arms were. His skin was deeply tanned, indicating he had spent long
hours in the sun bare-chested. There was a mat of dark blond hair
trailing down to his belly button, and, God, she really shouldn't have
been looking. Cole was a handsome man. She would have had to be blind
not to notice his steely blue eyes, but what made him most attractive
to her was his behavior toward her son. He had the patience of Job.
He was gentle and soft-spoken with Caleb, and nothing the little one
did seemed to bother him.
He'd make a wonderful father. She pushed the thought aside the second
it popped into her mind. She didn't need him or any other man, she
reminded herself. She and Caleb were doing just fine the way they
were.
'I wish I had been able to talk to Grace before we left. I promised to
help her find a ranch. She offered me a job, and it would have been an
ideal setting to raise my son. He'd have room to run.'
'What could you do on a ranch? ' Her spine stiffened. 'I could do
lots of things.
I've never been afraid of hard work, ' she added.
'You don't need to get mad. I wasn't insulting you or challenging
you.
I was simply curious.'
'Grace should know what's going on. I would have told her to go ahead
and leave without Caleb and me and that we'd catch up with her in
Denver. She's under tremendous pressure, and time's running out for
her.' Cole didn't understand, but Jessica refused to explain. 'If
Grace wants you to know her personal business, she'll tell you.
I should have taken my belongings out of the wagon. I hope Grace
doesn't feel she has to look after them.'
'Quit worrying, ' he ordered. 'She'll be fine, and you'll be seeing
her real soon.' Her attention was turned when Caleb threw himself into
her arms. He wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing, and he was rank.
'I'll get the soap, ' she said.
'Jessie? ' 'Yes? ' she answered as she eased the baby off her lap.
'You might want to close your eyes for a minute.' She didn't ask
why.
She simply squeezed her eyes shut. Curiosity got the better of her,
