Hard Lovin' Man - Hard Lovin' 01 (2003) by Lorraine Heath

Author:Lorraine Heath
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Historical, General
ISBN: 9780743480420
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2003-11-06T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Jack thrived on recipes that involved quick and easy food preparation. As a rule, he didn’t go into desserts much, but for some strange reason, he wanted to offer his guests more than a steak and a baked potato. He had two recipes that required nothing more than dumping items into a bowl and stirring: a seven-fruit salad that went right into the fridge and brown-sugar brownies that went right into the oven.

“So how come Mrs. Hamilton isn’t making the extras like she usually does when you cook steaks?” Jason asked as he rinsed and put the spoons used for stirring the brownie mix into the dishwasher.

“Because I didn’t think it would be right,” Jack explained. Opening the oven door, he peeked inside. He never could remember how long to cook the brownies. The recipe said twenty minutes, but they were always still gooey after that length of time. He added time in ten-minute increments until the knife he inserted in the center came out clean. He’d already gone into at least two overtimes. Wouldn’t be much longer. Someday, he was going to remember to keep track of exactly how long they baked.

“How come?” Jason said.

Closing the door, Jack straightened and faced Jason. “You remember the lady you met last night at the fair? Miss Spencer? I invited her and her sister to join us. Since they’re my guests, I felt like I should prepare everything.”

“How come you invited them?”

Had his son suddenly reverted into an inquisitive three-year-old? Jack’s patience had been tested back then when Jason ’s favorite word had been why.

“She’s my friend.”

Jason closed the door to the dishwasher and leaned against the counter with a stance that mimicked Jack’s usual kitchen pose. “You know what me and Riker were thinking?”

“Riker and I,” Jack automatically corrected.

“Right. Riker and I. We were thinking you should marry his mom.”

Jack knew a part of him should have seen this coming, but he still felt as though he’d been blindsided by a freight train. “Jason—”

“Dad, it’s perfect,” Jason interrupted, stepping closer, earnestness in his face. “I mean, I could start calling her Mom, and Riker could call you Dad. We do everything together anyway, so we’re really like a family. We just live in two houses.”

Jack shook his head. “Son, Mrs. Hamilton and I are friends.”

“Which makes it even better. That means you like each other. Shouldn’t you marry someone you like? Someone you’re friends with? I mean, you wouldn’t want to marry your enemy.”

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension that was suddenly knotting his muscles. “Jason, when a man marries a woman, he needs to feel something more than friendship.”

“I know. You gotta love her. Don’t you love Mrs. Hamilton? I mean, you always give her something nice at Christmas and take her out for her birthday and change the oil in her car and fix her stuff that breaks. I love her. And Riker loves you.”

Shit. How could he explain the reasons he and Serena would not work as a married couple?

“I do love her and Riker.

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