Wanted: Wife Read online

  “I hope Lilah assisted you with all this,” he said as he worked. “I had planned on being here to help, but unfortunately I was called out at the last minute.”

  To a shelter, Lilah had told her. Jenny found herself wanting to ask more, but she quickly bit her tongue. As long as Lucas wasn’t breaking the law, it was none of her business where he went or what he’d been doing.

  “Lilah was very helpful,” Jenny assured him. She closed the lid on the projector, then glanced quickly around the utility table. “Well, it looks like that’s everything. I guess I’ll take this stuff down to the car and be on my way.”

  It didn’t surprise Lucas to see Jenny so eager to leave. From the moment he’d first walked over to her, she’d tightened up like a slingshot ready to be fired. If she’d been any other woman sending him such negative signals, Lucas would have politely said thank you for the lecture and goodbye. But Jenny wasn’t just any woman. She was a woman he wanted to know. Inside and out. Maybe he was a fool, just asking to be hurt by setting his sights on a woman cop. Hell, he was being more than a fool. He was being downright crazy. But even knowing all this, he couldn’t seem to stop wanting her.

  “I’ll help you,” he said and quickly reached for the projector case.

  Jenny shook her head. “There’s no need. I think I can manage it all in one trip.”

  The smile he gave her said she wasn’t about to get rid of him that easily. “Nonsense. Besides, I haven’t had much exercise today. If you don’t let me carry this down for you, then I won’t have an excuse to take the stairs up to my office.”

  The last thing Jenny wanted to do was appear ungrateful, so she picked up her briefcase and started out of the room. “Oh, well, I surely wouldn’t want to be the cause of you missing your exercise.”

  Grinning, Lucas grabbed the screen and followed her out the door. On the ride down in the elevator, Jenny remained silent, her eyes on the door. Lucas stood quietly beside her, his gaze discreetly venturing over her curves beneath the blue uniform.

  His thoughts had been on this woman all week. In fact, little else had been on his mind. And during all his thinking, Lucas had kept telling himself Jenny wasn’t the strong woman he’d been searching for. She wasn’t the woman he wanted to bear his children, to grow old and gray with. She wasn’t the woman he wanted as a wife. Several times he had promised himself that once this meeting was over today, he would never make the effort to see her again. But looking at her now, all soft and feminine inside those no-nonsense masculine clothes, he realized he wasn’t the man of iron will he thought he was.

  Outside the building the sky had become overcast and a cold wind was clipping briskly from the north. Jenny shivered in response as she unlocked the trunk of the patrol car and waited for Lucas to load the screen and projector.

  “I want to thank you again for doing this, Jenny,” he said as he shut the trunk. “It means a lot to me that you went to all this trouble.”

  She wished he didn’t sound so sincere. And she wished to heaven he would quit thanking her. If he kept this up, she might start believing him.

  Wrapping her arms around her to ward off the chill of the wind, Jenny glanced at him. “It wasn’t any trouble. Captain Morgan gave me the rest of the afternoon off. So I’m having an easy shift today.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Maybe you’ll consider coming back soon to speak to the other half of my drivers?”

  Her mouth formed an O. Taking it as a sign of indignation, Lucas quickly held up his hand. “I mean, only if you’d like to come back and speak to them. I certainly won’t go over your head and speak to your captain about it. Promise.”

  He placed his hand on his chest, and suddenly Jenny couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. At least for the time being, Lucas seemed to know he couldn’t manipulate her. Just knowing that made Jenny relax a bit.

  “I can’t believe I was speaking to only half your drivers, Lucas. That was a large group of men in there today.”

  Jenny couldn’t help but notice there was a certain amount of pride in the smile he gave her.

  “L.L. Freight does employ a large number of truck drivers. You saw only half of them because I couldn’t afford to shut them all down at once. We ship freight from coast to coast, and a lot of people are depending on us to be there at a promised time. I don’t want anyone to miss having their Sunday roast or that new set of tires they ordered because we weren’t there to haul it to them.”

