Daddy by Surprise (15 page)

This was happening on Kat’s terms.

She tickled him lightly under the arms. He bucked as if she’d pinched him. “No fair. I’m ticklish. I admit it. Oh, crap, you’re not going to use that against me, are you?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she slid downward until she was kneeling between his legs. She very gently dragged her fingernails across the sole of his foot. He practically levitated off the bed.

“This is so illuminating. Big, strong, motorcycle bad boy who picks fights in bars is ticklish. I could so use this against you if you were going…”

She didn’t finish the thought. Instead, she looked in his eyes for a heartbeat or two, then slowly came forward, her gaze dropping to his waist. As she neared his middle, she licked her lips in a slow, provocative way that made his heart start to race. She lowered her mouth to his body, teasing the tip of his penis with her tongue before closing her lips around him.

Handicapped as he was, he had to acknowledge that he was at her mercy, but what sweet mercy it was. She used her teeth, her tongue, and…oh, yes, her mouth. “Kat!” he cried. “You’re killing me.”

He twisted and pulled against his constraints, which he realized did add an element of adventure he’d never imagined. He was all hers, in every way possible.

Panting with the strain of not coming, he begged her to let him go. “I need…hands…please…you…Kat. Kat.” She pushed him to the edge of his restraint, then suddenly she pulled back and looked at him, a smoldering half-hooded look of satisfaction and lust on her face. She moved toward him again and a second later settled her body over his.

They’d done this before, and yet they hadn’t. That first time had been in the dark, in a dream. This was real, undeniably real.

She put her hands flat against his chest and started to move in a primal circle of life, her hips lifting and falling, her vaginal walls tightening and releasing. Since he couldn’t do anything else, he closed his eyes and lived each second, each sensation.

He’d never felt a buildup like this before. His release seemed to start in the far corners of his extremities and implode to his very core, making him buck his hips into her as fast and hard as he could. He had no idea if she was on the same plain as him. He wanted to please her and feel her mutual pleasure, but his orgasm was too mind-blowing. All he could do was shout her name as he gave in to the all-consuming sensations that he knew he’d never forget.

Kat collapsed against Jack’s heaving chest.
Holy garbanzo beans!
she silently cried. Who knew that a couple of ties could add a whole other dimension to sex?

She had no idea where the nerve to suggest bondage came from—maybe his earlier hints that his ex-girlfriend had called their sex life boring.
Maybe I’m a closet control freak,
she thought, tucking her chin to keep him from seeing her smile.

Whatever the reason, the result was the best sex she could ever remember having. Talk about going out with a bang, she thought with satisfaction.

But there was no denying a bittersweet quality, too. The best sex ever was never going to happen again because Jack was leaving. The thought made her breath catch.

She lifted her head and looked at him. His eyes were open as if he was watching her, maybe trying to read her mind. She smiled. This had been her idea, her tiptoe over to the wild side. “You okay?”

He didn’t answer, but when he gave the ties a little tug, she knew it was time to undo her handiwork. The knots were the quick-release kind and all she had to do was pull the free end and the fabric slithered to the sheets.

He blinked in surprise. “Wow. You’re amazing. In ways I never imagined.”

“Never?” She couldn’t help feeling a little hurt. After all, they had had sex once before and it had been pretty good, too. She thought. Not quite as phenomenal as this time, but—

He pulled her to him and rolled to his side. “What I meant by that is I’ve never met anyone who could tie that particular kind of knot.”

“Oh.”

“And as for the way you made love to me…well, there simply aren’t enough words. Unbelievable. In a good way. A great way. Am I making you mad?”

He must have felt her start to tense up. “No. Not really. I just think people have been underestimating me all my life. And I let them. You’re less likely to be a disappointment that way.”

The furrows in his brow told her he was pondering her statement but before he could say anything, a loud
beep-beep-beep
made them both startle. Tag’s clock radio was set for Sunday-morning church.

She scrambled off the bed and hit the off button. The fact that she’d tied Jack up and had her way with him on her son’s bed without even thinking about going to church on the morning she realized she was pregnant and unwed…She swallowed a small cry and looked around for her clothes.

