When his gaze locked on hers, she felt the thrill she’d been feeling ever since she moved onto Raintree Winery and encountered him. The sensations that coursed through her whenever she looked into his eyes were almost body-rocking.
“Actually, it feels damn good! I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it. I thought when I picked up my camera, memories would come rushing back, the memories I didn’t want to revisit. Sure, I remember the last time I was taking pictures and what happened that day, but I also remember roaming these vineyards as a teenager with a camera in my hand. This place is what got me started photographing in the first place, and my camera is what got me name recognition and a byline. When I wrote that article about The Mommy Club, it felt natural, and holding this again does, too.” He held up his camera.
“Natural enough that you’ll leave again?”
She kept her voice light as if the answer was of no consequence to her.
“We’ll see. I accept change a little more readily now than I used to.”
Did he really? Would he seek out editors who could use his skills once more?
That thought pushed her heart practically to her knees. She realized whether she wanted to get involved with Jase Cramer or not, she was falling for him. That thought was as terrifying as the possibility that the insurance claim might not go through, and all she’d have left was her job—and a mountain of debt.
Yet that wasn’t true. Most of all, she had Amy. Whether she was falling for Jase or not simply didn’t matter.
Because Amy came first.
Chapter Six
“Thank goodness for Kaitlyn.” Late Saturday afternoon at her apartment in town, Marissa used the curling iron one last time to put the finishing touches on Sara’s new hairdo.
She’d convinced Sara that she needed a little trim for tonight’s party. Kaitlyn had come over to the cottage midafternoon to care for Jordan and Amy, and they’d gone to Marissa’s for a few hours of party preparation.
Zeroing in on what Marissa had said, Sara was grateful, too, to have this bit of time for girl talk with a woman who was fast becoming a good friend.
Marissa’s apartment was small but neat and clean, with charming touches that made it homey. Sara still didn’t really know much about her.
“I love Jordan dearly,” Marissa went on, “but sometimes it’s nice to remember who I was before he was born. Do you know what I mean?”
Since Sara knew all the responsibilities of being a single mom, she definitely understood. “I know what you mean, and I guess I’m finally learning to accept some help, like you are.”
“You mean The Mommy Club? I don’t know what I would have done without them. I don’t know what I would have done without Kaitlyn. When my momma died, I felt lost, really adrift. I think that’s why I hooked up with Jordan’s father. My mother would have warned me against getting involved with a cowboy, a bull rider, no less.”
“So he’s not around?”
“Definitely not. He’s out on the circuit, doing his thing.”
“So he never sees Jordan?”
“He doesn’t know about Jordan.”
That shocked Sara, and Marissa must have glimpsed that look in her eyes when she dipped down in front of Sara to check the curls around her face. “Believe me,” Marissa said, “he wouldn’t want to know. He wouldn’t know responsibility if it bit him. I did the best thing for both of us by not telling him.”
Marissa took a mirror from her kitchen table and held it up for Sara to see. “What do you think?”
Marissa had piled Sara’s hair on top of her head and made all kinds of swirly curls. A few dangled around her face.
“It looks fabulous!”
“It will look even better once you add that dress. It’s a good thing we wear the same size shoes so you can borrow my silver heels.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to wear them?”
“Nope, my dress is green. I have cream strappy sandals that will look good with it. The silver ones are left over from my kick-up-my-heels days.”
Sara had to laugh at the way Marissa said it. “You sound as if you’re never going to have kick-up-your-heels days again.”
“I know better now. I’d never go out with someone like Ty again. Oops! I usually don’t mention his name. I really don’t want anyone to know who Jordan’s father is. That way, there’s no slip.”
“Your secret’s safe with me. This isn’t Ty Conroy you’re talking about, is it?” Ever since she’d lived in Fawn Grove, she’d heard about Ty Conroy, the championships and purses he’d won, the risks he’d taken, the bulls he’d ridden. In a cowboy sense, he was one of those hometown heroes. He’d made good and that was important.