LEAP OF FAITH (21 page)

“I know Abby told you about her first marriage.” Jack nodded but didn’t say anything. “She’s crazy about you, and from what I can see, you feel the same way.” Jack tipped his head again. “If there’s even a chance you’re going to do to her what that piece of crap Shane did, I strongly suggest you walk away right now. Nothing personal, you seem like a decent guy, but if you hurt my sister I’ll break every bone in your body.”

“There’s a huge difference between that piece of crap, Shane, and me,” Jack said evenly. “I don’t cheat, I don’t lie, and I would never do anything to deliberately hurt Abby. I love your sister and there isn’t a woman on God’s green earth who could coerce me into being unfaithful to her.”

Gage eyed him for a minute before a slow grin spread across his face. He picked up the luggage and headed for the house. “You’re all right, Jack Burton. I think you just might survive this family.” He stopped and looked back. “If you can dodge Jenna’s claws, that is.”

***

Jack stepped out of the shower and dried off. He was thinking about Abby as he pulled his robe on and the whispered promise she’d made to sneak away as soon as she was sure her parents were in bed. He didn’t think she would agree to have sex with him while they were here, but he didn’t care. As long as he could hold her, he could wait until they got back home. Immersed in the comforting thought of having her all to himself, even if it was just to sleep, Jack wasn’t even sure he’d heard the light tap on his door until he saw the knob being turned. 

Jack started across the room, eager to satisfy the need to ply Abby with kisses that had been detained far too long, but came to an abrupt halt when Jenna slipped through the doorway. Disappointment that it wasn’t Abby hit him first, quickly followed by an intense aversion to this woman for slinking into his room wearing a t-shirt and nothing else. The shirt had been cut down the front and split clear to the middle of her breasts to ensure a full view of ample cleavage, and it barely covered her bottom, which swayed seductively as she walked; an open invitation most men would have found difficult to decline.

“Hi, Jack,” she said with a sultry smile, “I just came to make sure you had everything you needed.”

Jack greeted her with a hostile glare. “What are you doing here, Jenna?”

Undaunted by his harsh tone, she sauntered across the room to stand in front of him. “I told you, I came to see if I could get you…anything.”

“I have everything I need.”

Jenna smiled sweetly. “Are you sure about that, Jack?”

“You know, Abby said you were an extremely intelligent woman, but I’m afraid I just don’t see it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, you have to be working with half a deck not to see how much I love Abby.”

Jenna visibly relaxed. “What has that got to do with what I’m offering you?”

“It has everything to do with it. I would never jeopardize a relationship with someone as wonderful as Abby for a woman like you.”

“A woman like me?” She looked genuinely insulted.

“Abby would
never
betray your trust the way you’re betraying hers, and she would never consciously hurt you.”

“I’m not trying to hurt Abby, I love her!”

"This is how you treat the people you love? You conspire to steal their happiness out from under them? You should be ashamed of yourself, Jenna. You have the morals of a tom cat and would stab your own sister in the back for a one night stand.”

“That’s not true,” she protested. 

He looked at her with barely contained distaste. “Let me make this real clear since you seem to have a problem comprehending. No amount of breathy innuendos, tail wagging, or exposed cleavage is going to make me cheat on Abby.
Ever
,” he added with fierce emphasis.

“You’re in love with her,” Jenna said as if it was an accusation.

“Halleluiah, she finally gets the big picture,” Jack said dryly.

“No, I mean you’re
really
in love with her.”

“How could I not be head over heels in love with her? Why do you do this to her? Why do you always feel the need to rob Abby of the men she cares about?”

She looked him in the eyes, and for the first time since meeting her, Jack thought he was seeing the real Jenna. “I do it because Abby always picks the wrong man. She’s just so damn trusting. When she falls for a guy, she never sees them for the letches they really are.” Jenna’s voice wobbled as she blinked back a mist of tears. “I
never
wanted to hurt my sister, Jack, you have to believe me. I was only trying to keep Abby from getting her heart broken. I thought if I could steal them away from her before she got too involved, it would prevent her from being hurt even worse somewhere down the line.”

“What about Shane?”

Jenna scowled. “That poor excuse of a man wasn’t good enough to touch my sister let alone marry her.”

“So you slept with him?”

“No, but he made it clear he was more than willing. If I had known he was going to ask her to marry him I would have done it, although it probably would have made me sick to my stomach.”

“Why is this family so protective of Abby?”

“You know why, Jack. I saw it in your eyes when you were tearing into me. Abby is different from the rest of us. She’s…softer, more vulnerable. In case you haven’t noticed, we all tend to go into attack mode when we think she’s being threatened.”

He arched his brows. “And you think I’m a threat?”

“You’re the biggest threat of all, Jack. You’re the one who could break her.”

“Abby is pretty damn lucky to have a family like this. I love her, Jenna. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. She’s my one shot at happiness and I’m not going to do
anything
to risk losing her.”

“I believe you’re Abby’s one shot at happiness too,” she replied and held out her hand. “Welcome to the family, Jack Burton.”

Jack shook her hand, his grin belying the austere tone he took. “Now, would you mind getting out of my bedroom before Abby comes in and gets the wrong impression.”

Jenna looked as if she was going to be ill. “Oh, no…she saw me.”

“What?”

“Abby - she was opening her door just as I came into your room. It… it was part of the plan, so she would think…”

Jack bolted past her, fear clawing at his chest. He had to see Abby, had to explain. He’d nearly lost her once and didn’t think he would survive the pain of losing her again. Flinging the door open, he was thoroughly shaken when he nearly stumbled into Abby. Her expression was surprisingly calm, which was infinitely more alarming than the emotional melt down she’d had when she thought he was cheating on her with Julia.