“Are you running away again?”

A reference to her horrified reaction the last time they made love, no doubt. “We have a busy day ahead.” She yanked on her panties and top. “I’ll make coffee.”

He caught her hand. “Kat, can you at least wait long enough for me to tell you I think you’re amazing and that was the best sex I’ve ever had?”

Her, too, but she didn’t turn around. “You promised to help me refold the tent and put it away.”

He made a sound of pure exasperation and sat up. “Oh, no,” he said, smacking his forehead with the heel of his hand. “We forgot birth control again.”

Now. This was it.
If you can tie up a guy and have your way with him, you can tell him about the illegitimate baby you’re going to have.
“I didn’t forget. I just didn’t bother. After all, you can only get pregnant once.”

He frowned. “What’s that me—Holy sh—You’re not serious. You can be sure this soon?”

“I haven’t taken the test, but I know my body.”

She left him then. To think. To get his excuses in order.

She showered, got dressed and made coffee. A whole damn pot, which she realized too late she shouldn’t drink and had to heat up water for caffeine-free tea. She was on her second cup when Jack entered the kitchen, familiar tote bag in hand.

He poured himself a cup. Black. Took a couple of quick sips, then set his mug on the counter and walked to the table where she was sitting. He pulled her chair out as if she wasn’t on it and turned it so he could go down on one knee in front of her. “Kat, I know we don’t know each other well, but—”

“If carnal knowledge counts, I know you better than I ever knew my second husband.”

He gave her a serious look.

“Sorry.”

“We know each other pretty well in several ways, but I’m asking you to marry me.”

There hadn’t been any mention of a shotgun. She gave him credit for that. But neither was there mention of love.

“Thank you, Jack. You’re the closest thing to a hero I’ve ever known, but my answer is no, thank you.”

He looked shocked. “Why not? I can provide for you…and the boys. I know there are logistics to work out, but—”

“I know all those things, Jack. And this week you’ve proved to me what a great guy you are. I hope we’ll become good friends as our child grows up. But I can’t marry you.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Both.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m holding out for the fantasy,” she admitted, then wished she hadn’t said the word out loud. A woman like her couldn’t afford fantasies. “I know. That sounds silly and juvenile and I should probably put our unborn child’s welfare first, but frankly, I tried that. Twice. And it didn’t work. I wound up in the middle of a legal battlefield, the same way I was raised. I won’t do that again. The next time I get married it’s going to be for love.”

He put out his hands. “But I love you.”

She looked at the ceiling. “No, you don’t. You’re telling me that out of a sense of duty. You’re a dutiful son, a responsible doctor and a good person, Jack. But I need to know that the man doing the asking wants me for the right reasons, not because he feels an obligation to a baby we accidentally made one night.”

“Kat, I didn’t expect any of this when I came here and I’m probably making a complete mess of my proposal, but I really have developed strong feelings for you. I think it’s love.”

He sounded so earnest she had to smile. “I appreciate that, Jack. Let me know when you’re sure.”

“You’re being facetious.”

She shrugged. “I’ve had good reason to be where the men in my life are concerned. I know you’re not Pete Linden or Drew Petroski, but some of the mistakes I made in the past were because I didn’t understand who I was and what I wanted out of life.

“I do now. I know that being a good mother to my children and becoming a teacher are important parts of who I am. I’m also a woman who deserves to be loved for who she is—mistakes and all. And until I find the right man, I’m not saying ‘I do’ again. Baby or no baby.”

J
ACK PICKED
a can of soda from a huge plastic barrel filled with ice and soft drinks. There was a full bar with a margarita machine set up on the grass behind the Sentinel Pass fire station, but since he was headed back on the road today, he decided to stay sober. Not to mention that his mind was still reeling from the morning. Amazing sex
and
being told he was going to be a father?
Yeah, not your normal morning,
he thought, looking for Kat.

They’d driven separately to the party. She was meeting her kids here and she’d been positively giddy at the prospect.

