Jacob's Ladder: Gabe (Jacob's Ladder #1)

Although I tried to give her some privacy, bits of the conversation floated back to me. “It’s just until Sunday night. I’ll be back to get him ready for school. It’s just that Gabe’s met all of my family, and I really want to meet his, not to mention hearing them perform the songs he’s been working on.” She paused for a moment. “I know it seems fast, Dad, but you’ve met him. Doesn’t he seem like a nice guy to you?”

Jeez, I certainly hoped Abe liked me. I’d eaten dinner with him multiple times over the last ten days. More than anything, I hoped he wasn’t trying to talk Rae out of coming with me. “I’m glad to hear you say that, and I’m glad you’ll take Linc for the weekend.”

Thank God. While inwardly fist-bumping myself, I heard Rae hang up. Within a flash, she had rejoined me. Smiling coyly up at me, she asked, “Can you give me ten minutes to pack?”

I grinned. “Considering I plan to keep you naked for most of the weekend, I would advise you pack light, and mainly lingerie.”

She snorted. “Yeah, we’ll just see about that.”

After she wiggled out of my embrace, she jerked her chin at the door. “Come on. You can break the news to Linc that you’re taking me to the city.”

With a groan, I said, “Thanks for making me bad cop.”

“It’s good practice.” She gave me a knowing look before slipping inside the house. I remained frozen in place, processing the enormity of her words. When I could finally put one foot in front of the other again, I rubbed my hand over my chest, where an unfamiliar ache had begun spread.





As Gabe’s Jeep sped down the interstate toward Atlanta, I fought the urge to pinch myself for the thousandth time. It wasn’t just the fact that I was playing hooky from work for the first time in my adult life and leaving Linc for the weekend; it was everything Gabe had said to me.

I haven’t really dated anyone in a long time, and it’s been even longer since I tried to make things work with a woman. That said, I’d like to try with you.”

Gabe wanted to try a relationship with me. Mr. Rich and Famous Country Star wanted to try a relationship with me—a small-town single mother whose glamorous career was running a collision business. Who wouldn’t feel like she was tripping in some alternate universe?

“You’re awfully quiet,” Gabe said.

“Just thinking.”

“About leaving Linc?”

I turned in my seat to smile at him. I couldn’t help loving that he imagined my thoughts were on my son and not him. “Actually, I was thinking about you.”

Gabe’s brows shot up. “Dirty thoughts?”

With a roll of my eyes, I replied, “Not quite.”

“Bummer.” He momentarily took his eyes off the road to grin at me. “What were you thinking about me?”

“At the moment, I’m thinking my original impression of you being a sex fiend still rings true.”

Gabe laughed. “For real though, what were you thinking about?”

“How surreal this all is, how I never imagined when I woke up this morning that I’d be seeing the Atlanta skyline a few hours later.”

“No regrets?”

“None yet.”

“Good. I was afraid you might be regretting leaving Linc.”

“Although I’m always sad to be away from him, it’s not like he’s an infant or it’s the first time we’ve been separated. He went to Boy Scout camp for a week this summer.”

“And you did okay?”

“I might’ve cried the first few days…and the day I went to pick him up.”

Gabe smiled at me. “He’s a lucky kid to have a mom who cares about him so much.”

“I’m sure he would argue that he’s not so lucky his mom cares because she’s always on his ass.”

“He might not appreciate it now, but I’m sure he will when he gets older. I know I did, and that’s coming from a guy who had an ultra-strict missionary mom.”

“Ouch. I’m sure that was pretty intense.”

“Micah and Abby were always these angel kids, the ones who sat perfectly still in church and never had a hair out of place or dirtied their clothes.” He glanced over me. “Eli and I were hell on wheels, practically from birth.”

I laughed at his summation. “Surely you weren’t that bad.”

“I’m pretty sure we gave our parents all the grey hairs they have.”

Tilting my head in thought, I said, “Out of me and my sisters, I would have to say that me and Kennedy probably tie for giving my dad the most grey hairs. Ellie was just like Micah and Abby—she’s never been in trouble a day in her life. I got pregnant at seventeen, and Kennedy fell in love with a married man while she was in culinary school in Paris.”

Gabe whistled. “I’d say you guys were neck and neck there for biggest troublemaker.”

“Thankfully, we both got our acts together, and we haven’t given Dad too much grief since—besides the being unmarried part.”

“Is your dad on your case to get married like my parents are?”

“Yes and no. Although he knows my sisters and I are capable of taking care of ourselves, he wants us to have families of our own. I think he really wants us to have what he didn’t—a happy marriage.”

“My parents want that for Eli and me. More than that, they’d like us on a more straight and narrow path.” He winked. “Give up a life of sin.”

“I wondered what your parents thought of your career.”

“They think we’re incredibly blessed to get to make a good living doing something we love. At the same time, they’d appreciate a little less drinking and a little less…” He grimaced.

“Whoring around?”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“I’m not na?ve, Gabe. I’m aware of the type of lifestyle you have.”

“Had.”

“What?”

He took his gaze off the road again. “It’s the life I had. I don’t have it anymore.”

Immediately, the gravity of what he was saying hit me. The lovesick teenage girl in me wanted to clasp her hand to her heart. Of course, the adult Rae, who had been burned too many times before, rolled her eyes at the teenage girl part. I was way too wise to merely take his word. “Old habits can be hard to break,” I murmured.

“I agree, but it helps if you have a reason for making the change, and you’re my reason.”

Turning in the seat to face him, I countered, “While that is immensely flattering, I would argue that it’s easy to utter the words, but it’s the actual action of changing that speaks louder.” When Gabe opened his mouth to argue, I wagged a finger at him. “Don’t even tell me your actions speak for you. It’s not like you’ve had any temptation holed up here in Hayesville.”

Gabe shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’ll have you know, I’ve had other offers, and not just from Rejune.”

“Ew.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “Hey, I’m just being honest.”

“And so am I.”

“What exactly do you think is going to happen? I’m going to go back out on the road and start banging women left and right?”

Just the thought of Gabe looking at another woman, let alone having sex with one, turned my stomach. It wasn’t just about the fact that I had yet to have sex with him, but it was more about my growing feelings for him. “Maybe.”

With a grunt, Gabe replied, “Wow, I’m glad you think so highly of me.”

“I do think highly of you.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“I know you’re first and foremost a man, and men have urges. You’re also an extremely good-looking man who is surrounded by beautiful women who want nothing more than to fuck you.”

“Yeah, and that’s it.”