A deep, off-center crease appeared between his brows.
Taking pity on him, she freed her smile. “Sorry. I may suck at figuring out a guy’s long-termintentions, but I’m pretty much an expert at reading when they’re into me. Or not.” The ability to recognize that spark of interest had gotten her into far too much trouble over the years.
And why the hell was she tellinghim?
Jeff cleared his throat and fiddled with the fork resting on his plate. “Tara, you’re a beautiful woman, but I’m not… There’s too much shit in my life right now forme to even contemplate—”
“Stop. It’s fine. I wasn’t complaining or looking for flattery. The last thing I want right now is a romantic entanglement. I’ve had enough for a lifetime and it would be a complication I definitely don’t need while someone’s gunning for me.” If she said it enough times, she might even believe it.
Confusion flitted across his strong features.
“Look, I’m glad there’snothing here.” She waved her hand between them. “That’s all I’m trying to say.”
“O-kay.”
“And besides,” she said, “while it’s nice to be thought of as beautiful, there’s a lot more to me than looks. Any man who expects to get serious will have to think so too.”
“Of course.”
“So, I accept your offer. Let’s go camping.”
The scents of damp wool and engine grease in the RV always broughtback a flood of memories for Jeff. A few of them good.
He and Tara had retrieved his motor home from a long-term campground in Burke, and she’d followed him in his Forerunner to a campsite in nearby Gainesville, Virginia. They were all hooked up, but now it was after midnight, and he was beat.
“Tomorrow we can venture out for whatever you need, but I have some unopened toiletries in the bathroom,”he said.
Tara sat across from him at the small dining table with her feet tucked under her, still wearing her ripped pea coat, legs bare. The old heater hummed in the background, working hard to chase the chill from the air. It would take a while to warm up as the temps outside dropped into the low twenties.
“I’ll be fine.” She dug through her oversized blue purse and produced a bulging makeupbag. “I carry a toothbrush and basic toiletries with me.”
That had to be how she maintained her perfect appearance. Right now, curled on the bench with her shoes kicked off, was the most relaxed—and approachable—he’d ever seen her. She thought she could always tell when a man was into her? Apparently not, because he’d felt a pull from day one.
But he had plenty of experience hiding his truefeelings. He’d learned early on not to let his older brother have any inkling what was going on in his head or Ian would find a way to use it against him. That was one of the things Bridget had hated about Jeff. She could never tell what he was thinking.
And Tara wouldn’t be able to either, unless he wanted her to, because despite his attraction, he’d never act on it. Even if he hadn’t had goodreasons to avoid a relationship, Tara wasn’t his type. He’d dated a beautiful woman he had nothing in common with before, and look how that had turned out. Bridget had lied and manipulated, and ultimately taken everything that mattered to him.
The now-familiar hollowness invaded his chest.
Ruthlessly shoving those thoughts aside, he focused on Tara. She didn’t seem to have the same dubiousrelationship with the truth as Bridget, and she was even more compelling. If his life were different, she would likely be fun to date, but he deserved someone outdoorsy, low maintenance, sporty. Someone who wouldn’t mind getting in the mud with little kids.
A good match.
Fair or not, Jeff couldn’t imagine her on a simple hike in the woods, let alone getting dirty.
Standing, Tara said, “I’llgo get ready.”
While she was closeted in the tiny bathroom with her cosmetic bag, he dragged the pillow off the bunk above the cab in preparation for making the bed. A brown stuffed dog came with it, hitting him in the face and landing on the floor.
“Pickles.” He grabbed the toy and brushed it off.
Evan must have left it behind last time they’d camped. Back in August before the fall semesterhad started, when Jeff had taken him to Peaceful Valley, about an hour northwest of Boulder.
Jeff sat down hard on the banquette and stared at the dog as memories overwhelmed him. He and Evan playing on the edge of a rocky creek, cooling their feet in the water. Laughing after they ate s’mores around the campfire at sunset and Evan got chocolate and marshmallow all over his face. Walking throughthe dark green forest as Evan ran from bug to pine cone to stick, inspecting everything and asking a million questions.
I’m coming, peanut. I’ll find you.
Rising, Jeff strode into his bedroom and laid Pickles on his own pillow before grabbing a set of linens from a small cabinet.
