Secret Love - Brenda Jackson [19]
Jake couldn’t help but smile. No one had ever said such things about his ranch house before. The cabin had been a surprise gift for Jessie, one he had painstakingly worked day and night to complete. But she had refused to live in it, even for one night. Then when she had left him a week or so later, he had been determined to one day build another house, one that did not have memories of her. The only lingering memento of her short presence at Whispering Pines was the roses. Unfortunately she had planted several bushes on the site he had later chosen for his home to be built. As beautiful as they were, the roses served as a constant reminder of what could happen if you gave your heart completely to someone else.
Jake took his time watching Diamond, not knowing what was truly real and not just an overwhelming impression that would eventually wear off. “Are you ready to go inside?” he asked, deciding not to dwell on what she thought of his ranch house any longer.
“Yes.”
Jake tried to appear casual as he got out of the Jeep and walked around the vehicle to open Diamond’s door. He even pretended indifference when extending his hand to help her out of the Jeep. But he couldn’t mask the look in his eyes when they met hers, their gazes holding a bit longer than necessary.
“Thanks.” Diamond finally said in a soft, shaky voice. She would have backed up, but couldn’t. She was already pressed close to the Jeep’s door.
“Don’t mention it.” Jake took a step back to give her space. It was space he hadn’t wanted to give her. He took a long, deep breath and glanced around. Luckily for him, the yard was empty, which meant the men were inside the huge bunkhouse eating lunch. He was glad no one had witnessed his moment of standing spellbound before Diamond.
“This way,” he called over his shoulder as he turned and began walking away. There was no way he could walk next to Diamond. It took some excellent skill of mind over body control to make it not so obvious just how much she had aroused him. That was the last thing his men needed to notice.
As he knew it would be, the eating room of the bunkhouse was noisy. The clatter of dishes and the clamor of voices going at the same time met Jake and Diamond the moment they entered the building, unnoticed.
“Maybe this isn’t a good time to interrupt them,” Diamond whispered to Jake, trying to keep her voice low. “They seem rather hungry.”
Jake shrugged. “Cowboys are always hungry. It won’t take but a second to get their attention.”
Jake walked a little ways into the room. “Afternoon, guys. We have company.”
All the men looked up at Jake. Then they followed his gaze to Diamond, who was still standing in the doorway. Suddenly all movement at the table froze and total silence filled the room. Diamond took a deep breath as thirty-plus pairs of eyes stared at her without blinking. She hoped they weren’t upset that their lunch had been interrupted. She was sure to these men that after putting in so much time in the saddle, lunch was probably a very important part of their day. Ready to brave the storm that could erupt from the hungry men seated at the long table, she took a deep breath and walked into the room and stood next to Jake.
“Hi,” she said to the men, who had gone speechless. “I didn’t want to interrupt anything, but I wanted to meet all of you. I know this might not be a good time but I brought you something.”
When none of the men said anything but just continued to stare at her, she glanced quickly at Jake. His lean features that lighted into a smile gave her encouragement, so she continued. “I baked pies for all of you. Blueberry pies. Ten of them. I checked with Blaylock, and he said it would be all right for me to serve you a piece as lunch dessert.”
The men still didn’t respond.
Diamond gave another quick glance in Jake’s direction. He was smiling. In fact, if she didn’t know better she would think he was downright amused. She shrugged and decided to add, “I think I did a pretty good job on