Have Gown, Need Groom (14 page)

Not too far from the truth. Except they had the information incorrect and had rumored she and Joey DeLito were an item.

She’d have to warn Mimi.

Deciding to get in the giving spirit, she strolled upstairs to the children’s ward to offer her services. Seeing the young faces would undoubtedly take her mind off her own problems.

Three children sat in the activity room, cutting yellow stars from construction paper, decorating them with glitter. An elderly volunteer finished reading the last few pages of “The Christmas Story” while the children began to work. Hannah listened quietly, stifling a giggle at the globs of glue the little boy dumped on his paper.

“Hey, guys,” Hannah said. “Mind if I help?”

The elderly volunteer stood and stretched her legs. Hannah ruffled the little boy’s dark hair and smiled at the two girls, then turned toward the volunteer. “Go take a break. I’ll watch them for a while.”

The elderly lady nodded. “I think I will grab a cup of coffee.”

Hannah collected some of the brightly colored art paper and a pair of scissors. “I think I’ll make one of these, too.”

“I’m making one for my daddy,” the girl with the mop of strawberry-blond hair chirped. “He travels a lot.”

“And I’m giving mine to my sister. She can’t cut, she’s just a baby,” the little boy said.

Glitter sparkled on the third child’s nose, in her hair, all over her fingers as she beamed a toothless smile up at Hannah. “This is magic stardust,” the little girl said as she shook another boatload of gold glitter onto her crudely cut star. “And I’m giving mine to my mommy ’cause she’s special.”

Hannah smiled and began to cut the star shape, already knowing she would give hers away too. To a man who lingered in her dreams, whose quiet masculinity haunted her sanity—a big fearless man who had come out of nowhere and stolen her heart.

J
AKE HAD COMBED
the town earlier, hunting for abandoned warehouses or property where the stolen cars might possibly be hidden, but he’d come up empty-handed.

Now he studied the files he’d copied from Wiley’s computer, relieved he’d finally found a moment to slip into the older man’s office, but confused over the segments that seemed to be missing. Suspicions mounting, he guessed they contained information Wiley planned to adjust to cover his underhanded business dealings. He had two more to review when the doorbell rang.

Shocked to find Hannah Hartwell at his door, he simply stared at her, trying to fight the urge to drag her inside and kiss her senseless.

“I have something for you,” she said without preamble.

“Not more food,” Jake said. “I’m really healed enough, you don’t have to—”

“It’s not food,” Hannah said. She held out a small square of tissue paper and gestured for him to accept the gift. Jake drew his brows together, wondering what the dickens she was up to now.

“It’s not much, and you may think it’s silly, but I wanted you to have it.” A sly little smile lit her face, a soft pink suffusing her cheeks. “As an apology for last night.”

“There’s no need—”

“Yes,” she whispered, cutting him off. “I didn’t mean to lead you on. I’m not like that, Jake, not a tease.”

“I realize that,” Jake said, the vulnerable look in her eyes gnawing at his conscience.

“And it’s not that I didn’t want you,” she said a little too softly, “but I don’t give myself lightly.”

He licked his lips, striving for a calm voice when his heart was pounding. “I know that, too.”

“Then take this. I simply wanted you to know that I was thinking about you, that yesterday was special.”

Jake accepted the tissue and opened the folds, stunned to find a handmade glittery star inside.

“It’s a Christmas ornament,” Hannah said in a rush. “I kept rambling on about all my homemade decorations yesterday, and we made these with the children at the hospital today so I decided… Well, it’s pretty crude and you don’t have to keep it—”

“It’s beautiful,” Jake said, his throat suddenly thick. “I’ll keep it always.” His gaze rose to meet hers, latched onto the emotion in her eyes, and his heart gave a painful tug. First a damn rose. Now a stupid homemade paper star made with glue and glitter. Two silly gifts that melted his normally ironclad control to molten lava.

“You don’t have a tree, do you?” Hannah asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t usually decorate one.”

“Well, maybe you can hang it above the doorway. We let the kids make dozens of them and we hung them from the ceiling of the rec room in the children’s ward so it looks like a sky full of stars.”

Jake chuckled at her rambling.

She slipped the silky white ribbon from her hair, sending the long golden strands cascading around her shoulders, then brushed her fingers lightly across his palm as she threaded the ribbon through the star. “There, now you can hang it above your doorway.”

Jake’s finger glided along the silky ribbon, aching to thread his fingers into Hannah’s hair. He wanted one more night with her, he realized. A night where he forgot the case and simply savored holding her in his arms.

H
ANNAH SMILED
, biting down on her lip at the less than subtle look of hunger in Jake’s eyes.

