Never Say Never (15 page)

Dustin stared at his friend, ignoring the jab. “You noticed? You noticed she doesn’t seem very happy, like she’s not quite herself?”

“Would you notice if the sun didn’t come up tomorrow?” Marsh sounded surprised.

“Are you sure you don’t have a thing for my housekeeper?” The thought tore at Dustin again, as it had the other night in the bar.

“As much as being in-laws to the McCalls might appeal, the answer is no, I most certainly do not have a thing for your housekeeper. I happen to have my eye on China Shea.”

“China? The red-haired China we went to school with? The one that never acknowledged your presence after you said with legs like hers she’d either be a Las Vegas showgirl or a hooker?”

Marsh looked embarrassed. “I wish I hadn’t said that.”

Dustin crooked a brow. “I know you do. She flat-handed you into the next county. You looking for another slap?”

His friend crossed his arms with a stubborn expression. “I’m just trying to ease your concern about whether my eye is following Jill around. It may be, but not because I’m attracted to her. Now. Get back to Jill and the ex.”

Dustin threw one last undecided glance Marsh’s way before sighing. “There really isn’t anything else to the story. Jill wasn’t too happy to see him, but other than that, it was sort of a non-event.”

“Hm. The lady lays tracks when she’s done.”

“Meaning?”

Marsh picked up a piece of dead winter grass from the ground, absently sticking it in his mouth. “Girl is through with boy, girl packs bag and heads north to start over. Appears to be cut and dried, for girl. We won’t be calling her Second-Thoughts Jilly.”

“That’s what he called her.”

“Second-Thoughts Jilly?” Marsh looked amazed.

“No. Jilly. Boy called her Jilly.”

“So? Who cares what he does? He’s history.”

Dustin shook his head. “She does not look like a Jilly to me. That is not a nickname kind of woman.”

Marsh mulled that over. “You’re right. I mean, you might call her babe or honey if you had her in the sa—”

“Shut up,” Dustin growled, completely aware of what Marsh was about to say. “You get my drift.”

“Yes, I do,” Marsh said cheerfully. “Jill is not a Jilly-girl. But I still don’t get what’s eating you. Unless City Boy managed to get some of that mistletoe action going that you were deprived of. And you’re not telling me.”

“Hell, no. I’m not jealous, so don’t start with that crap. Jill was in the bathroom throwing up, and it’s got me worried.”

“Oh.” Marsh raised his eyebrows. “The plot thickens.”

“Hellfire,” Dustin said, rubbing his neck with an impatient hand. “Why did I think you’d be any help?”

“So she ate a bad egg for breakfast. Why the alarm bells for that?” Marsh said, ignoring Dustin’s comment.

“I’m not sure she had breakfast.”

“Well, then…she’s got appendicitis. Or the flu. Hell, I don’t know. Why do you care, anyway?”

Dustin was too embarrassed to mention what insidious thought had been roving around in his head. “Forget it,” he said roughly.

Marsh punched him in the arm. “I told you she was too good to be true. Your housekeeper throws up after she sees her ex-fiancé’s ugly mug. Jill’s just too damn normal for you, that’s the problem.”

Dustin perked up. “You think that could be it? She doesn’t strike me as the nervous type.”

“Well, it’s possible. I mean, women throw up when they’re sick, nervous, and pregnant.” Marsh paused for several moments, before fixing him with a stern stare. “I don’t suppose you’re moody as all hell because you’re worried your housekeeper might be pregnant?”

He pursed his lips before biting out a reply. “Maybe.”

“Ah.” Marsh rolled his neck, before looking up at the sky. “Shades of Nina.”

“I’m just saying you didn’t have to give Carl my address, Mother. I’m not angry with you. I just didn’t want to see him.”

Lana looked distressed. Bob looked even more so. “We thought we were doing the right thing, dear. We had no idea he’d show up without phoning. But he seems so heartbroken…”

Jill shook her head. “Carl is many things, but he is not heartbroken. I know you meant well, but please, don’t do anything like that again. Let’s all make a solemn vow to remember that Jill is a smart woman, a woman with a degree and who once held a nice paying job, not just the baby in the family whom everyone needs to take care of. I canceled my wedding because I realized my fiancé was a poor choice. I call that a smart decision.”