“Abby,” he choked out.

Side-stepping his hands as he reached for her, Abby addressed her sister in a tone that suggested she wasn’t as unaffected as she appeared. “Would you mind leaving us alone, Jenna, I have a few things I’d like to say to Jack.”

“I swear this isn’t…” Jenna started, but Abby held her hand up.

“Don’t waste your breath, Jenna. Just leave.”

Abby stood aside and waited until her sister trudged down the hall and disappeared inside her own room before slipping past Jack, clearly determined to avoid any physical contact. She didn’t speak until the door was closed, and even then she kept her back to him.   

“Jenna came here to seduce you.”

“Yes,” Jack replied without elaborating. 

“You’re not like the others. You weren’t even tempted, were you?” she asked, as if the very idea was inconceivable.

“Good, God, no,” he said thickly.

“Why not? Jenna is an incredibly beautiful woman. She’s full of life and energy and has that sex kitten routine down to a science. I imagine she would have been a very satisfying bed partner.”

The bottom dropped out of his stomach. It sounded as though she had already given up on him. On
them
. Somehow, he had to convince her that nothing had happened, that nothing ever
could
have happened between him and Jenna, or any other woman for that matter.

Jack came up behind her and gently laid his trembling hands on her shoulders. “You’re so wrong, Abby. Yes, Jenna is beautiful, but she doesn’t hold a candle to you. I don’t need a woman who sweeps in like a whirlwind and isn’t content unless she dominates center stage. I need a woman who calms me, brings me peace.” He turned Abby in his arms and held her close. “She could never satisfy me in bed because she isn’t
you
. Abby, you’re the other half of me, the part that’s been missing all these years. I love you. I’ll always love you.”

“I love you too,” she said, peering up at him with a spark of mischief dancing in her eyes. “I have a little…confession to make. I knew Jenna would try to get you to sleep with her tonight. I waited until she slipped into your room and then stood outside the door. I heard everything.”

“Why didn’t you just come in and put a stop to it?” Jack frowned. “Tell me you didn’t honestly believe I was going to do it?”

Abby shook her head. “No, I trusted you. But I had to let it play out so Jenna would accept that it wasn’t going to work this time. I guess I never really understood my sister. All this time, I thought she just had a selfish streak and that it didn’t matter to her if she hurt me or not.” She laughed softly. “Are you sure you want to be a part of this family?”

“It will take some getting used to,” he grinned, “but if it means you’ll marry me then I think I can manage.”

“I wasn’t going to do this, but given the conversation I just overheard…”

Abby stepped away from him and shrugged her robe off, letting it slither to the floor. A heated blush crept into her cheeks when Jack’s eyes raked hungrily over her naked body.

“Lord, have mercy,” he whispered.

Abby tugged at the tie on Jack’s robe with a sexy smile. “Trust me, my love, mercy is the last thing on my mind right now.”

***

Abby yawned sleepily and snuggled closer to Jack. The early morning light filtered through the windows, coaxing her out of bed. She could feel the even rise and fall of his chest beneath her palm and knew he was still sleeping. It was time to get up and return to her own room, but she couldn’t resist the temptation of spending a few more minutes in his arms. 

She'd never been happier in her life than when she heard Jack scold Jenna and tell her in no uncertain terms that he had no desire to sleep with her. Abby had wanted to charge into the room and fling herself in his arms, but it was imperative that she wait until Jenna fully understood Jack couldn’t be seduced.   

Tipping her head back to look into his handsome face assured Abby that last night really happened. “I love you,” she whispered before easing out of his arms and pulling on her robe. 

After making sure the hall was empty, Abby scurried back to her room and tossed her robe on the bed then grabbed a nightgown and put it on. She picked up her robe again and left the room, pushing her arms into the sleeves as she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

The delicious aroma of breakfast cooking wafted through the house to greet her halfway down the stairs. Maggie always started breakfast early because her dad was an early riser. She expected to see her parents and possibly Gage in the kitchen and was more than a little surprised to find her entire family gathered around the table. A guilty silence fell over the room when she entered, making it all too clear they had been discussing her and Jack.

Her chin jutted up, her eyes shifting from one to another with an accusatory glare. “A family meeting without me?”

“Baby…” her dad started, but Abby quickly cut him off.

“I can’t believe you’re all down here talking about me behind my back. This is
not
something you can take a family vote on. I love Jack and, like it or not, there isn’t anything you can say or do to change that.”

“Abby, honey,” Sam smiled indulgently.

“No, Daddy.” She planted her hands on her hips. “This is one time I’m not going to listen to you. Jack is…” Abby turned around when Jack entered the kitchen.

He took in all the pairs of eyes watching him and the defiant stance Abby had taken against them. It didn’t take a Rhode Scholar to figure out what was going on. Drawing in a deep breath, he curled his arm protectively around her waist and looked directly at Sam.

“I’ve asked Abby to marry me and she has agreed to become my wife. Your support is important to both of us, but with or without your blessing I
am
going to marry her.”

Jack braced himself for the inevitable fallout of issuing such a bold statement. Everyone was staring at him, but there were no disapproving frowns or open hostility that he could ascertain. And then, as if on cue, everyone at the table burst into a chorus of uproarious laughter. He glanced at Abby, who looked every bit as confused as he was until Sam stood up and came around the table to enlighten them.

“What I was trying to explain to Abby before she jumped to the wrong conclusion is that we think very highly of you and can see that you love Abby as much as we do.” There was a conspiratorial grin on Sam’s face when he shook Jack’s hand. “I believe Gage already had a talk with you last night.”