Long-Lost Mom Read online

  “I’ve never judged you.”

  “No?” he asked in a deceptively quiet voice. “What about when you came back into town and didn’t tell me who you were? You should have told me, Jenna. I’ve tried to understand this, honestly I have. You know that I’d never have hurt you, that I’d never have kept Sara from you.” With a touch so light she might have thought she was dreaming if she couldn’t see with her own eyes, his fingers brushed the faint scars on her face. “You know that, or you should.”

  “I do know.” She pressed his hand to her face with her own, overcome by his generosity of spirit. “I’m so sorry.”

  He shook his head, his gaze following the movement of his hand on her skin. Just that light connection seemed to mesmerize both of them. It was a touch that entwined their souls. “‘Sorry’ can’t cut it,” he murmured. “It can’t. There’s too much at stake.”

  Oh, God. He meant Sara. If he turned from her now, there’d be no Sara in her life. “I can show you with time, then,” she promised desperately. “I’m not going anywhere. Sooner or later you’ll believe that.”

  “Maybe.”

  Closing her eyes, she savored the feel of his callused fingers on her face.

  “Maybe?” she repeated hopefully. “Did you really say maybe?”

  “Let’s make a deal,” he said, pulling his hand back. “I won’t push you to explain how you could have stayed away so long, and you won’t push me for promises I can’t give.”

  He wasn’t going to make any promises. She blinked hard, determined to keep her broken dreams to herself.

  As always, he saw right through her. Sighing deeply, he said, “I’m not trying to hurt you.”

  “Can you honestly tell me you would have rejoiced at the sight of me?” she asked quietly. “Forgiven me completely?”

  “We’ll never know.” The impasse between them was heavily weighted. “I’ve got work to do.”

  “So do I,” she said, just as stubborn. “If you’ll let me do it.”

  “Take the damn job if you want,” he said wearily. “I don’t care.”

  “I’ll do that.” She moved away, intending to go to her car, but he stopped her.

  She stared down at the hand on her arm, very aware of his strength and how he always tempered it with her, even when pushed to fury. And how had she repaid that? By hurting him at every turn. Looking up into his face, she had to swallow hard against the truth—she’d never loved him more than she did right this minute.

  But could she tell him, or would he—rightly so—throw that love back in her face. “This isn’t over,” he said, still touching her. “I have no idea what you want to do about Sara. But that decision is mine, not yours.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to rebuke him, to protest against the unfairness, but she knew it wasn’t for himself that he made these demands. He didn’t have a selfish bone in his body, which meant his stipulation was for the person he had given up a great part of his life to protect.

  Sara. He was still protecting Sara, and he would to the end. And she couldn’t blame him.

  Her eyes stung. Always on the verge of tears, she thought, annoyed at herself. “I understand.” She turned her face into the wind, welcoming its salty coolness on her hot face. “It will be your decision to tell her or not.” She looked at him. “But I meant what I said. I’m back for good.”

  “Right.”

  “I know you, perhaps better than you’d like, Stone Cameron. And I know once you realize I’m really not leaving, you’ll do the right thing. You won’t want to keep this from her.”

  He stared at her for a long moment. “Forever is a long time, Jenna. Once upon a time I thought we had that.”

  It took her a minute to speak because hearing him talk that way, in the past tense, was like a knife to her heart. “I’m going to prove I’ve changed, Stone. I’m not the same person who ran away. You’ll see.”

  He let out a breath that had his shoulders relaxing a bit. “You were frightened. Neglected and abused. You had a lot of problems back then that you should never have had to face, and you had no support at home. I understand the fear of that girl you were, Jenna. Don’t apologize for that. And don’t prove anything to me. You don’t have to. Prove it to yourself. Then prove it to our daughter.”

  He walked off then, leaving her staring hungrily after him as his long rangy body moved with grace and confidence across the sand.

  Her longing was so strong it was painful.

  He wouldn’t keep her away from Sara.

  He wouldn’t force her to stay out of their lives.

  Boneless with relief, she sank onto the rock. It was just as well that he’d left, for words were beyond her. Tough as he might want to be, Stone wouldn’t turn away from her. His personal code of ethics, his very morals, wouldn’t allow it.

  Just as they also wouldn’t allow him to forgive her for deserting their child, no matter how scared, alone and frightened she’d been.

  “What about your office? Who’s watching it?”

  Jenna jumped. This was the first time Stone had spoken to her in hours. Straightening her reading glasses on her nose, she lifted her head from the computer monitor.

  His shoulder was propped against the doorjamb, his arms were folded across his chest, and his legs were crossed at the ankle, a posture that proclaimed, despite its apparent nonchalance, a very dangerously annoyed male. Nevertheless she decided to take his inquisitiveness as a positive thing, since he’d been pointedly ignoring her until now.

  “I have a part-time secretary,” she said. Her “secretary” was Kristen, who most likely was barely managing to cope with the phone.

  Stone said nothing, just regarded her with that hooded, yet infinitely patient expression.

  And as he’d probably intended, it made her mouth loose.

  “It’s an easy office to run,” she said. “All she has to do is answer the telephone for now and make appointments. I’ll give incoming applicants standard testing for typing and basic math skills, then try to match them with specific jobs that companies have called me with or something from the local papers. Mindless really. Anyone could do it,” she ended inanely.

  “And doing this,” he said, “opening a temp agency here in this town is a big dream of yours?”

  “I...”

  “Don’t lie.”

  She licked suddenly dry lips, then again straightened her glasses. She pushed a pencil away, then drew it back.

  Stalling.

  A master at it, she was disgusted to find herself still doing it with Stone. The worst is over, she reminded herself.

  “I won’t lie to you,” she said, meeting his gaze. “Ever.”

  “I want to believe that.”

  “You can.”

  “Why a temp agency, Jenna?”

  He hadn’t moved a muscle, just regarded her with an intense probing gaze. Nothing but the truth, she’d promised him, and difficult as it was, she would do it. She owed him.

  She rose to her feet and came around to the front of the desk, wanting nothing between them. But the moment she did, she regretted the move.

  His office wasn’t large and the desk took up much of the available room. What was left, Stone’s big body filled, and it was impossible to ignore. Not to mention that the last time she’d leaned against this desk had been where she and Stone made love.

  A dark brow arched as he silently dared her to mention it.

  Instead, she blushed.

  And he laughed. Laughed!

  The sexy chuckle was music to her ears—until he said, “At least the condom worked this time around.”

  Vividly she was thrown back in time, to that one and only other occasion in the past that they’d made love, so many years before. They’d used protection then, thinking themselves responsible. She could remember the joy, the overwhelming sensation of being in Stone’s warm loving arms as she gave herself for the first time.

  Then, afterward, discovering the torn condom.