Chapter Eleven
When Aidan woke, the sun was high in the sky. It took him a minute to remember where he was. And why he was here.
Maura. He turned in the bed to find himself alone. It didn't surprise him. Maura Jackson had certainly turned the tables on him.
He intended to return to the cabin long enough to get the keys to the ranch pickup truck where he had left them in his wedding suit pants pocket, but when he and Willow stepped inside the cabin, the sight of Maura naked in a tub brought memories of their night of—consummation. His attraction to his new bride was undeniable. Especially after she proved to be a formidable partner in the bed.
But he needed to refocus his attentions. He had made a mistake last night when he failed to use a condom. After all, if she were to get pregnant, Tommy's plan would no longer be plausible. He cursed under his breath. He had let his lust and his liquor get the best of him last night.
He had been mad as hell when he first discovered Maura wasn’t a virgin. Why, he couldn’t say—exactly. After all, he and Beth had made love long before either of them were Maura’s age. Was it fair to assume Maura had lived a nun’s life before she had returned home and agreed to their arrangement? The thought of her swimming nude in the creek underscored the fact that the girl wasn’t timid about her body. Not even Beth, as open as she had been with him, would take her clothes off in the daylight.
And did it really matter at this point? He had no intentions of having a child with Maura. A little twinge of guilt poked his sense of fair play. He hoped not to see the look of betrayal in those vivid green eyes when his plan came to light.
Maura will have no reason to feel betrayed. She would get her fair share of compensation for the value of the Jackson land. Then she can live her life as she pleases while he and his family build an empire that would survive anything the world could throw at them.
The way he saw it, there was only one hurdle clouding the horizon. He’d had sex with Maura twice without benefit of protection. It would take him at least a month to ensure she was not with child. In the meantime, he needed to keep his distance from her potentially fatal charms. And the moonshine. And bathtubs of hot water. He chided himself for his bone-headed lapse in judgement.
Aidan dressed and hurried to the main house. He busted through the back door to the kitchen and stopped short just inside. His mother greeted him with a hug and a huge smile.
"There you are, sweetheart. You must be starving."
“Yes, my boy. Come sit down, and Nola will fix you something to eat. You must keep up your strength.” Nessa, his aged nanny from his childhood, spoke up. Aidan would guess she was about eighty-five now, but her mind and eyes were clear and sharp. And they were both trained on him. Her message was loud and clear, and he was embarrassed to be standing in a room full of women knowing what they weren’t talking about.
Nola jumped up to fix him something to eat. He stopped her in mid-stride. “No, thank you, Nola. I’m—not hungry. But thanks anyway.”
He saw Maura sitting at the end of the long table, cutting vegetables for the noon meal alongside the other women in his family. He wasn’t certain he was ready for this kind of homey scene when his thoughts drifted back to the mind-blowing sex she—they—had just shared.
Embarrassment colored her face a charming shade of pink. She knew what he was thinking. He was staring at her. Damn it. He wasn't sure what to say or where to look. He was making a fool of himself.
"I gotta go." He almost ran through the kitchen on the way to the great staircase and up to his room for a bath and change of clothes. He was back down in half an hour ready to head to town and put some distance between him and the ever-growing posse of women on his trail.
"Aidan, are you taking the truck into town today?" His mother's question seemed innocent.
"Yes. I have to pick up some goat feed at the feed store. Why?" He realized too late she had a motive.
"I have a list of items I need from town. Would you mind driving Maura into town to get them for me?"
"I can get what you need. I'm sure Maura is tired—" The words slipped out of his stupid mouth before he knew what he was going to say.
"I mean—" There was nothing he could do to fix it. The grins on his mother, old nanny, and her great-niece made him want to punch something. A quick glance at Maura, and he was convinced all four women were in a conspiracy against him. When did everyone Langley become so enamored with everything Jackson? He had no idea but there was no doubt about it, they liked his new bride, and that wasn’t going to make his job any easier when it came time to dissolve this agreement. If it weren’t for his feelings for Beth, he might be tempted—
"I'll get whatever it is you need. I’m picking up Tommy on the way to town. His car is at Herbie's garage."
"I suppose now that you are a married man you'll be spending less time with that Hillman boy. You know, there's always been something about him that sets my teeth on edge," Nola offered. "He's too polite. Too agreeable. Too—nice."
Aidan noted the way she said the word nice. It did not sound complimentary.
Aidan didn't like where this conversation was going. He was married in name only, so where he spent his time and who he spent his time with was no one's business but his own.
"We’ll see. Well, I gotta go.” He took off out the door and was almost off the porch before Maura stopped him. "Aidan, here’s the list of things your momma wanted.”
He took the list from her. Their fingers brushed across the piece of paper. She pulled away and turned to go back into the house. He was scot-free. He had the whole day away from Maura's presence. He needed the time to regroup. To contain his emotions. To control his sexual attraction to his unwanted bride. And he needed to bring Tommy up to speed on his unexpected deviation from their plan.
"Maura?" He knew as soon as the words were out of his mouth he was in trouble.
She turned, her gaze bold and challenging. "Yes, Aidan?"
"Would you…like to ride into town…with me?" He didn't realize how much he wanted her company even though everything in him told him it was a bad idea.
"No, thank you." She turned and disappeared inside the house, leaving him gaping in surprise at her rebuff. She had turned the tables on him again.
"What the hell?"