See Jane Love - By Debby Conrad Page 0,54

do with trying to impress Alex. Nothing to do with making up for all his wrong-doings as a teenager.

It all had to do with Janie. She’d changed him somehow.

He’d dated a lot of women over the years, but none of them had ever made him feel the way he did when he was with her. None of them had ever started him thinking about marriage and babies and forever. But then, none of those women were Janie.

Janie had a strong streak of independence, yet she was vulnerable, as well. She was proud to a fault and humble at the same time. And no one had ever gotten him as excited as she could.

Yep, she’d gotten to him, all right. He wanted her so badly it hurt inside. He wanted to protect her and make her happy. And he never wanted to see her cry. Is that what love was all about? Was love something you could describe this easily?

If so, what a fool he’d been for not recognizing it until now. And knowing Janie didn’t love him back, and wanted only to pretend this was a real marriage, made him suddenly bitter inside. The thought of her using him made his heart ache like a jagged, open sore. And yet there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

* * * * * * * * * *

Janie stretched as she got out of the car. “We’re home,” she said, staring at her townhouse. Someone had left the porch light on for them. Probably Gertie. When Gabe only grunted in response, she turned to look at him. “What’s wrong? You barely said two words to me the last two hundred miles.”

“Nothing,” he mumbled, unlocking the trunk. “And button your coat, so you don’t catch cold.”

With a roll of her eyes, Janie buttoned her navy wool pea coat to ward off the chilly night air. Although, she knew perfectly well, she wouldn’t catch a cold if she left it open. “Do you need help with the bags?” she asked, moving to stand beside Gabe.

“No. I don’t want you lifting anything. I’ll make two trips.”

In one way, it was nice being pampered and cared for. In another, it made her feel totally inadequate and helpless. Something she wasn’t used to. Ever since she’d told him about the pregnancy, he’d become her guardian. Always worrying whether she was getting enough rest and reminding her to eat balanced. Now he was worried about the way she dressed in the cold. But, if for the sake of pride, she did something that caused harm to their baby she’d never forgive herself. “Only five more months, and then I won’t be a useless wind-up toy,” she muttered.

Gabe’s head shot up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” She spun on her heel and started for the sidewalk. In her huff, she didn’t notice the patch of ice on the dark pavement. Her feet flew out from under her and she would have fallen on her behind if Gabe hadn’t been there to catch her.

“Dammit, Janie!” he swore, lifting her into his arms. “You’ve got to be more careful.”

Realizing she could have hurt the baby, had she fallen, she nestled closer to him, feeling comforted by his strength and loving the security of his arms around her. “Maybe I should just stay in bed for the rest of my pregnancy.”

He gave her a non-committal, “Maybe,” and started up the walk. He climbed the three steps to her porch and set her on her feet.

“You could stay in bed with me,” she teased, trailing a finger across the dark stubble on his cheek.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he asked, a scowl etched into his facial features.

“Yes, wouldn’t you?” She wiggled her brows and grinned.

“There’s more to life than just great sex, Janie.”

Well, it looked like the honeymoon was over. And she didn’t have to be a mind reader to know something was definitely bothering him. The fact that he was no longer interested in sex was a dead giveaway. But what had suddenly gone wrong between them? Gabe had seemed genuinely happy ever since they’d said their I dos. Until a few hours ago, that is.

Handing the key over to him, she asked, “Aren’t you going to carry me over the threshold like you did in Vegas?”

“Uh, sure,” he said, unlocking the door. Then, picking her up, he carried her inside.

“We could go upstairs and get naked.” Janie rested her lips against his neck and breathed in his male