The tree in his childhood home had been set up and taken down by his father’s staff. The gifts wrapped by the department stores before they even made it home. When he stopped and thought about it, Jack wondered if his father had ever gone out and shopped for him and Katie, or had he sent his secretary to do the job? Probably the latter. Yet that had changed in the last few years, which was a good thing. Gaylord had never been cruel, just clueless about his children.

Jessica had created a home and holiday with love. The apartment might be small, but it screamed Christmas and family. Sitting on the worn sofa felt as comfortable as any leather variety he’d ever had the pleasure of planting his butt on.

The news announced the time as ten o’clock and Jack couldn’t help but shift his thoughts to where Jessie was and what she was doing. A cloud of worry stretched over his earlier happy thoughts. She might not be out with Braaad if Jack had revealed certain truths about himself.

Part of him wanted to tell her the truth, and the other part reminded him that if she suddenly decided he was worthy enough to date, spend time with, make love to, that he’d never truly know if it was his money or him she wanted.

The guilt in her eyes when she’d said she was going on a date with that loser had said so much. Jessie worried about what Jack thought. He smiled at the thought. Without a doubt, there was heat in Jessie’s gaze when she looked at him. He felt it every damn time he was around her. Someone upstairs really should offer him sainthood or some such thing for the restraints he’d placed on himself where Jessie was concerned.

Danny sighed in his sleep; a little drool fell from the boy’s mouth and onto Jack’s pants.

Jack was about to pick the boy up and put him to bed when he heard a key turning in the lock of the door.

Jessie walked in with her eyes to the floor. She held her shoes in one hand and the keys and her purse in the other. She turned toward the door and secured the dead bolt and the chain lock without even realizing Jack was there.

She rested her head against the door and dropped her shoes to the floor. “God, Monica, you won’t believe this date.”

Jack was proud to say that Jessie’s tone didn’t sound happy or dreamy.

Slowly Jessie turned around and lifted her gaze. She let out a quick squeal and stifled it before it became a full-on scream. Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes to her son who lay in Jack’s lap.

Lifting a finger to his lips, Jack said, “Shh, Danny’s worn out.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked in a curt, hushed tone.

Chapter Ten

“Let me put him to bed,” Jack whispered before he lifted Danny into his strong arms, cradled him against his chest, and walked to Danny’s room.

Jessie’s heart was thumping faster than a jackrabbit’s. What was Jack doing in her apartment, and where in the world was Monica?

Two hours earlier, Jessie had realized she’d left her phone at home and nearly asked to use the restaurant phone to call in. Instead, she kept on with the disaster of a date until she couldn’t handle it any longer.

Standing in the doorway, Jessie watched Jack tuck Danny in bed as if he’d done so a hundred times.

Danny rolled over in his sleep, dragging Tex, the snake, with him.

Jack silently tiptoed away and squeezed between Jessie and the door before standing in the hall. She closed the door and motioned for Jack to follow her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked again.

“Monica called me. Her friend, the girl who was here tonight…”

“Lynn?”

“Right. Lynn’s mother was in an accident and Monica needed to drive her to the hospital. Your sister didn’t think it would be a good place for Danny, and you didn’t have your phone, so she called me.”

“Why you?” Who else, Jessie thought. Their mother was too far away and didn’t take to watching Danny all that often. But she would have in an emergency.

“I was close and available. It was Danny’s idea.”

The explanation was reasonable, but Jessie wasn’t happy to see the man who’d unknowingly wiggled into her date before it had even gotten started. Jack shot her a smile. His dimples peeked through. Dammit.

She’d thought of that smile for the past half hour. The past thirty minutes, as she’d walked from where her car had broken down, the crappy thing. “Could this night get any worse?” she said as she turned away from Jack’s easy smile and sparkling gray eyes.

“What was that?” Jack asked.

“Nothing, nothing.” Jessie picked up her shoes from where she’d dropped them and unlocked the dead bolt and chain so Monica wouldn’t be locked out.

“Are you OK?” he asked. His voice had dropped the laughing tone, and suddenly Jessie was on the verge of tears. No, she was absolutely not OK.

But, darn it, she didn’t need her bleeding heart, and probably feet, crying to Jack about it. Seemed like she was continually indebted to Jack already, and she’d hardly known the man for a month. “Fine!” she nearly barked out at him.

“You don’t seem fine, Jessie.”

“And how would you know whether I’m fine or not? I’ve known you for, what, a month?” She verbalized her frustration and her feelings. “A month, and already my family calls you when there’s a crisis.”

“I’d like to think we’re friends,” Jack said as he inched closer.

What a crock of horseshit. Jessie didn’t fantasize about her friends. All night she’d compared Jack to Brad.