He was going to kiss her
She could see the longing in his eyes.
His lips touched hers softly. They opened. She followed suit, and his tongue pushed through.
His hands caressed her smooth back and she pressed her fingers into his taut shoulder muscles, desperate to get closer. He lifted her, holding her naked body flush against his own in the flowing river.
She placed her arms around his neck and let her legs encircle his hips. The roar of the river pounded in her ears.
He left her mouth and she whimpered in disappointment. But then he kissed her neck, slipped his hands lower to cup her bottom, and she tightened her knees against him.
Robin? His strangled voice was filled with need.
Yes, Jake?
You dont want this.
What? She wanted this more than shed ever wanted anything in her life. She was his for the taking.
When he spoke again his harsh whisper was precise. Youre Robin Medford. Im Jacob Bronson. And you do not want this to happen.
Dear Reader,
People accuse me of being too decisive. Okay, Ill be honest, they accuse me of being too impulsive. I plan as little as possible, because theres nothing more frustrating than strategizing and formulating for days, weeks, or years on end when you could spend that time actually doing something. In Forever Jake, I wanted to feature an impulsive heroine, someone who has an idea and immediately springs into action.
When Robin Medford decides she wants to have a baby, she doesnt waste time wandering willy-nilly around the notion. And when she decides Jacob Bronson is the perfect candidate to father her baby, she immediately springs into action, all rightwith unexpected results!
I hope you enjoy Forever Jake. Temptation has long been my favorite of the Harlequin lines, and I am absolutely thrilled to be in such talented company.
Best wishes,
Barbara Dunlop
Books by Barbara Dunlop
HARLEQUIN DUETS
54BTHE MOUNTIE STEALS A WIFE
Forever Jake
Barbara Dunlop
www.millsandboon.co.uk
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For Marcelle Dubé.
With admiration, respect and gratitude.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
1
A WOMAN simply couldnt trust sperm banks these days.
Robin Medford stuffed the latest copy of The New England Journal of Medicine into the leather backpack tucked beneath the airplane seat in front of her. The Beaver floatplane shuddered as it banked left, bringing the town of Forever into view through the tiny oblong window.
Following a long-standing custom in the remote Yukon Territory, the pilot buzzed the small town nestled between a steep, sparsely treed mountainside and the lazy winding blue-green river that was its namesake. Then he swooped over the town hall to determine wind direction by the Canadian and Yukon flags flapping out front in the sunny afternoon breeze.
Taking a deep breath, Robin turned away from the window and let her head fall back against the high-backed seat. It amazed her to read how many mistakes were made by well-meaning fertility doctors and laboratory technicians. Some of the results were downright frightening.
It had taken less than three days research to convince her that sperm banks were not a reliable source for her future childs genetic start in life. Which narrowed her options somewhat, but didnt necessarily cancel her plan.
Shed simply have to get pregnant the old-fashioned way. Find a promising specimen, pick a fertile day, and send in the troops. Piece of cake, really.
After all, she reasoned, shed had sex with Juan Carlos at the base camp below Mount Edelrich in Switzerland two years ago. It certainly wasnt rocket science. In fact, her final paramedic qualification exam had been a whole lot more complicated than Juanand a whole lot more exciting as she recalled.
She could do it again to get a baby. Not with Juan, of course. Aside from being half a world away, he was far too narcissistic and self-indulgent to be a candidate for fatherhood.
The pilot banked the plane more steeply, coming about above a poplar grove and into the wind as he lined up with the river on his final approach. Robin imagined the stick under her fingertips and automatically checked out the window for debris in the high-running, late August river.
As the water rushed up to meet them, she pictured adjustments to the flaps and watched the altimeter in her minds eye. It had been a long time since shed piloted a Beaverlonger still since shed visited the small town where shed grown up.
Fifteen years to be exact.
Fifteen years since shed graduated from high school and set off to find adventure. Shed been determined to build a life beyond the isolated community that lay three hundred miles north of the Alaska Highway, up against the border of the Northwest Territories.
Shed succeeded.
The Beavers floats sliced through the river current. The force of deceleration pinned her against her seat belt as the craft succumbed to the resistance of the water. The pilot backed off the prop speed, and she settled back into her seat.
Shed succeeded, both in building herself a career and in seeing a good portion of the world. And now shed come full circle. For the first time, she was back home. She removed the hard plastic ear muffs that protected her hearing against the loud radial engine. Then she ran spread fingers through her long, wavy hair as they chugged toward the gray dock.
Forever. A town founded by miners, then kept alive by wilderness tourism and the manufacture of fine furniture from the rare russet birch trees that graced the nearby mountains. The streets were still dusty, the buildings still weathered, and the surrounding wilderness still dwarfed the efforts of nine hundred and fifty townspeople.
The floats groaned against the tire bumpers on the dock as the plane came to a halt. Robin flipped her seat belt catch. When the door swung open, she automatically steeled herself against the impending onslaught of mosquitoes and blackflies.
Biting insects notwithstanding, she was surprisingly glad to be back. She could hardly wait to see the expression on her grandmothers face when she realized that every single one of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren was here to celebrate her seventy-fifth birthday.
Robin had five days to spend with her family before she had to report to her new job at Wild Ones Tours in Toronto. It was good to arrive, but she was certain shed be more than ready to get back to civilization by the time her five days were up.
Even now, Forever was extremely isolated. There was no road access to the town and no airport. People came and went by boat and floatplane or they didnt come and go at all.