  The wind was playing with his dark hair and the collar of his gray striped shirt. He was dressed in jeans rather than a suit today, and seeing him like this made it a little easier for Jenny to imagine him driving a big rig down the interstate. Still, he had come a long way since that time. But then so had she, she mused. Instead of a battered wife, she was a confident policewoman. And she’d never go back. Not for anyone. Not even for this man.

  Releasing a breath she hadn’t even known she was holding, she said, “Well, I’d better be going.”

  She walked to the driver’s door. Lucas followed.

  “Let me take you out to supper,” he said suddenly.

  Jenny had been about to slide beneath the steering wheel, but slowly turned her head to look at him.

  “Lucas, you know how I—”

  He held up one hand to ward off her protest. “Yes. I know how you feel about dating and men and all the rest of it. I haven’t forgotten our little talk. I just wanted to repay you for giving the safety lecture.”

  Her eyes roamed his face, searching for what, she didn’t know. But as she looked at him, she felt her resistance crumble like sandstone. “The city pays me. It would be illegal for you to give me any sort of pay or gifts.”

  “What about giving you plain old nourishment? From one friend to another?”

  He was smiling again. Jenny decided it was no wonder Lilah had given up a secure job to follow this man into a risky business venture all those years ago. The man was persuasive. Not to mention lethally charming.

  “One friend to another, huh?” She slid behind the wheel and stabbed the key into the ignition. Looking at him she said, “Put like that, I can hardly say no.”

  Lucas had been so ready for a cool refusal, he could hardly believe his ears. “You’ll go?”

  Jenny could see that she’d surprised him. Well, that hardly compared to what she’d done to herself. At the moment she felt completely shell-shocked. “Against my better judgment.”

  His dark eyes suddenly softened, and for one wild moment Jenny thought he was going to lean down and kiss her.

  “I’ll be by to pick you up at 6:30,” he said. “What’s your address?”

  Feeling oddly light-headed, she gave it to him, then started the engine. “I’ll be ready,” she told him.

  Who was she kidding? she asked herself a moment later as she backed out onto the street. She’d never be ready to spend more than fifteen minutes at a time with Lucas Lowrimore. God help her, how was she going to get through a whole dinner date with him?

  Chapter Five

  Jenny stood in front of the bathroom vanity cursing herself as she yanked the hairbrush through her long red curls. She really had lost her mind. It had been six years since she’d rid her life of Marcus. And since that time she’d been perfectly happy without a man. She hadn’t had dates. But then she hadn’t had heartaches, either. So what was she doing agreeing to go out with Lucas? Just asking to put herself through hell again?

  She didn’t really want to go out with Lucas! She just hadn’t known how to say no without making an issue out of it.

  Quit lying to yourself, a voice inside her mocked. You know you’re thrilled to be going out with the man. You’re just too scared and stubborn to admit it.

  “Darn right, I’m scared,” Jenny muttered.

  Tossing down the hairbrush, she used her fingers to tuck her hair behind her left ear then secure it with a rhinestone-studded bobby pin. Just to add a little sparkle to her plain black dress, she told herself. She certainly wasn’
t doing anything extra to her appearance to impress Lucas.

  In the living room, she stuffed a hanky and a tube of lipstick into her purse, then crossed to the kitchen. Maybe she should take a packet of antacids with her? The way her stomach was already tied into hard knots, she could hardly expect it to digest anything.

  Before she could decide about the antacids, the doorbell rang. Hating the way her heart was suddenly beating in her throat, Jenny went to answer it.

  After securing the chain latch, she cautiously opened the door wide enough to see Lucas standing on the other side. She opened the door the rest of the way.

  “Good evening, Jenny. Ready to go?”

  “Come in while I get my purse and coat,” she invited.

  Hardly able to look at anything but her, Lucas followed her into the small apartment. Up until now, he’d only imagined what her legs looked like. Now he could see them for himself, and the sight was far from disappointing.

