Breathless (6 page)

Emma frowned but took the plate and went to sit at the built-in breakfast nook. Gabe followed with two steaming mugs and sat down across from her.

“What are you doing here anyway? I thought I’d be the last person you’d want to see,” she said, eyeing him over a mouthful.

He took a sip from his mug. “I wanted to apologize for last night.”

Emma’s surprise was obvious. “Why? I was the one who…” she shrugged, “…you know. You have nothing to apologize for. I embarrassed you in front of all those people. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to. I got things arse-about.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t have to do that either. You’re new in town, and I made a spectacle out of you. It wasn’t very nice of me. Normally I’m a pretty decent kind of guy.”

Emma shrugged and swallowed another forkful. “I felt like a total idiot. To have mixed something up that badly, you’d think I was learning deficient or something. And this morning’s effort…” Emma shook her head, “…I think I left my brain back in Australia. I’m not normally such an idiot. Answering the door like that—I’m not even going to go there.”

Gabe didn’t want to either. He was trying very hard not to think about how she’d looked in that lingerie with her hair all messed up. She looked like she’d had one hell of a hot night in bed. Those were images he just didn’t need.

Gabe stared at Emma more closely while she ate. That had been one impressive scar he’d got a glimpse of when she’d opened the front door.

It was fairly new by the look of the skin—the pale pink hadn’t yet faded to silver. It ran, sickle shaped, from under her ribs on her right side, down below the band of her underpants. Another jagged slice speared off halfway down, toward her navel.

Gabe wondered what on earth could’ve done that to her. Judging from the state she’d been in when he’d arrived, she mustn’t have realized he’d seen it, and he wasn’t about to ask. He wasn’t supposed to have seen her nearly naked, and some things you shouldn’t ask a virtual stranger.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s forgotten.” Not likely, but she didn’t need to know that. “Listen, I wanted to clear things up about that kiss last night.”

Emma’s face flushed a brighter pink. Gabe flicked his gaze to his coffee mug while she pretended she wasn’t embarrassed.

“It’s okay. I understand why you did it. Those guys are your friends. I embarrassed you.” Emma kept looking at her plate, chewing slowly.

“Something like that. I just wanted you to know I wasn’t coming on to you. You’re new here, and you don’t need men falling all over you when you’re trying to make a new life for yourself. I wanted to be clear that I’m not interested, okay?” Gabe said.

Emma’s eyes jerked up to his, surprised. “Well, that’s straight to the point. Oh, don’t worry. I think I get the message.”

Gabe closed his eyes in resignation. “I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, I did, but not…” He faltered at the expression on her face. “I should quit while I’m ahead, shouldn’t I?”

A spark of humor fired behind her eyes. “Might be a good idea.” She glanced down at her plate and pushed the last of the scrambled eggs around on it with her fork. “I’m not offended though, if that’s what you’re worried about. It’s actually a relief. I’m not in any fit state to be dating anyone. Not now, and probably not in the foreseeable future. I’m not interested either.”

Gabe blinked. This wasn’t the reaction he thought he’d receive. Not that he wanted her to be upset, but the heat he felt between them last night, that hadn’t been fake. She had a reason behind her statement, but she wasn’t letting him in on the secret. He should be relieved she felt that way, because he had no intention of getting involved with a woman ever again. But for some reason it left him feeling a little hollow.

He nodded, trying to sort out his perplexing reactions to her.

“Okay.” Gabe smiled at her. “Since we’ve agreed we’re both not interested in one another, perhaps we can use this as an opportunity to get to know each other? You’re already becoming a fast favorite of my sister’s and you’ve only known each other a day. We’re going to see a lot of each other, by the looks of things. There’s no reason we can’t be friends.” He held out his hand. “Deal?”

Emma gazed at him, her own full mouth widening as she held out her hand. Awareness hit him hard, deep in his gut, spreading and swirling like wildfire, morphing into something suspiciously close to attraction. He was going to have to stop looking at her if her smile continued doing that to his stomach. It was too darn easy to imagine what else that mouth could do.