He spotted her near the silly concrete dinosaur. She was holding Jordie, the littlest boy, on her hip while listening with rapt attention as the older boy told her something. She really was a wonderful mother. He didn’t have to worry about her caring for their child with equal love and devotion. But was that enough?

He popped the tab on his drink and tasted the sweet, cool liquid. His hand shook slightly and he felt the strangest urge to cry. His dad had been gone so long, but Jack could almost feel his presence. If he were here today, Jack knew what he’d say to him.

“I’m sorry, Dad. You were the best pop a kid could ask for, and I’m sorry I even once doubted that you were innocent. I wanted to believe you. I told myself I believed, but then a tiny bit of doubt would creep in and I’d ask myself, ‘Why didn’t he have an assistant working with him that day? Why’d he go to the office alone? Was he trying to hide something?’”

Jack lifted the can to his lips and forced himself to swallow past the lump in his throat. His guilt had been there at the back of his mind for years. His father passed away without either of them talking about Jack’s doubts. Now, of course, it was too late.

But Jack never once questioned that he and his sister, Rachel, had been the most important people in their father’s life. Yes, Dad had adored—
worshiped
might even have been the right word—their mother, but that relationship was complex and beyond young Jack’s ken. His father’s steadfast love, though, had carried Jack through some really rough times. If he and Kat were going to have a child, then Jack owed it to his father—and himself—to be the best father he could be. As scary and life-changing as that sounded.

“Hey,” a voice said. “You’re Kat’s friend, aren’t you?”

Jack turned to look at the man addressing him. It took him a second to place the guy. He’d been behind the wheel of the truck the day Jack and Kat visited Sentinel Pass. “Yeah. Jack Treadwell. You’re Libby’s brother, right? The miner.”

The guy gave a snorting sound that probably qualified as a laugh. “Mac McGannon.” They shook hands. Mac’s were rough and huge. They never would have fit inside a patient’s mouth. “Mining has turned into a hobby now that I have a rich brother-in-law. Coop thinks we’ll make more money off it by building a B and B on the property and giving mine tours.”

“That sounds like easier work.”

“Not if you’re not crazy about people,” he said wryly. “Just look at all these strangers. And the real tourists won’t start coming until after the television show airs.” He shook his head with a certain degree of resignation. “Times are changing. ’Course, it’s been that way for a while. The old ones die and their families sell out, instead of coming back here to live. Maybe this boost to the economy will bring new families in.” He frowned. “Doesn’t look good to have houses sitting empty. Fire risk, for one thing.”

Jack noticed for the first time the volunteer fire-department logo on the man’s black T-shirt. They talked a bit longer about what kinds of challenges small communities like Sentinel Pass were experiencing. “We had a doctor here years ago when I was a kid,” Mac said, his dark eyes checking from time to time on the whereabouts of a little girl who seldom left her aunt’s side.

Kat had told him the tragic tale of Mac’s wife, who, on the verge of leaving him for another man, crashed her car into a ravine and died. Fortunately Mac had refused to let his wife take their daughter with her when she left. A four-year-old beauty. Jack couldn’t remember her name.

“Just out of curiosity, are there a lot of houses for sale around here?” Jack asked.

An idea had started to take shape in his mind as Mac spoke of the community and its possible rebirth. Sentinel Pass wasn’t Denver, but Jack had been ready for a change at so many levels for so long it wasn’t surprising that he was starting to look at the place with new eyes.

Mac thought a moment. “Mrs. Smith’s place is going on the market tomorrow, I heard. She passed away a couple of months ago. Her son and daughter have been trying to decide what to do with the place. They’ve been renting it to Shane and Coop.” He pointed to a very recognizable blond guy across the plaza and a dark-haired fellow Jack had never seen before. “Shane’s the writer, producer, director…hell, I don’t know what he does. He and Jenna are together.”

Jack could see that. Not only were they holding hands and talking with an intimacy that belonged to people in love, they had a dog. An enormous, gorgeous beast with black, white and rust-colored markings. The animal seemed perfectly trained, because it watched the children filing in and out of the bounce house that had been erected in the parking lot, but never made any effort to chase them.

