By Proxy(20)

And it wasn’t just Jenny’s goodness and integrity. In a day and age when divorce was rampant, she was so sure that she would say her wedding vows only once to one man, saying them this extra time by proxy was problematic for her. In a world full of cynicism and doubt, she believed in true love. She believed in happily-ever-after.

Sam’s eyes burned and he massaged them with his fingers, taking a deep breath and swallowing back his confusing feelings, annoyed with his visceral reaction to her. He took another deep breath, collecting himself before she returned.

She sat back down next to him, carefully depositing her coffee on the table before them and pulling her laptop back into her lap. He glanced aside to watch her as she tapped on the keys, a current sweeping up his arm as her body settled beside his.

Her blonde head was bent over her computer, but he could see her skin on the graceful curve of her neck where her hair parted in the back, falling forward over each of her shoulders. He stared at the patch of pale skin for a moment, imaging it would be silky and warm to the touch. He breathed in, willing himself to think about baseball or football or something other than kissing her neck. Pointless. He was good and distracted by her now.

It didn’t help that she had been sitting close to him before, but when she sat back down, she had moved closer to him—no doubt unintentionally—by an inch or so. Cross-legged, her bent knee rested lightly on his thigh and drove him crazy. Every time she typed, her elbow would gently graze his side, which was for some insane, inexplicable reason turning him on: he had a sudden mental image of lifting her face to his, and closing the scant distance between their lips. The fantasy was so palpable, he groaned softly.

She looked up at him, brows knitted. “Oh, look at you. You must be tired. Flying to Montana and driving so much today. We can do this tomorrow, Sam.”

He could think of plenty of things he’d rather do, but kept his face carefully neutral. Little did she know she was mistaking sexual frustration for weariness. More’s the better, he thought, glad she couldn’t read his mind.

“No, no,” he assured her. “Sounds like you’re going to keep me plenty busy tomorrow. Let’s do this tonight.”

“Okay. I’ll tell you what I’m typing and you tell me if you want me to change something, okay?” Sam nodded and leaned his head on the back of the loveseat, closing his eyes. Stop thinking about her knee on your thigh. Stop thinking about her like that, period!

Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she read aloud. “Dear Ingrid and Kristian: Sam and I are here in Gardiner together and are writing to tell you Judge Hanlon was unable to hear the vows today up in Livingston. We are sorry. The good judge had weekend plans and left the courthouse a little earlier than expected.

“I’m leaving out the part about your wallet,” Jenny mumbled. With his eyes still closed, he listened for her fingers to start typing again, but she didn’t make a sound. She hadn’t gotten up. He could still feel her beside him on the small loveseat. Perhaps she was figuring out what to type next. Then he felt her position shift slightly, closer to him.

Sam felt her breath on his cheek and his heart started beating faster. He tried to keep his own breathing easy and calm, but his body was becoming increasingly taut with anticipation. What was she doing?

He couldn’t stand not to know. He opened one of his eyes slowly, then the other. They widened to find Jenny a hair away from his face, assessing him frankly, and…what was it he read on her face? Tenderness? Wonder? His mind was having trouble processing what was going on.

He blinked twice in surprise and she jerked back, reddening. He leaned his head forward, smiling at her with a dawning realization and growing merriment. “Jenny! Were you checking me out?”

She swallowed and looked away, but not before he caught her mortified expression. Finally, staring at the keyboard and refusing to meet his gaze she answered in a small voice. “Yes. I-I guess I was. I thought maybe you were asleep.”

He chuckled at her admission, shaking his head back and forth, marveling at her candor, then nudged her gently with his elbow. “Hey. You check me out all you want. It’s fine by me, Pretty Girl.”

She looked up at him and smiled back tentatively at the endearment, still flushed from being caught. Her blue eyes sparkled against her flushed cheeks. “You think so?”

“I do,” he said softly, nodding. Doesn’t she realize how pretty she is?

He reached up and pushed an errant lock of blonde hair behind her ear, tracing the shell of her ear and tugging on her soft earlobe with his thumb and forefinger, rubbing it gently between them.