Stop it, you idiot.

“Deal. You can never have too many friends,” Emma said, scooping the last forkful of food into her mouth.

Gabe leaned back in his chair. “Okay. In the spirit of friendship, would you like to join us all for dinner this evening? My parents have a barbeque every Sunday afternoon. All the family turns up, and anyone else who happens to be around at the time comes with us. It’s just a casual thing. You wouldn’t have to bring anything. What do you say?”

Emma’s brow wrinkled in a frown. “That sounds familiar. I think Darby asked me last night, but I can’t be sure. If it’s no problem with your parents, I’d love to. Thanks.”

Gabe swallowed the last of his coffee and pushed back his chair. He held up a hand when Emma made to rise. “No, don’t get up. I’ll see myself out. I’ll pick you up around five? Since you don’t know where to go. Once you get a feel for the place, you can come by yourself, if that would make you feel more comfortable. Or you could just come with Darb.”

Emma nodded. “Sounds good. I might head back to bed, myself.” She sent him a crooked smile. “I think I need to catch up on some sleep if I’m going to be expected to be coherent tonight.”

Gabe smiled at her. “No problem. See you at five.” He turned and left the kitchen, disconcerted by the thought of her going back to bed.

I wonder if she still has that underwear on.

Gabe moved faster to get out of the old house, locking the front door behind him. That was the last thing he needed to be thinking about.

Chapter Seven

Emma clutched the container closer to her body as Gabe pulled into his parents’ drive. Jefferson’s Crossing wasn’t a large town, so the trip hadn’t taken all that long. They lived over on the other side of the river, up on the hill overlooking the town.

She glanced down at the offering, small as it was, that she’d brought with her. Homemade chocolate brownies. A token of thanks for the invitation. Thank heaven she’d bought some staple supplies a few days earlier, or she would have been empty handed. She held the container tighter. Her nerves were getting the better of her now that they were here.

She looked down at her hands and realized what she’d done. What on earth was she thinking to bring a baked dessert to the home of a woman who made the most unbelievable cakes and baked goodies of her own? She’d probably be insulted.

Emma looked for a way to leave the brownies behind in the car as they rolled to a stop. Maybe if she stashed them under the seat…

“Don’t look so worried. They’re not going to eat you. They’re nice folks, my parents. You’ve already met the rest of them. Just relax and you’ll have a good time. Mom will probably want to introduce you to some of her friends around town later in the week, since you made the effort to come today. It’ll go a long way to easing you into the community. She’s on a lot of the committees, so she can put a good word in for you,” Gabe said, misreading her apprehension.

Emma just nodded. She wanted so badly to fit in. To make this work. She’d needed a new start, and here she was getting the chance. This family obviously had a lot to do with the running of the town and the people in it. If she made a good impression, it would help make her life there easier, and herself more readily accepted.

Emma smiled tentatively at Gabe. She slid from the seat and shut the pickup door more forcefully than needed, wincing as the sound echoed. People glanced up at the noise. The ground looked very interesting all of a sudden. Emma dropped her gaze and followed Gabe up onto the porch toward them.

“Well! Who do we have here? You wouldn’t happen to be the little filly who’s caused such a ruckus, now would you?”

Gabe winced at the sound of his dad’s booming welcome.

Good one, Dad. Way to make Emma feel comfortable.

Darby and their mom turned around. The empty salad bowl in her hands seemed all but forgotten. A deliberating smile widened his mom’s mouth as she considered the newcomer—his mom liked what she saw.

Gabe frowned, positive he knew what direction her thoughts were turning. It annoyed him that the sight of a new, pretty face could bring out her maternal matchmaking tendencies. It annoyed him even more he could see straight through it.

Mary Jameson’s smile spread further. Color heightened Emma’s face. He was certain she was embarrassed and that was why she hung back behind him. He took her hand to bring her forward, encouraging her, willing his mother to forget about seeing him settle down.

