Call It Destiny (5 page)

„And you know which battles are worth fighting.“

„Yes.“

Jake regarded her intently. „Heather, this battle over the clause I crossed out of the contract is not worth fighting.“

„And if I happen to believe differently?“

„Then I shall have to decline your kind offer.“ He smiled rather wistfully. „You’re not the only one who’s come home, Heather. The Hacienda Strand is my home now, too. Your parents have made me feel almost like a part of the family. Your father trusts me completely. Your mother thinks I’m going to make you an excellent husband. You yourself plan to work with me day in and day out running the Hacienda. And unless you plan on running off again with some punk on a motorcycle, we’re committed, you and I. We’re in this together for the duration. But if I’m going to link my life and my career with yours then I want a full, 100 percent commitment. I don’t want a ridiculous sham of a marriage. I want the real thing. Hearth, home and family. In exchange for agreeing to all of your terms, I expect you to agree to mine.“
 

Heather caught her breath, suddenly fiercely aware of the strength in his hands and the unyielding intensity of his eyes. The morning sun beat warmly down on the gardens, coaxing an earthy scent from the rain-moistened ground. That scent seemed to combine with Jake’s clean masculine essence, making her overwhelmingly conscious of him in a way she instinctively knew was dangerous. It was difficult to marshal her thoughts into logical arguments.

There were many things she could have said; should have said. She ought to have pointed out that his career at the Hacienda could be terminated at any time by her. She could have argued that she hadn’t actually ruled out intimacy in the marriage; merely postponed the decision. She might have stressed her refusal to be pushed beyond certain limits. After all, returning prodigals were willing to be cooperative up to a point, but only up to a point.
 

Instead she heard herself say crisply, „We’ll talk about it later. I’m late for that tour of the kitchens and it’s been my experience that first-class chefs hate to be kept waiting.“

„We’ll talk about it now, Heather. This is my future as well as your own we’re discussing. I want this aspect of it settled.“

His stubbornness threatened to trigger her carefully buried instinct to rebel. With an extreme effort of will, Heather reminded herself that she had nothing serious against which to rebel. She was in charge here. It was up to her how much territory she decided to yield.
 

„You’re the one who’s nervous, aren’t you?“ she challenged softly. „It’s your future here at the Hacienda that’s on the line, not mine. Well, I can understand that.

After all, you’re not a full-fledged member of my family. Only marrying me can give you that status.“

„Let’s just say I’m willing to work hard to get the feeling of having roots and a family and a place to call home. All the things you once threw away so casually and have come back to claim.“
 

„I didn’t realize marrying me was going to be such hard work!“

„I’m beginning to think it’s going to be the hardest job I’ve ever undertaken.“ But he was smiling again and Heather was beginning to realize just how much she liked that strange little half smile.

„Even more of a reason not to add the extra burden of doing your husbandly duty in bed!“ she retorted briskly.

He sobered. „Heather, I’m not going to rush you into giving me anything you’re not prepared to give. All I’m asking is that we don’t set deadlines on something as private and personal as this aspect of our marriage. You have my word I won’t demand my so-called rights. In return I’d like yours that you’ll let things happen naturally without restrictions and contractual clauses. Is that too much to request?“
 

She stared up at him wonderingly, startled by the genuine honesty in his voice. He was so close, so intent and quietly insistent that she didn’t know how to handle the situation. She needed time.
 

„Jake – “

Heather got no further in her demand. Jake lowered his head, a smoky quality invading the gray depths of his eyes, and the next thing Heather knew her mouth was being slowly and deliberately consumed by his.

His kiss wasn’t quite what she had expected. For one thing she certainly hadn’t anticipated this degree of controlled hunger. Oddly dazed by the experience, she unconsciously sank her fingertips into
the fabric of the tailored, pin-striped shirt he wore. His mouth moved on
hers, exploring, tasting, learning the feel of her in incredibly intimate fashion.
 