  She bent and picked up her purse from a low coffee table. Lucas cleared his throat, then ran a finger between his neck and shirt collar. “You’d better get a heavy coat. The weather has taken a turn for the worse. It was raining a few moments ago when I parked the car.”

  “I’ll be right back,” she told him, then quickly headed to the bedroom.

  While she was gone, Lucas glanced around the room. It was small, but neat. Cozy, but not stifling. It was just the sort of place he’d imagined she might live in, and he wondered if she ever got lonely inside these walls. She’d said she would never dream of having a husband, but Lucas couldn’t help but wonder if she ever longed for someone to love, someone to have children with.

  Jenny returned from the bedroom. As she walked toward Lucas, she decided her apartment had never seemed so tiny and she’d never felt such a sudden need for oxygen.

  “Maybe we’ll get snow before the night is over,” she said.

  A red woolen coat was tossed over her arm. Lucas quickly helped her into it. Jenny’s breath caught in her throat as he lifted her long hair from beneath the collar, then allowed it to gently cascade against her back.

  His hands pausing on her shoulders, he said, “I love the snow. But if the roads become hazardous I worry about my drivers.”

  Heat from his body radiated out to her, and for a moment Jenny felt too weak to take one step away from him, much less walk to the door.

  “Maybe I won’t have to worry as much now,” he went on, his voice close to her ear. “Since you lectured them about icy driving conditions.”

  “I hope they listened and learned,” she said, her voice husky.

  “I did.”

  Clearing her throat, Jenny summoned herself to move away from him. “Shall we go? I’m starving.”

  The restaurant Lucas had chosen was quietly elegant but not so ritzy that Jenny felt uncomfortable. He had shrimp, while she ate lamb. By the time they were having coffee and chocolate mousse for dessert, Jenny decided she’d been an idiot for being so nervous about this date.

  There wasn’t anything dangerous about having dinner with Lucas. She was thirty-four years old. She knew how men worked their wiles. She knew all their lines. All their tactics. She knew how not to fall for any of them. And she definitely knew not to fall in love. So what could she possibly have to worry about? she asked herself.

  “Would you like something else?” Lucas asked as the waiter returned to fill their coffee cups.

  Jenny shook her head. “Thank you, it was all very delicious, but I couldn’t eat another bite.”

  “Nothing else for me, either,” he told the waiter. “You can bring the check now.”

  While they waited for the young man to return with the bill, Lucas glanced at his watch. “I hope you don’t have to be home just yet. There’s a place not too far from here I’d like you to see.”

  The warm, relaxed glow surrounding Jenny suddenly vanished. She looked at him, her brows arched skeptically, her radar system on alert.

  “Really?”

  “Don’t look at me like that,” he said with a little chuckle. “I didn’t siphon the gas tank down to a half gallon. I’ll get you home safe and sound at a reasonable hour.”

  Maybe Lucas wasn’t planning a seduction scene, but she still didn’t think it would be wise to encourage him. “I’m really not a dancer, Lucas. And as for the movies, the only ones I like are the oldies.”

  He went around and helped her from her seat. “We’re not going dancing or to the movies. Just for a little drive.”

  Jenny didn’t argue further. She didn’t want to spoil the evening. It had been ages since she’d been to a nice restaurant and had someone other than a fellow cop to talk to. Not that she and Lucas had discussed anything personal. So far they’d talked about the weather, politics and economics. But compared to vice and homicide those topics had been a breath of fresh air to Jenny.

  Once they left the eating place and climbed into Lucas’s black sports car, he headed south toward the interstate. Jenny left her coat on until the car heater made the interior comfortable, then she shrugged out of the arms and left it draped against the back of the seat.

  The car was small, with only a narrow console separating the two of them. Lucas found his senses overwhelmed by the sight and scent of her. If he could do what he’d really like to do, he’d simply pull the car to the side of the street and haul her into his arms. She was a woman who was made for loving. From the passionate red flames of her hair down to slim graceful arch of her feet.

