Tempting Janey

Thinking about the drill team brought Janey Mayfield suddenly to mind.

He frowned, wondering why thoughts of her continued to sneak up and bite him on the butt. Although it disturbed him to have to acknowledge it, he’d actually thought a lot about her since their last encounter.

He’d seen her at the football game, too, though he’d made sure she hadn’t seen him. He’d told himself to look away and forget her. Instead, he’d found himself watching her every move; her slender hands as they had clapped in an exciting moment, the vulnerability of her exposed throat when she’d swallowed, and that hint of sadness in her eyes.

It was the sadness that had remained with him. Perhaps it would never leave her. After all, no one could come through such a horrible ordeal unscathed.

He certainly hadn’t, so he couldn’t very well pass judgment. But that was exactly what he’d been doing. Hell, at one time he’d been bitter, too. But the difference in them was that he’d put the past behind him and gone on. He suspected she hadn’t.

In some ways it had probably been easier for him. He hadn’t had a child to consider. Thinking of Robin made him smile. As a young adult, she was already lovely. When she really matured, watch out. She would be a knockout.

In her own way, so was Janey. Robin seemed to have some of her dad’s personality, though.

Thinking of Keith Mayfield darkened his mood again. Despite the fact that they had been friends, he’d never felt comfortable with Keith, probably because the man had a controlling nature and drank far too much. Even before the divorce, Dillon had often wondered why Janey stayed with Keith. Robin, of course.

Suddenly he shook his head to clear it. What the hell had gotten into him? Janey Mayfield and her daughter were the last people he wanted to occupy his mind.

But as long as Robin was a student in his school, he was bound to come into contact with Janey. Most likely she would become involved in her daughter’s activities, especially the drill team. Eventually all moms did their part, even the working ones.

So she’d better get off her high horse and treat him as if he belonged to the human race. Just the thought of the small-town rumor mill having any more grist sent a chill through him—though that wasn’t likely to happen. He and Janey were old news. Still, he wasn’t about to take a chance. He abhorred the idea of anyone talking about him in the past or present, except when it pertained to his job.

His personal life was off-limits.

Ah, to hell with it. What did it matter what Janey thought about him? It didn’t, not really. Besides, there wasn’t one thing he could do about it. He wasn’t about to avoid her.

If she had a problem with him, that was her concern, not his. It would all come out in the wash, anyway, as his granny used to tell him. And it usually did.

With that uppermost in his mind, Dillon concentrated on brushing down his mare, then feeding her. He was striding outside when he looked up and saw his foreman and brother-in-law, Mike Townsend.

“How’s it going?” Mike asked in his lazy drawl.

“I just finished giving Dandi a workout.”

Mike was tall and wiry, with ruddy cheeks and what looked like a beer belly, though he didn’t drink. Instead he fattened up on Allie’s cooking.

“I just finished taking care of the creek in the upper pasture,” Mike said, wiping sweat off his brow with the back of one hand.

“What was wrong?”

“Debris and leaves had the flow blocked.” Mike led his horse to the drinking trough.

Dillon noticed immediately that Mike seemed to be dragging his leg more than usual. Thanks to the injury he’d gotten while on the oil rig, Mike now walked with a strong limp. However, that didn’t usually slow him down. He was always on the move, looking for new projects to keep the farm in tiptop shape. Dillon prized his work and couldn’t have maintained the place without Mike.

Another plus was that Mike loved the outdoors, and so did Allie. With someone living on the property, Dillon never had to worry about anything, especially his horses.

Mike faced him again. “Anything in particular you want me to do? I have several things going, but nothing I can’t put on the back burner if need be.”

“Not right offhand,” Dillon said. “It looks like you’re pretty well caught up.”

“How did Dandi do today?”

“Fairly well, though she seemed to be moving slower than usual, now that I think about it.”

“I sorta noticed that, too. I’ll check her over.”

“For sure,” Dillon said, trying not to push the alarm button. Nothing could happen to Dandi. She was the one he was counting on to jump-start his business.

“Are you coming to the house for lunch?”

“Speaking of lunch, how’s your better half? Last time I saw her, she was feeling a bit under the weather.”

