Lone Star Burn_Undercover Heart

by Judy Kentrus

  He held out a game-winning hand. “Daniel Thompson…and you would be?” “Daniel?” she choked before stumbling over her own name. “Erin MacKenna.”

  Chapter 3

  Caleb placed the screwdriver in his tool box and set his Corsair model plane in the trunk of his car. This was the second afternoon he’d enjoyed working with and flying his model airplane. He’d discovered the abandoned parking lot at the end of his street. The big open space was the perfect place to enjoy his hobby, usually done alone because he never took the time to share his personal enjoyment with anyone. The sound of bike tires gripping the old asphalt said he’d been found out. Was this another change in his life?

  “Mister, what are you doing?”

  He turned to face the three kids who were currently balancing themselves on their Huffy bikes. Two were shiny, but the third sported a number of rust spots and the tread on the tires was thin. He judged the kids to be about seven or eight years old. Baseball caps bearing superhero logos covered their heads. His attention spiked when he realized one of his visitors was a young girl and his eyes darted to the ponytail she’d drawn through the opening in the rear of the hat. Strawberry blond. Wrong color. All were dressed in jeans and t-shirts, just like him.

  Caleb folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the side of his car. “I’m flying a model airplane. Are you supposed to be talking to strangers?”

  “It’s okay, we know who you are. My name is Jayden and I live down the block. My mom is a real estate agent and said you’re renting the house from my grandfather.”

  Caleb held out a hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Daniel Thompson. Who are your friends?

  “I’m Louis and live next door to Jayden. My mom said you work at Hughes. My sister Amelia was upset because she thought Santa’s workshop was closed. She said you were an elf. Is that true?”

  “I remember your mom and your sister. Let’s just say I’m an unofficial elf.”

  “My name is Danielle, but everyone calls me Danni. I recognize your car. Me and my mom live across the street from you. You’re going to give the whole school tablets for us to do our school work.”

  Caleb forced himself to contain his excitement. “Would your mother’s first name happen to be Erin?”

  “Yeah, Erin MacKenna.”

  There is a God! He walked out of the school two days ago feeling like a million dollars and waited for his red-haired maverick, the nickname he called Erin MacKenna, to respond to the email he’d sent confirming their agreement. He hoped to draw her out on a more personal level, but received a curt response. “Thank you for outlining your program. I’ll be back to you in a couple of days with a preliminary plan.” Making friends with her daughter might be the perfect way to get better acquainted. The bonus was that she lived across the street.

  “Can we watch you fly your plane?” Louis asked.

  Make friends; play nice. “I was about to go home for dinner, but I’ll give you a little demonstration.”

  He carefully lifted the plane that it took him six months to build and showed it proudly to his audience. “The F4U Corsair is regarded as one of the most accomplished and innovative military aircraft in aviation history and was respected for its ferocious firepower and impressive versatility. My grandfather was a pilot in World War II and flew this plane for real.”

  “What’s World War II?” Danni asked.

  Shows how much you don’t know about kids. “A war that happened over seventy-five years ago. I’m sure you’ll learn about it in school someday. Now stand back.”

  Caleb carefully set the Corsair on the paved surface and maneuvered the controls that sent the plane along the makeshift runway and up into the wild blue yonder.

  “Wow! That’s neat!” they chorused as their heads swiveled around and their eyes followed the little plane that zoomed over their heads.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet.” Their enjoyment encouraged him to show off his maneuvering skills. He adjusted the controls and the plane took a nose dive and completed a full loop before Caleb brought it safely to the ground.

  “Can we try?” Jayden eagerly asked.

  “It’s not as easy as it looks, and this plane is very expensive.” The disappointed looks on the three faces tugged at Caleb’s heartstrings. “I’ll tell you what. If you are really interested, there are beginner kits for you to assemble your own planes.” His next words came out before he realized what he offered. “I’ll be glad to teach you, but you have to get permission from your parents.”

  Caleb went to the front seat of his car for the pad he always carried and printed his name three times, along with his temporary cell phone. “Give this to your mothers and fathers and have them call me.”

  “I don’t have a father, but I’ll be getting one soon,” Danni said in a voice filled with confidence.

  “So your mom is getting married?” Caleb almost choked on the question.

  “No, but she’s waiting for a cowboy so we can ride horses together.”

  Caleb didn’t know what to make of the young girl’s answer. He certainly didn’t fit into the cowboy category so he was already out of the running.

  “Once I get the okay from your parents, I’ll order the kits. Since you all know where I live, we can work on the planes in my garage.” Caleb made a mental note to order three portable workbenches and small tool boxes from the hardware section of the store.

  “I can’t come.”

  Louis’ face and voice was filled with disappointment and Caleb silently admonished his own insensitivity. Rust on the bike frame, threadbare tires. Danielle and Jayden had superhero-themed water bottles attached to the handlebars. Louis attached his bottle of water to the dull frame with a bungee cord.

  “He can’t come because he doesn’t have the money for the plane,” Jayden said. “His dad died and Louis lives with his grandma. His mom is a waitress at Wolff’s Roadhouse and is going to help in Santa’s Village for the holidays.”

