Natural Born Daddy by Sherryl Woods Page B

and saw that Dani had fallen asleep. “I remember,” she admitted. Even now the memory had her scowling. “You wanted to practice kissing.”
    â€œI wanted to be sure I got it right. I didn’t want to kiss my first date and get it wrong. It would have been humiliating.”
    â€œAnd kissing me wrong wouldn’t have bothered you?” she inquired just as irritably now as she had then.
    â€œNope. I knew you’d forgive me. I was trusting you with my fragile ego.”
    â€œDo you have any idea how infuriating it was to a teenage girl to be considered target practice for some boy? What you were telling me was that I was not good enough for the real thing.”
    His expression sobered. “I never meant for you to see it that way.”
    Unexpected tears gathered in her eyes. “Then why would you be doing the same thing to me now?” she asked quietly.
    He looked over at her, shock written all over his face. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
    â€œAren’t you asking to practice marriage on me, just the way you did with kissing back then?”
    â€œOf course not!”
    â€œSounds that way to me.”
    â€œMarrying you won’t be practice, Kelly. It’ll be for keeps.”
    He said it so emphatically that she almost believed him. Still, there was no getting around the point that he had never once, not in all the years she’d known him, said he loved her. Even Paul Flint had given her that much. Maybe the words hadn’t meant much in the end, but at least they’d started off with a promise of undying love. If that hadn’t been enough to sustain a marriage, how could she possibly trust a commitment that started with anything less?
    * * *
    After he’d dropped Kelly and Dani off, Jordan drove home, pondering the evening. He wasn’t exactly sure where he’d gone wrong. He’d thought the entire day was going really well. He’d actually enjoyed being with Dani, answering her endless questions, awestruck by her inquisitiveness. He’d loved teasingbright patches of indignant color into Kelly’s too pale cheeks. He’d thought the taunting and the memories had stirred exactly the right kind of amorous thoughts.
    But there had been no mistaking the sudden souring of the mood on the drive home. He had no idea how to combat this absurd notion Kelly had gotten that he viewed a marriage between them as practice. That wasn’t it at all. When he made a commitment, he kept it. Businessmen he dealt with trusted him on the basis of a handshake. Why couldn’t a woman he’d known all his life trust him on the basis of a sacred vow?
    He was still mulling over what had happened when he glanced into his rearview mirror and noted a pair of headlights bearing down on his car. Whoever it was was driving erratically and far too fast given the nighttime conditions on the winding country road. Jordan clung to the wheel a little more tightly.
    There was a sharp curve coming up just ahead and even though he knew the road like the back of his hand, he felt his palms turn sweaty. That curve was no place to be with a crazy driver on his tail. Opting not to take a chance, he pulled off onto the shoulder of the road to let the car pass. As it whizzed by, he realized with a sense of dismay that the bright red pickup was Cody’s.
    â€œWhat the hell?” he muttered, pulling out behind his brother and speeding up a little.
    The truck took the curve on two wheels, causing Jordan’s breath to lodge in his throat. A sense of impending tragedy made his stomach tighten. Dear God in heaven, he wasn’t sure the family could take another loss. Erik’s death had shaken them all,especially Luke, who had been there when that tractor overturned, and their father. Harlan Adams was tough, but they had all known he felt a terrible burden of responsibility for not recognizing that Erik wasn’t suited for ranch work. If