Mike rubbed his slightly grizzled chin. “Still is, as a matter of fact.”

“Has she been to the doctor?” Dillon asked.

Mike snorted. “You know better than that. She’d have to be dying before she’d take off from work and tend to herself.”

“She might not have any choice,” Dillon said sharply.

“Well, you try and tell her. She’s not happy if she’s not burning the candle at both ends.”

Dillon slapped Mike on the back. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks for the lunch invite,” Dillon added, “but I had a late breakfast. Anyway, I’m headed back to town. I’ll see y’all after a while.”

Later Dillon couldn’t say what wild hair had made him head to the candy shop instead of home. He wanted to think his motive was nothing more than to purchase a box of candy for his sister in hopes of making her feel better. However, he couldn’t be sure why he’d done something so out of character for him. Maybe it was to clear the air between Janey and him, using Robin as an excuse.

When he opened the shop door, disappointment socked him in the gut. Someone else, an older woman, was behind the counter. But then Janey walked out of the back room. She saw him and pulled up short.

“Hello,” he said, then cursed silently because his voice sounded unnatural, even to him.

She looked as good or better than he’d ever seen her, dressed in a pair of print leggings that called attention to her slender legs, and a long pink summer sweater that left no doubt as to the swell of her breasts.

He swallowed hard as he jerked his eyes off that part of her anatomy before he got caught. When he was drawn back to her, he concentrated on her red hair, pulled back in a ponytail with some loose tendrils at the neck.

She looked young enough to be Robin’s sister instead of her mother.

“Hi,” she finally said, clearly as uncomfortable with him now as she had been before.

The elderly lady’s eyes were pinging back and forth between them as if she could feel the heightened tension in the room. Janey was the first to break the awkward silence by introducing her helper. Because Hazel was behind the counter, Dillon didn’t extend his hand. Instead, he nodded and smiled.

“What can I get for you today?” Janey asked pointedly.

Though her tone irritated him, he kept his cool. “I’d like something new and different for Allie. She’s not feeling so hot.”

A slight frown marred Janey’s forehead. “I’m sorry.”

Is that the best you can do? Dillon wanted to ask. Especially when it comes to someone you used to consider a friend? But he didn’t. He kept his mouth shut.

“I think we can help you with that,” Janey responded in an even tone, though she refused to meet his eye.

That riled him even more. “Whatever you suggest will be fine with me.”

Once the purchase was made, Dillon knew he should have turned and walked out, but he didn’t. Instead he said, “How ’bout going for a cup of coffee?”

Janey looked startled. “With you?”

He cocked his head and gave her a sardonic smile. “Yeah, with me.”

She flushed, then looked quickly over at Hazel, who said, “It’s fine with me, honey. I’ll watch the store. You take all the time you want.”

No doubt Janey was at a loss. The warring expressions on her face told him that. But he wasn’t about to back down now. He’d already opened his mouth and inserted his foot. He would have to take whatever came next, then choke on it, if need be.

“I won’t be gone long,” Janey said to Hazel, her tone tense, as if she were barely hanging on to her temper.

Thank goodness they didn’t have to go far, Dillon thought. There was a place that sold doughnuts and coffee a couple of streets over. During the drive there, neither said a word. Had he lost his mind or what?

It was the “or what” that worried him the most.

Once they were inside and the coffee was served, Dillon’s lips stretched into a smile.

“What’s so damn funny?” Janey snapped.

“Your expression,” he responded. “You’re pissed.”

“I wouldn’t have used that word, but it works.”

Dillon let out a deep sigh. “This is ridiculous, you know.”

“What?”

“Don’t put on the innocent act with me. You know what. Us scratching at each other like two cats tied in a sack.”

“I hardly think that’s the case.”

An eyebrow shot up. “I disagree.”

“What do you want from me, Dillon?”

“I wish the hell I knew,” he muttered harshly. Once he’d said that, he realized he was telling the truth.

Neither had touched the coffee that was sitting in front of them. Dillon did pick his up, only to set it right back down.

“What I wish is that you’d take me back to the store.”