“Have you eaten, doc?”

Hannah glanced down at her rumpled, worn clothes. “No, but I’m not really dressed to go out. A patient…well, you don’t really want to know what happened at the hospital. Let’s just say I don’t feel presentable enough for a restaurant.” She wanted something more private, quiet, so she could mellow out.

“I have an idea. Let’s throw together a picnic and go for a drive.”

“A picnic?” Somehow that didn’t sound like a good idea.
Too
private. Especially with her hormones so out of whack.

“Sure, you do like picnics, don’t you?”

“Well, yes, of course, but you—”

“Then come on in, put your feet up and relax for a few minutes. You can have a glass of wine while I pack dinner.”

Hannah frowned as he took her hand and led her in. “Listen, Jake, I’m the doctor here. I’m supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around.”

Jake reached up and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, silencing her protests. “Then feed my male ego by letting me do this. I’m healing nicely.” His dark eyes roamed across her face, desire flickering in his lopsided grin. “You and your dad have been way too generous and I have a lot of energy to expel.”

Hannah narrowed her eyes as he dropped his finger from her mouth and poured her a glass of Chardonnay. Male ego? A lot of energy to expel? Exactly what did the devilish man have in mind?

What did it matter? Hannah decided, catching a glimpse of the pearl ring shimmering on her hand. She’d consider the picnic an act of defiance—by going, she’d prove to herself she wasn’t as afraid as Dr. McCoy and Alison had suggested.

Chapter Fifteen

Daylight started to fade as they drove north around the Georgia mountains. Jake’s reservations about using Hannah Hartwell thrived full-force. He really thought she was innocent. Or if she was involved at all, she was simply protecting her dad or her sister. Maybe she would even thank him later if DeLito had been using her dad and he exposed the man for his fraudulent behavior.

Yeah, right. She’d thank him for lying to her.

A seed of guilt nagged at him, reminding him he shouldn’t become physically involved with the woman until he knew her sister and father were innocent. But temptation in the form of two liquid blue eyes lasered through his resistance. And her words haunted him—
I don’t give myself easily.

But she had almost given herself to him. Did that mean she was starting to care for him?

“Blacktop Bluff,” Hannah said, pointing to the magnificent view of the parkway as he pulled into a small park midway up the mountain. A few people lingered in the park, children throwing Frisbees and skipping rocks across the creek. Someone had lit a grill and the steamy scent of charcoal and grilled burgers cooking warmed the chilly air.

“My dad brought us here for a picnic when I was a kid. I remember eating cold fried chicken and biscuits and standing at the overhang in awe,” Hannah said. “I thought I could see all of Georgia right here from the top of this cliff, then we drove all the way to the top and I thought I could see the whole world.”

“It is beautiful,” Jake said, admiring Hannah as much as he did the view. He barely resisted the urge to reach out and stroke her delicate perfect cheek. From the wind blowing in their faces on the drive up, her hair lay in soft whirls around her shoulders. Her cheeks had a rosy glow, her eyes were a little brighter than when they’d first set out. Something had been troubling her, but so far she hadn’t opened up. They’d simply listened to a soft blues tape and enjoyed the uplifting ride through the winding countryside in silence. The temperature had been unusually warm for November, but now they’d reached the higher altitude of the mountains, the air had turned nippy. His gaze caught two kids frolicking in the creek, and he had an idea—a little out of character for him, but a way to lighten the mood with Hannah. He wanted to see her smile, to have a few pleasant memories to take with him when he left Sugar Hill. To take some of the seriousness off Hannah’s face. To pretend they were a normal couple on a date.

He spread a blanket on the ground, set the picnic basket on top, then gently reached out and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, his voice husky, “I know just what you need, doc.”

“What?” Hannah hugged her arms around herself, suddenly suspicious. He had that teasing glint to his smile again. And his lips were so darned close that if she stood on tiptoe she could kiss him. An ache, soul deep, stirred inside her. She started to rise on her toes….

But he caught her hand instead. “Let’s go wading in the creek.” He gently pulled her down to the grass and began shucking his shoes.

“What? But that water’s probably freezing.”

“Come on, Hannah, it’ll be fun.”

Hannah nodded, smiling at the children and picnickers scattered along the edge of the stream. Jake shed his shoes and socks and rolled his jeans up his shins, revealing a layer of dark hair on his muscular calves that sent her imagination into overdrive big time. Hannah swallowed, her nerves fluttering at the sight of his long masculine feet. Everything about Jake Tippins was big—his every feature radiated strength and power and masculinity.

“Well, are you going to remove your shoes, doc, or do you need help?”

Hannah gaped at him. “You wouldn’t dare.”

