A Matter of Trust (7 page)

Cade jumped in. “Maybe she’s still
grieving for her husband.”

“
That’s what I thought at
first, but she said some things last night that dispelled that
theory. She told me she’d filed for divorce right before Pete died.
She said something else about Pete having a hidden side to him. She
didn’t make a lot of sense.” Jake ran a frustrated hand through his
hair.

Josh added, “Eva thinks she’s carrying
some scars from her marriage, too, although she doesn’t think it’s
necessarily from physical abuse. She’s tried to get her to open up
about it, but so far, no go, bro.”

“
Callie thinks something’s
there, too, but she has no idea what it is. She said Trish said
something about Pete making some bad investments which led to her
declaring bankruptcy. I don’t know if that’s part of it.” Cade
shook his head in sympathy for Trish.

“
Whatever happened
affected her ability to trust in other people. She only trusts
herself and her parents and probably Eva and Callie. She doesn’t
trust me as far as she can throw me, which is frustrating as hell.
It’s not that she thinks I’d try to do her any harm, exactly. It’s
like she can’t trust me, like she’s waiting for me to let her down.
She won’t let me help her. I offered to give her some furniture,
and she about bit my head off.”

“
What does she need
furniture for? Isn’t she living with her folks?” Cade
asked.

“
Not for much longer.
She’s going to rent that house I bought a few streets over from
mine. She doesn’t have any furniture. She said she sold all of hers
before she moved back here. She almost didn’t take the house,
because she said she’d never qualify for credit. She wanted it so
bad she could taste it, but she’d rather do without it than accept
my help. Anyone’s help. She nearly throttled me when I suggested
that I’d cosign on a loan for her. I told her you guys had some old
stuff you were getting rid of, too. She’s going to offer to buy
it.”

Cade nodded and said, “Yeah, she’s
already talked to Callie. Well, at least she’s renting the house
from you. That’s got to be a good sign.”

Jake’s guilt surfaced as he said, “She
doesn’t know I own it. Hell, I’d let her live there rent free, but
I had to name a price, or she’d never have taken it. I have to find
some way to tell her it’s mine, but I’m waiting for a better
time.”

Josh looked at his brother. “Jake, if
she has trust issues, you’d better make it quick. The last thing
you need is to be caught up in something that Trish might consider
as any kind of deception.”

“
Yeah, I know it. Damn it
all to hell. I just want to help her.” Jake’s frustration rang out
clearly.

“
I get that, Jake, I
really do, but sometimes women who have been burned need to prove
they can do for themselves. I don’t mean prove it to you or someone
else, but so they’ll know it and believe in themselves again.
That’s how Eva was in the beginning. Not only didn’t she trust any
man, but she didn’t trust herself. She needed to know she could
handle herself, despite the mistakes she’d made in the past. Maybe
that’s how Trish is feeling.”

“
Maybe.” Jake continued to
process his thoughts.

“
So what’s the plan, bro?
You looking for something long term, or just a quick roll in the
hay?” Josh slapped his brother on the back.

Jake looked at his brother coldly. “Be
careful, Josh.”

“
That’s what I thought.”
Josh smiled. “You’ve got it bad, don’t you?”

Jake relaxed again. “It’s too soon to
tell. I sure do want to find out, though. She’s a hell of a
woman.”

Cade added, “She comes with strings,
Jake. Those little kids of hers own her heart.”

“
You don’t have to tell me
that. Hell, I’m as crazy about the kids as I am about her. Almost,
anyway. The whole idea of an instant family doesn’t put me off at
all. We’ll get along just fine. I accepted your ass into the
family, didn’t I, Cade? And you were two hundred pounds of mean,
shitty attitude when you first got here.”

Cade smiled at the memory. “I was
that, wasn’t I? You and Josh tolerated me, but Callie brought me
around. Your grandparents, too. You two were suspicious at
first.”