That really made him mad. He leaned forward and said, “Not until I say one thing.”

“All right, say it.”

His lips twisted. “Don’t you think it’s time you got over the fact that your husband had an affair with my wife?”

Seven

Janey’s first impulse was to slap his face. It was close enough that with little effort she could do just that. Instead, she curled her fingernails into her palms until she felt the self-inflicted pain.

“That was a hateful thing to say,” she spat.

As if sensing he was in harm’s way, Dillon eased back, his dark T-shirt tightening across his broad muscles.

“It’s the truth.”

“It is not the truth,” Janey stressed tersely, fighting her anger. “And I don’t give a damn how you feel.” She would hate to make a spectacle of herself. But if he didn’t stop taking unfair shots at her, she just might give him a taste of her fury.

Dillon leaned forward again and said in a low tone, “Hey, take it easy. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Janey glared at him, feeling an ache in her throat. “Well, you did.”

“It’s just that every time I come near you, I feel like I’m getting jabbed with a knife. And I don’t deserve that.”

Janey averted her gaze from his delving blue eyes, sensing that his appraisal of her was deliberate. Was he out to intimidate her, or was he simply testing her?

Either way, she hardened her resolve, determined to regroup while trying to figure out how she’d gotten herself into this situation in the first place. She should have known better than to leave the shop with him, that it would do no good.

In her mind, Dillon’s friendship and trust had died along with her marriage. Maybe that was irrational thinking, but that was how she felt. And so far he’d given her no valid reason to resurrect that friendship. Suddenly her thoughts jumped to her daughter, and she flinched inwardly.

He ran Robin’s school. She couldn’t avoid him indefinitely. Even if that was what she wanted, it wasn’t realistic. So where did that leave them? She didn’t know, and she didn’t think he knew, either.

“Janey?”

His gruff-sounding voice drew her back. For a second, their eyes held, and her breathing increased.

His dark lashes hid his thoughts, but she couldn’t suppress the shiver of apprehension that went through her. And annoyance, too, that he had the power to disturb her with those intense looks. Not sexually, she assured herself, but she couldn’t deny that she was seeing Dillon in a new and different light.

Dillon coughed lightly. “Your coffee’s getting cold.”

“I don’t care.”

“Fine,” he said, reaching for his cup and taking a healthy drink from it, though he never took his eyes off her face.

Janey felt herself flush. But she didn’t turn away. She wasn’t about to let him get the better of her. Maybe it would be a good thing if they did, indeed, clear the air between them. Then she could go on with her life and he could go on with his. And when she saw him again, it wouldn’t be such an awkward event.

“You have to know how difficult this is for me,” Janey finally said into what seemed a hostile silence.

Dillon blew out a breath. “It’s not exactly a piece of cake for me.”

“No, I’m sure it isn’t.” She paused. “For a while, I thought it might be a good idea for us to talk about the past, about what happened that awful afternoon. But I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think it would be productive at all. I want to go back to the shop.”

“No.”

Janey gave him an indignant look. “No?”

“Of course I’ll take you back if you really want to go,” he said in an irritated tone, “but I’d rather we got some things off our chests.”

“Like I just said, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“God, I don’t remember your being this stubborn.”

“You didn’t know me that well.”

“Oh, I think I did. After all, our families spent just about every weekend together, plus a lot of time during the week.”

“So what’s your point?” she demanded, digging her teeth into her bottom lip. She didn’t want to do this, so why was she letting him bully her this way?

“My point is that I get the idea you blame me for what happened.”

Janey took a deep, shuddering breath, then stared at him. Did she somehow blame him? Was that the reason she felt so antagonistic toward him and uncomfortable around him? “Maybe I do.”

“Why, for chrissake?”

“If you’d been a better husband to Elaine, paid more attention to her, then maybe she wouldn’t have gone after Keith.”

He laughed a mirthless laugh. “Surely you don’t really think that?”

“You asked how I felt.”

“I could say the same about you, that you should’ve been a better wife, then he wouldn’t have wanted to stray.”

“Damn you, I was a good wife! And you know that.” She felt tears sting the back of her eyelids and turned away, horrified that he would see them.

