April 5, 2007

For a solid month, the rumor mill has been abuzz with whispers of a covert and impossibly cute love connection between Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal. Now, People and Us Weekly are officially anointing them a couple, with both magazines declaring that the not-quite-ex Mrs. Ryan Phillippe, 31, is quietly rebounding with the dreamy eyed actor, 26, her co-star in the forthcoming flick "Rendition."

"Reese is ready for someone she can trust," her "close friend" shares with Us. "Jake is an actor, is stable, has a successful career and wouldn't want her money, so she can trust him."

Meanwhile, a "source close to Gyllenhaal" tells People that he's already begun bonding with her brood, allegedly hanging out with Witherspoon and her tykes Ava, 7, and Deacon, 3, during a recent rendezvous in New York.

"In the last month, they've been spending a lot more time together," says the snitch. "Jake really likes her and isn't at all concerned that she has two kids."

So far, the supposed squeezes have avoided being snapped by the paparazzi who constantly trail the actress, but that doesn't mean there haven't been sightings.

A People spy observed them breaking bread with friends at Los Angeles eatery Il Sole on March 23, tattling of their togetherness, "They were cuddling. It looked very playful."

And an eagle-eyed Us operative spotted Witherspoon grabbing some Indian takeout on March 30 near her Brentwood, Calif., mansion -- and noticed she hopped out of a car driven by Gyllenhaal.

"When she came back out to the car, he got out and opened the door for her and was shielding his face so no one would see him," recounts diner Rachel Sounhein.

Face-shielding aside, Gyllenhaal's gentlemanlike manner as he politely opened her door is probably appreciated by the Tennessee-raised Witherspoon, who is still said to be smarting over her October breakup from Phillippe after seven years of marriage.

"[Reese] is still very, very hurt by Ryan and it will take a long time to get over that," a Witherspoon confidante explains to People. "[But she and Jake] have a mutual interest. They are taking it slow and getting to know each other."

Echoes a Gyllenhaal source to Us, "They are taking it slow. It is new for both of them. But they are seeing each other and seeing where it goes."

As for those naysayers (and you know who you are) who aren't quite convinced the co-stars are captivated by one another, the insider reiterates, "This is for real."

And both mags take pains to point out that Jake, when he's not working up a sweat while biking or jogging in form-fitting shorts, is a homebody, unlike Ryan, who in recent weeks has purportedly enjoyed face-time with Lindsay Lohan and Ashlee Simpson at various Los Angeles hot spots.

"Reese and Ryan fought about Ryan's need to go to clubs -- with Jake, she won't have that problem," "someone familiar with the situation" tells Us, with a source reinforcing to People, "Jake has never been about staying out late partying. This is what he wants."

Gyllenhaal, whose fickle romance with Kirsten Dunst ended for good in 2005, is "very into kids," the mole helpfully adds to People.

The actor, who is uncle to big sister Maggie's daughter, Ramona, and godfather to his "Brokeback Mountain" co-stars Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams' tot, Matilda, made his domestic plans clear in the February issue of GQ, revealing, "I'm definitely thinking about [children]."

But first, he said, he has to find that special someone.

"Look, the most important job for a man is to find the right woman," he told the mag. "It's the best we can do. I thank my father for choosing my mother. She's wonderful in so many ways. And she chose well, too. I've noticed in life that the mother, first, has a primary job -- and as a father, your job is to pick a caring, smart, mindful woman."

Next: Couples Report: Kate 'All Over' Owen and More