A Baby Under the Tree Read Free

Hollister.”
    â€œJillian Wilkes.” As their palms met and her fingers slipped around his, a warm thrill shimmied up his arm and sent his senses reeling.
    He had to force himself to release her hand, and as he did so, they each took a seat.
    As much as he hated pickup lines and all the small talk that went into meeting someone for the first time, he realized there wasn’t any way around it.
    â€œSo what brings you to El Jardin?” he asked.
    â€œI came for a glass of champagne.” She smiled, as though that made perfect sense, but the detective whostill lived somewhere deep within found that hard to believe.
    She must have read the question in his gaze, because her demeanor grew shy and uneasy.
    Why? he wondered, more curious about her than ever. What was her story? Why would a woman like her be in a sophisticated bar all by herself?
    Shane glanced at the nearly full bottle. “Are you celebrating a birthday or something?”
    â€œActually, yes. My divorce is final today.”
    He nodded, as though that was a perfectly good reason to drink alone. Heck, he’d downed nearly a bottle of whiskey after his.
    Jillian didn’t appear to be tying one on, though. He hadn’t seen her take more than an occasional sip. It must be some kind of mock celebration, which suggested the breakup hadn’t been her idea.
    If not, what kind of man let a woman like her slip through his fingers? Or was there more to Jillian Wilkes than just a pretty face and graceful style?
    Was she a spendthrift? Or someone who didn’t appreciate a man’s family or his job?
    Shane could relate to that, but he wasn’t planning to talk about his past, let alone think about it. So he turned the conversation back to her. “How long were you married?”
    â€œNearly eight years.”
    â€œKids?”
    A shadow darkened those sea-blue eyes. “No.”
    Had they split for that reason? Some people wanted children; others didn’t.
    He regretted his curiosity, yet couldn’t shake the raging interest. “Something tells me you’re only putting on a happy face.”
    She twisted a silky strand of hair in a nervous fashion. “I’ll be okay. Really. And to be honest, I’m looking forward to the changes my new life will bring.”
    â€œWas the divorce your idea?” Shane didn’t know why it mattered. But it did.
    â€œI had higher expectations from the marriage than he did.” She shrugged, then said, “I believe that promises should be kept, that marriages are meant to last and that people in love need to honor and protect each other from heartbreak, not dish it out.”
    The guy must have screwed around on her. If so, he was a fool. Or so it seemed. “He left you for someone else?”
    â€œA lot of somebodies.” She lifted her glass, took a sip.
    He watched the movements in her throat as she swallowed, amazed at how something so simple, so basic, could practically mesmerize him and send his blood humming through his veins.
    She leaned forward. “And what about you, Shane?”
    What about him?
    He wasn’t about to spill his guts. Still, her self-disclosure was a little refreshing, and he found himself admitting, “I was married, but not anymore.”
    â€œDo you mind if I ask why not?”
    Yeah, he minded. He’d rather keep things focused on her and on why she was here. On the soft sound of her voice, the stunning blue of her eyes, the graceful wayshe sat before a glass of champagne and hardly took a drink.
    But he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to be honest.
    â€œMy ex-wife didn’t like my job,” he admitted.
    She’d also resented his family. But he kept part of the equation to himself.
    â€œWhat do you do for a living?” Jillian asked.
    He hesitated before answering. “I’m a ranch hand on a little spread about two hours from here. But when I was married, I had a job that kept me away from home a