“Yes, dear.” Lana fluttered her dish towel toward her eyes before remembering that it wasn’t for drying her tears. She snatched up a tissue instead. “We’re sorry we caused you any distress. We just worry so.”

“You would have worried a lot more if I’d married him, believe me,” Jill muttered. “Carl was only interested in the fact that I was a successful business woman. I made him look good. It would have been much too beneath him to be seen with someone from the secretarial pool.” Of course, it hadn’t been beneath him to sleep with them.

“Oh, I’m sure that couldn’t be…” At Jill’s quelling look, Lana hesitated. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter now. What matters is that you’re happy. Are you, dear?”

“I think so.” Jill ran more water into the sink, pausing only when she thought she’d heard baby Holly cry out. But Eunice was watching her, so she was in good hands. Eunice would call if she needed Jill.

“We’re just a little concerned, honey, that you’d choose to do this…this maid’s work when, as you mentioned, you were a successful business woman. You didn’t study all those years to wind up being a housekeeper.”

Jill sighed. “Look. I love both of you. I know you’re thinking of my wellbeing. But I really needed a break. I know it sounds crazy, but I wanted a change of pace. These people
need
me, which is flattering. Does that make sense?”

Her parents exchanged glances.

“This
is
a nice place,” Bob began.

“But, of course, we really don’t know these people,” Lana finished his thought. “I mean, they seem nice enough, especially Eunice, but one never knows. Your father and I are so worried that you just picked up and left, then went to live with strangers. Frankly, we’re a little hurt you didn’t come home.”

Jill sighed. “Would your feelings be hurt a little less if I told you I don’t want to be the baby anymore? That I need to do things on my own, without everyone in the family doing for me?”

Her father cleared his throat as her parents shared an uncertain look. “Dear, we haven’t wanted to mention this,” Lana said softly, edging closer to Jill, “but we’re a little worried about you living out here with that…um, Dustin.”

“Why?” Jill shot her mother a questioning glance.

“Well, he, ah…he’s not what we’re used to, maybe. I mean, here’s our soft-hearted little daughter, going out to the boonies to live with this man. You have to admit he’s awfully overwhelming. So tall, and dark, and well, he doesn’t smile much, does he?”

Jill frowned. No, Dustin didn’t smile much. But it was the first Christmas since his wife had died, and that alone gave him a reason not to feel like ringing in the holiday season. She thought he’d made a giant effort on everyone’s behalf—especially hers—to ignore his own pain. He had a new baby living in his home that cried sometimes and which he knew absolutely nothing about, except that she might be in danger. Nothing to smile about there. And though he hadn’t said it to her, his whole demeanor turned much gruffer when Joey’s other grandparents were mentioned. Especially when it was time for Joey to visit them, as it was tonight. Sunday evenings, Dustin had explained, as well as Wednesday evenings, were the Copelands’ time with Joey. No, she supposed the man didn’t smile a lot.

“Dustin is a quiet man,” Jill said. “He works his cattle so much of the time that I only see him at meals. Eunice and Joey, and baby Holly while she’s here, are really the biggest part of my job.”

“Oh, we’re so relieved,” Lana said, speaking for Bob as well. Her father bobbed his head in agreement. “We were so worried you might rebound too quickly. Dustin’s quite the opposite of Carl in appearance, and…well, you know…personality.”

Oh, yeah. That hadn’t been too much of a leap for even her sweet-minded mother. Jill had gotten a chance to observe the difference between the two men just this morning, more than she’d ever wanted. Carl had seemed skinny and rather pasty next to Dustin’s outdoors, healthy-all-over physique. Just thinking about it shot a lightning strike of desire through her. But being turned on by a man wasn’t a reason to fall for him.

“I’m not on the rebound, Mother. The last thing I want is to give my heart to another man, only to find I’d made a mistake.”