She felt his hands slide around her waist to find the gentle curve at the base of her spine. Then he applied a steady pressure, urging her against his thighs. It was a small shock to her body to learn the promise of heat and hardness that awaited her there. Her lips parted in a low moan of uncertainty; a moan that was silenced as his tongue luxuriously invaded her mouth.

Heather clung to him, her body vibrantly aware of the gathering warmth of both the day and the man who held her. Her instincts responded to both and her fingertips curved around his broad shoulders in a small gesture of budding excitement. He wanted her. And the flickering uncoiling sensation in the deepest places of her body warned Heather that Jake could make her want him.
 

Slowly, with infinite reluctance Jake lifted his head. He continued to hold her molded to the length of his lean body, and the gray smoke of his gaze reflected the lingering, heavily restrained desire in him.
 

„Don’t fight it, Heather. There’s no reason we shouldn’t want each other, is there?“ he murmured with soft male persuasion. „After all, we’re going to be married.“

Heather tried to speak, swallowed and tried again. „No, there’s no reason. It’s just that I…we, well, we hardly know each other and there’s been so little time.“ She was stumbling over the words, and the knowledge both alarmed and irritated her. After all, she was nearly thirty years old with several years’ experience in handling all kinds of males. She had dealt with them as friends, co-workers, employers and employees.
 

But all things considered, she hadn’t dealt with them very often as lovers.

„Heather, we don’t need that clause in the contract. Trust me this much, will you? A little trust is a valuable
ingredient in any kind of relationship, marriage or business.“
 

„You won’t rush me?“

„I won’t rush you.“

„You won’t make demands?“

„I won’t make demands.“

„You won’t sulk or argue or give me the silent treatment if I take my time deciding what I want?“

„I can guarantee I won’t sulk.“ There was amusement in his lightening expression.

Heather responded to it, her lips curving in an equally humorous smile. „Then I suppose we can keep that part of the contract on a verbal agreement basis,“ she declared judiciously.

„You drive a hard bargain, lady.“

„My father was an excellent teacher.“ Heather pulled free of his light embrace and started down the path toward the kitchens. When he fell into step beside her, slowing his long gliding stride to match hers, she knew a pleasant sense of having resolved an uneasy issue.

„Call it a compromise, Heather,“ Jake suggested gently.
 

„Mother has been lecturing me all week on the necessity of compromising in marriage,“ Heather admitted with a tiny grin.
 

„You’ve been very patient with Ruth’s attempts to organize our wedding. It means a lot to her.“

„I know.“

„Are you trying to make up for the way you ran off eleven years ago?“

„Perhaps.“

Jake considered that in silence as they walked through the side doors of the gleaming kitchens of the Hacienda Strand. Whatever he would have said in response was lost as they confronted the scene of energetic, highly skilled activity that greeted them. The kitchens had been redone two years previously and as a result they were a
model of stainless-steel efficiency and cleanliness. Heather remembered this place as a refuge in her childhood. Here she had been able to come after school for a chocolate-chip cookie and a glass of milk. It was here, too, where she could make herself scarce whenever her father was annoyed with her. For some reason he never thought to come looking in the kitchens. And it had been here where she had found someone to teach her how to ride a motorcycle that last year in high school.
 

„Miss Strand! You made it. We’ve been looking forward to your visit. Come on in, come on in.“

„Hello, Julian,“ Heather said with a smile as the robust chef, Julian Richards, came toward them through the scurrying staff like a large ocean liner coming into port. „After those croissants this morning you couldn’t have kept me away. I would never have believed I could find anything like them outside San Francisco. And the fettuccine with anchovy sauce the other evening was absolutely superb. I
would have returned to Tucson years ago if I’d known you had been added to the staff.“
 

The middle-aged chef beamed under the lavish praise and was about to respond when he appeared to notice that Heather was not alone. „Ah, Mr. Cavender. I’m pleased that you decided to come along on the tour. We don’t see very much of you in the kitchens.“ There was both respect and reproach in the words.

