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“Men don’t walk down the aisle.” It was a dumb response, but it was what popped into mind. No matter how much she loved Jared, she was not going to let her grandfather rush her down the…loved Jared?Her mouth ran dry and her brain stuttered. Of course, she loved Jared. He was a good man. A good neighbor. And had become a good friend. She loved all her friends, and her family. She did. But who was she kidding? She didn’t sit on the edge of her seat waiting for a phone call from her grandmother or her best buddies.
Holy matrimony, she’d gone and fallen in love with Jared Gold.
Somehow, when it came to the Governor, Jared felt as though an invitation to dinner were the same thing as being summoned to the principal’s office. The bright side of the invitation was that it included Eve. This last week of having her in his life to talk to and bounce ideas and problems off of had made even the most disruptive elements of his daily challenges much more palatable.
Pulling into the front drive of the Baron house, he stepped out of the jeep, slapped his hat against his leg out of sheer habit, and sucking in a deep breath, marched up the stairs. Anyone would think he was on death’s row and not about to have a nice family dinner with the lady in his life. Of course, this being the first time dining with the Barons as… as what? Eve’s friend? Eve’s boyfriend? Eve’s intended?Intended. Now wasn’t that an old-fashioned word. Where it popped out from, he had no idea, but like a bolt of lightning, it struck him clear as day. He most definitely had intentions when it came to Eve. He just hadn’t put them into words yet. But with everything going on, he wasn’t so sure now was a good time to blurt out that he didn’t want to be friends, and he most definitely wanted to be more than a casual date.
As had happened the last few times he’d come to visit, the front door opened before he could ring the bell. This time, it was Eve’s brother Craig filling the doorway. “Saw you coming up the steps. Thought I’d save you the trouble of over taxing that arm by ringing the doorbell.”
“Appreciate it.” He flashed a smile that he hoped conveyed a confidence he wasn’t so sure he felt. Not that confidence was a problem for him. Normally he was the guy that walked into a room like he owned the place, knowing no one would question whether or not he did. But when it came to Eve, he’d found his confidence slipping ever so slightly. He couldn’t afford a single misstep around her. Or around her brothers. He did not want to lose this girl. More than anything in this world, he wanted to keep Eve in his life. And wasn’t that an interesting revelation.
“Welcome.” Lila Baron smiled at him from her favorite chair. The growing puppies snoozed soundly in their designated beds. “Come sit.”
He followed his neighbor’s gesture and took a seat on the sofa.
“It’s a small gathering for dinner tonight,” his hostess pointed out. “More intimate that way, don’t you think?”
Was this a trick question? Not sure, he nodded and hoped he hadn’t failed.
“My cousin Colton was going to pop in, but he ran into some last-minute complications on a project.” Craig poured himself a drink and lifted the glass in Jared’s direction. “Would you like a cocktail before dinner?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
Craig bobbed his head and Jared had the strangest feeling that his evening was going to be filled with tests. That or he was becoming strangely paranoid. Speaking of paranoid, he casually glanced around the large room and out the doorway to the hall. Had Eve bailed on the dinner and left him to fend for himself with her family?
“She’ll be down in a minute.” The Governor clearly had a gift at reading minds. Jared was going to have to be more careful around the retired Marine. “What’s the latest word on Mary?”
“Promising. The doctors are hopeful, but no matter what, even assuming she has no permanent impairment, she could be looking at a long recovery time. If there’s some loss of function, she could need to go to rehab before coming home.”
“And when do they think that will be?”
He blew out the same deep sigh he’d exhaled when the doctor had told him not to expect Mary home for at least another month. The words still had him a little rattled.
“Hello.” Eve came through the doorway.
The second he heard her voice, he sprang to his feet. His mother had made sure that standing when a lady entered the room came as naturally as breathing. If he didn’t do so, he just knew somehow his mother would find out and no matter how far away she might be, the woman would magically appear beside him to poke him in the rib cage. The next instinct was to reach for Eve’s hand, kiss her lightly and make sure she sat beside him. The problem with that scenario was whether or not the men in the room would consider that grounds to have him run out of town on the proverbial rail. He settled for smiling and muttering a barely audible, “Hi.”
“Dinner isn’t ready yet.” Ms. Lila gestured toward the sofa. “Might as well take our seats again.”
“We were just discussing Mary’s prognosis.” The Governor, who had remained seated, tapped his wedding ring on the head of his cane. “When does the boy come home?”
And that was the latest tidbit he’d been wrestling with and was hoping to talk with Eve about this evening. “Camp officially ends Saturday, but the parents won’t be bringing the kids home till Sunday.”
Eve’s eyes widened. “That’s just two more days?”
“Yeah.” His head dipped once and he swallowed hard. “I freely admit, it’s a little unsettling.”
Ms. Lila smiled. “Not much experience with children?”
He shook his head. “It’s not like Jake and I are strangers, but the ranch keeps me pretty busy. Our paths don’t cross very often.” To his surprise, without looking at him, Eve reached over and covering his hand with hers, offered a reassuring squeeze. Grateful for the support, he weaved his fingers with hers and held on tight.
“We’ll work something out.” Eve squeezed his hand again.
The wordwe’llhad his chest swelling with something akin to relief wrapped in joy. The idea that she was willing to be a part of we instantly took some of the pressure of how to care for Mary’s grandson off his shoulders, while simultaneously making him want to kick up his heels.
“Have you decided where he’ll stay?” Eve asked.
“Doesn’t Mary live in the quarters over the garage?” Lila Baron seemed to be thinking something through.