“Look, I’m sorry.”

She whipped her head back toward him. “That’s not good enough.”

“We both know that we could sit here and throw blame around until doomsday,” he said in a softer and more conciliatory tone. “But what good would it do? We both have to move on.”

“Have you?” she snapped. “Moved on, I mean?”

“Have I healed completely? No. And I probably never will, but I’m not letting what Elaine and Keith did sour the rest of my life. You can bet on that.”

“I’m not, either.”

“Then prove it by calling a truce with me, if only for old times’ sake.”

“I was thinking more about Robin’s sake.”

“Certainly that, too. Whatever works.”

“We could just avoid each other, you know, like we’ve done for the past few years.”

“Only because you left town,” Dillon said bluntly.

Janey stared down at her now-cold coffee, then back at him. “And I’m not sure it was a smart move to come back.”

“Why did you?”

“Robin.” She paused, then went on. “You knew we went to Colorado at my brother’s insistence.”

“Allie told me.”

“Since our parents’ deaths, I always turned to Drew when the going got tough. I was so sure that being near him was the answer. But Robin was never happy there, though Drew did everything in his power to make us both feel at home.”

“What about you?” Dillon asked. “Were you happy?”

“Not at first, of course. Keith’s betrayal was still too fresh, and I was miserable.”

“I know that feeling,” Dillon admitted grimly.

She picked up on the pain mixed with bitterness, and questioned his honesty. Had he moved on, or was he kidding himself? Was he still harboring the pain of the past, the same way she was? Fearful of getting involved, she refused to dwell on his feelings.

“However,” she said in a rush, “I was able to use my marketing degree and get a really good job with a department store as their head buyer.”

“That’s great.”

“It was, up to a point. But I wanted to spend more time with Robin than the job would allow, so I was torn.”

“Still, you wouldn’t have left.”

“Probably not. Returning to Hunter wasn’t easy.”

“How did Robin persuade you?”

“She whined a lot.”

Dillon chuckled, which seemed to cut the thickness in the air in half. She released a pent-up breath. Maybe she would survive this ordeal, after all.

“That’s not exactly true,” she continued. “Though Robin did pull several ‘poor me’ stunts. Really, I guess Aunt Lois was the key.”

Dillon’s eyebrows lifted. “Ah, I’m starting to get it. Lois owned Sweet Dreams.”

“Right, but she wanted to retire. So one day, out of the blue, she called and asked if I wanted to take over the shop, said that it was mine. The catch was, I had to come back and run it.” Recalling that conversation, Janey’s lips eased into a smile. “Anyhow, Robin talked me into it, only I couldn’t sell the house or walk away from my job responsibilities at that point.”

“So you sent Robin on.”

“I did, which was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But she missed her friends badly and wanted to try out for that blasted drill team, so she talked me into letting her come ahead and live with Aunt Lois.” Janey paused, noticing that it had started to rain outside.

“Go on,” Dillon prodded.

“Other than being away from her, everything else was working out. Then Lois had a stroke and had to go into an assisted living facility. I had no choice but to come back, which meant I had to take a loss on the house.”

“That’s too bad.”

“I couldn’t take a chance on Robin moving in with Keith.”

“I can understand that,” Dillon added in a harsh tone.

“Have you run into him?” she asked hesitantly.

“Nope.”

“I guess that’s a good thing.”

Dillon shrugged. “At one time I would’ve decked the bastard, but now I wouldn’t bother. He’s not worth the effort.”

“So far, he’s left me alone,” said Janey, “but I worry about his influence on Robin.”

“Is he still drinking?”

“I’m sure he is, though Robin’s careful not to mention it around me.”

“At least Elaine and I didn’t have any children to get caught up in this mess.”

She picked up on that bitterness again and knew that even if he didn’t realize it, he was still smarting. “Speaking of Elaine, how did you manage to hold yourself together?”

He regarded her from beneath lowered lids. “You do what you have to.”

“Still, it must’ve been tough to continue living with her after she betrayed you.”

“Under the circumstances, what choice did I have? When I found out about the cancer, I couldn’t just desert her.”