Mary sent Darby a silent look.

Oh no.
By the looks of it, Darby was in on it too.

Neither she nor his mother had forced the subject of women. They had both been content to sit back and give him time to lick his wounds, but they thought he hung on to Sami and what she’d done as a shield to hide behind.

In truth, he’d long ago given up on the idea he would find someone he could fully trust. Someone to share his life with. Sami’s deception and callous disregard for him and life in general had been the final straw.

“Mom, this is Emma. She brought something for dessert,” Gabe said.

Mary put the salad bowl down on the outdoor table and held out her hand. “A pleasure to finally meet you, Emma. I’m sorry I couldn’t come by with Darby, but I had a conference in Denver I had to attend yesterday. I’m glad you decided to accept the invitation to our little gathering. We’d hoped you would.”

Emma inclined her head and smiled nervously at Mary. “Thank you. I really do appreciate it. It’s harder than I thought, this moving to another place. I’ve lived in the same city all my life, in almost the same area. This is a big step for me,” she finished off, her voice quiet. “I want to thank you all for giving me a chance.”

Mary took her hand. “No thanks are necessary. You are more than welcome here, and not only if you are in the company of my children. Feel free to drop by anytime.”

Emma’s smile grew to fill her face, making her blue eyes dance. Gabe blinked, stunned by the change in her face when she smiled. It made her even prettier. He could understand why such a fuss had been made over her by the guys. They wouldn’t know what hit them.

“Were you a model in Australia, by any chance?” Mary asked, bringing Gabe’s thoughts back to the conversation.

Emma’s laughter burst out, enveloping him in a bubble of sound. It was almost musical. Gabe’s body jerked in response. He breathed deeper to control his suddenly increased heart rate.

Man, that laugh.
It did strange things to his insides every time he heard it.

“Goodness no! What would make you say that?” Emma asked. Curiosity shone from her face.

His mom smiled brightly at Emma. “Well, you’re not hard to look at, child. I thought perhaps that was your job.”

Emma shook her head, her soft chocolate-colored hair falling around her shoulders. “No, I haven’t worked for the last four…” Abruptly her face shuttered. “I was a hairdresser,” she finished off, her voice tight.

Gabe looked at her more closely. There was a story there, and not a good one, from the sadness he glimpsed in her eyes before the walls closed in. Emma hadn’t mentioned anything. She’d stayed close-lipped about why she’d moved to the States.

Four. Four months? Four years?
He wondered if she would ever trust him enough to tell him what made her so sad. It looked like he wasn’t the only one dealing with unhappiness. Whatever Emma was hiding from her past wouldn’t be easily extracted.

Gabe glanced at Darby. If she and Emma became the friends he believed they’d be, he’d find out eventually. She was the one person he couldn’t keep secrets from for long, and vice versa.

His attention moved back to Emma. To move so far from home, to a new country, a new life. To uproot yourself and leave all you knew… Only something big triggered that.

“Well, that explains your lovely hair!” Mary said.

Emma’s smile returned, though not as bright as before. “It certainly is an advantage.”

“How are you dealing with the old Mason place? It’s been in bad need of repair for some years now. It’s not too much for you on your own?”

Emma’s face brightened more, warming to the subject of her new home. “I have some experience with handyman work. My dad’s a carpenter. I used to help him out on school holidays. The problem is I don’t have the brawn to do the big stuff. The painting and all the little things are no worries, but I’ll have to hire a carpenter for the rest.”

Gabe caught the calculating glance his mom sent his way. His stomach sank.

“There’s no need for that. Gabe and Ed handle all the building work around our house and the ranch. They could help with whatever is needed,” Mary said.

Emma looked so surprised it was almost comical. She looked at him, then at his mom. “Heavens no, I couldn’t ask them to do that. They have enough to do, without running around after me, someone they barely know. It wouldn’t be right,” she protested.