All in the Family by Judy Griffith Gill

Author:Judy Griffith Gill [Gill, Judy Griffith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4532-8096-6
Publisher: Open Road Media Romance
Published: 2012-10-31T21:58:00+00:00

Nine

JED THOUGHT OF suggesting they stop somewhere for dinner, even for just a burger and fries, but a moment’s thought told him that was as bad an idea as hiking with her had been.

He knew he couldn’t afford to see her again. He was going to have a hell of a job staying away, because how could any man of good conscience let a woman go through an entire pregnancy all alone? For reasons that made no sense at all, he felt responsible for her.

Because she had no one of her own close by? Of course. That was all. Still, maybe a few days’ cooling-off period would get his crazed libido back under control.

If he couldn’t walk out of her life, however much sense it might make, he’d have to search for ways to be with her safely, for her sake as much as his own.

Aroused, he’d just discovered, he was a dangerous man.

They were silent for most of the trip back to her house. While she was inside getting her copy of Atlas Shrugged, which she insisted on lending him, Jed pulled the bench seat of her truck as far forward as he could so she wouldn’t have to do it the next time she wanted to drive.

She handed him the book as he stood by the door of his car, the glow of the setting sun casting shadows over one side of her face, backlighting her hair like half a halo. “Just give it to Cecelia when you’re done,” she said, “and she can return it to me.”

Jed nearly staggered under the weight of his disappointment. It appeared he was getting the brush-off. So much for his magnanimous decision that they’d have to see each other again so he could keep an eye on her. He forced back his arguments. All right. So she didn’t want to see him again. Could he blame her? Obviously, she’d done some serious thinking on the drive home and come to the conclusion any woman in her right mind would have reached after today’s display: Jed Cotts was a man to avoid. “I understand.”

She pierced him with a questioning look. “What do you understand?”

“That I’m not to come back.” He shrugged. “I get the picture. It’s no more than I deserve after hurting you.”

Her bright laughter stung his ego. Then, sobering, she shook her head. Little shafts of light bounced off the ends of her hair. She reached up to touch his face in the briefest of caresses. “Jed, please listen to me. Please believe me. You did not hurt me. That’s not why I think it would be best if we didn’t see each other again.”

Her touch caused him terrible pain this time, instead of easing it as it had before. “I made you cry, didn’t I?”

“No.” She was quietly—uncharacteristically quietly—adamant. “You did not, repeat, not make me cry. I made me cry. Shame made me cry. I was using you, and I wanted to go on and on using you because it was wonderful to be held, to be kissed, to be that close to another human being.

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