Leopard 03 - Burning Wild

seemed to know exactly what he was doing. And whether he thought of himself as a good man or not, a part of her reached for him, wanted—no, even needed —to do as he asked her. Wanted to reach beyond the emptiness in his eyes and the blankness of his expression and see who he really was. And that had never happened before, not even with her beloved Andrew.
    She kissed Kyle’s forehead and leaned down to whisper in his ear. “It will be all right. You’ll see. Don’t be afraid.” Because she was there and she needed the baby to focus her attention on, to give her something to cling to. She looked up at Jake’s face and caught a hint of satisfaction there. She filed it away. He wanted her attached to his son. Maybe he feared bringing the child home on his own, and she couldn’t blame him, although it was rumored he had enough money to hire an army of nurses.
    Whatever his reason, it didn’t really matter to her, not right then.
    “How long before Kyle can go home with you?” Emma asked, nuzzling the baby’s head.
    “A few more days, the doctors are saying. They want his weight up a little bit. What are they saying about you?”
    She shrugged. “Pretty much the same thing.”
    “Do you have any family?”
    Emma instinctively knew he already had the answer, but for some reason he wanted to force her to admit the truth out loud. “No.” The moment she told him, she understood. It left her with nothing—and no one—and that shook her even more. She looked up at him, trying to see beyond her grief to care that she was putting herself in the hands of a complete stranger.
    “Are you all right with Kyle? I’ll put a call in to my lawyers and get them started again on the settlement for you with the insurance company. And I need to make certain I have doctors lined up to care for you and Kyle once we’re home. You are coming with us, aren’t you, Emma? Because honestly, I really need your help.”
    “What’s home?” Her voice shook a little.

    “I have a ranch in Texas. I own property in quite a few places, but the ranch is my primary home and where I’d like you to stay. I can hire help while you’re on bed rest to take care of Kyle.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t want you spending money on me.”
    He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I think I have enough to take care of you without worrying too much about going hungry.”
    She knew the name Bannaconni. She’d heard the whispers around the hospital. Private jets, exotic cars, men rushing to bring him papers to sign and rumors of a new wing for the hospital and lots of very up-to-date equipment. “Just because you have money doesn’t mean people should take advantage of you.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t want that.”
    Then she was the only one on the planet. Was she really too good to be true? Everyone wanted something. His fingers itched to shake her. He needed to get a private investigator to find out everything he could about little Ms. Reynolds. The more information he had on her, the better equipped he would be to control her.
    “You won’t be taking advantage of me. If you prefer, we can keep an accounting of any expenses I incur and you can pay me back when you get your settlement. I don’t want you to be misled, though.
    The ranch is very secluded, very remote. We don’t get or encourage many visitors, although I have ranch hands who work regularly for me and live on the property, so you won’t be alone when I have to go away on business. We can also get a temporary housekeeper to keep you company. If you want the job when you’re stronger, looking after the house and Kyle and your baby, then of course you can have it.”
    She frowned and nuzzled the baby again. “You’re offering me a job as a housekeeper, looking after your home and child?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t know the first thing about babies, or what to do with them. You can get the diaper on him, which makes you one step ahead of me already.”
    “Jake,” Emma said gently, “you can’t be so desperate you’d hire a perfect stranger to take care of your son. I don’t want to talk myself out of a job, but . . .”
    “And a home,” he added.
    “And a home,” she agreed, “especially when I’m in such a bad situation. But you don’t know me. How can you trust me with your child?”
    “I don’t.”
    The two softly spoken words were uttered with complete honesty. Emma’s head snapped up and her gaze collided with his. A chill went down her