Her eyes held his. “Were you?”
“More than I ever thought I would be.” He turned and went back to the kitchen. The emotional mushy stuff was hard this early in the morning. Hell, it wasn’t easy late at night, either. A couple of relationships had ended because of his hesitance to confess his undying love. He wanted Jessie to know he cared for her.
That was enough for now.
The business deal was getting personal.
CHAPTER EIGHT
JESSIE PLOPPED ONTO the bed, holding the jeans to her racing heart. He cared. And it hadn’t required any manipulation on her part. It had been a natural progression of them getting to know each other. Yesterday Cadde had saved her and Mirry and she’d always be grateful for that. He’d taken control. It was nice to have him worry about her—just like a husband would.
Cadde Hardin was a special man.
And jealous.
She knew Gavin cared for her in more than in a friendly way. She’d gone out with him a couple of times, but then stopped when it became clear his feelings were different from hers. They remained friends. Although she realized Gavin was waiting for her to end her sham of a marriage. That wasn’t happening. Not now.
It was strange how she never reacted to Gavin like she had to Cadde. From the moment she’d looked into his intense brown eyes, it seemed he’d literally reached in and snatched her heart. If her father hadn’t been so protective of her, they might have connected a long time ago.
Or maybe not. He might never care for her the way she wanted.
The sobering thought caused a needling sadness to settle in her.
Glancing at the bedside clock, she jumped up and grabbed the phone. It took her five minutes to assure Rosa she was okay. After hanging up, she went into the kitchen in the hospital gown. That was her limited wardrobe.
Cadde leaned against the counter, sipping a cup of coffee, his feet crossed at the ankles. He looked relaxed in jeans and a pressed white shirt. Her breath caught in her throat at his tall lean frame. Obviously, he was ready for work.
When he saw her, he straightened. “Would you like breakfast?”
Two plates were on the table. One had eggs, sausages and biscuits; the other had a pile of strawberries and blueberries and slices of cantaloupe that looked as if they’d been cut with a chain saw. Beside the fruit was a small carton of yogurt.
“Where did you get this?”
“I had my secretary bring it over.” Barbara was in her late fifties and happily married, so Jessie knew she didn’t have a problem with unrequited love in that area. She was almost positive Barbara hadn’t cut the cantaloupe, which meant Cadde had—for her. A warm feeling suffused her and it had nothing to do with the high temperature outside.
“Which is mine?” she asked, just to tease.
Pouring her a cup of coffee, he frowned. “Don’t you like fruit and yogurt?”
“Yes, but I’m hungry. We didn’t eat last night.” She bit her lip in thought. “We’ll share,” she decided, and reached for a plate in the cabinet. She felt a cool breeze to her back…and more. “Are you staring at my butt?”
“It’s kind of hard not to…with the gown open like that.”
Good grief. She gathered the back with one hand and carried the plate to the table. “These things are not made for privacy.”
“Mmm.” A smirk followed the sound.
She used a fork to scoop eggs, a sausage and biscuit onto her plate. Taking a seat, she jumped up again. “I forgot cream and sugar for my coffee.” She knew where the packets were because she’d eaten here many times with her father. She managed to hold her gown closed.
As she took a sip, she could feel his eyes on her. “After what you’ve been through, you’re very spry this morning. How’s the neck?”
“Kind of sore on the right, but I’m fine.” She dug into the eggs. “And I have a lot to do today.”
“Jessie, you were attacked by a dog. It’s okay to just rest.”
Again, she was almost positive Cadde never said things like that and she could tell she was right by the shocked look on his face.
He picked up his fork. “Remember you have to see your doctor.”
“I’ll work it in.” She munched on the fruit. “Oh, I don’t have a vehicle. What’s your schedule like?”
“I have several meetings.”
“Here at Shilah?”
“Yes,” he replied slowly, looking at her.
“Good, then I’ll take your truck.”
“What?” He almost spit coffee on the table. “No. No. I’ll share my breakfast, but I’m not sharing my truck.”
She made a face at him.