A Word with the Bachelor (16 page)

“I know him, too,” Erin said. “His name is Harley.”

“My dad read your book.” The girl in the first desk couldn't
take her eyes off the author.

Erin knew the feeling, but she was in charge here and it was
time to take control of the class, at least, even if she was having trouble
managing her feelings. She couldn't look at Jack hard enough and her heart was
racing, trying to outrun the pain of seeing him again.

She ignored both and took the quiz papers that were passed to
her, noting that the bell would ring in a few minutes. She'd make her escape
then. “Never miss a teachable moment. Jack, why don't you tell the kids about
yourself.”

“Just the high points? Maybe five minutes?”

“Yes.” That was the advice she'd given him when he'd shown up
at Kim Miller's classroom in Blackwater Lake without notes for his talk. He'd
remembered and she found that oddly endearing. Foolish, but true.

So, Jack told his personal story again and, like the last time,
didn't gloss over the fact that he'd chosen the army over juvenile detention and
liked the life so much he joined the rangers. But for every up there was a down.
He lost brothers in arms that he cared deeply about and it left a mark. Writing
helped him deal with those scars and he got lucky.

Then he asked if anyone had a question and most of the hands in
the room shot up. He pointed to a kid sitting in the middle row.

“What's your name?” Jack asked.

“Cameron. How do you know Miss Riley?”

Jack met her gaze. “I was having trouble with my second book.
My editor sent her to me to move things along. I'd never collaborated before and
it didn't go well at first.”

Because he was a loner, she thought. She wasn't sure what he
was doing here, but there was no reason to think he'd changed. She watched him
answer the kids' questions in a straightforward, humorous way and he had them
firmly under his spell. So what else was new?

She recalled the moments before his first time in front of a
high school class, when he'd said it was too late for a personality transplant
and no one had ever accused him of being charming or approachable. Apparently he
was capable of learning because he was both of those things now.

Good God, would the darn bell ever ring?

A girl in front of him asked, “You said you live in Montana.
Why did you come all this way to see Miss Riley?”

He looked over at her, but before he could answer the question,
the darn bell finally rang. She really wanted to know why he'd come, but this
group didn't need to hear the free-at-last signal twice. They grabbed their
things and headed for the door.

Jack called after them, “Thanks for not throwing spitballs at
me.”

And suddenly it was quiet. She was alone with Jack.

Erin moved to the desk and retrieved her purse from the bottom
drawer. “That's my cue. I'll just be going—”

“Please wait.”

She looked down for a moment, then slid her hands into the
pockets of her black slacks. With a deep breath she forced herself to meet his
gaze. “I don't think we have anything to say to each other. You made yourself
clear the last time I saw you.”

“You're not at all curious about why I'm here?”

She was trying not to be and failing miserably. “Okay. Yes. Why
are you here?”

He watched his dog wander the classroom, exploring and stopping
occasionally to sniff something that caught his attention. “I know you sent the
Harley books to Cheryl.”

“So you came all this way to yell at me for violating your
privacy? News flash, Jack, you can only fire me once. After that, technically I
don't work for you anymore and it's—”

He moved closer and touched a finger to her lips, stopping the
flow of words. “She loved the stories.”

“What?”

“Cheryl passed them on to the editor in charge of children's
books and they bought them. Everyone at the house loves the idea of an ongoing
series.”

“Congratulations.” Oh, she wanted to rub that in, but taking
the high road seemed... The hell with the high road. She'd already been fired.
There was nothing left to lose. “I told you so.”

“What?”

“I knew they were good but you wouldn't listen.”

He nodded. “I was an ungrateful jerk.”

“Yes, you were.” There. She'd said it and waited to feel some
satisfaction. Unfortunately, there was nothing.

“I came here to explain why I reacted so badly.”

“It's not necessary. I get it. You felt vulnerable revealing so
much of yourself.”

“It's more than that.” The easy charm he showed the kids was
gone, replaced by a tightly coiled intensity. The warrior. He was fighting for
something. “I believed when you saw the real me you'd be disappointed and—”

“Leave?”

“Yeah.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Sending you away
first was my way to control the situation. It was knee-jerk.”

Gosh darn it, she understood and didn't want to. She was trying
to stay mad at him because it was the only protection she had.

“You really didn't have to come, Jack.”

“Yeah, I did. Cheryl said I broke her book coach.”

“What?” Erin never mentioned what had happened between her and
Jack. How could the editor have known?

“She said you were different. Sad.” He looked troubled for a
moment, then went on. “Delanie said you stopped by on the way out of town and
you were crying.”

“She was wrong.” Talk about knee-jerk. “Bar None is dark. I had
something in my eye.”