  “I’m sorry about your dad. I should have explained further: I will pay for the planes and teach you how to build them.”

  The kids’ faces brightened. “Really!” they shouted.

  Caleb was encouraged by their happiness and his cheek muscles tightened in a smile. “Absolutely!”

  “This will be like a model plane flying club,” Jayden said, unable to contain the excitement in his voice.

  “Yeah! We can be the Super Flyers,” Danni said. “We love superheroes and can pretend we’re saving the world.”

  “Let’s make up a secret handshake!” Louis got affirmative nods from his friends.

  “You can be the top superhero flyer because you’re the head of our club,” Danni said, grinning at Caleb.

  Head of the club! He was the president of a multi-million-dollar corporation and had just been sucked in by three con artists. He’d been called a lot of things in his day, but superhero hadn’t been one of them.

  “Wait until I tell my mom!” Danni yelled.

  With that, all members of the newly formed Super Flyer’s club turned their bikes around and pedaled away from Caleb like they were about to be sucked in by Jaws.

  “Don’t forget to have your parents contact me,” he called to their retreating backs then raised his eyes to the almost cloudless blue sky. “I am sure you’re up there, laughing your head off.”

  Erin sat at the kitchen table and reviewed the tentative outline she’d put together for Santa Traditions. Getting ideas had been easier than she anticipated. Word had gotten around and people were eager to tell her about the timeless customs they’d shared with their families. She had a variety of crafts, recipes, and stories to choose from. If things went as planned, she’d be able to present a preliminary outline to the PR man in a day or so. If he approved, she’d put together a list of the supplies needed. Meredith was outlining the schedule for the sessions and coordinating the volunteers with Mrs. Murphy. Erin also wanted to visit the room to make sure things would be kid-friendly, especially the
tables. A sink for them to wash up and a small kitchenette would be required to do the baking.

  She had to stop mentally referring to him as the PR man. His name was Daniel Thompson. When he introduced himself, she’d suffered an invisible punch in the gut. Since childhood, she’d loved the name Daniel because one of her favorite heroes was Daniel Boone. That was why she’d named her daughter Danielle.

  The PR man was suave, confident and good-looking. No, he was gorgeous. When he moved to sit on the table and nudged her pad to the side, her breath caught in her throat. Those damn glasses framed his intense aqua eyes that appeared to be looking right through her. When he added his devastating smile, her staunch determination to stay clear of all men trembled. It wasn’t just a slight tremor, but a full-fledged earthquake. It was going to be very hard to stand by her conviction and maintain a platonic relationship with Daniel Thompson. She already anticipated numerous aftershocks working with the man on his project.

  On the positive side, she liked the sincerity in his voice when he related his experience working at shelters and listening to what people had to say. Hughes was a huge conglomerate and their strategy was to build up their holiday sales, but it was nice to know they thought more about tradition than just the bottom line.

  Growing up she volunteered at safe havens, assisting those in need, and currently helped twice a month at their local outreach and community center. She planned to put together Helping Hand boxes again this year.

  She saved her work and shut down her laptop. Before leaving for school that morning, she’d put a meatloaf in the crock pot. It was convenient and saved time cleaning up after dinner in her tidy kitchen that she’d decorated in lemon yellow and mint green, her favorite colors.

  Their ranch-style home included two bedrooms, a living room, and two baths. She didn’t want to raise her child in an apartment and purchased the home shortly after she became pregnant. It took all of her savings for the down payment and her monthly mortgage payments were manageable.

  She went to the refrigerator and took out the two potatoes she’d already scrubbed that morning and would bake them in the microwave. Danielle turned her nose up at fresh broccoli, but she planned to add a light cheese sauce. When she approached the crock pot, she sensed something was wrong. Normally, the delicious scent of barbecue sauce was prominent and the metal shell radiated a small amount of heat. She lifted the clear lid and stared down at a flat mushy mess surrounded by a pool of dark red sauce.

  “Oh, no!” she cried before looking at the on-off switch on the front of the crock pot. “You never turned it on!”

  She knew who was responsible for shaking up her normal, well-ordered life. This morning when she got dressed for work she changed her outfit three times, just in case he happened to stop by the school to talk to her. Meredith had commented that Erin looked very pretty and asked who was the recipient of her girly primping? She’d followed with fluttering eyelashes and drew an invisible “DT” with her finger. “Stop thinking about that sexy man!” She turned away from their ruined dinner when the back door flew open.

  “Mom!” Danielle cried running into the kitchen. “We’re going to have a Super Flyers club and we’re meeting in this guy’s garage.”

  “First of all, close the back door and second, you are not going to some strange man’s house, and what’s this about a flying club?”

  Danni removed her hat and hung it on the back of a kitchen chair before going to the refrigerator to get a juice box. “He’s the guy who’s going to buy tablets for the whole school.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “Jayden heard Principal Walters talking to one of the fourth grade teachers in the cafeteria. So, can I join the flying club?”

  “Not so fast. Where did you meet him?”

  “He was flying his cool model plane in the abandoned parking lot at the end of our street. He’s going to help us build the planes in his garage and then he’s going to show us how to fly them.” Danielle walked over to the counter and looked in the crock pot. “I’m really hungry but that looks like the time I threw up after eating too much pizza.”

