his faded jeans accentuated his backside. There wasn’t an ounce of flab on the guy. Between his good looks and wealth, why was he still single?
“So do you do this often?”
He turned around with a head of iceberg lettuce in one hand and a large tomato in the other. “No. I rarely cook.”
Then an unhappy thought came to mind. “Is that because there’s a woman around to do the cooking for you?”
His gaze caught hers. “And what would you say if I told you that she cooks, cleans and folds my underwear, too?”
The thought that he’d be involved with someone hadn’t even crossed her mind. An uneasy feeling stirred within her. She didn’t know why she’d just assumed he was available. He was sexy and rich. He could have his choice of women.
“Before you go jumping to the wrong conclusion,” Jax said, “you should know that she’s my cleaning lady. She’s old enough to be my mother and she’s happily married.”
Cleo breathed easier. “That’s good because I’m never going to be the other woman. Especially when I know firsthand how much it hurts everyone involved.” Then realizing she’d said too much, heat licked at her cheeks.
She glanced up, catching the slack-jawed look on Jax’s face.
“I would never want you to be the other woman. If you were mine, there wouldn’t be anyone else in my life but you. You’d be all I’d need.”
Her gaze met his. Her heart thump-thumped in her chest. She’d only ever dreamed of someone speaking such endearing words to her.
The kitchen timer buzzed. In a blink the fairy-tale moment ended.
Jax moved around the counter. “I have to take care of the pasta, but don’t go anywhere. We aren’t through with this conversation.”
She watched as he drained the pasta, dribbled some olive oil on it, gave it a toss and put the lid on the pan. She thought of sneaking off while he stirred the sauce, but she was certain that he’d track her down. She might as well get this over with. Her stomach growled its agreement. Her only road to dinner was a detour through her past.
After turning down the heat and giving the sauce one final stir, Jax joined her at the counter. He settled down on the stool and faced her. “Now, what is this about you being hurt by another woman?”
“It’s not worth getting into the details. Let’s just say the moral of the story is I let myself fall for the wrong guy. And now I know better. So let’s have dinner and forget all of this.”
“Not so fast. I want to know the parts you’re skipping over.”
She exhaled an exasperated sigh. She hated to think about how naive she’d been. She’d never be that trusting again because putting your heart on the line was just asking to be hurt—even from those that you’d least expect.
“It was my last year in college and I’d fallen hard for this guy from my public speaking class. He was charming and charismatic. Let’s just say he aced the class without breaking a sweat.”
“And you fell for his charms, not knowing that he had a darker side?”
She nodded. “He was perfect. Good-looking. Talkative. Funny. Or so I thought at the time.”
“What kind of things did he like to talk about?”
She shrugged. “His classes. His future plans. Football. Nothing specific.”
“Did he ever care about what was important to you?”
“Not really.” She stopped, not realizing until that moment that most of their conversations had revolved around him. “When I had news, he’d quickly change the subject back to him. I guess I should have seen the warning signs earlier.”
“It’s not your fault. You tried. He obviously didn’t. So what made you see him as the jerk that he is?”
“We’d been dating for a little more than six months when I didn’t feel well and came back to my dorm room early from a class to find him in bed with my roommate.”
Jax clenched his hands. “If I’d been around, he wouldn’t have gotten away with that.”
She took comfort in hearing the protective tones in Jax’s voice. “Well, I’m glad you weren’t there.”
Jax’s brows rose in a question.
“He wasn’t worth you getting into trouble. Besides, I’ve lived and learned, even if it was the hard way. The important part is I won’t be making those same mistakes again.”
“But you have to know that all men aren’t like him.” Jax’s voice grew deep. “If you were mine, I’d never look at another woman as long as I lived.”
Her gaze met his. Her heart once again went thump-thump. “Seriously? You’d really only have eyes for me?”
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” His thumb stroked her cheek, followed her jawline and rubbed over her bottom lip. His gaze never left hers.
His touch sent her insides quivering with excitement. She was drawn to him like a butterfly to a field of poppies. Not waiting for him to make the first move, she pressed her lips to his thumb. His eyes lit up with excitement. She was enjoying this new side of herself and she didn’t want this moment to end.
The tip of her tongue darted out, stroking the length of his finger. She immediately heard the swift intake of his breath. He wanted her. And she wanted him. There were no strings. No promises. Just the intrigue of finding out where this moment might lead.
Jax pulled away. “I have to get the sauce... It’s getting too hot. It’s bubbling over. I don’t want it to...uh, burn.”
He moved away and Cleo smiled to herself knowing that she’d gotten to him. This thing between them, whatever it was, was not over. Not by a long shot.
Jax kept his attention focused on the food. “You know there are good guys in this world.”
“I know. You’re one of them.”
He shook his head. “I don’t mean me. I’m not right for you. But there’s someone better waiting to find you.”
“I doubt it.” The smiled faded from her face. “Besides, the people that you’re supposed to be able to trust the most are the first ones to let you down when you really need them.”
“We’re not talking about jerk face anymore, are we?”
She shook her head and lowered her gaze to the floor. She couldn’t help but think of her family. They were the ones she always thought she could count on—no matter what.
“I honestly think you should call you mother.”
He was really pushing for a mother-daughter reunion. Buy why? Was he that anxious to get rid of her and he just couldn’t bring himself to say it?
Dread filled her heart. She’d been down this road before. Her instinct was to leave and not look back. She could return to the casino and he could fly back to New York. But as much as she wanted that to happen, some ape man out there was looking for them. For now, they were stuck here together.