The cocky grin he slanted at her indicated he would.

She kicked off her pumps just as he reached for her trouser socks. Shrieking, she pushed away his hands, but he tickled her toes, and she broke into laughter. With a jubilant shout, he yanked off her socks and tossed them aside, then dragged her to a standing position, and pulled her into the icy water. The frigid temperature numbed her other senses as she chased him across the rocks.

“Be careful,” Hannah called. “You don’t want to fall and reinjure yourself.”

“Okay, doc,” he called, running faster.

“Jake Tippins, slow down!” Hannah ran to catch up with him, laughing harder when he slipped and almost lost his balance. Cold water sloshed against her ankles and shot icy prickles up her shins. Jake’s foot hit a pebble, he yelped and staggered, then lost his footing and fell forward. Hannah shrieked and reached to break his fall, but missed. He caught himself on his hands, landing with his knees splashing in the frigid water, his long body contorted awkwardly as he struggled to maintain his balance and not fall the rest of the way on his face. Laughter bubbled inside Hannah’s chest—he looked like a frog as he tried to stand again, his feet slipping, his hands groping on the slick rocks. Finally, when his hand massaged his sore backside, Hannah took pity on him and moved to help him.

Sliding one arm around his waist, she hugged his front with her other and tried to right him. He groaned and grunted and Hannah gasped as his cold hand came up to grab her wrists. They both slipped and almost fell together, but clung to each other, staggering and shrieking as they regained their footing. Lord, the man weighed a ton. Every cell in his body was packed with muscle, too, strong sinewy male muscle that rippled across his chest and back and arms, tightening beneath her fingers. Her body reacted instantly, growing warm at his touch.

Several minutes later, after they’d almost fallen twice, she managed to help him out of the water. They collapsed onto the blanket in a fit of giggles and a tangle of wet arms and legs. “You are a dangerous man, Jake Tippins. I warned you not to wade in the water.”

“Playing it safe is boring, doc.” He stretched out his legs and rolled to his side so he wouldn’t have to lie on his injured backside. Or so she thought. The sharp stab of hunger that flashed into his eyes sent heat bolting through her, replacing the chill of the water with the fire of desire.

Hannah rubbed at goose bumps cascading up her arms, and he grabbed a sweater he’d thrown on the blanket and handed it to her. “Here, put this on.”

She gave him an odd look for a moment, as if he’d handed her a rattlesnake, then seemed to relax and accepted the garment. As she slipped it over her head, he couldn’t help but notice the way the silky fabric of her blouse molded over lush curves. His sweater swallowed her petite frame, the sleeves dangling over her fine-boned hands. She rolled the cuffs up three times, then flattened the bottom of the sweater over her thighs. He remembered how her bare breasts had looked in the dim light of her den, how soft and sensuous they’d felt in his hands, and he ached to reach out and touch her again.

“This was a great idea, Jake. The fresh air feels wonderful. I’m suddenly starved.”

The outdoors reminded him of camping out when he was young, of freedom from his confining house. “Me, too.”

Ignoring the innuendo, she opened up the containers of food he’d packed. “Wow, fried chicken, just like old times,” Hannah said with a smile. She removed a wine bottle from the basket. Jake grinned and opened the Chardonnay.

Laughter sparkled in her luminous eyes. “I do like wine, Jake, but we have to drive home.”

“We’ll just have a glass,” he promised.

Hannah’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Don’t act so shocked, doc. I may not run in your circles, but I’m not a total slough when it comes to responsibility.”

Embarrassment heated her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to imply you were. For heaven’s sakes, you tackled that guy and got shot trying to be responsible.”

“Like I told your dad, I simply reacted. No big deal.” He poured them both a plastic cup of wine and took a sip, frowning. “I wish everyone would just let things die down.”

Her gaze flashed toward him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

She was referring to his comment about not running in her circles. Why the hell had he made that stupid comment? “Forget it. Besides,” he said, teasing again, “You sounded more like a mother than a doctor.”

Her lips tightened momentarily, then she seemed to realize he was teasing and laughter spilled from her lips. Glorious beautiful laughter. “The doctor ingrained in me, I suppose. And I am the oldest of three siblings.”

“You are a caretaker, aren’t you, doc?”

“I guess so.”

Maybe she ought to let someone take care of her, he thought.

But you won’t be the one, Tippins.

“Thanks for suggesting this picnic, Jake. I guess I needed an outing and some fresh air more than I realized.”

As if deciding she’d revealed something about herself she shouldn’t have exposed, she began filling their plates with chicken, potato salad, baked beans and bread. Jake accepted the plate and dug in, suddenly starved.