  “Thanks for that colorful recollection,” she groaned, silently agreeing with her. “When is all this supposed to happen?”

  “You have to call him.” Danielle slid her hand into the pocket of her jeans for the slip of paper. “I lost the note with his phone number, but that’s okay. He lives across the street.”

  “He lives across the street!” Not good, she told herself. That’s much too close.

  “He’s renting the house from Jayden’s grandfather. So, can I go?”

  It never ceased to amaze her, the extent of the juvenile gossip train that ran around their school and neighborhood. “I want to speak to him personally about this so-called club.”

  “We can go right now because his car is in the driveway.” Danni didn’t bother to wait for an answer from her mother and hurried out the back door.

  The small development was thirty years old and all of the houses were cookie cutter construction. The faux stucco exterior of her home was painted a soft green with a red clay tile roof. The rental home had been well maintained and was painted a steel blue with the same tile roof. It was a friendly, family-oriented neighborhood and most people never locked their doors. The standard joke was, if a guy came home some night three-sheets-to-the-wind, he could mistake one of the other houses as his own.

  Despite the PR man wanting to talk to each parent, she didn’t like that he took it upon himself to tempt three innocent kids with an expensive hobby. In her haste to find out what was going on, she realized she hadn’t changed her clothes. She only wore her frayed denim shorts and skinny strap camisole around the house. Her hair was caught up in a comb clip on the top of her head and she was wearing her oldest flip flops. Before she got second thoughts about going home to change, her daughter rang the bell.

  It took a few minutes for him to respond to their presence. When he opened the door, she was taken aback by the apron that covered his jeans and white t-shirt. The words Top Dog Barbecue with a ferocious-looking bulldog was imprinted on the red butcher’s apron. His hair was slightly mussed and, to her disappointment, he wasn’t wearing his glasses. No, that’s a good thing.

  “I realize it’s dinner time, but I’d like to talk to you about this so-called flying club.” The no-nonsense tone in her voice said she wasn’t here for cocktails.

  Caleb leaned against the door frame and grinned. “Hi, Erin MacKenna. This is a nice surprise.” He swept a hand in front of him. “My dinner isn’t quite ready, so please come in.”

  She loved, no, hated the smooth way her name rolled off his tongue. Once again, laughter radiated in his eyes.

  “I told my mom about the club,” Danni began and entered the house first. The layout was the same and she walked down the short hall that led to the kitchen.

  “It sure smells good in here,” she said, and made herself comfortable at the round kitchen table that overlooked the small backyard.

  “Danielle, you don’t just sit down without being invited.”

  “No, please sit. I need to keep an eye on my dinner.”

  “Mom ruined our dinner and it looks like puke!”

  Instant heat smothered Erin’s cheeks and she didn’t have to look in a mirror to know her face reflected her embarrassment. It wasn’t just her daughter’s comment that had turned her cheeks a deeper red. He followed her when they walked into the kitchen and she didn’t need x-ray vision to know his eyes had taken in the brief cut of her shorts. He also wasn’t oblivious to the fact she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  “Danielle!”

  Erin crossed her arms over her chest to hide her nipples that were quite prominent. “I’m a really good cook, but I forgot to turn on the crock pot before we left for school this morning. It was supposed to be meatloaf.”

  “Meatloaf is one of my favorites, too. If you like chili, mine will be done in a half hour. We can talk about the Super Flyers club that
the three kids decided to form before I had a chance to know what was happening.”

  “I take it you haven’t been around children very much.”

  “I feel like I’ve stepped into an alternate universe.”

  She looked about and silenced a shudder at the sight of his messy kitchen. It appeared he’d used every bowl and pan available to make his dinner. “We both love chili and we’ll stay on one condition: You let me clean up.”

  “Deal!” he grinned, and held out a hand.

  Don’t touch him, she silently cautioned herself, but slid her hand into his and let his long fingers enclose her hand. An aftershock the likes of which she’d never experienced attacked every nerve ending in her body. His hand was very smooth and radiated intense warmth. She hoped he couldn’t feel the tingling shiver under her skin. His aqua-blue eyes went from a teasing gleam to shocked surprise at the spontaneous electricity that passed between them. She yanked her hand away as if she’d been touched by a hot poker. I’m in trouble, a whole lot of trouble.

  I’m in trouble, a whole lot of trouble. Caleb lifted the lid on the pot and concentrated on stirring the chili he’d started two hours ago.

  He was forty-two years old, not a horny teenager. Following her into the kitchen, his eyes were drawn to her enticing rounded cheeks and appreciated her lovely long legs. The front of his jeans tightened and he was glad the apron shielded his obvious arousal. The moment the pulse in their hands touched, the light, flirtatious interest he had for this red-haired maverick turned into something he’d never anticipated or experienced: instant heat and desire. She had to have felt it, too, because she yanked her hand away and quickly gave him her back.

  This couldn’t and shouldn’t be happening. He cautioned himself to focus on his mission: find his brother’s supposed child and make sure the Santa Traditions event at the store was successful.