Read Online A Prince for Jenny by Peggy Webb - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Peggy Webb
Tags: Romance, Contemporary Romance, sequel, small town romance, sweet romance, Classic Romance, Peggy Webb backlist, Peggy Webb romance, star crossed romance, romance with single dad, Southern books
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Michael, his father, Claire. All the people he'd failed. The important thing was not to fail again, not to fail Megan and Patrick... and Jenny.
He left his desk and poured himself a cup of coffee.
Jake made a careful steeple of his hands, never taking his eyes off Daniel. "There was never any doubt in my mind that my daughter was safe from you and with you. The thing that bothers me most is that in her present state of mind she is not safe from herself."
"The car." Restless, Daniel remained standing.
"Precisely. Call me overprotective, call me any damned thing you like, but I will not allow Jenny to be put in jeopardy again as she was today."
Lesser men might have been intimidated by Jake Townsend, but Daniel had one advantage over lesser men. He loved Jenny as much as Jake did. Perhaps more, if that was possible.
"I agree that taking the car was a dangerous thing for her to do, but she did a remarkable job, considering that no one ever taught her to drive." It was a subtle criticism. Daniel watched to see how Jake would react.
"You have children."
"Yes ... two."
"Then you know what it's like to want to keep them safe from all harm. I lost my first wife and daughter in a car accident. I owe my happiness, my very life, to Jenny and her mother, and I would gladly give mine for them."
"As I would for mine."
"Megan and Patrick, ages eight and five." Jake gave him what passed for a smile, one father to another. Under different circumstances they might have been great friends.
"The first thing I did when I left Gwendolyn was to check up on you," Jake added. "There's not much about you that I don't know."
"There's one thing about me that you don't know." Daniel put his untouched cup of coffee back beside the coffeepot then returned to his chair behind the desk. Taking a pencil in his hands, he faced Jake. "I love Jenny."
The silence in the room was so complete, it appeared that neither man even breathed. As Jake and Daniel sized each other up, the only sign of turmoil was the twitch in Jake's jaw and the way Daniel clenched his pencil. It finally gave way under the pressure. The small popping sound brought them out of their trance.
"Everybody loves Jenny. She's an easy person to love."
Jake's statement gave Daniel a temporary reprieve from his ill-timed confession. He loved Jenny. The knowledge sang through him like a symphony. He'd loved her from the moment he'd first seen her swinging in her backyard. Need, desire, passion. He'd called his feelings all those things. But the simple, wondrous fact was that he loved her... man to woman, prince to princess, Adam to Eve... loved her enough to let her go.
"Yes, she's an easy person to love," Daniel said, and in that moment he knew he'd betrayed her. Coward. Bastard. The self-recriminations would have to wait; now he needed all his energy focused on the powerful man sitting in his office.
"I had hoped ..." Too proud to continue, Jake bowed his head as his heart broke for Jenny. What had he expected from a virile, powerful, intelligent young man? Daniel Sullivan would never declare a romantic interest in a woman like Jenny. He'd choose someone who was his equal in every way, someone who could give him children.
Jake straightened his shoulders and fixed Daniel with a steady gaze. "Know this about Jenny: When she loves, she loves with her whole heart. I can't change the way she feels about you, but I can help her forget."
Cold winds swept across Daniel's soul. He'd lost her, lost her because he had neither the courage nor the wisdom to claim a special woman as his own.
"Sarah and I will take her on a long trip ... she loves to travel." Jake didn't have to say more. His eyes said it all. Unless you love my daughter enough to claim her, stay away .
Jake stood up. The interview was over.
They didn't shake hands; they merely parted, not as enemies but as two men who shared a common goal—protecting Jenny.
Daniel stood alone at the window, staring out into the darkness as
He left his desk and poured himself a cup of coffee.
Jake made a careful steeple of his hands, never taking his eyes off Daniel. "There was never any doubt in my mind that my daughter was safe from you and with you. The thing that bothers me most is that in her present state of mind she is not safe from herself."
"The car." Restless, Daniel remained standing.
"Precisely. Call me overprotective, call me any damned thing you like, but I will not allow Jenny to be put in jeopardy again as she was today."
Lesser men might have been intimidated by Jake Townsend, but Daniel had one advantage over lesser men. He loved Jenny as much as Jake did. Perhaps more, if that was possible.
"I agree that taking the car was a dangerous thing for her to do, but she did a remarkable job, considering that no one ever taught her to drive." It was a subtle criticism. Daniel watched to see how Jake would react.
"You have children."
"Yes ... two."
"Then you know what it's like to want to keep them safe from all harm. I lost my first wife and daughter in a car accident. I owe my happiness, my very life, to Jenny and her mother, and I would gladly give mine for them."
"As I would for mine."
"Megan and Patrick, ages eight and five." Jake gave him what passed for a smile, one father to another. Under different circumstances they might have been great friends.
"The first thing I did when I left Gwendolyn was to check up on you," Jake added. "There's not much about you that I don't know."
"There's one thing about me that you don't know." Daniel put his untouched cup of coffee back beside the coffeepot then returned to his chair behind the desk. Taking a pencil in his hands, he faced Jake. "I love Jenny."
The silence in the room was so complete, it appeared that neither man even breathed. As Jake and Daniel sized each other up, the only sign of turmoil was the twitch in Jake's jaw and the way Daniel clenched his pencil. It finally gave way under the pressure. The small popping sound brought them out of their trance.
"Everybody loves Jenny. She's an easy person to love."
Jake's statement gave Daniel a temporary reprieve from his ill-timed confession. He loved Jenny. The knowledge sang through him like a symphony. He'd loved her from the moment he'd first seen her swinging in her backyard. Need, desire, passion. He'd called his feelings all those things. But the simple, wondrous fact was that he loved her... man to woman, prince to princess, Adam to Eve... loved her enough to let her go.
"Yes, she's an easy person to love," Daniel said, and in that moment he knew he'd betrayed her. Coward. Bastard. The self-recriminations would have to wait; now he needed all his energy focused on the powerful man sitting in his office.
"I had hoped ..." Too proud to continue, Jake bowed his head as his heart broke for Jenny. What had he expected from a virile, powerful, intelligent young man? Daniel Sullivan would never declare a romantic interest in a woman like Jenny. He'd choose someone who was his equal in every way, someone who could give him children.
Jake straightened his shoulders and fixed Daniel with a steady gaze. "Know this about Jenny: When she loves, she loves with her whole heart. I can't change the way she feels about you, but I can help her forget."
Cold winds swept across Daniel's soul. He'd lost her, lost her because he had neither the courage nor the wisdom to claim a special woman as his own.
"Sarah and I will take her on a long trip ... she loves to travel." Jake didn't have to say more. His eyes said it all. Unless you love my daughter enough to claim her, stay away .
Jake stood up. The interview was over.
They didn't shake hands; they merely parted, not as enemies but as two men who shared a common goal—protecting Jenny.
Daniel stood alone at the window, staring out into the darkness as
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