“Anyway, I was just talking to Jill and Peter. They had a real-estate agent from Rapid give them a market appraisal. Makes sense to sell, since neither of their families wants to live here.”

Jack nodded. A flutter of excitement coursed through his body. He didn’t make crazy, impulsive leaps of faith. But he knew someone who did. Mad Jack. And he didn’t even have to ask what Mad Jack would do. He knew the answer. “Are they still here? Mrs. Smith’s kids?”

Mac looked around. “Right over there, talking to Elana Grace. She owns the Tidbiscuit. Our local answer to Starbucks,” he added dryly. He squinted slightly as he looked a moment longer. “I don’t know who the gal in the hat is. She didn’t come with Jill and Peter. Maybe she’s one of the TV people, although she looks kind of familiar…”

Jack checked her out. Beauty-queen posture. Same Ann Taylor-kind of skirt and blouse his ex-fiancée might have worn. The straw sunhat looked chic and expensive. Jaydene definitely would have been able to identify the brand of purse she was carrying.

“No one I know, which I guess isn’t surprising since this is only my second time in town,” he said.

He wiped his hand on his pants and held it out. Mac didn’t notice at first, his attention still trained on the stranger. “Oh. Sorry,” he said, quickly shaking Jack’s hand.

“No problem. I appreciate the tip about the house. I’ve been thinking about relocating to the Hills. This might work out.”

Mac’s coal-black eyebrows rose in unison. He glanced in the general direction of where Kat had been standing, then returned his gaze to Jack. Jack half expected him to ask something he wasn’t prepared to talk about, but instead, Mac said, “Libby called you a stand-up guy. That’s good enough for me.”

Mac started to leave, but Jack stopped him. “Um…I know I’m getting ahead of myself, but do you know who I’d call about putting in a pool?”

Mac looked only slightly abashed, but he recovered quickly. “Me. I got a backhoe just sitting at the mine collecting dust now that my brother-in-law is my partner. Number’s in the book. Give me a call when you’re ready.”

His low chuckle stayed with Jack, but it wasn’t the sound that had tormented him as a kid. It was okay. Inclusive, even. He had a feeling he and Mac McGannon might be friends one day.

But first, he had a house to buy.

K
AT WATCHED
Jack conversing with Mac as covertly as she could manage, but apparently she wasn’t subtle enough to avoid Char’s acute observation skills. “You’ve been nailed by some serious dentist swoo, haven’t you?”

Before Kat could deny the charge, Tag, who had been counting some of the tips he’d earned from working for Jenna, looked at them and said, “That guy’s a dentist?”

“Orthodontist,” Kat corrected. “He straightens teeth.”

Tag gave her a look. “I know what an orthodontist is. You and Dad have been fighting about sending me to one long enough.”

Kat felt a blush coming on. She hadn’t realized Tag was aware of her ongoing argument with Pete, who believed that their son’s crooked baby teeth weren’t worth the hassle and expense of getting straightened. She’d agreed to wait until his permanent teeth started coming in, but now it was obvious Tag had inherited her family’s crooked teeth. Kat didn’t know how she’d managed to avoid braces, but she thanked her lucky stars since neither of her parents probably would have noticed—even if her teeth looked like Tag’s.

“We both agree you’ll need braces, Tag. We just can’t agree on the timing,” she told him.

“Or who will pay,” Char added.

Kat gave her a dirty look. She’d overheard way too many shouting matches about who owed what when she was a kid. Tag deserved better. And once she was a teacher with a decent salary and possibly even dental benefits, she’d take him in—even if his father claimed he couldn’t afford to pay half.

“Did I hear someone say
braces?
” a familiar voice asked. “Hi, Char. Tag.”

Tag nodded, but didn’t greet Jack until he spotted Kat’s severe stare. Manners counted. Period. Tag knew that. “Hey. Where’s your bike?”

“Next to the fire station. Mac said it was okay to leave it there. I…uh…have a couple of Rally T-shirts in the side pouch for you and your brother. If you want ’em. No big deal. Just thought…”

Kat was surprised. And touched. She hadn’t seen him buy the gifts and hadn’t expected him to, but she could tell by Tag’s smile he was intrigued. Maybe even willing to forget that he didn’t like this R.U.B. who’d been renting his room.