“I couldn’t have, either,” Janey said, her voice shaking. “If I’d stayed around, that is. At one time Elaine was my best friend.”

“I know.” His tone was bleak. “Anyway, she didn’t suffer long. Her death six months later was a blessing.”

“I still can’t believe it all happened.” Janey felt the back of her eyelids sting again.

As if he sensed she was close to tears, he lightened his tone and asked, “So, have you found someone else?”

“As in a man?”

His lips twitched. “Yep.”

She gave a quick, derisive laugh. “Not just no, hell no.”

“Ouch!”

“I’ve grown too independent. I’ll never depend on a man again.”

“Never’s a long time.”

“That’s the way I feel.” Janey tilted her head. “What about you?”

“I go out,” he said. “But it’s no big deal.”

The wariness in his voice didn’t escape her, but she wasn’t about to let him off the hook. This was his party, and he damn sure was going to pay for it. “I thought there was about to be a ring on your finger.”

His features darkened. “What makes you think that?”

“The woman you were with at the restaurant.”

“What about her?”

“The way she looked at you, like she could eat you with a spoon.”

His face lost its color, and he muttered an expletive. “She’s just a friend.”

“I think you’d better tell her that.”

She was obviously rubbing salt in another open wound, and didn’t know why. All she could figure was that this whole bizarre outing had gotten to her. Her nerves had had it.

“I have,” he said emphatically. “She knows the score. Like you, I’m not particularly eager to get involved in another lasting relationship.”

“Whatever.”

He tightened his lips before staring at her for a heartbeat. “It appears the two of us have more in common than we thought.”

“Don’t count on it.”

He shrugged and smiled. “We’ll see.”

Resisting the urge to lash back with No we won’t, Janey rose. “I really do have to go.”

His eyes made a disturbing sweep of her slender figure, seeming to linger on her moist, parted lips as if fascinated by them.

“No problem,” he finally said.

Long after they reached his vehicle, Janey’s face was still on fire.

Eight

Just one healthy swig. What could it hurt? Keith asked himself, reaching for the bottle of bourbon. Who could it hurt? That was the important question. No one except himself, and he didn’t give a damn.

Right now, he wasn’t seeing Sabrina. After she’d more or less given him an ultimatum, then walked out in a huff, he hadn’t even bothered to call her. But that was all right. The bitch had served her purpose, anyway. They had been together nearly three years. Following the split with Janey, she’d kept his bed warm. That was all he’d cared about.

Now Janey was back.

That thought suddenly panicked him, and he took a drink straight out of the bottle, but not before gazing out from the glass cubicle that was his office and making sure no one was watching.

He felt the liquor burn all the way to his gut. Yet it gave him a much-needed shot of adrenaline. He found he had to have that to begin his day, and to end it.

Selling cars sucked.

He couldn’t quit, though. He made too much money at it. He couldn’t afford to give it up. Not only were his tastes expensive, but he had Robin’s child support to pay. And pay he had, until recently. Suddenly he had fallen behind.

He winced against the prick of his conscience. He’d made some bad investments, and they had come back to haunt him. Even so, he intended to make good on his financial commitment to his kid. He wasn’t dead broke, just strapped for the moment.

Anyway, he didn’t have much choice. Something told him he’d better adhere to the court orders, or Janey just might file charges.

He couldn’t have that. Besides, he wanted to do right by Robin. That was important to him. He might have fucked his wife over, but he would never do anything to hurt his daughter.

Despite what Sabrina had said, he wasn’t using Robin to get to Janey. He suddenly felt another prick to his conscience. Well, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. But he did care about Robin. He hadn’t realized how much until she’d returned from Colorado and they had had time alone, without Janey’s mistrustful influence.

Maybe that was why he’d been having these crazy thoughts about getting his family back together again. Raising a teenager hadn’t turned out to be nearly as scary as he’d imagined.

And he missed Janey.

Dammit, he hated to admit that, but he couldn’t deny it any longer. Since she’d been back, he’d been by the store, had even parked across the street and watched her as she’d worked. Once she’d come out onto the porch to sweep it off, and he’d gotten a good look at her.