hadn't even noticed, then stepped inside the house as easily as if there were actual steps.
"Why didn't you just tell me you'd rigged up some temporary steps? I could have gotten in here on my own," she noted, punching him in the chest.
"True," he agreed, his grin unrepentant. "But this was more fun."
"Not for me," she said, scrambling out of his arms and snatching away her packages. "Go away."
"Not till you eat."
"I told you you weren't invited to stay for dinner," she said, even as she sniffed the air and noticed the appealing aroma of baking chicken.
"That's fine, but I don't intend to leave until I see you put a few forkfuls of food into your mouth."
"Do I look as if I need coaxing to eat?"
"Yes," he said readily. "You're too skinny. It was the first thing I noticed when I saw you last night."
"Now you're just being insulting."
"That's me, known far and wide for my complete lack of charm. Dinner's in five minutes, if you want to put this stuff away and wash up."
Jo sighed and accepted the fact that she wasn't getting rid of him. She didn't pretend to understand why he was insinuating himself into her life like this. Maybe Ashley had hired him to do more than fix the porch and look good while he was at it. Maybe he was an under-
55
55
cover babysitter. Whatever was keeping him around, he seemed to be serious about it. She knew from bitter experience that he wouldn't be shaken off till he was good and ready. That's why it had hurt so much when he'd simply vanished without a word seven years ago. It had told her he was ready, if not eager, to be rid of her and move on to his new life.
"If you're staying, you may as well eat," she finally said grudgingly.
"Thank you," he said solemnly.
To her surprise, the table was set. He'd even lit a couple of candles and plunked a bouquet of flowers in a water glass in the center of the table. It had all the trappings of romance to it. and a tiny little shiver of anticipation danced along her spine.
"What's all this?" she asked suspiciously, as if it weren't plain as day.
"Ambience," he said, looking vaguely uncomfortable. "I hear women are fond of it."
"Maybe when they're being courted, but the circumstances are a bit different with us."
"Are they?" he asked in a tone clearly intended to have her blood humming.
She regarded him with frustration. "Pete, you can't say stuff like that."
"Why not?"
"It's not appropriate."
"Because we parted a long time ago?"
"No, idiot. Because you're married and have at least one child. What is wrong with you? You can't start hitting on me. I am not going to have a fling with a married man just for old time's sake."
56
FOR THE LOVE OF PETE
Something dark and painful flashed in his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence about my morals," he said tightly. "Just to set the record straight, I have a son who lives in Richmond with his mother. I'm no longer married."
Jo had picked up a glass of water, but her hand shook so badly she had to set it down again. His news was the last thing she'd expected. It changed everything. It made her nervous in ways she hadn't been before. His marriage had been like a safety net, the only thing keeping her from forgetting about all the anguish he'd caused her.
"You're divorced, not separated?" she asked, just to be sure she'd gotten it right.
'Two years now. I can bring the divorce papers by for you, if you don't believe me," he said, his expression bleak.
"What happened?" she asked instinctively.
He gave her a shuttered look. "I don't want to talk about it."
"But?"
Now he was the one on the defensive. "Look, I fixed you a little dinner and stuck around to make sure you ate it. No big deal. It doesn't give you the right to start poking around in my personal life."
"You tried to poke around in mine," she reminded him.
"And you told me to butt out. Now I see your point. Let's stick to safe, neutral topics."
Jo nodded, but somewhere deep inside, where Pete's announcement had lit a ridiculous
"Why didn't you just tell me you'd rigged up some temporary steps? I could have gotten in here on my own," she noted, punching him in the chest.
"True," he agreed, his grin unrepentant. "But this was more fun."
"Not for me," she said, scrambling out of his arms and snatching away her packages. "Go away."
"Not till you eat."
"I told you you weren't invited to stay for dinner," she said, even as she sniffed the air and noticed the appealing aroma of baking chicken.
"That's fine, but I don't intend to leave until I see you put a few forkfuls of food into your mouth."
"Do I look as if I need coaxing to eat?"
"Yes," he said readily. "You're too skinny. It was the first thing I noticed when I saw you last night."
"Now you're just being insulting."
"That's me, known far and wide for my complete lack of charm. Dinner's in five minutes, if you want to put this stuff away and wash up."
Jo sighed and accepted the fact that she wasn't getting rid of him. She didn't pretend to understand why he was insinuating himself into her life like this. Maybe Ashley had hired him to do more than fix the porch and look good while he was at it. Maybe he was an under-
55
55
cover babysitter. Whatever was keeping him around, he seemed to be serious about it. She knew from bitter experience that he wouldn't be shaken off till he was good and ready. That's why it had hurt so much when he'd simply vanished without a word seven years ago. It had told her he was ready, if not eager, to be rid of her and move on to his new life.
"If you're staying, you may as well eat," she finally said grudgingly.
"Thank you," he said solemnly.
To her surprise, the table was set. He'd even lit a couple of candles and plunked a bouquet of flowers in a water glass in the center of the table. It had all the trappings of romance to it. and a tiny little shiver of anticipation danced along her spine.
"What's all this?" she asked suspiciously, as if it weren't plain as day.
"Ambience," he said, looking vaguely uncomfortable. "I hear women are fond of it."
"Maybe when they're being courted, but the circumstances are a bit different with us."
"Are they?" he asked in a tone clearly intended to have her blood humming.
She regarded him with frustration. "Pete, you can't say stuff like that."
"Why not?"
"It's not appropriate."
"Because we parted a long time ago?"
"No, idiot. Because you're married and have at least one child. What is wrong with you? You can't start hitting on me. I am not going to have a fling with a married man just for old time's sake."
56
FOR THE LOVE OF PETE
Something dark and painful flashed in his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence about my morals," he said tightly. "Just to set the record straight, I have a son who lives in Richmond with his mother. I'm no longer married."
Jo had picked up a glass of water, but her hand shook so badly she had to set it down again. His news was the last thing she'd expected. It changed everything. It made her nervous in ways she hadn't been before. His marriage had been like a safety net, the only thing keeping her from forgetting about all the anguish he'd caused her.
"You're divorced, not separated?" she asked, just to be sure she'd gotten it right.
'Two years now. I can bring the divorce papers by for you, if you don't believe me," he said, his expression bleak.
"What happened?" she asked instinctively.
He gave her a shuttered look. "I don't want to talk about it."
"But?"
Now he was the one on the defensive. "Look, I fixed you a little dinner and stuck around to make sure you ate it. No big deal. It doesn't give you the right to start poking around in my personal life."
"You tried to poke around in mine," she reminded him.
"And you told me to butt out. Now I see your point. Let's stick to safe, neutral topics."
Jo nodded, but somewhere deep inside, where Pete's announcement had lit a ridiculous
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