Barbara McCauley - Texas Heat

“Do you have horses in there?” Emma asked excitedly. “Can I see them?”

“A little later.” Jake reached over and unbuckled Emma’s seat belt. “Right now there’re some people who’ve been waiting to meet you.”

While Jake got the luggage, Savannah quickly pulled a brush through Emma’s tangled hair, then her own. Her hand shook slightly as she hurriedly applied lipstick. Jared and Jessica were waiting inside. And while Savannah knew that they certainly would like Emma, she couldn’t help but wonder what they would think of her. Would they consider her an outsider? An intruder?

Inside the house there were pink and white balloons and streamers everywhere. They seemed strongly out of place in the masculine interior of dark wood and leather furniture. Jake, with one bag under each arm and another in each hand, kicked the door shut behind him.

A man stood just inside the door, his hands in the back pockets of his faded jeans. He was nearly as tall as Jake, with the same muscular build, but his hair was a shade lighter, and his blue eyes, though smiling, held a strange sadness. The kind of sadness a woman could easily find herself drawn to, Savannah thought.

A young woman wearing a sleeveless white denim shirt and black jeans came out of the kitchen drying her hands on a towel. Jessica. The minute Savannah saw her she felt her breath catch. She was beautiful. And if the resemblance between Emma and Jessica’s photograph had been strong, in real life it was amazing.

Jessica tossed the towel aside and moved in front of Emma. There was silence for a moment as Jessica and Jared looked at Emma, then Jessica bent down and held out her hand. “Hello, Emma.”

Still clutching the stuffed animal Jake had given her, Emma suddenly turned shy and leaned close to Savannah. “It’s all right, Pecan.” Savannah nudged her niece. “Say hello to your sister.”

Emma took a cautious step forward. “Are you really my sister?”

Jessica nodded.

Hesitantly Emma took Jessica’s hand. “Are you having a party?” she asked, looking around the room.

Jessica smiled. “It’s a welcome party for you.”

“For me?” Emma’s eyes widened. “Thank you!”

As Jake watched Emma move into Jessica’s arms and give her a hug, he felt his throat tighten. He knew that if his mother hadn’t nearly died giving birth to Jessica there would have been a dozen more Stone children. But Jake’s father had loved his wife too much to chance losing her and so had made sure no more children were conceived. Something told Jake that if his mother were alive, she would have welcomed this child. His stepmother, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter.

When Emma gave Jared a hug, too, Jake cleared his throat loudly and set the bags down. “Hey, what about me? I brought you here, didn’t I?”

Emma ran to Jake and nearly jumped into his arms. Savannah stood by, feeling completely out of place as she watched the family unite. It seemed so natural, she thought, watching Emma wrap her arms around Jake’s neck. As if they’d known each other forever.

Jessica, her eyes glistening with tears, stepped forward and took hold of Savannah’s hands. “How can we ever thank you?”

Savannah shook her head. “It’s not necessary.” And when she glanced at Jake and saw him smiling down at Emma, she knew in that second she’d done the right thing by coming. She knew that no matter what happened to her, Emma would always be loved and cared for.

And as comforting as that realization was, a cold shiver of fear went through Savannah. For she knew in her heart that the love that would protect Emma might also take her away.

Jessica, still holding on to Savannah, took Emma’s hand, as well, and pulled them both toward the kitchen. “You two must be starving. I have a pizza almost ready to come out of the oven, cold cuts and potato salad and beans and franks. Oh, and chocolate cake for dessert.”

“So what’s Jake going to eat?” Jared teased.

“His boots if he doesn’t hurry up,” Jessica called back.

Jake tossed his hat onto a hook in the entry and made his way to the kitchen. “Couldn’t tell the difference between my boots and that steak Jared made last week. What was in that marinade, Bro? Boot wax?”

The banter continued through lunch. Emma giggled at the silliness and even Savannah felt herself relaxing. The kitchen was large and sunny, but once again, there was no woman’s touch here, she noted. No curtains, no basket of dried flowers or wooden cows hanging on the wall. Simple and utilitarian in appearance, but complete with what appeared to be most of the necessary modern appliances.

Savannah found herself wondering why Jake hadn’t married and why this kitchen wasn’t filled with his own children. Had it become comfortable living with Jessica and Jared, or was he just too busy to look for a wife?

As if this man would have to look far, she told herself, glancing sideways at him. If word got out he was looking for a wife, the three-hour drive to Midland would be bumper to bumper with eager females.

“Would you like a roll?”

Startled from her thoughts, Savannah realized Jake was talking to her. “Excuse me?”

“A roll.” He offered her a basket of bread. “You want one?”

Jake had no idea what had brought the sudden flush to Savannah’s cheeks, but he couldn’t stop his own thought, which was wondering if her face flushed with passion as easily as it did with embarrassment. He had a swift and fervent desire to find out, and if Jessica hadn’t announced it was time for everyone to have cake, he might have let his imagination wander a bit.

Emma giggled when Jared got chocolate frosting on his chin and the sound flowed through Jake like warm honey. Emma had brought something into his house he hadn’t realized he’d missed. People and laughter. She hadn’t been here two hours and already he was wondering how he could let her leave. A month was too short.

But that was something he’d deal with later. He looked at Savannah, watching as she licked a spot of frosting from her upper lip. The innocent, but sensuous gesture had his groin tightening painfully, and he began to realize that a month might, in fact, be a very long time.

“Hello? Anybody home?”

Jake went still at the sound of the voice, as did everyone else in the kitchen. Jake frowned at Jessica, then Jared, but they both shook their heads.

He counted to three, struggling to control his temper, furious that this special party was being interrupted.

Myrna had just walked in his front door.

The sudden tension in the room closed around Savannah like a fist. Instinctively she put her arm around Emma, who was busy spearing a bite of cake, oblivious to any change in the atmosphere.

The voice came again. “Jake?”

He scowled. Jared shook his head and quickly covered Jessica’s mouth. Jessica pushed Jared’s hand away. “In here,” she called out, and punched Jared’s arm.

“There you are.” An older redheaded woman in a green crepe suit appeared at the doorway. She slipped her sunglasses off. “Are you having a party?”

Jake stood and faced the woman. “I thought you were in Houston visiting your father this week, Myrna.”

With a sigh, the woman swept into the room, her gaze directed downward as she tucked the sunglasses into her clutch purse. Her heels clicked loudly on Jake’s tile floor. “I was, but he was in business meetings night and day, so I decided to come home early. You’d think at seventy-three he could pass up at least one land deal and spend a little time with his only daughter.”

“You usually call me for a ride from the airport,” Jessica said.

“Since that little accident I had, Daddy insisted I hire a driver. So when William came by looking for employment, I took him on.”