always been sensitive about her youth, but even more so now that she was dealing with the Savannah Jeffries issue and her dad’s part in it.
“What do you watch?” J.D. asked.
She pulled herself back into the conversation. “The news mostly. I like Animal Planet, too. Sometimes I watch romantic comedies.”
“Is that what’s called chick flicks?”
She nodded.
He got up and stood beside the living-room window. “So, how long have you had that list of yours?”
Dang. He was back to that. “Awhile.”
“How long is awhile?”
“Since I was twenty-five, and I’m thirty now.”
“Five years? That is awhile. Have you been refining it?”
“I added a few things about the ranch since I came here.”
“About your future husband loving this place?”
“Yes.” Restless, she reached for the clothes she’d loaned him. “But the list is mostly the same as it was five years ago. I knew what qualities I wanted in a man then, and I still want him to have those same qualities now.”
“I couldn’t begin to make a list. I don’t know what I expect out of myself, let alone someone else.”
“You’ll know all about yourself once your memory comes back.”
“I still can’t imagine making a list.”
“Then you’re probably not a type-A personality like I am.”
“I suppose not.” He motioned to the clothes. “Is that part of your type-A nature?”
She glanced down. Apparently she’d been folding and refolding the same pair of jeans. “I’m just …”
“What?”
Nervous, she thought. But she said, “I’m just trying to help you get organized.” She quickly folded each article of clothing, then went after the toiletries, dropping them back into the bag. She made sure the condoms went first, keeping them out of sight and out of mind. “I’ll put all of this away for you.”
“Sure. Okay. Thanks.” He smiled a little. “I was going to leave everything there until I needed it.”
So much for blocking the condoms from her mind. He wouldn’t need those while he was staying at the Flying B, would he? Not unless he found a local girl to mess around with once he started feeling better.
Jenna frowned and headed for the bedroom.
He tagged along. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“You seem flustered. If I’m too much work for you, just leave that stuff, Jenna. I’ll take care of it.”
“I’m not flustered.” She just didn’t like envisioning him with another woman.
As opposed to him being with her? She reprimanded herself. She shouldn’t be entertaining those sorts of thoughts. J.D. could have sex with whoever met his fancy.
Trouble was, he met the physical requirements on her list. Of course she knew that being sexually attracted to someone wasn’t enough to sustain a relationship. Every piece of the puzzle had to fit.
While she put his borrowed clothes in the dresser, he sat on the edge of the bed.
“You should stay in this cabin after I’m gone,” he said.
“Why?”
“So you can sleep here.” He patted the bed.
Her pulse went haywire. “I already told you there’s nothing I need to dream about.”
“I was talking about the comfort factor.”
“I have a comfortable bed in my room.”
“Do you have an old feather mattress?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll bet it doesn’t compare. I sank right into this bed. It’s pretty darn amazing.”
She glanced away. “I’m glad you like it.”
“It’s interesting that you don’t think you have anything to dream about.”
She turned to look at him again. “What do you mean?”
“Seems to me that you’d want to dream about the man you’re hoping to marry.”
“I don’t need to see him in a dream. I’ll know who he is when I meet him in person.”
“You’ll recognize him from the list? That must be some list.”
“It is to me. But most people probably wouldn’t think much of it.”
“Where do you keep it?”
“I have a file on my computer. But I keep a copy in my purse, too.”
“You carry it around?” He flashed his lopsided grin. “That’s over the top.”
His cavalier attitude annoyed her. “Keeping it close at hand helps me to stay focused.”
“So you can checkmark it when you’re on a date?” His grin got even more crooked. “I feel sorry for the poor saps who take you out, having to live up to whatever your expectations are.”
“Your sense of humor is wearing thin, J.D.”
“Sorry. It’s just that I’ve never met anyone like you before.”
“How would you know if you’ve ever met anyone like me?”
“I wouldn’t, I guess. But logic tells me that you’re one of a kind.”
“You think I’m weird.” She tromped into the bathroom to put his toiletries away.
Soon she felt his presence behind her. She sensed that he was looming in the doorway, watching her. She ignored him. The condoms were the last items she put away. She placed them in the cabinet under the sink, stood up and turned in his direction.
He said, “I don’t think you’re weird. I think you’re sweet and beautiful and unique.”
He was looking at her with tenderness in his eyes, and now she longed to reach out and hold him. “Thank you. That was a nice thing to say.”
“I meant every word.”
The bathroom was small already, and now the walls were closing in.
“I should get going,” she said.
“You don’t have to leave yet.”
She glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late.”
“But I want you to stay.” He didn’t move away from the doorway, trapping her where she was.
J.D. scrambled for an excuse to keep her there. “I need you to help me put the groceries away.”
“You already put them away.”
“I just put the bags in the fridge. I didn’t unload them.”
“Oh, my goodness. Really? There was frozen food in those. And canned goods and …” She shook her head. “You should have unpacked them.”
“So help me do it now.”
She made a tsk-tsk sound. “Who doesn’t look in a grocery bag to see what’s in it?”
He smiled. “A guy recovering from a concussion?”
She returned his smile, and he realized he’d just charmed her. It made him feel good inside, but a bit anxious, too. He shouldn’t be asking her to spend more