“You said you had a bad day at the hospital. Working in the ER must be stressful.”

She leaned her back against a tall poplar tree and nibbled at her food. “It is. But the work is rewarding most of the time.”

“It has to be hard when you’re constantly dealing with life-and-death situations.”

Her earlier smile faded. “Yes, but I enjoy helping people.”

“It must take a lot of strength to deal with crisis situations the way you do….” He let the sentence trail off, hoping she would pick up the conversation.

“Some days are fine, but others are difficult.” She went on to tell him about a teenage boy who’d died in the ER. Sadness crept into her voice, and she picked a blade of grass, playing with the ends while she talked. Jake’s heart clenched at the story, visions of all the horrible things he’d seen on the streets bombarding him. He’d thought he and Hannah Hartwell had nothing in common. Maybe he was wrong.

No, he couldn’t start thinking like that. Couldn’t start liking this woman. Couldn’t start imagining the two of them building a life together.

“My heart went out to his parents, you know,” she said, as if she should be able to save the world. Her watery gaze lifted to meet his. “There’s nothing more important than family.”

And he might destroy hers if he didn’t clear Wiley and Mimi.

Whoa—when had his job become to clear them instead of to find evidence against them?

“I suppose not,” he said, hardening himself to her pain as reality crashed around him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get so melancholy or be insensitive.” She reached out to cover his hand with hers. Her touch was so soft, so gentle and sincere it nearly took his breath away.

Jake shrugged, wanting to steer the conversation back on safe territory. “No big deal.”

The anguish in her eyes startled him, because the anguish she felt was for
him.

“How do you like living in Sugar Hill?”

“It’s all right,” Jake said, biting into another biscuit with gusto. “Your dad certainly has a booming outfit.”

“Yeah, he’s excited about the new branches opening up.”

Jake shrugged and continued eating, trying to appear nonchalant. “Business must be good for him to expand.”

“I suppose.” Hannah shifted and tapped her nails along her arms again as if the topic made her uncomfortable. “Although, I don’t get involved in the business myself.”

Jake frowned; he had seen her take the files home. Why was she lying?

“He certainly gets into those commercials,” Jake commented, watching her for a reaction.

“Yeah, he always has.” Her eyes flickered shut briefly as if she didn’t quite approve of how her father made his money, then she simply shrugged. With a loud sigh, she announced that she was full, emptied her half-eaten plate of food into a plastic bag and stood, brushing at her slacks.

He set his plate aside and studied her as she walked over to the stream. The gurgling brook reminded him of childhood, of a time he’d run away and lived in the woods. Not a happy time, but not one of his more unpleasant memories either.

With her shoulders slumped, her head angled, Hannah looked impossibly small as she leaned against a massive oak. The whisper of her breath in the cool night air radiated sadness, making him ache for her. Was she thinking about the patient she’d lost or about her father and how he made his money? Had he hit on a sore spot with his questions?

H
ANNAH STARED
into the crystal-clear water rippling over the jagged rocks and fought off the guilt over her reaction to Jake’s questions about her father. She should be proud of Wiley. He had worked hard to take care of the girls after their mother had left. Even though some of his crazy stunts had brought ridicule to her and her sisters in their teen years, she knew he loved them. But a small part of her, that little nine-year-old girl inside who’d overheard her parents’ argument the day her mother had left, still felt a twinge of resentment at Wiley’s choice of careers. If he’d left the dealership, taken a more subtle approach to business, maybe her mother would have stayed.

And if her mother hadn’t been pregnant with her…

She shouldn’t have lied to Jake about helping her father either. It wasn’t like she’d done anything wrong, only Wiley was embarrassed about his dyslexia, and she simply checked his numbers before he turned them over to his bookkeeper to save him from admitting his learning disability. Why, he’d even hidden the secret from Mimi and Alison as if the learning problem was something to be ashamed of; Hannah had stumbled on the truth by mistake and had tried to reassure him that his problem was more common than he realized. But the big proud man still insisted on secrecy and she’d agreed to honor his wishes.

Speaking of big proud men…the scent of Jake’s cologne clung to his sweater, an earthy masculine scent that filled her with heat and reminded her of the man who’d brought her here. At least she had one parent and two terrific sisters. Jake Tippins had no one.

“Doc, are you all right?”

Hannah started as she realized Jake had moved up beside her. She’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t heard him approach, hadn’t even heard a twig snapping. He moved closer, so near she could feel his breath on her neck, could almost feel the heat from his body searing into hers. Then he reached out and rubbed his hands up and down her arms as if to comfort her. Her knees trembled involuntarily, but she tried to ignore the passion simmering between them, aware the other picnickers had left and they were alone.