“
We got past that pretty
fast after our folks died and you mellowed out some. You were
always watching out for Callie, and we knew what a handful she was.
We knew she drove you crazy sometimes, but you never lost it with
her, so we figured you were alright. Hell, we all knew you’d end up
marrying her before you did.”

Cade smiled. “Well, I sure won the
prize, didn’t I? Hang in there with Trish, Jake. It’ll be worth it
in the end if you can get past her walls.”

“
I don’t really think I
have a choice. It’s either win her or die trying.”

****

The men all came back to the back
patio about fifteen minutes later. Trish stood up and gave John,
Callie’s grandfather, a big hug.

“
I sure am glad to see
you, honey. I kind of miss those two kids of yours, though. Callie
said they were on vacation with your folks, but you’ll have to
bring them by for a visit when they get back. I got another rabbit
to show Trevor. He’s spotted and real gentle with kids.”

Trish smiled. “I’ll bring them by when
they get back, John. You’re so good to Trevor. He really does think
of you as another grandparent.”

“
He’s a fine boy, Trish.
And that little Lexie is just as pretty as a picture. Looks like
her mama.” Trish smiled again at the elderly man who her kids had
taken such a liking to.

“
I’m starving, Granddad.
When’s supper ready?” Callie smiled as she handed her grandfather a
glass of iced tea.

John thanked Callie for the tea.
“It’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes. We’re having chicken with
all the fixins’.”

“
We brought a, I mean I
brought a salad. It’s in the fridge.” Trish stood up to get
it.

“
Hey, I helped chop
stuff,” Jake stated indignantly.

“
Yes, you did. So, I guess
we did bring a salad. Sorry.” Noticeably uncomfortable with the
reference to them as a couple, Trish went inside to get the
salad.

Too bad, sweetheart,
you’ll have to get over it eventually. I’m not going
anywhere
.

As usual, the Dubeck/Scanlan barbecue
tasted delicious coupled with great company and atmosphere. It felt
strange to Trish not to have the kids in tow. She usually had to
leave early, so she could get them in bed at a decent hour, but
tonight she felt as free as a bird. It felt weird in a good way.
Sort of.

Trish helped Callie and Eva clean up,
and everyone left around nine. It was a quiet drive home, which
gave Trish plenty of time to think, which wasn’t necessarily a good
thing. The closer she got to her parents’ house, the more nervous
she became. Jake hadn’t made a pass at her all day, despite her
drunken invitation of last night. She couldn’t figure out if she
felt disappointed or relieved. She was a mother of two now. She
still had a pretty good figure, though, and she’d worn her hair
down just like he liked it. Maybe she’d imagined things last night.
Maybe his kisses weren’t as steamy as she remembered. She had been
under the influence at the time. Maybe he wasn’t quite as enthused
as she’d thought. Probably for the best.

Jake pulled into the driveway and
turned off the truck. She wanted to jump out and run inside before
he had a chance to follow, but she forced herself to walk slowly
with him beside her. She unlocked the door and turned to look at
him.

“
Thanks for everything
today, Jake. Showing me the house, driving me around, everything.
You’re a good friend.”

“
So you said last night.
And you’re welcome. Mind if I come in?”

“
Uh, sure. I mean, no, I
don’t mind. We have to work tomorrow, though. I need my beauty
sleep.” Trish laughed nervously.

They walked inside together. Trish
acted fidgety. “Can I get you something? I don’t think I have any
beer, but I might have wine.”

“
I’m good, thanks.” Jake
sat down on the couch. “Come talk to me, Trish.”

Trish’s blue eyes were as big as
saucers as she made her way to the couch and sat in the furthest
corner from where Jake sat. “What do you want to talk
about?”

“
Last night,
mostly.”

“
Last night? Okaaay. I had
fun at girls’ night and had waaaay too much to drink. Thank you
again for being the designated driver.”

“
Sure, Trish, no problem.
I’ll be your designated driver anytime. All you have to do is
ask.”