Besides, she was a woman with an all new fertility plan. She needed to get back to where there were men. Real men. Intelligent, genetically sound men who liked sex.
She sized up the pilot as he helped her across the airplane float and onto the swaying dock. He was a bit too short. She smiled her thanks and swung the backpack onto her shoulders.
This whole sperm bank risk factor could end up working in her favor. Upon reflection, it definitely made sense to meet and get to know the biological father of her planned child. A woman could learn a whole lot more about a person through conversation and observation than through a sterile file in a clinic waiting room.
She placed her palm against her abdomen and smiled as the soles of her leather boots crunched on the gravel of River Front Road. According to her fertility books, at thirty-two she was still within an age group highly ranked for safe conception and delivery. She had secured an excellent promotion that would keep her in a beautiful city. And she had her name on the waiting list of the best nanny agencies and preschools available.
Everything was in place. All she needed was the right man for about twenty minutes.
JAKE BRONSON HEARD the Beavers engine slow to a stop from his narrow hiding place between the Fireweed Café and the Forever Hardware Store. He pulled his battered Stetson hat low on his forehead and leaned back, trying to fade into the raw wood siding of the café wall.
He wasnt normally a coward, but ever since his former friend Derek Sullivan had placed that ridiculous personal ad in newspapers all across the county, the women of Forever had declared open season on Jake. Oh, not that they really wanted to marry him. At least, he didnt think they really wanted to marry him.
He was pretty sure all three of the very public marriage proposals last week were jokes. But Annie Miller was heading down Main Street right now, and she looked frighteningly purposeful to a jaded Jake. She wore a sundress far too pretty for an ordinary Saturday afternoon.
Jake had no intention of being the butt of yet another public prank.
He stood stock-still, watching Annie from the corner of his eye, breathing carefully. A long, low growl sounded beside him. He cringed, knowing exactly what was coming next.
A series of deep-chested barks echoed through the narrow passageway, nearly deafening him and seriously compromising his attempt at secrecy. His heart sank as he turned to face the huge husky-wolf cross who had ferreted him out and was standing, hackles raised, about three feet away.
Dweedle-Dumb was a darn sight more impressive than his name suggested. He ruled the streets of Forever with an iron paw, sending lesser animals scurrying out of his way with a sidelong glance and a curled lip. Jake briefly considered trying to shush the animal, but knew from experience that Dweedle-Dumbs owner, the town farrier, was the only person who had any influence.
Dweedle, hi-yup. The harsh command was music to Jakes ears.
What the hell are you doing hanging out in the shadows, Jake? Patrick Moore ambled to the spot where Dweedle-Dumb now sat obediently in the center of the dirt path, all traces of cunning in his yellow eyes replaced by adoration for his master.
Jake placed a finger across his lips in a silent signal, jerking his head sideways toward Annie. She was fifty yards away and closing.
Patrick squinted out into the street. Then his ruddy face broke into a grin and his body shook with suppressed mirth. To his credit, he didnt make a sound. Although Jake was having a hard time being grateful for that tender mercy.
Looks a bit dressed up there, doesnt she? Patrick whispered.
Thats what worries me, said Jake.
Heard she made moss-berry squares this morning. Do you suppose shell try to impress you with her culinary expertise?
She doesnt want to impress me. She wants to embarrass me. Jake ducked his head, hoping the hat brim would hide any telltale flash of his face.
Shes turning, Patrick announced.
Toward us? Jake didnt dare look up.
No. To the dock. Whoa, mama.
What?
Now thats a sweet sight.
What is it? Jake hissed, braving a brief glance out onto the street.
Wouldnt mind having her answer my personal ad. Patrick straightened his shoulders and tucked his plaid shirt into the waistband of his jeans.
You dont have a personal ad. The lucky man.
As Jakes vision adjusted to the bright sunshine, he felt a jolt course directly through his nervous system. A tall, willowy blonde greeted Annie with an exuberant hug right there in front of the northern pike fountain. She was wearing formfitting jeans and a brightly colored cardigan sweater. The sweater was open, revealing a white knit shirt.
Even from thirty yards away Jake was struck by the beauty of her profile. Her sandy hair glinted in the sunshine and her tinkling laughter seemed to brighten the dusty street. For a second he actually hoped she had answered the ad.
That was ridiculous, of course. Because Dereks ad didnt say where Jake lived. The chances of some big-city bombshell figuring out that Yukon Jake lived in Forever were somewhere well south of nil.
Patrick raked his hair back off his forehead. Didnt know Annie had friends that looked like that.
Going over to meet her? asked Jake. He slouched against the wall, hooking his thumbs into his belt loops and crossing one dusty cowboy boot over the other. He let his gaze slide appreciatively over her shapely thighs and cute derriere.
Reckon I might just do that. Patrick squared his shoulders. You coming?
Shes all yours, Patrick. Jake feigned indifference to the most interesting female that had entered this town in the last decade. Hed just have to wait to hear all the mystery woman details tonight at the Fireweed Café.
Annie still might have her sights set on him. And no way in the world was he voluntarily setting himself up for ridicule. Nor was he showing the slightest interest in a beautiful stranger. Following on the heels of Dereks embarrassing ad, Jake could just imagine the townsfolks reaction to that.
He shuddered. Nope. For now hed just head right on back to the ranch and finish off the new stallion pen, exactly as hed planned.