“Oh, you are being so sensible, Jill. We were alarmed that you might fall for that dark air of mystery Dustin has.”

“Oh, please! There’s nothing mysterious about the man, except that he works hard and is trying to get over his wife’s death. I’m not going to fall for him any more than he’d fall for me.”

“You see why we’d worry, though. He might be looking for a new mother for his son…”

“Mother, please!”

“Well, subconsciously anyway, Jill. I mean, one has to wonder, and it’s so odd that they’re keeping a baby they know nothing about. And here you are, knocking yourself out to be a nursemaid, but that might be appealing to a man who…”

“Mother, he
hired
me to take care of this family, which pretty much means he wouldn’t have to marry me to get what he wanted, which was help. Don’t you think?”

“A wife would be much cheaper,” Bob inserted. “No payroll.”

“Daddy!” Jill was astonished.

“Your father has a point,” Lana said primly. “Though he’s more generous to me than he sounds, the truth is, his concern is valid. We want you to think about things before you leap from the fire into the frying pan.”

“There is nothing to think about,” Jill said tightly. “I’m staying here for a year, as I agreed to do. Then, I’m getting my bonus, and I’m leaving.”

“How’s everything coming along in here?” Eunice asked, walking slowly into the kitchen with baby Holly in her arms.

“Here. Let me take her,” Jill said, going to take the infant. She shot an assessing glance Eunice’s way, wondering if she had overheard any of the conversation brewing in the kitchen.

Eunice’s face was unconcerned as she picked up an empty cup to put away. “Lana, your strawberry bread was wonderful.”

Lana’s face relaxed into a genuine smile. It was obvious that her parents’ problem wasn’t with Eunice, but with the grim-eyed rancher who’d sat and stared at Jill for most of the meal. She walked into the parlor to gaze out the window at the two men leaning against the fence rail. She’d been able to feel Dustin’s stare on her on several occasions, and could only wonder about it. Not once had he smiled at her, though he wasn’t prone to doing that, anyway. Still, he’d seemed very remote, a fact her parents had obviously picked up on.

She sighed, patting Holly’s back in a soothing motion. Touching this baby was a wonderful experience. All the soft skin and fat-padded appendages soothed Jill whenever she held her. Joey sat in front of the tree coloring in a cartoon book, and Jill smiled. He was a good boy, another source of contentment for her. Plainly, Dustin was discovering that his son was a joy to be around, although he didn’t completely have the knack of it. Something still seemed to be holding him back from any show of pure affection when it came to his son.

So the man was a trifle grumpy, not just with her but with everyone, except his mother. Even Marsh suffered his share of Dustin’s grouchiness. Yet the sheriff seemed willing to bear the burden, as evidenced by his continued presence.

Maybe Dustin hadn’t always been this way. Maybe once he’d been a more easygoing man, just as she’d been a more trusting woman. The reason their set-up was operating well was that they both understood that anything more than a working relationship was absolutely out of the question.

No matter how much help they needed from each other.

After Joey’s nap that afternoon, Jill packed his clothes into a small suitcase. Folding a few small shirts and pants made her feel something she couldn’t remember feeling before. Oh, Holly brought her a rush of warmth whenever she held her, but as she’d tucked Joey’s miniature versions of Dustin’s clothing away, a strange daydream had overtaken her. She’d actually found herself thinking about how it would feel to always be there for Joey, to always clean and fold his clothes, and put them away.

Startled, she’d closed the suitcase with a snap, realizing the disastrous turn her thoughts had taken. The child was starting to mean a lot to her, and uncomfortably, Jill knew she had actually dreamed for a moment about becoming his new mother.

She couldn’t do that without involving Dustin, however, so whatever fantasies she had about loving Joey and watching him grow into a man would simply have to stay locked inside her head.

“Are Joey’s things ready?”

Jill jumped at the sound of Dustin’s deep voice interrupting her thoughts. She nodded, telling her heart to stop racing from the abrupt appearance of her employer. “Yes. Here’s his suitcase, and here’s his favorite bear.”