“Cool. When I can I see it?”

Kat looked at Jack, who appeared to be studying Tag with an intent frown on his face. His gaze never left her son’s mouth.

Uh-oh. Orthodontist alert.

“Right now,” Jack said, his tone casual. But Kat was attuned enough to him to know he was thinking about something else. “It’s the only bike there. The saddlebag is snapped shut. Help yourself…Uh, sorry. If that’s okay with your mother, I mean.”

Kat looked at Char trying to convey a leave-us-for-a-second message. “This is Sentinel Pass. Nobody’s gonna steal him or any…Oh, okay. Come on, Taggart. Let’s go find your brother. He’ll want his present, too.”

“Thanks. And, Tag, come right back to thank Jack. Jordie, too.”

“I know, Mom.”

Kat watched her eldest son walk away. He was getting so grown up. A week with Jenna had changed him. He seemed more confident and aware of the world around him. He wasn’t her little boy anymore.

“He needs to see an orthodontist,” Jack said without preamble. “Bring him to Denver and I’ll do X rays and an initial evaluation for free.”

For free. He knew her well.

Instead of being offended, as some people might have been, she was thrilled by the offer. But she had to turn him down. Again. Just as she had his proposal.

“I’m all set to play an extra in the filming this week. It’s good money. With the you-know-what coming and my student-teaching this fall, I need to sock away every penny.”

He didn’t comment right away, then he said, “He could ride back with me, and you and Jordie could come pick him up on the weekend.”

Kat blinked at the outrageous suggestion, momentarily forgetting that Jack didn’t even like kids. What kind of mother would send her child off with a stranger? Well, he wasn’t a stranger to her, but he was to Tag. She could picture Pete’s reaction. “We have orthodontists here, Jack. There’s a very reputable group that worked on all my halfsiblings. I’m the only kid in the family who missed out. My dad takes all the credit, of course.”

Her flippant response apparently fell on deaf ears. “I’ll do everything pro bono. Start to finish. By the time he’s in high school, he’ll have a smile as perfect as Cooper Lindstrom’s.”

“Why would you offer to do that? Is it because—”

He cut her off. “I was that kid once, Kat. My dad wasn’t an advocate of orthodontia unless there were bite issues, and my mother controlled the purse strings. I didn’t get my teeth fixed until I was in college. Kids can be brutal. It messes with your head in a way parents don’t understand. Let me do this for Tag.”

“But you don’t even like him.”

His scowl was so pissed off—so Mad Jack—she let out a little yip. “If that’s what you think, then this morning was an unforgivable indulgence on your part.”

She was immediately ashamed. He was right. He might have gotten off on the wrong foot with the boys, but he was a good man. She’d trust him with her life. And Tag’s teeth. But the decision didn’t rest with her alone.

“Tag’s dad would never go for this. He probably wouldn’t even let me take Tag to Denver for an initial consultation. You should have heard the unflattering things he had to say about you after you dropped me off that morning. You’re an outsider.”

“And I’m obviously interested in you.”

She nodded. “That’s part of it. Pete’s like my dad in that way. He doesn’t want me, but he can’t stand the idea of someone else in my life, either.”

Jack shrugged his broad, solidly made shoulders. “Tough. He doesn’t have a say in that. I am involved and I’m not going to disappear.” He started to say something else, but instead, pulled out his phone. “What’s his number?”

Kat’s jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

He waited.

She put her hand flat to her belly. This time was bound to come eventually, she thought. She rattled off Pete’s cell number and waited to hear what was said, but Jack stepped away to conduct his conversation in private.

Peeved, she started after him, but was stopped when a small body barreled into her. “Mommy, Mommy, look what Tag stole from that man’s motorcycle.”

Jordie pointed at Jack, who was looking their way with a grim expression on his face.

Kat sank down and pulled her younger son into her arms. “It was a gift from Jack. Your brother doesn’t steal.”