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“How did she get in his head so fast?” Jarvis asked. “I saw the painting of the two of you. You were close.”
“That’s why it hurts. It’s like he just forgot everything he knew about me, everything we’d been through. Looking back, the timing was the biggest factor, I think. I was a teenager, poised for a normal rebellion, anyway. She made the most of it. He was lonely and she was perfect for him.”
“She wasn’t perfect for him if she didn’t like you.”
Mia’s heart twirled in her chest. How did he always know exactly what to say? “She really doesn’t like the idea of losing money if Silas and I are around to claim any inheritance. Catching her with another man at the country house is just an excuse for the timing.” A shiver caught her as she watched Silas sleep. Her son was utterly defenseless.
“So catching her might have upped her time line,” he said. “Didn’t they have a prenup?”
She shook her head. “Dad’s will was amended to provide for her and she simpered and cooed that it was the perfect solution. Convinced him she was there for him, not the cash.”
“He believed her?”
“He always does. She came to the marriage with a pretty hefty net worth. He had no reason to think she wasn’t sincere.” Silas shifted in his sleep and Jarvis reached over, rocking the car seat gently. “But she is greedy. She wants it all. However she gets us out of his life, she can then rework the will in her favor. And make herself a wealthy widow.”
“Selina told me tonight that no man should underestimate a pretty face.”
“She’s not wrong.” Mia grinned, thinking of Regina and Selina’s long and strained friendship. “Were you everything Selina hoped for tonight? Tell me Regina was jealous.”
“Yeah.” He swallowed and shifted in the chair. “It worked.”
“Has Selina booked you for an encore performance?” It wasn’t easy to hide the jealousy creeping into her voice. If only she and Jarvis had met in a normal fashion, they might’ve had a chance.
“No.” He stood. “Let’s get you out of here before someone notices my truck is back. I’ll follow you.”
“You don’t need to do that,” she protested. “I know the way.”
“I won’t let you drive across the ranch alone again.” He went to his dresser. “Don’t argue,” he said, returning to the table. He pulled on socks and running shoes. Hands braced on his knees, he looked at her. “Should I plan to stay over?”
“I, um.” What a good question.
“Let’s keep it simple. Yes or no, Mia.”
There was nothing simple about his question or the answer she wanted to give. She watched him, wary as he moved in, resting a hand on the back of her chair, his gaze dark. He wasn’t looming over her, but she felt surrounded, anyway. She breathed him in.
“Yes.”
He caught her reply with a kiss, his lips tantalizing and teasing. There was none of the usual urgency this time. All that longing and need that had been ready to combust settled into a warm thrum low in her belly. The sense of incredible pleasure just waiting for the right moment rolled through her. His bed was only a few paces away, her son sound asleep.
He eased back without a word, his dark gaze unfathomable. She pressed her hands between her knees to keep from grabbing him and holding on for dear life. He made quick work of shoving clothing into a backpack and shrugging it over a shoulder. With a pair of boots in one hand, he plucked up the car seat as if it weighed mere ounces and declared himself re
ady to go.
She was ready, too. For far more than the drive across the ranch.
On the short drive out to the bunkhouse he’d turned into her safe haven, Mia thought of all the things she should say when they arrived. She should thank him for going with Selina tonight and checking in on her father.
He hadn’t wanted to mingle with strangers tonight, but he had. For her. He was the first person in years to do something for her without expecting anything in return. Even her marriage had turned into a series of bargains and deals.
Silas stirred when they reached the refurbished bunkhouse and Jarvis volunteered to walk with him before he woke up all the way. The man looked damn perfect when he wasn’t holding Silas, but when he did, white picket fences, Sunday dinners and holidays with Jarvis danced across her vision.
Technically, she didn’t need a life partner; she wanted one. And now any future applicant for the role would have to measure up to the high standards Jarvis had set. It really was a shame she hadn’t met him before marrying Roderick.
“What will you do with your day off tomorrow?” she said once Silas was out. She and Jarvis were stretched out on opposite bunks, but she was too wired to sleep.
“Dig,” he said, grinning. “I’m planning to follow more of the research you came up with.” His voice was a soft rumble through the dark space. “Maybe tomorrow will be the day we prove Isaiah wasn’t hallucinating.”
“I hope the family legend is true.”