  But Lucas knew if he were to act on his desire, he would never see Jenny Prescott again. Whether that might be good or bad for him, he didn’t know. He only knew he wasn’t about to take the chance of finding out. For once in his life, he was going to move slowly.

  “You look very beautiful tonight, Jenny.”

  The two of them had been mostly quiet since they’d left the restaurant. Surprise and something like weariness was mirrored on Jenny’s face as she slowly turned her head to look at him.

  “You didn’t need to say that, Lucas. I’m not about to jump out of the car or order you to take me home.”

  He frowned as he downshifted, then braked behind a slower moving vehicle.

  “Jenny, has anyone ever told you you’re jaded?”

  He sounded a bit angry. No, not angry, she corrected herself. More like hurt. And suddenly she felt awful.

  Sighing, she turned her head and looked out the window at the far-reaching lights of Oklahoma City. “I’m sorry, Lucas. I guess I sound like a hardened old woman to you. But you see, it’s been a long time since I’ve been out with a man. And longer still since one told me I look beautiful. I guess—” She paused and her chest hurt as she drew in a long breath. “I guess I don’t know how to be with a man anymore.”

  Lucas had never heard such a lost sound in anyone’s voice. Not even the homeless and orphaned children he dealt with. It made him wonder how Jenny had ever gotten to this point in her life. What had caused her to become so cynical?

  He had to know. He wouldn’t rest until he did.

  “Don’t worry about it, Jenny.” Reaching over, he lifted her hand from her lap and clasped it in his.

  Jenny looked at him, and suddenly without warning tears were burning the back of her eyes. He wasn’t putting on a seductive act. He was simply being Lucas, a nice man. But she’d been too hard-nosed, too cautious and afraid to simply enjoy his company. Dear God, until this very moment she hadn’t realized what she’d let herself become. And it frightened her.

  “You might be surprised to learn that it’s been a long time since I’ve told a woman she’s beautiful.” He grinned and squeezed her hand. “A guy has to have inspiration before he can say something like that.”

  Her fingers curled around his and clung tightly. “Thank you for not being offended, Lucas.”

  Lucas glanced away from the traffic and at Jenny. As he looked into her eyes, he forgot that she was a woman who carried a gun on her hip. He forgot that he’d once lost someone he loved be
cause he, too, had worn a badge pinned to his chest.

  “You’re forgetting I’m an old, tough ex-Marine. Now if you’d stuck your tongue out at me, that would have been a different story. That would have really hurt my feelings.”

  Before Jenny realized it, she was laughing.

  The sweet husky sound put a smile on Lucas’s face, and he silently vowed he would do everything in his power to make Jenny laugh again and again. Until she finally realized it was okay to let herself be happy.

  He drove several more miles west on the interstate. As Jenny watched the lights of the city fade behind them she asked, “Are we going to Tucumcari? Or are you going to stop somewhere in Texas?”

  Chuckling, Lucas shook his head. “Be patient. I think you’re going to like what I have to show you. And it isn’t far now.”

  A few more miles passed before Lucas slowed the car and turned north onto a blacktopped road. As they drove through the rural area, Jenny noticed there was only a small scattering of house lights along the way. In several places she could barely discern herds of cattle bunched against the cedar breaks lining the road. In others, the land was open and tilled for planting.

  “Have you ever been to this area?” Lucas asked.

  “No. I rarely venture past the Oklahoma City limits.”

  Surprised, he glanced at her. “Well, surely you get out of the city sometimes. Don’t you go on vacation? To visit friends or family?”

  What family, Ruby? Sighing, Jenny twisted in the seat. “All my friends live here. And I don’t have much family to speak of. But I do make two trips to Texas each year. I’m always glad to get back.”

  Lucas wondered if she was simply glad to get back to Oklahoma or glad to get away from whomever she visited.

  “Do you go on vacations?” she asked him.

  He shrugged. “Actually my job requires me to travel more than I like. But I enjoy going down to Florida to see my dad. You’d like that trip, too, I think. There’s lots of birds and—”