about sitting down for a few minutes to rest. But she knew that would be a mistake. Lily wouldn't nap for long, and Jenna had things to do.
Her grumbling stomach sent her back to the kitchen. While making herself a sandwich, she made one for Gage, too, so it would be waiting for him when he returned from the stable. She was tucking it into the refrigerator when he came through the back door.
"I made a sandwich for you," she told him by way of greeting, setting the food on the table.
He nodded and silently moved around her to the sink. He turned on the faucet and squirted liquid soap into his palm from the pump dispenser nearby.
"Call it a payback." She smiled, and he just looked at her. "For carrying in my stuff. Thanks for doing that."
His head bobbed again, a lock of his black hair falling over his shoulder. Jenna wondered if it would feel silky between her fingers, then she quickly snuffed out the errant thought.
The silence in the kitchen seemed to hum. Jenna had no desire to spend the next three months feeling so awkward.
"Listen, Gage —" she picked up the sandwich she'd made herself and went to the table to sit down "— I'm sorry I kept you from your work this morning. I'm sorry if I caused you to fall behind in —"
"I'm not behind."
She knew she was already feeling frus t rated from her experience trying to get Lily t o sleep. The fact that he interrupted her with such a terse response was as irritating as sitting on a purposefully placed tack on t he seat of her chair.
"Well, if you're not anxious about the horses," she blustered, "if you're not behind in your chores, then why the heck are you so grouchy? You've been short since we picked up Lily. If you don't like having two women under your roof, then I'm sorry, but it won't be long before —"
"I like women just fine."
Again with the interruption. Again with the clipped reply. What was the man's problem?
And then she realized what it was. She'd just spelled it out herself. His demeanor had turned stiff the moment they stopped at Arlene's for Lily. At first, Jenna had thought he had something against Arlene. Then she'd thought he was just anxious to get out to the stable. But now she realized that he hadn't made even one attempt to interact with Lily, hadn't touched her, hadn't talked to her, hadn't smiled at her, nothing.
"You don't like children." Incredulity coated her tone, but Jenna didn't care. How on earth could anyone not love a baby girl as cute and cuddly as Lily?
A muscle in his jaw twitched. "What I'm going through is personal. I agreed to marry you so you could get custody of your niece. I didn't agree to open up my personal life."
Jenna slid the sandwich several inches away from her. She'd lost her appetite. "You might not want to talk about this, but I think it's pretty important. Lily's only a baby, yes. But I'm sure she's going to sense your feelings toward her. And you're not going to make her feel safe. You stopped so we could pick Lily up, yes, but other than that you haven't acknowledged her at all."
"Look around, Jenna. There's more work out there than one man can do. This is a horse ranch, not some cutesy baby ranch. I didn't sign on to be that child's daddy."
Shock made her jaw go slack for an instant. "I never asked that of you."
"Good. Because it isn't going to happen."
Feeling strangely rejected and not understanding why, Jenna just sat there. Finally, she calmly said, "Gage, I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not going to allow you to treat Lily badly."
"Then the thing you need to do —" he snatched up the sandwich she'd made him and stalked to the back door "— is keep her away from me." The door slammed in his wake.
Chapter Four
Lily slapped her hand on the surface of the water, the resulting splash eliciting bubbly laughter from her. The baby enjoyed her bath time, no doubt about it. She could be completely out of sorts, but the moment Jenna turned on the faucet and began undressing
Her grumbling stomach sent her back to the kitchen. While making herself a sandwich, she made one for Gage, too, so it would be waiting for him when he returned from the stable. She was tucking it into the refrigerator when he came through the back door.
"I made a sandwich for you," she told him by way of greeting, setting the food on the table.
He nodded and silently moved around her to the sink. He turned on the faucet and squirted liquid soap into his palm from the pump dispenser nearby.
"Call it a payback." She smiled, and he just looked at her. "For carrying in my stuff. Thanks for doing that."
His head bobbed again, a lock of his black hair falling over his shoulder. Jenna wondered if it would feel silky between her fingers, then she quickly snuffed out the errant thought.
The silence in the kitchen seemed to hum. Jenna had no desire to spend the next three months feeling so awkward.
"Listen, Gage —" she picked up the sandwich she'd made herself and went to the table to sit down "— I'm sorry I kept you from your work this morning. I'm sorry if I caused you to fall behind in —"
"I'm not behind."
She knew she was already feeling frus t rated from her experience trying to get Lily t o sleep. The fact that he interrupted her with such a terse response was as irritating as sitting on a purposefully placed tack on t he seat of her chair.
"Well, if you're not anxious about the horses," she blustered, "if you're not behind in your chores, then why the heck are you so grouchy? You've been short since we picked up Lily. If you don't like having two women under your roof, then I'm sorry, but it won't be long before —"
"I like women just fine."
Again with the interruption. Again with the clipped reply. What was the man's problem?
And then she realized what it was. She'd just spelled it out herself. His demeanor had turned stiff the moment they stopped at Arlene's for Lily. At first, Jenna had thought he had something against Arlene. Then she'd thought he was just anxious to get out to the stable. But now she realized that he hadn't made even one attempt to interact with Lily, hadn't touched her, hadn't talked to her, hadn't smiled at her, nothing.
"You don't like children." Incredulity coated her tone, but Jenna didn't care. How on earth could anyone not love a baby girl as cute and cuddly as Lily?
A muscle in his jaw twitched. "What I'm going through is personal. I agreed to marry you so you could get custody of your niece. I didn't agree to open up my personal life."
Jenna slid the sandwich several inches away from her. She'd lost her appetite. "You might not want to talk about this, but I think it's pretty important. Lily's only a baby, yes. But I'm sure she's going to sense your feelings toward her. And you're not going to make her feel safe. You stopped so we could pick Lily up, yes, but other than that you haven't acknowledged her at all."
"Look around, Jenna. There's more work out there than one man can do. This is a horse ranch, not some cutesy baby ranch. I didn't sign on to be that child's daddy."
Shock made her jaw go slack for an instant. "I never asked that of you."
"Good. Because it isn't going to happen."
Feeling strangely rejected and not understanding why, Jenna just sat there. Finally, she calmly said, "Gage, I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not going to allow you to treat Lily badly."
"Then the thing you need to do —" he snatched up the sandwich she'd made him and stalked to the back door "— is keep her away from me." The door slammed in his wake.
Chapter Four
Lily slapped her hand on the surface of the water, the resulting splash eliciting bubbly laughter from her. The baby enjoyed her bath time, no doubt about it. She could be completely out of sorts, but the moment Jenna turned on the faucet and began undressing
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