“
That’s very nice of you,
Jake. You are a true friend. I don’t think I’ll need a DD anytime
soon, though, plus it’s really not fair to you. I’m sure you were
bored out of your mind.”

“
You’re rambling, you
know. Are you nervous or something?”

“
Rambling? Nervous? Me?
That’s silly. I’m simply thanking you and watching out for your
best interests. That’s what friends do for one another.”

“
Kind of like you watched
out for me last night when all those loose women were bothering
me?”

“
Yes, I mean no. Well,
yes.”

“
Which is it, Trish the
dish? Yes or no.” Jake turned his body to face her and scooted a
little closer.

“
Yes, I watched out for
you. Like a good friend.” Trish nodded sensibly.

“
Like a friend? Funny, I
thought you were kind of trying to … mark your
territory?”

“
Mark my territory? Of
course not! That’s ridiculous.”

“
I don’t know. The look
you gave that woman when you led me over to your table looked a
little sinister and a lot possessive. Did it bother you seeing her
propositioning me?”

“
Bother me? Of course not.
I just didn’t think she was your type, that’s all. You’re a nice
guy, and I could tell you didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but I
could also see you weren’t interested.”

“
You saw quite a lot,
didn’t you? So, what do you think my type is, Trish the
dish?”

“
Why do you keep calling
me that? And I have no idea what your type is. Look, if I was out
of line, I’m sorry. I’ll never interfere in your love life again.
Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go to bed now.”

Jake pulled her across the couch into
his arms. She felt off balance, and he wanted her to stay that way.
“I told you last night I’d stay if you asked me again. Are you
asking me again, Trish?” Trish looked up at him with her big blue
eyes wide open. Then, she made the mistake of looking at his lips
and thinking of the kisses they’d shared the night
before.

Jake slanted his mouth across hers.
Pure heat scorched her. If anything, she’d underestimated the
affect he had on her. She really tried not to encourage him. She
tried really hard not to kiss him back, but good Lord in heaven;
she just couldn’t resist the temptation of tasting him. She opened
her mouth to him, and he didn’t waste any time diving in and
teasing her tongue with his.

Neither could seem to get enough of
the other. Trish wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him
closer, moaning into his mouth as he leaned back against the arm of
the couch, pulling her on top of him. His arms held her tightly
against his body as he continued to kiss her over and over
again.

Trish lost herself in the passion of
Jake’s kiss. She’d never been kissed like this in her life. My God,
who even knew kissing could be like this? It was making love to her
with his mouth, and she didn’t want it to stop there. It had been
years since she’d had sex, since she got pregnant with Lexie.
Shortly afterwards, her life and her marriage began to unravel. How
could she have ever thought that she could live without this? She
needed this. Desperately.

Jakes hands were smoothing down her
back and around her rear, pulling her hips against his own. She
could feel the hard length of his erection clearly and wanted –
needed – to get closer.

“
Trish, honey, if you’re
not ready to finish this, we need to stop now. I want you more than
I can say, but I don’t want to rush you into anything. Do we stop
or do we finish?”

“
Bedroom. Now.”

“
Thank you, Jesus.” He
angled her off his chest and stood up, picking her up and carrying
her to her bedroom, kissing her the whole time. He laid her on the
bed and followed her, covering her body with his, grinding his hips
into hers.

“
Oh my God, Jake. Make
love to me, please. For once, I don’t want to think. I just want to
feel. Make me feel, Jake.”

Jake leaned up on one elbow and
reached for the buttons on her blouse, undoing them slowly, and
kissing her the whole time. He parted her blouse, running his
fingers down her throat, and down the center of her torso, all the
way down to the waistline of her jeans and back up again. Then, he
bent his head down and licked the edges of her lacy, beige bra all
the way across the top. He dipped his tongue underneath the lace,
almost, but not quite reaching her nipple. He reached behind her
and unclasped her bra, then lifted her back off the bed to slide
her blouse and bra down her arms.