“Liar.”

She had seen many expressions cross his face. Anger.
Irritation. Passion. Intensity. Tenderness and toughness. But there was a look
now that was different from anything else. It had all the signs of
self-recrimination. “Okay. I may have shed a tear. But it had nothing to do with
you.” Now
that
was a lie. “I've never been fired
before. It was a shock.”

“I'm sorry I made you cry, Erin. It was definitely not my
finest hour.”

“Understood. But it wasn't necessary to come all this way to
apologize. Although I appreciate it and accept your apology. Now I really need
to go.” She started to reach for her purse again. “We're done.”

“I'm not.”

“What else could there possibly be?” She wasn't sure how much
longer she could keep it together and wished he would leave.

“You never asked about the sequel to
High
Value Target
.” He held up his hand to stop her when she started to
say something. “I thought you should know that I figured out what was missing
from the book. And from my life.”

“What?” She held her breath as hope twisted free inside
her.

“The answer to both is you. I love you, Erin.”

She had an imagination and knew how to use it. She'd pictured a
scenario where Jack would say those words to her. Never once had she seen
herself bursting into tears, but that's what happened. The feelings came
spilling out and she covered her face with her hands.

Instantly, strong arms pulled her in close to his body. “Please
don't cry. I can't stand it.”

She laughed, but it came out more a snort. “You? Big, bad
Special Forces ranger?”

“It's our secret. I'd rather face incoming fire than see you
cry.” He cupped her cheek in his palm and lifted her gaze to his. “I love you. I
came to get you and bring you home to Blackwater Lake. I'm asking you to marry
me. If you meant what you said. That you love me.”

She sniffled, then pulled away just far enough to look into his
eyes. “Yes.”

He waited, looking increasingly frustrated. Finally he said,
“That's all you've got? I expected more.”

“Show, don't tell.” She shrugged, then stood on tiptoe and
pressed her mouth to his. She poured all the pain of rejection and now
unexpected joy into the kiss. Both of them had trouble catching their breath
when they reluctantly pulled apart.

“Sometimes a guy needs more than a word. Does that mean you'll
marry me?”

“I love you, Jack. No one warned me you would be so much
trouble, but I fell in love with you the moment we met.”

“Love at first sight?”

“Laugh if you want, but it's true.”

“I'm not laughing. Thanks to you my career in action-adventure
is on target and I'm doing a series of children's books.” He lifted one
shoulder. “Even I couldn't have made this up. So, who knows? Maybe together
we'll break into the romance genre.”

“The best part is we'll live it. Nothing would make me happier
than marrying you. And I love Blackwater Lake, too. Just try and keep me away.”
She smiled up at him. “Is that enough words for you?”

“For now. But there's a lot to be said for ‘show, don't
tell.'”

And he proceeded to kiss her again. Being in his arms was like
coming home. Life was funny and wonderful. She'd taken a job looking for
adventure and found the most exciting one of all. Love.

A word with the bachelor had turned into her
happily-ever-after.

* * * * *

Can't get enough of
THE BACHELORS OF
BLACKWATER LAKE?
Don't miss Teresa Southwick's
previous books in this heartwarming miniseries:

HOW TO LAND HER LAWMAN

THE WIDOW'S BACHELOR BARGAIN

A DECENT PROPASAL

THE RANCHER WHO TOOK HER IN

Keep reading for an excerpt from
ALWAYS A
COWBOY
by Linda Lael Miller.

Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin
ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003

Drake Carson is willing to put up with
Luce Hale, the supposed “expert” his mother brought to the ranch, as long as
she can get the herd of wild horses off his land, but the pretty academic
wants to study them instead! Sparks are sure to fly when opposites collide
in Mustang Creek...

Read on for a sneak peek from
New York Times
bestselling author
Linda Lael Miller's second book in
THE CARSONS OF
MUSTANG CREEK
trilogy,
ALWAYS A COWBOY
, coming
soon from HQN Books.

Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!

Do you want to earn
Free Books
and More?
Join
Harlequin My Rewards
points program and earn points every time you shop.

You can redeem your points to get more of what you love:

Free books
Exclusive gifts and contests
Book recommendations tailored to your reading preferences

Earn
2000 points
instantly when you join—getting you closer to redeeming your first free book.

Don't miss out. Reward the book lover in you!

Click
here
to sign up
Or visit us online to sign up at

http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010001

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Special Edition story.

You know that romance is for life.
Harlequin Special Edition
stories show that every chapter in a relationship has its challenges and delights and that love can be renewed with each turn of the page.

Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Special Edition every month!
Visit
Harlequin.com
to find your next great read.

Connect with us on
Harlequin.com
for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

Other ways to keep in touch:

Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com