tickled her nose. Jenna’s lips curled up as she inhaled the sweet scent of her contented kitten. She came to slowly, relishing the peace of waking in the late afternoon. She’d been overly tired lately. She refused to think on it as melancholy, yet by day’s end, Jenna just didn’t have much fight left in her.
A flash, a subtle movement across the room, caught her attention as she squinted against the drowning sunshine. She saw a man, sitting in her rocker. Blinking, Jenna whispered, “Blue?”
He rose and came toward her, lowering himself down on his haunches. “No, Jenna. Not Blue. It’s me, Cash Callahan.”
Jenna met his gaze, peering into those incredibly deep-river blue eyes. She shot straight up on the sofa, displacing the befuddled kitten, and stared into his face, blinking yet again. “Mr. Callahan?W-What are you doing back here?” Jenna grabbed up Pumpkin and held her tight to her chest.
Cash rose and backed away, giving her the space she needed. “I had to come back, Jenna.”
Stunned, Jenna’s mind clouded. Her heart pounded. She never thought she’d lay eyes on this man ever again. She’d all but thrown him off her property, weeks ago. What possible reason would he have to return? She didn’t want him here. She’d been desperately trying to forget him. “I don’t see any reason for that, Mr. Callahan.”
“Jenna, my name is Cash,” he offered softly.
She lifted her shoulders, shaking her head, forced to remember how he’d used that gentle tone in the past. It was the last thing she’d wanted to recall, his tenderness when they’d lain together. “You’re a stranger to me.”
“Jenna, we can’t pretend we haven’t been—”
“Don’t!” Jenna put up a hand to stop him from saying more and to stop the memories from filling her mind as well. “A true gentleman wouldn’t remind a lady of such inappropriate matters.”
“Inappropriate? Jenna, we were married. At least, we both thought so at the time.”
Heat spread to Jenna’s cheeks. She’d been trying to block out those images, but they were doggedly persistent in her mind. She’d been dreaming of him, of Cash, and remembering the one night they’d shared as man and wife. But in the morning she’d dredge up all the reasons to hate him, toblame him for her misfortune, to loathe the way he made a living. Oddly, those thoughts brought her no peace, as she had hoped. They’d done more to confound and confuse her. Jenna had never been one to harbor hate.
“Please,” she pleaded, “just tell me why you’re here.”
He sat down on the opposite end of the parlor sofa and ran a hand down his face. “Jenna, you saved my life. Nobody has ever done for me, what you had. Nobody has ever cared enough.”
Jenna didn’t want to know what kind of life he’d led before coming to Twin Oaks. She didn’t want his gratitude. Yet amazingly she stayed calm while he sat there on the sofa, saying his piece. “I thought you were someone else,” she whispered.
“You would have saved me, even if you knew who I was. I know you, Jenna. You would have.”
Jenna shrugged, realizing he was probably right. She wasn’t one to leave a man bleeding, nearly dead on the side of the road, if she had a chance to save him. But that didn’t mean that she had to like him. It didn’t mean he had a right to come back here. “You’ve already thanked me. And as I recall, I asked you to leave Twin Oaks. So why are you here?”
Cash stood up, walked over to the window and glanced out, looking upon the fields for a time, before turning to her. “I owe you a debt I might never be able to repay, Jenna. But I want to try.You had so many plans for the farm, when you thought we were, well…” He stopped talking and frowned. “Anyway, you could use another worker. I’m asking you to let me stay on, at least until the planting is done. I want to help out here. I owe you that much.”
Jenna bounded up from the sofa, her heart filled with despair.
A flash, a subtle movement across the room, caught her attention as she squinted against the drowning sunshine. She saw a man, sitting in her rocker. Blinking, Jenna whispered, “Blue?”
He rose and came toward her, lowering himself down on his haunches. “No, Jenna. Not Blue. It’s me, Cash Callahan.”
Jenna met his gaze, peering into those incredibly deep-river blue eyes. She shot straight up on the sofa, displacing the befuddled kitten, and stared into his face, blinking yet again. “Mr. Callahan?W-What are you doing back here?” Jenna grabbed up Pumpkin and held her tight to her chest.
Cash rose and backed away, giving her the space she needed. “I had to come back, Jenna.”
Stunned, Jenna’s mind clouded. Her heart pounded. She never thought she’d lay eyes on this man ever again. She’d all but thrown him off her property, weeks ago. What possible reason would he have to return? She didn’t want him here. She’d been desperately trying to forget him. “I don’t see any reason for that, Mr. Callahan.”
“Jenna, my name is Cash,” he offered softly.
She lifted her shoulders, shaking her head, forced to remember how he’d used that gentle tone in the past. It was the last thing she’d wanted to recall, his tenderness when they’d lain together. “You’re a stranger to me.”
“Jenna, we can’t pretend we haven’t been—”
“Don’t!” Jenna put up a hand to stop him from saying more and to stop the memories from filling her mind as well. “A true gentleman wouldn’t remind a lady of such inappropriate matters.”
“Inappropriate? Jenna, we were married. At least, we both thought so at the time.”
Heat spread to Jenna’s cheeks. She’d been trying to block out those images, but they were doggedly persistent in her mind. She’d been dreaming of him, of Cash, and remembering the one night they’d shared as man and wife. But in the morning she’d dredge up all the reasons to hate him, toblame him for her misfortune, to loathe the way he made a living. Oddly, those thoughts brought her no peace, as she had hoped. They’d done more to confound and confuse her. Jenna had never been one to harbor hate.
“Please,” she pleaded, “just tell me why you’re here.”
He sat down on the opposite end of the parlor sofa and ran a hand down his face. “Jenna, you saved my life. Nobody has ever done for me, what you had. Nobody has ever cared enough.”
Jenna didn’t want to know what kind of life he’d led before coming to Twin Oaks. She didn’t want his gratitude. Yet amazingly she stayed calm while he sat there on the sofa, saying his piece. “I thought you were someone else,” she whispered.
“You would have saved me, even if you knew who I was. I know you, Jenna. You would have.”
Jenna shrugged, realizing he was probably right. She wasn’t one to leave a man bleeding, nearly dead on the side of the road, if she had a chance to save him. But that didn’t mean that she had to like him. It didn’t mean he had a right to come back here. “You’ve already thanked me. And as I recall, I asked you to leave Twin Oaks. So why are you here?”
Cash stood up, walked over to the window and glanced out, looking upon the fields for a time, before turning to her. “I owe you a debt I might never be able to repay, Jenna. But I want to try.You had so many plans for the farm, when you thought we were, well…” He stopped talking and frowned. “Anyway, you could use another worker. I’m asking you to let me stay on, at least until the planting is done. I want to help out here. I owe you that much.”
Jenna bounded up from the sofa, her heart filled with despair.
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