Heather heard the warmth fade from the chef’s voice as he turned to greet Jake. It wasn’t that he became less gracious, but he was definitely more wary and more distant.

This wasn’t the first time during the past two weeks Heather had seen this reaction from members of the staff when they confronted Jake Cavender. They seemed a little uncertain of him, as if they were conscious of walking on crystal eggs around him. There was definitely respect in their manner, but none of the easy relations most of the staff enjoyed with the more
jovial Paul Strand. That cordiality and warmth was rapidly being extended to his daughter, however. It had added greatly to Heather’s enjoyable sense of homecoming.
 

„None of the guests have been complaining,“ Jake said quietly, „so I saw no reason to interfere.“

Julian shrugged with Gallic resignation although Heather knew the man had no French ancestry. She’d asked him specifically the night he’d served her a magnificent dish of mussels in saffron sauce. He’d been thrilled that she had concluded he must have learned his cooking skills at the knee of a French mother.

„Well, we hope you, Miss Strand, will not choose to show up in the kitchens only when something goes wrong,“ Julian declared regally and gallantly offered his arm to escort her into the pastry section. „Carlos, give Miss Strand a sample of that shortbread you made this morning.“

The young man wielding a rolling pin paused with a grin and handed Heather a sample of the still-warm shortbread.

„Believe me, if I can be guaranteed a bite or two of this sort of thing every time I visit, you will have to shoo me away from your doors.“ Aware of Jake’s dark silent presence trailing along behind her, Heather took half the rich buttery cookie and turned on impulse to feed the other half to him.

He looked somewhat surprised at the offering but hesitated only a fraction of a second before accepting it. He didn’t politely extend his hand for it, however. Heather was a little disconcerted to find herself popping the morsel between his strong white teeth. The unexpected intimacy of the small action brought a slight flush to Heather’s cheeks.

When she hurriedly swung around to continue the tour she found a number of grins being quickly concealed. Even Julian appeared both astonished and
amused. The staff, Heather presumed, was not accustomed to seeing the remote financial wizard of Hacienda Strand being fed shortbread in such a casual manner. Heather had to stifle a grin of her own as Jake dutifully followed her and her escort into the section where fresh vegetables were being washed.
 

Heather listened attentively and sampled cheerfully until, with a faintly apologetic air, Julian led her toward a grill on which several hamburgers were about to be cooked.

„For the children, you understand. Many of the guests here at the Hacienda bring their kids and all the young ones want are hamburgers. Even at ten-thirty in the morning! This order has just come in from the pool area.“
 

„Of course,“ Heather said laughing. „Children work up a healthy appetite swimming.“ She stepped toward the grill with easy familiarity. „Personally I’ll always have a warm spot in my heart for hamburgers. I owe them a great deal, you see. It’s been a few years since I cooked them in quantity, though. I wonder if I still have the knack. Let me see that spatula.“
 

„Miss Strand, you’ll get all greasy,“ Julian protested as she reached for the stack of hamburger patties separated by thin sheets of paper.

„I cannot believe you would buy fatty meat, Julian. Now, we can’t forget the buns. Jake, wash your hands over there and do the buns.“

There was a startled silence behind Heather and it wasn’t just Jake who was astounded. The entire staff was suddenly too quiet and too tense. Heather glanced around.

„Jake? Aren’t you going to help me? There are a lot of hungry kids out by that pool. Mustn’t have the guests starving.“

He stared at her while beside him Julian Richards moved restlessly. The chef clearly was not sure how to
handle matters at this point. Then, to everyone’s carefully suppressed astonishment, Jake obediently went to a nearby sink and washed his hands.
 

„You’ll have to explain the process,“ he said evenly as he came to stand beside Heather. „I’ve never done this before.“

„Your education was definitely lacking. Use that little brush to slather the melted butter on the buns and then throw the little suckers on the grill behind the hamburgers. They’ll all be ready at the same time – like magic. We’re only dealing with eight burgers here. Heck, in a pinch I can handle almost five times that many.“