Okay, she was grateful for his help in delivering the baby. He could understand that. He didn’t think thanks were necessary, but if Jessie did, she could have found a dozen ways of thanking him that wouldn’t turn the entire family inside out. A framed snapshot of the baby would have sufficed. A dutiful note would have covered it.
Instead, with all the impulsiveness and generosity he’d always admired in her, she had made a grand gesture that would have ripped the family apart. They would have chosen sides. In the end, more than likely Jordan and Cody would have backed Jessie’s choice. His parents would have been appalled. Even he cared enough for the family’s feelings to want to avoid deliberately causing them any more anguish.
Fortunately, his head at least had been clear. He’d said no before she could get too carried away with her planning.
He raked his hand through his hair and muttered an oath under his breath. A tiny part of him regretted the necessity for declining her offer. Being godparent to the baby he’d helped deliver would have bound him to Jessie and Angela. It would have kept him on the fringes of their lives. It would have placed him where no one would have questioned his involvement, where he could watch out for them.
Where he could torture himself, he added bleakly. Saying no had been the right decision, the only decision.
Determinedly, he picked up the first invoice from the pile on his desk and went to work. Sometime between the first bill and the second, he fell soundly asleep. The next thing he knew it was morning and the very woman who’d been tormenting him in his dreams was hovering around in his office as if she belonged there.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked crankily, rubbing his aching shoulders as he eyed Jessie warily. For a woman who’d just had a baby less than forty-eight hours before, she was damned energetic. Normally he’d consider that an admirable trait, but at the moment it seemed a nuisance to have her bustling around as if he weren’t even there. “Jessie, whatever you’re up to, give it a rest.”
“I’m getting some light in here. It’s dark as pitch.” She drew back the draperies with a flick of her wrist, revealing the blinding glare of sunlight on snow.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked cheerfully. “I’ll be back in a minute with your breakfast. You really shouldn’t sleep at your desk, Lucas. It’s bad for your back.”
Given the fact that every muscle between his neck and his butt ached like the very dickens, Luke couldn’t argue with her. If she hadn’t taken off, though, he would have had a few things to say about her intrusion into his domain. He figured they could wait until she returned. If she brought strong, black coffee with her, he might even moderate his protest to a dull roar.
He stood up cautiously, testing to see if any of his parts actually worked. His legs held him upright, which was better than he deserved. He stretched carefully, slowly working the kinks loose. By the time he heard Jessie’s returning footsteps, he was feeling almost civilized. That didn’t mean he intended to tolerate her sudden burst of uninvited activity.
Unfortunately for his resolve, the aroma of coffee preceded her into the room. Oblivious to whatever order there might be to his desk, she brushed piles of papers aside and deposited a tray laden with pancakes, eggs, bacon and a pot of coffee. Luke glanced at the new disarray, considered bellowing in outrage, then took another whiff of that coffee and poured himself a cup instead. He sipped it gratefully as he sank back into his leather chair.
Maybe the bustling wasn’t so bad, after all. Only trouble now was, she didn’t go away. In fact, she seemed to be waiting for something. She hovered at the edge of his desk, her gaze fixed on him as if trying to determine how to broach whatever was on her mind.
“Coffee’s good,” he said, watching her uneasily. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Don’t worry about the dishes. I’ll bring them back to the kitchen and wash up when I’m done,” he said, hoping she’d take the hint and leave.
She actually grinned at that. “Trying to get rid of me?” she inquired.
Almost as if to taunt him, she pulled up a chair and sat down. What astonished him was the fact that even though she was wearing her oversize maternity clothes, she managed to look as sexy as if she’d been wearing something slinky. His imagination was perfectly capable of envisioning every curve under her shapeless top. As if it might make a difference, he turned his attention to the food she’d brought. He poured syrup on the pancakes and cut into the eggs.
“I told you yesterday that I didn’t want you waiting on me,” he reminded her even as he took his first bite of pancakes. They were light as air. He knew for a fact that Consuela hadn’t left these, which meant Jessie had been cooking. “You need to rest. Taking care of a new baby is tiring. I want you concentrating on Angela.”
“Angela’s fine. She’s been fed. Now she’s sleeping. That’s what newborns do.”
He snapped a piece of crisp bacon into crumbs and prayed for patience. “So, rest while you have the chance. Read a book. The library next door is filled with them.”
“Maybe later.”
He could see he was getting nowhere. Maybe if he divided up the chores and took the lion’s share himself, she’d restrict herself to doing only what she’d been assigned.
“Okay, here’s the deal,” he said. “I’ll fix breakfast and lunch. You can deal with supper, since Consuela already has
