“You’ll fit in just fine.”

The approval behind the comment stayed with Janet for the rest of the seemingly endless evening. She was glad that Luke and Jessie thought she’d be right for Harlan. She couldn’t help wondering, though, how they’d feel if they discovered what had originally brought her to Texas. Would they be as open and generous then? Or would they do everything in their power to see that she and Harlan never spent another single second alone together?

13

“We’ll all meet here for a late breakfast,” Harlan said to Jenny as she prepared to leave with Cody and Melissa and their kids after the party. He’d been trying to shoo people off for an hour now, to little avail. His sons particularly showed no inclination to go.

To Janet’s surprise, though, Jenny didn’t seemed particularly thrown by the change in plans. She was probably thrilled to be spending the night under Cody’s roof. Fortunately her daughter had missed the earlier exchange of winks between Cody and his brothers when they’d learned that Harlan was sending Jenny home with Cody and his crew.

“You’ll be back then, too, Mom?” Jenny asked sleepily as she climbed into Cody’s car.

Janet nodded. “I’ll be here,” she promised.

Jenny yawned. “Okay. See you.”

A moment later they were gone and Janet’s heart climbed straight into her throat at the look of pure longing in Harlan’s eyes. Despite the irreversible commitment she’d made to stay, despite her own yearning to make love to this incredibly gentle, thoughtful man, she was more nervous than an innocent bride on her wedding night.

She still had so many questions about why he seemed to have forgiven her for what must have seemed to him a hiding of the truth at least. That he still hadn’t mentioned what Jenny had told him kept her from relaxing and falling entirely under his spell. She kept waiting for him to reel her in and then turn on her when she least expected it.

“What about the others?” she asked, delaying their return to the house.

His gaze never left her face. “What others?” he murmured distractedly, his attention clearly riveted on her.

“Jordan and Kelly, for instance,” she said, though she was a bit distracted herself by the intensity of his gaze and the electricity arcing between them.

He stroked a finger along her cheek. “They’ve gone home. Slipped away a while ago, in fact.”

Janet swallowed hard before managing to add, “And Luke and Jessie?”

“Upstairs in their suite.” Her expression must have given away her trepidation, because he quickly added, “It’s at the opposite end of this big old place from mine. Think of it as being like a fancy hotel. You wouldn’t think twice about who was down the hall.”

“But this room is occupied by your son and his family, not strangers.”