Romance

240

Recently widowed Tess Barrett is relishing her new state of independence, not dreaming her world is about to be rocked on its axis by Jack Donovan, the man she spent many hours fantasizing about when he worked for her bully of a husband. Trapped in a marriage with a tyrant who eroded her confidence and humiliated her Tess sees herself as plain and dowdy; what would a now rich, successful, handsome, younger man see in her?
But her reserved nature bewitches Jack as much now as it did when he was a raw young man. Determined, now she is free, to go after her he uses his desire to buy her dead husband's construction company as an excuse. Sure his marriage to a selfish woman collapsed in part because of his infatuation for Tess Jack yearns for a woman who can give him unconditional love. Unsure of his motives Tess can't understand what Jack sees in a woman nearing middle age with grey in her hair. Jack finds their age difference immaterial and sets out to overcome her self- set barriers.

Buy your copy!
Wings ePress Inc
Tricia McGill Romance author
Tricia McGill Romance Author

Her slender hands straightened the denim over her knees and he swallowed hard. The simple action set off all sorts of reactions. With a harsh intake of breath, he waited while she seemed to mull over his words.

Then to his utter surprise and delight, she said, "I was going to do spaghetti bolognaise for Gary’s dinner, and he’s not coming home. Would you stay and share it with me?"

Would he ever? "That’d be nice."

Nice! Good God, it would be bloody marvelous. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t." She got up with her wonderful grace and reached to take his empty cup. Roses. She still wore the same perfume. It wafted about him, making his head spin, his senses reel. "Another cup?"

"I’ll get it. You go ahead and do whatever you have to do with the spaghetti, and I’ll top our cups up."

She was blushing again. Christ! If it happened too often he would fall apart. Was she such a delightful shade of pink all over? Keep it cool, Jack. For God's sake don't make a grab for her like a rampaging lecher and frighten the daylights out of her.

"I’d rather not have another. But you go ahead and help yourself." She nodded as she picked up the tray.

~ * ~

Jack followed Tess to the kitchen and, while she started to get a saucepan from the cupboard he refilled his cup, then leaned back against the counter to watch her.

Jack sipped his drink. "Am I in the way? Just tell me to go jump if I am." Was there a tremor in her fingers? Or was his own awareness playing tricks on him? She shook her head and, with an endearing little smile, carried on. His gut clenched.

"So, your daughter’s sixteen. Is she a problem teenager?" He tried to set her at ease. Besides, he loved the sound of her voice, could listen to it all day. It was soft as a summer breeze and had a slight huskiness to it. Made a man think of forbidden things, like sultry nights of passion and sweat-sleeked bodies.

Her warm smile told him she adored her daughter. "Laurel a problem? Heavens, no--I couldn’t wish for a better daughter."

Jack pulled his thoughts back to the mundane question he’d asked. "You must be one of the lucky ones. I have friends with teenagers who reckon they are a pain in the neck."

"I am lucky." A small frown creased her brow. What had caused that? "Des was like your friends--inclined to look on girls as not worth the bother it takes to raise them." As if she regretted being so outspoken, she bit her lip as she turned her back on him.

Des. Yes, Jack couldn’t imagine dear old Des being the kind of father a girl would enjoy having. He was far too dogmatic and unbending. Too mean and nasty to have the sensibilities needed to rear a daughter.

She smiled warmly as she faced him. "Laurel wants to be a nurse. She’ll be a good one too. Her dolls have been her patients since she was a toddler. Every one of them has had a bandage on one limb or other since she was old enough to wrap it." Pride shone in her eyes. "I think she’ll probably want to go overseas to help the refugees or displaced people. She has a very compassionate nature."

"Is she as beautiful as her mother?" Damn! Now she’d gone all wary again, but her blush told him his revelation pleased her.

Laughing nervously she eyed him across the small space separating them. "Don’t be daft." She almost sounded like she was scolding him.

"Daft to think anyone could be as lovely as you, you mean?" With a grin he watched the peachy stain travel from her throat and up her face. God, she was endearing.

She snorted, a spoon held high. "You should see about getting glasses."

"My eyesight is perfect." Fascinated, he watched her movements. Yes, she was flustered for sure. "Surely Des told you how lovely you are. And there must have been many men over the years that commented on it. Unless they are the ones who needed glasses."

She emptied a packet of spaghetti into boiling water. "I’m a mother, past my prime, and my hair’s going gray."

Jack made a rude sound. "Rubbish! Past your prime? You have the face and figure of a twenty-year-old, Tess. Your skin’s like silk, and I happen to like the touch of silver in your hair." Would dearly like to see if her skin felt as soft as it promised to be. Itched to run his fingers through that sleek hair.